QuoteDr_Watso Sigh. Humans can be so simple minded. Violence is almost always the first, last, and only option that pops into their minds. We put our houses right up next to their homes and habitats, then it's their fault when they wander the wrong direction. I just can't agree with doing this. Hear hear! Proof is everywhere like flypoop.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteBee Quotebill-e-g Too late. Better to have 1 nicely hewn switchback route than 20 abuse trails. (there's a trail to the top now already) Yes, there IS a trail, but it is quite narrow and lightly trodded, and it is not ground down to the point of more accurately calling it a canal. The only place that I saw multi-aproaches was about 100ft from the summit, and at that point, it was justby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteBee Pssst, David: I liked having Dana all to myself a couple of weeks ago! Bee Me too - I vote for keeping the rough route up Dana a rough route, and forget a nicely hewn switchback freeway.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek QuotemrcondronDuring the drought in the 80's the valley was virtually naked. There is no way it will ever be made to look original. No, but growing some trees will help a lot. General scientific opinion is that the layer of "silt" at the bottom of Hetch Hetchy is relatively thin, owing to the resilience of the landscapes above. Thus, the general topography of the Valleyby bpnjensen - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteeeek That'd be great for those big, giant SUV drivers. hehh hehh hehh - yeesss... ):-)by bpnjensen - General Discussion
This little film is is pretty well done, although it is VERY personal. The subjectivity is thick as peanut butter. In the beginning, where he complains of a "little pain" just above the Vernal Falls bridge, I am thinking, "what is this guy doing here?" I am glad he made it, and he seemed to get tougher and more perceptive as he climbed, but his experience won't equate wellby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince Given my current health as far as hiking a long way (I no longer can't), how easy a hike is Angels Landing? It isn't very long mileage-wise, just a couple miles each way, but the elevation gain is about 1,400 feet IIRC. For a reasonably fit person, not a big deal - the trail most of the way is good footing and well-graded, if steep. The real test comes at the top - not so much steeby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteYosemite_Indian Quotebpnjensen QuoteYosemite_Indian It's called setting the record straight and getting some justice for the Paiute people. I am merely curious - other than increased recognition about the presence and role of Paiutes in Yosemite's past, is there anything else you would hope to gain which you'd include under the heading "justice"? Thanks for asking bpnjensen.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
I like them, Vince, thanks for posting these great shots :-) I hope to get up there one day...by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteYosemite_Indian It's called setting the record straight and getting some justice for the Paiute people. I am merely curious - other than increased recognition about the presence and role of Paiutes in Yosemite's past, is there anything else you would hope to gain which you'd include under the heading "justice"?by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince I don't recall anyone (until now) saying we all came from "Lucy." Not Lucy exactly, but a hominid predecessor (a woman, natch) in Africa about 300,000 years ago. The ultra-great-grandma for all of us.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek QuoteBeethe wolf is not edible No more so than dog (same species). The real problem is the wolf makes elk more cautious and thus harder to hunt. Bingo. Hunters hate wolves for this reason. Ranchers and 19th century types don't like them either - the BIg Bad Wolf myth persists ad nauseum.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteAlmostThere Was reading about this in another forum. I'm very sad that they felt they had to do this. I suppose she would have raised the cubs to behave the same way. This is heartbreaking. Damn, I wish there was another way.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteDearborn And, meanwhile in neighboring Wyoming, you can't hunt them at all, despite the fact that wolf target populations have been exceeded and elk numbers are plummeting. I remain largely non-committal on the wolf re-introduction issue, but our federal agencies are continuing to prove that they do not make good neighbors. Elk numbers are plummeting? What is your source for this claimby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w QuotebpnjensenI guess in the end, I agree with Eeek in general. Once a national monument has been established, and its value and purpose and popularity have been tested and proven over time, perhaps NP consideration is appropriate. Recall that it was "Death Valley National Monument" for over 60 years. Still - mining continued for some time and I've heard that there's stilby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Interesting, thanks for this. Of course, it used to be an easy matter to identify an interesting resource, draw a closed boundary around it, and call it a national monument. Groves of redwood trees (Muir Woods), clusters of erosive sandstone or limestone (Arches and Bryce Canyon) and volcanic pinnacles (Pinnacles, Devil's Tower) were fairly distinctive and easy to separate from the surrounding,by bpnjensen - General Discussion
I agree with this - why? Because most of our best remaining places are still on public land anyway, and at least partially because of budgetary constraints, we can no longer see certain classic NP views like the base of Tower Fall in Yellowstone.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w QuoteFrank Furter QuoteI believe there used to be coal mines in the Bay Area. I think some can even be toured. Any idea where these might be? Here's the most prominent one (they called coal "black diamonds" although there was also sand mining for glassmaking and sand casting): http://www.ebparks.org/parks/black_diamond http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/BlackDiamond_7362by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w QuotebpnjensenIsn't it possible to get these new little hybrids to also charge to a consistent mid-value using the onboard small engine? Sure that could be done, but I thought the big selling point of plug-in hybrids was that they would have bigger batteries that achieved decent range on battery power alone. Using an internal combustion engine isn't a terribly efficient means of chaby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w Quoteszalkowski Quoteforrestranger energy efficient? like the new Chevy that's suppose to get over 200 miles per gallon? they forgot to tell you that it takes even MORE petroleum to produce the electrical charge to DAILY charge those oil eating energy saving beasts. Petroleum-based electricity generation in the U.S. accounts for only about 2% of the total: http://en.wikipedia.org/by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w Quoteeeek Quoteforrestranger energy efficient? like the new Chevy that's suppose to get over 200 miles per gallon? they forgot to tell you that it takes even MORE petroleum to produce the electrical charge to DAILY charge those oil eating energy saving beasts. Yeah, I love the way everyone seems to quote mpg on plug-in cars. Apples, oranges... Very little grid power is petroleum geby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteforrestranger energy efficient? like the new Chevy that's suppose to get over 200 miles per gallon? they forgot to tell you that it takes even MORE petroleum to produce the electrical charge to DAILY charge those oil eating energy saving beasts. Most places yes, but not here in California - we have very little energy from oil. Most from natural gas (still a fossil fuel, I know), hydro, nuby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w QuoteJavmp If a bear was going through a bear box i would try throwing a rock at the bear box because im sure it would be a loud thud especially with the bear's head inside. Plus I think it would be okay to hit with a rock because I think a rubber bullet with have more force than someone throwing a rock at a distance. I do remember a supposed case where a group of boy scouts panickedby bpnjensen - General Discussion
El Nino is a bit different from atmospheric weather, in that it is a longer term oceanic-based phenomenon rather than an atnospheric phenomenon. Because such oscillations in water tend to have much more momentum / inertia to them, they are somewhat easier to predict, in quality anyway, for a longer term. Nothing is perfect, but an El Nino much like what they predict is a pretty good bet at thisby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek Existing trade and the threat of more poaching therefore spurred U.S. Representatives Raul M. Grijalva, Democrat from Arizona, and John Campbell, Republican from California, to reintroduce the Bear Protection Act on August 3. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/08/090811-bear-parts-trade.html Thanks for this. It's outrageous that it was never passed thr first time.by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quoteeeek QuoteJavmp If a bear was going through a bear box i would try throwing a rock at the bear box because im sure it would be a loud thud especially with the bear's head inside. Plus I think it would be okay to hit with a rock because I think a rubber bullet with have more force than someone throwing a rock at a distance. If I can't hit a bear, why do you think I could hit the bear box?by bpnjensen - General Discussion
Quotey_p_w I was looking at the photos and noted the heavy fog layer with lots of clouds in the immediate area. Why is anyone going up when it's pretty clear that there's a decent chance of rain? At the very least, it could mean slick granite if the fog condenses into mist. I would have just turned back and called it a day. Agreed 100%, and when I was up there June 18, I was thinking justby bpnjensen - General Discussion
Wow. What an amazing account. So beautifully told, so well written, by wonderfully articulate and perceptive people, it feels like you are there. Very moving - thanks for finding this for us. Bruceby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteVince Is it true that 70 percent of lightning strike victims survive? I got hit and I survived. Just going by me alone, that's 100%, rounded for statistical inaccuracyby bpnjensen - General Discussion
QuoteDavidSenesac As a nearby south SF Bay resident for decades, I have visited Pinnacles several times over the years, climbed through its dark labyrinths, and hiked many of its trails. Although I believe its unique features, especially due to its geology, ought to be preserved as parkland, I don't think its physical and scenic assets quite rise to the level of what I consider a national park oby bpnjensen - General Discussion