Fall colors haven't shown up yet. I spent the weekend in June Lake, Lake Lundy and up above Bishop at Lake Sabrina and Dusy basin. Really nothing of note yet. It did snow at 10,700 feet on a hike at Seven Lakes Basin above Big Pine. But no fall colors yet!by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Interesting story and one that would have creeped me out. Perhaps because I'm female, I am very wary of other people striking up long chats with me while hiking. And I have never hiked alone, always with my husband and am a firm adherent of the old saying, "He who hikes alone has a fool as a companion." I would have simply passed the hiker in front of me, said "Hello" and kby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The driver expects a tip? Really? (Serious question). I've never seen anyone in dozens of trips tip them a dime.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Valley Floor in August is always crowded, unless it's at 5:00 am. I did Four Mile Trail to Nevada Falls and back on Monday. I started at 5:30 am and saw no one until I was on my way back. Then when I got to the car at the trailhead on the Valley Floor it was total hell. Just to go from there and circle around until the fork going to Crane Flat took 1 hour. The same drive in October would takeby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Ten Lakes is one of my favorite hikes in Yosemite. There is a lot of bear activity there. I've done a day hike of Ten Lakes where I go 10 miles in and 10 miles out countless times and have invariably seen at least one bear on the trail. Last September I saw a mom with yearling eating something near the trail (looked like a marmot, but I didn't think bears ate such things). They bolted as soonby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Hunting is odious in the extreme: cruel and wanton destuction of beings infinitely more innocent and guileless than humans. In my experience, the hunters I have known (all male), have impotence issues. No real man needs to shoot a defenseless, majestic and beautiful bear to get their jollies. Any man in a successful and loving relationship doesn't need to destroy bears or other wildlife. The frusby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Mono Lake Visitor Center has Wifi access, I just used it today. You have to take your laptop inside (or your Blackberry, whatever you're using), and piggyback on their service. The drive time from Touloumne to the Mono Lake Visitors Center is about 40 mins. during a time without high traffic. I have tried sitting in the parking lots of various Lee Vining motels over the years and all of them haveby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Still incredulous that anyone who loves Yosemite would deem the Four Mile Trail "boring." Are you sure that's just not a euphenism for, "it's too hard, I'm out of shape and I can't hack it?" The views of Yosemite Falls and everything on the Valley Floor are incomparable. Each switchback higher gives you a different perspective. The trail is shaded, well graded, incomparablyby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I think on paper it's an inspired idea. But let's face it, the vast majority of people doing Half Dome as a day hike are not hikers. It's usually the only hike they will ever do in their life. They may take and pass the test, but will NOT bring along the proper amount of water or outfit themselves with hiking essentials or the proper footgear, backpack or food. Many will cut switchbacks, not yielby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
It's the height of summer. Why wouldn't you expect the Valley Floor to be packed? The Valley Floor is basically packed from June to mid-September. It's a huge reason I vastly prefer the Touloumne Meadows area.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The Powerade Zero calorie drink is utterly worthless as an electrolyte drink on a strenuous hike. It has 0 carbs: http://www.us.powerade.com/zero/by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Is this passable to lower and upper Youngs lake?by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I always drink 24 ounces of fluid for every 90 mins. hiked. More if I am doing Whitney or a similar high altitude hike, or when it's excessively hot. I'll drink 24 ounces an hour in the Grand Canyon, even in November, because it's excessively dry. I've always thought most hikers simply do not drink enough. Performance and recovery are enhanced by hydrating properly.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Over 30 years, I have seen countless monstrously stupid things, many of them revolving around day hiking Half Dome. On the Half Dome trail, I have seen: 1. Men hiking in 100 degree weather wearing nothing but Speedos and carrying no water. Not one ounce. These guys are usually southern Europeans. 2. Barefoot hikers, hobbling and limping with bleedy feet by the time of Little Yosemite Valley.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Any hiker doesn't need to see the tour buses at Glacier Point if they start early enough. It takes me 1:35 to get up the Four Mile Trail, I usually start at 6:00 am and have never seen a bus there when starting that early. In fact, hardly anyone is up at GP this early. The buses and vehicles start pouring in much later. There's virtually no one on the trail in the early morning hours.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteI find the 4-miler boring. Much of it is because the final destination is one that can be reached by automobile. Wow, to each his own... I've never heard of any other hiker ever saying that the Four Mile Trail is "boring." Yes, you can reach Glacier Point by car, but I'm not getting the corrolation? I can also reach Mt. Washington in NH by car, Pikes Peak in CO by car and countby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
One other thing: if you start the Four Mile Trail before 9:00 am, you will be in the shade 90% of the way up. You will be in the sun on the Yosemite Falls trail, which is on the other side of the Valley Floor. As for starting at 10:00 am.. forget it. DO NOT start a hike on the Valley Floor so late. Get out by 8:00!by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I strenuously urge you to change your plans and do the vastly superior Four Mile Trail hike which is about 5 miles from the Yosemite Falls trailhead as the crow flies (maybe 10 miles driving). I say this because I've done both trails probably 80 times in my life. Yosemite Falls hike is extremely rocky, bad footing... terrible going downhill. The trail conditions are simply lousy, and the views arby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
That's viewed from the top. Check out Yosemite Falls from the Four Mile Trail in September. It's not dry from that vantage point. A trickle? Yup, but not dry. And in any case, this is a year with 200% normal waterfall. There isn't a chance in hell they won't see waterfalls on September 5.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I've day hiked Yosemite since I was a teen in the early 80's. I have NEVER seen the falls dry at Labor Day, never anything close, even in drought years. Having said that, the falls will be much less dramatic in viewing in September than in May. But that's like saying Liz Taylor looked better at 20 than at 40. That's true, but she still looked damn good at 40.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteThat day a grown man told me that "the Park Service wouldn't let you do Half Dome if it wasn't perfectly safe." Sort of like saying, "The Highway Patrol wouldn't let you drive on the freeway if it wasn't perfectly safe."by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
You're not exaggerating when you caution hikers not to leave their packs unattended, even for a moment. In 2007, I saw a hiker on the JMT right by the Half Dome fork, resting up. He took his backoff and got off the trail (I presume) for a call of nature. Within 30 seconds, a large blonde Bruin took the pack, mauled it and then walked away with it in his mouth. I left before I could see the hiker'by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteI really can't wait to see her report that she's going to release Friday. It should be great comedy to read how it's not the fault of the people who decided ignore a huge sign and then climb a fence so that they could walk into a raging river just above a 300 foot fall. A+ post... you summed it up perfectly. I'll tell you one thing, if a loved one of mine died, I would be in mourningby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Gavin, why do you say Vogelsang is not a day hike? I've done it as a day hike many, many times. Not a favorite hike of mine, but many do this as a day hike.by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thank you very much for this update. I have hiked Ten Lakes every year except one since 1981 and I have never seen or heard of snow obstructing the trail this late in the year. Man!!by Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteShe felt betrayed and it is unfair and bringing an attorney etc. because there wasn't more of a rescue effort This truly makes me sick. These people were horrifically stupid and died because of their own stupidity. You assume a natural risk whenever you're in Yosemite, whether you're in a car or not. These Search and Rescue people risk their lives for others every day and they are goingby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteWitnesses reported to park officials that several people urged the group member to step back from the river, since it was flowing swiftly and extremely cold. The area is signed as a dangerous area, and the group had crossed a metal guardrail placed there to keep visitors away from the dangerous fast moving water. Well, sadly, that says it all. I'm sorry for the tragedy, but this could haby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Even worse than the Mist Trail is the shoulder section about one mile past the Mist Trail. This is the granite section which leads up the restrooms and then Little Yosemite Valley. I refuse to do that section anymore coming downhill and opt for the JMT instead. You have tons of non-hikers on that section, loitering, yelling, not understanding how to yield to uphill hikers, and generally behavby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thank you for posting the link to the Today show segment. That poor little boy... my God. I can't imagine witnessing something so harrowing and not being able to do anything to prevent it or rescue them. I'm saddened and shocked that hikers wouldn't have known better than to avoid the falls or to get anywhere near them, even in low water conditions. Such a tragedy could have been avoided by aby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
If anyone here has not read the book "Death in Yosemite," I highly recommend it, despite the macabre title. It's not as good as its predecessor, Death in the Grand Canyon, but it details all known deaths in Yosemite. In prior years, quite a number of people have been swept to their deaths on the Mist Trail or trying to "swim" in the falls. If these parents actually hoistedby Ulysses61 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion