The wifey and I did some hiking in the Kings Range earlier this year. Did the Lost Coast trail and some other hiking there... Kings Peak, trail to School Marms Grove... anyway... we got shuttled up to the North TH of the Lost Coast and on the way the lady says, "Yosemite transferred some bears up here". They require bear canisters throughout the Kings Range so maybe she is right.by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Gary, Out of Ill Falls isn't that bad... I just wanted to point out the climb so that the flatlanders aren't surprised... If your topo isn't that great with the cliffs around it looks flat... that's all. Guess I'm still a flatlander too still since I live in San Jose... Have funby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Um... ya.. that's class 3. You should not have any trouble with Conness. Have funby bill-e-g - General Discussion
I for sure saw those Mountain House meals there when I've been there (there being the TM store) this year. Although you may come out of the store w/o your arm or leg if you need more than a couple. This is a major resupply pt. for PCT hikers so the store is WELL stocked. Post Edited (09-14-08 18:16)by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Gaylor, Granite, Parker Pass/Mono Pass are all closed to overnight camping to "protect water quality". (although once you are outside the park... you can.. thus the quota for backpacking, etc.) None of these areas are high use. But if you could camp there they certainly would be. Also, at Mono Pass there are pioneer cabins. Very interesting. A really nice dayhike is to go Monby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Mike, We have never ever needed a parking permit for anywhere besides maybe Happy Isles TH. This includes GP. Tina and I did Pan trail to Starr King traverse mid June... no permit required... park anywhere at Glacier Pt. My advice is don't assume it will be easy... From Ill. Falls you have to climb nearly 1000 ft. If you would go out and back it would actually be way more elevation tby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Here is the lake turning to marsh: (This was June 15 '07... so it may look much different...) ('06 was pretty decent snow year... also note people for scale in photo)by bill-e-g - General Discussion
The "summit block" is really the only place with any exposure. IMO it is more intimidating than the Angels Landing hike in Zion. I have not been to Round Top so I cannot comment on that. There is a small section where you are exposed on both sides that I recall. The picture of Mike is coming back down. There is stuff much worse than what is in the picture. It is just hard to get a piby bill-e-g - General Discussion
I forgot, of course you need a permit at Hetch Hetchy overnight. But they give you that straight-away. I'm just saying what my experience has been. I parked at the stables twice this year w/o a car permit. I parked at Elizabeth Lake TH twice this year and once last year w/o a permit. White Wolf, Ten Lakes, ... I could go on and on and on... no car permit required.. even parked overnightby bill-e-g - General Discussion
The East Ridge is class 3 (from same book that said Dana was class 1). The Other Route from Saddlebag heads for the lowest Saddle North of White Mountain. This is class 2. The Route from Youngs is class 2. I've done the route from Youngs and it wasn't supremely difficult. I did it with my 65+ young old buddy... The only part that got me scared was the section before the summit. I didn't haveby bill-e-g - General Discussion
I've never ever needed a parking permit for Yosemite. Ok, maybe in the Valley. Never anywhere else.by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Jim, You can park almost anywhere overnight on the road to the Stables in Tuolumne Meadows. Probably they do not want you to park overnight at the Lembert Dome "lot" so that dayhikers can use it. I prefer to park right at the stables and take the trail from there to Glen Aulin. (don't tell too many people though ) Usually the road is packed w/cars and once you hit the stablesby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Slide Canyon is the canyon below the Sawtooth Ridge. It contains the headwaters of Piute Creek. If you look on your park map you will see Slide Mountain in the NE corner of the park. The photo above is the area where on the map the river "disappears". It's really an incredible feature, a HUGE slide slid down this mountain and some of the rocks actually went up the other side. Ifby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Glad you enjoyed it. I thought for sure Dana was only class 2. (I guess I need to do it again to jog my memory) Class 3 boulders? Check this out: This is the slide in Slide Canyon. I need to mention that we went AROUND it on the way back! (took us over an hour to go thru it (1/2 mile)). How about a picture of your Dana hike?by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Frank, I use liners and Smartwool socks. For many years I have hiked in classic "backpacking boots". I do alot of miles and are pretty hard on them and got irritated at buying a new pair every other year, having to break them in, my feet killing me for the first few hikes, etc. Now I only use Trail Running or Light Hiking Shoes. The manufacturers have realized that Vibraby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Jim, Here's my other 2 cents: I'd recommend you give yourself a little more time from what I've heard you saying. If you are going all the way to Return Creek then maybe give yourself 3 days for Glen Aulin. I'd recommend you do Hoffman after Glen Aulin or include it in something like: Day 1) Glen Aulin (camp around Calif Falls) Day 2) Check out Glen Aulin to Waterwheels then to May Lakeby bill-e-g - General Discussion
9 deaths in 36 years. If cables were only up for 3 months: Very light estimate = 90*50*36 = 162,000 people And that is VERY LOW estimate. Probably half a million people have been up there since '71. Now make your own conclusions... One point I was trying to make was that the media instills fear into people the way they report things. "someone died on XYZ" so XYZ is obviously danby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Geez, any of you schmos hike in the park? (I hiked these "ski" trails)by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Doe anyone out there have a map or know of any ski/snow-shoe trails other than the ones currently shown by the park service: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/wintersports.htm In addtion to those I have been on: - Marked Trail SE of Ostrander above Horse Ridge (Had #17 Signs) - Marked Trail / Old Tioga Rd from Crane Flat to Tamarack Flat - Marked Trail from Tioga to Mt. Watkins Trail Anyby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Maybe we should tell the guy to write an article about the state of the Campgrounds in the Valley... then maybe he would get 51 emails. I was very tempted to have the wife write to him: "Thank you for the very informative, well written article on Half Dome. I could not agree more, I cried like a baby as I inched my way up the cables while watching my husband go outside the safety of tby bill-e-g - General Discussion
We never ever stay near the High Sierra Camps or Little Yosemite Valley. Kinda think of those places as "car camping w/o the car". One of the really great things of Yosemite is that you can camp wherever you want (w/i some very simple guidlines...) so, to the chagrin of the people who may come w/me, I usually spend alot of time finding the "perfect site" after we have alreby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Been to Yosemite 15 times this year with the All Parks Pass. Never been asked for ID. Expected to be asked at Kings Canyon last week. Wasn't asked for ID there either. I fully expect to be asked tomorrow at 120 entrance now though. The knowledge of the person at the entrance station varies. I will never ask them any questions again because the one time I did they gave me the wrong answer whicby bill-e-g - General Discussion
This isn't that much discussion. This is: http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?f=1&i=2327&t=2327 Read the SF Chron Article and then the one eeek said was silly. Enough said Post Edited (09-04-08 10:20)by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Sorry, but the article read like you had 45 minutes to write it... I was gonna guess an intern wrote it... Maybe you just want to say you can see Tenaya Canyon... A 2 minute lecture is not going to stop anyone going up Half Dome. Just as a huge number of people that get wilderness permits just plain do as they wish no matter what the ranger says... (and "forced" to get a wildeby bill-e-g - General Discussion
Silly indeed... "awe-inspiring views of Tuolumne Meadows" Um, I don't think so... Two weekends ago the wife and I were on Mt. Watkins. Spent the whole weekend there. Never saw anyone except when looking over at the dome. I counted over 100 people on the cables at one point on Saturday afternoon... Perhaps this sort of "instilled fear" is an attempt to get the crowds down?by bill-e-g - General Discussion
If the campground is closed it just means that you won't be able to drive down to the campground on the old Tioga Rd. You can still hike from 120 which is the official Yosemite Creek Trailhead. (It's about 2.5 miles to the campground from Ten Lakes/Yose Crk TH) Or, you can start at Lukens Lake TH and hike South.... but that is more uphill on your way back... Have fun. It's kinda cool to walkby bill-e-g - General Discussion
> Did you look over the edge at the glacier? I looked over the edge, yes. Did not have to traverse down it... (I guess I didn't HAVE to go down Harrison Pass either though... but what fun would that be?) (NO way would I have done it without hiking sticks!) Again, Dana is my nemesis though... I need to try it again and not drive home the same day...by bill-e-g - General Discussion
Dana IMO is not intimidating at all. THIS is intimidating: This is Harrison Pass in SEKI. Cannot believe their was a "trail" on this. It's >500 ft. of scree loving fun.by bill-e-g - General Discussion
This is precisely why the wife and I avoid car camping like the plague. Lucky for us Mike introduced us to backpacking and that has solved our love of nature problem. Since Yosemite has dispersed backcountry camping it is simple to get away from anyway... don't start me on those damn mules with their bells again though!by bill-e-g - General Discussion