After completing the Half Dome climb, I would echo many of the sentiments in this thread. I was fortunate enough to arrive at the cables at 10 AM - before most of the dayhikers arrived. I also only travelled about 2 miles from a backcountry camping location, so I was likely less fatigued than many of the dayhikers. It really does help to be able to use both hands on both cables. I saw lots ofby y_p_w - General Discussion
tothetrail wrote: > I am looking to find if anyone has done the loop hike through > the High Sierra Camps including Glen Aulin, May Lake, Sunrise, > Merced, and Vogelsang, this year. While I realize that this > year may be an exception as to previous years, and conditions > may change, I will be there at the end of July and I am trying > to get a feel for the following, so farby y_p_w - General Discussion
I went (driving or shuttle) past Camp 4 several times over the past two weeks. There's a chain-link fence (covered with sheeting) erected in front and they're doing some sort of construction or work in front. At first glance it looked like Camp 4 was no longer in operation, until a different angle revealed all the tents. Anyone know what the fences in front are for?by y_p_w - General Discussion
movingzachb wrote: > I was in Yellowstone watching a bear come out of the woods > towards a group of tourists. It is against the law for anyone > in that state ( and probably California to ) to be within 100 > yards of a bear without a forest ranger present. Yellowstone's guidelines are different than those in Yosemite. They recommend a 100 yard separation between sleeping areas anby y_p_w - General Discussion
I saw the crew doing mop up work in the morning. It was slightly smoldering and the smoke affected all the long range photos I tried taking.by y_p_w - General Discussion
steel wrote: > >>>Are you planning to get the permit on the say day you'll > start hiking? > > That was the original plan (until I learned about wilderness > permit). > > > Ok, so I will show up at Big Oak Flat Road (Highway 120) at the > park entrance before 8 am. That should save me a spot. But if I > still can't get a permit, is there a plby y_p_w - General Discussion
Just an additional comment. I just got back and during one of the ranger activites I asked about bear pepper spray. I was told that they're generally not a deterrent when a bear is going after food, although they work well against charging bears. I was told that even though they're irritated, they might just keep on eating if they have a food source. Also - weapons (save utility knives) areby y_p_w - General Discussion
eeek wrote: > steel wrote: > > > Are you guys talking about camp Sunrise? No permit required? > > No, you'd still need a permit. I was thinking of a camp at the > Cloud's Rest junction with the John Muir Trail. That probably > wouldn't work well unless you are in very good shape. I just got back from my trip, and I camped in two spots in that area. There's one that'sby y_p_w - General Discussion
bpnjensen wrote: > Wow! I'd love to see this - do you know if anyone has posted > any videos of this happening? > > That's a darn good reason not to go with that method anymore. The craziest thing I've heard of are the "Kamikaze" bears. Apparently they're not afraid to fall from a higher branch in an effort to break lower branches or dislodge bags/ropes. http://www.sieby y_p_w - General Discussion
Sounds really odd, like the black bear in Tennessee last year. Apparently the bear has been found and shot to death in American Fork Canyon in Uinta National Forest in Utah, after dragging an 11 year old from his family's tent. I was in the area last year and went to Timpanagos Cave NM. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_6170245 American Fork Canyon has been closed too: http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/uinby y_p_w - General Discussion
letterknit wrote: > It seems like chain links would have even more opportunities > for fingers and other things to get caught. I didn't have any problems. The spaces between the links were tight enough that I didn't get my fingers caught. The one problem was that each section tended to sway (a lot) when someone was holding on. However - I understand there have been six fatalities thereby y_p_w - General Discussion
Well - some of the reports stated that this guy didn't do anything reckless per se. However - it was noted that he was carrying a "large backpack", which might have been a mistake. If it was heavy enough, it could have been a factor in his loss of balance. I thought a lot of people leave heavy backpacks at the start of the cables and pick them up when they return, for obvious reasonsby y_p_w - General Discussion
skskinner wrote: > Mike, Thanks again. Actually, the bag is approved, on the > condition that you also have the aluminum insert. The thing I > don't like about the bag is that it must be closed tightly and > that is hard to do. The rope is like 2700 pound test, and > according to the advertizements, with the alum liner, the bear > cannot crush it unless he jumps on it. Tby y_p_w - General Discussion
eeek wrote: > > Three leaves are called poison ivy and five are poison oak. > > Poison oak is three leaves. Yeah - poison oak and poison ivy both come in groups of three leaves. There are so many different varieties and coloration of poison oak that you can't just assume that a slightly different looking leaf isn't poison oak. They can vary in size from 1/2 in leaves to large 4 iby y_p_w - General Discussion
I have a small dish pan that I typically use to hand wash my clothes (and/or wash dishes for this trip). Of course I'm not dumping my wash water in the Merced River. What I had in mind was doing my laundry at my campsite and then dumping the wash water in a toilet or sink. I would object to someone hogging a bathroom sink to do dishes or laundry. I'm not sure if anyone would object to dumpingby y_p_w - General Discussion
OK- Solo trip, so I don't think I'll have enough laundry to justify going to to laundromat. I usually hand wash my synthetics and air dry anyways. Does it really matter if I use unscented laundry detergent (I've got Cheer Free) or a mildly scented detergent like Woolite? I hear horror stories about black bears being attracted to anything that's even mildly perfumed. Of course I'm storing eveby y_p_w - General Discussion
mrcondron wrote: > You can get an early start up HD and be to the top before the > hordes from Little Yosemite Valley get there. You can leave > your gear at the camp site and pick it up when you head down to > LYV. Are the hordes really coming from Little Yosemite Valley, or are there going to be far more dayhikers from Yosemite Valley?by y_p_w - General Discussion
eeek wrote: > The Tuolumne Shuttle has begun operations for the Season. > Service operates daily from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The Tuolumne > Tour and Hikers Bus has also begun operations for the year. > Valley Visitor's can utilize this fee based service to travel > from Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne and return the same day or > stay over and return another day. The Bus Depby y_p_w - General Discussion
So in about a week I should be off on this long planned trip. I've got my permit all lined up. I bought a BearVault and recently applied a roll of reflective tape that makes it look like R2D2. I plan on spending a couple of nights somewhere near the junction between the John Muir Trail and the trail to Clouds Rest. My topo map shows this area as relatively flat and near several creeks where Iby y_p_w - General Discussion
letterknit wrote: > I really hope they don't refer overflow of Camp 4 to the > backpacker's campground. That doesn't exactly seem fair. I > don't know, I have conflicting feelings about it. This is what the Yosemite Association says about it (Sunnyside Walk-in = Camp 4): http://www.yosemite.org/visitor/frequent-camp.htm#11 QuoteCan I stay at the Backpackers Campground? The Valleyby y_p_w - General Discussion
What's Camp 4 like when there are people? The only times I'm walked through it were in winter on the way to Upper Yosemite Fall Trail. The first time it was an unusually warm Dec, but I only saw one tent set up. Last Feb I saw a couple of tents, even though there was plenty of snow in the Valley. I met a group on Upper Yosemite Fall Trail who were staying in Camp 4. I asked what they did toby y_p_w - General Discussion
You can camp in the backcountry with your own horse. I'm not sure where a horse trailer could be parked (I'd guess a campground with RV spaces be OK). The park concessioner (Delaware North) has stables and other facilities for horses. http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/stables.htm QuoteYou can bring your own horses or other stock to Yosemite and ride on most trails. Visit our stock inforby y_p_w - General Discussion
Lots of news on the fire: http://www.krnv.com/Global/story.asp?S=6615260&nav=menu113_1_2 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/06/BAGERQ9SRG1.DTL http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/NEWS18/70605047/1002 http://www.mymotherlode.com/News/article/kvml/1181135839by y_p_w - General Discussion
RobE wrote: > Letterknit, I would not throw out the iodine. It is excellent > for earthquake supplies, because it will never 'expire'. The > other advantage of the iodine is rated to kill viruses. So if > you suspect viral contamination, you will want the iodine. > Still, I prefer to use a filter when there is any question > about the water safety. > > Another issuby y_p_w - General Discussion
mrcondron wrote: > Iodine tablets are not effective for killing the > cryptosporidium cyst. Crypto is known to be in all water > sources in the United States. Use a mechanical filter even if > you treat your water with iodine. The only chemical treatment that's supposedly effective against crypto is something that generates chlorine dioxide. I believe Katadyn Micropur MP1 and Poby y_p_w - General Discussion
letterknit wrote: > We usually buy this set: > > http://www.rei.com/product/406032 > > It says you put two of the "neutralizer" tablets in after the > iodine, but usually one is enough if you want to stretch it. > You do have to wait awhile before you put in the vitamin c > tabs/neutralizer tabs... can't remember the length of time. At least 30 miby y_p_w - General Discussion
There are different types of iodine tablets. Potable Aqua brand uses the aforementioned tetraglycine hyperiodide; it's their proprietary formula. They also sell their Potable Aqua P.A. Plus which comes with two bottles including the vitamin C taste neutralizer tablets. I don't know exactly how much vitamin C is in their tablets, but they're about the size of their iodine tablets. They're notby y_p_w - General Discussion
eeek wrote: > Even in Yosemite you can leave a jug of water out. It was one of those opaque, bright orange things. I could tell it was just water, but I'm not sure if a bear could. I guess the bigger problem in Tahoe is bears breaking into unoccupied vacation homes and raiding kitchens.by y_p_w - General Discussion
Ove Memorial Day weekend, I stayed in a FS campground in Tahoe. I put everything in my bear box, including my stove and pots. The neighbors had everything on the tables, including a huge jug of water that stayed there overnight. The typically kept the bear box open and used it as an open storage area during the day. If they did that in Yosemite, I have the suspicion that a bear would have triby y_p_w - General Discussion
Moondust wrote: > I'd like to know exactly where and how they advertise. I know > many HS graduates and college students that would be really > happy to get a seasonal job in Yosemite or other National Park, > any job. I think it's a bunch of hooey. Why don't they try > advertising at the schools? It was noted in the article that most of the seasonal jobs aren't taken by foreiby y_p_w - General Discussion