When I was there 2.5 weeks ago the store was closed but the pumps were working if you had a card. No human employees in sight. The restrooms were closed.by sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I did the Mist Trail / JMT loop a week ago, spending the night in the Illiouette drainage. From 8am-4pm the Mist Trail is one way UP, which meant we had very few close interactions with people. Maybe 20-30% of people had masks / wore them when close to others, but since there were fewer people on the trails it never felt too unsafe. I agree that the Store was doing a fantastic job with limby sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I was in the Valley Store on Sunday and it was wonderfully well run. Only 60 people in the store at a time, being rigorously well run by someone at the door. That person was checking for masks as well and disinfecting baskets. Probably the most well run shopping experience I've had anywhere. Trails weren't so good. Descending the JMT maybe 30% of folks had masks / wore them when they got closeby sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
And, um, your Twitter feed is sending one tweet every ten seconds. Please fix it!by sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
FYI, the site's Twitter feed ... https://twitter.com/yosemitenews ... seems to have gone crazy. It's been tweeting out links all day to various Linux kernel vulnerabilities and similar topics that don't have anything to do with this site. The Twitter feed usually posts a link to this forum any time a post is made. I'm not sure what scripts run the feed, but something is badly broken. ..by sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I'm betting that the first few hundred feet of that hike ... crossing the Tenaya Lake exit ... could be a bit interesting, too.by sammydee - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
190 to 395 to 88 and over. The Eastern Sierra is the most beautiful place on earth, and you'll spend a day seeing it. The southern routes miss it. Plan to spend a day. Explore the lakes above Bishop or Mammoth or June Lake or Bodie or Mono Lake or Manzanar or.... Yosemite Valley is beautiful too, but crowded. Take your time to get there, and see the sights along the way. We routinely rush thrby sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Here's a rather long post I wrote a few years ago about how the travel companies game the system at the Grand Canyon. http://sammydee.net/blog/hikes/gaming-the-system-getting-a-grand-canyon-backcountry-permit ...Samby sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Fall Colors report from Saturday October 3: Twin Lakes : none Virginia Lakes : just starting. Rock Creek : peak above 8800 ft, just starting below. Online reports said all 3 were in "go NOW". Pfft, The Internet.by sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Re (1), according to the "Full trailhead report", there might be availability on the 27th but every other date in September is full (or was when I looked at it): http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/upload/fulltrailheads.pdf But there are cancellations, so you should check. Re (2), see this: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wildpermits.htm You can use a backpackers caby sammydee - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
I should mention that even on the "relatively easy" hike to North Dome, I saw SAR have to come out to rescue a fellow who passed out on trail. It's impossible to tell how you will react to elevation until you experience it. Start out slow, drink lots of water, and ramp up.by sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Here's a question I think is pretty important: when you go hiking back home, how long are your hikes? If you've never done a 14 mile dayhike, Yosemite isn't the place to do your first one. I'm a 55 year old male who started hiking in 2009 and now hikes ~ 400 miles a year. My wife hikes occasionally but much less (she'll do 5 mile, 1000 ft hikes). I don't have as much experience as mosby sammydee - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion