I've been a tarptent owner for years and rarely have trouble finding a place to pitch. It helps to have some extra guyline (I use triptease) and the skillz to tie it and anchor rocks securely, but it's never been a problem. Of course, I tend to be one of those people who puts in time and effort to find an 'ideal' campsite once I reach my destination - if you're someone who likes to drop your pby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
From here "Fire crews are battling a 120-acre fire that developed Thursday afternoon in the Merced River canyon near Briceburg in Mariposa County. The fire started near the location of the temporary bridge built after the 2006 Ferguson Rock Slide. Fire officials believe the fire was started by a motorhome. Highway 140 is closed east of Mariposa. Visitors to Yosemite should use highwaysby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Jump in a lake or river and stink for a few days...who cares. Showers? Feh.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
So many great memories it's hard to choose one. My first California backpacking trip (Clouds Rest and Sunrise). Chucking snowballs at raccoons in January to keep them away from our Upper Pines slush-filled campsite (a good hit would send 'em rolling but they'd come right back) Several early November birthday trips to experience the late falls colors and relatively crowd free valley.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Dead deer - it's in the stream crossing right in the middle of Upper Basin, not directly in the SoFo. Almost stepped on the guy when scouting for a better place to cross. Looks like the poor thing snapped its leg or something when trying to hop the stream. I noticed an unusual amount of hummingbirds this past week while I was hanging out in the Taboose/Bench/Upper Basin/Cartridge area. Maybeby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I chemically treat all water I'm drinking. In camp, I have a big nalgene cantene that I use to store untreated water that I use for cooking and washing up. Nver had a problem. It's mostly just remembering what is what - i know that if it's in a drinking bottle it's treated. If it's in the canteen it's not.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I was just thinking about this in a related sense yesterday. I'm starting a 9 day trip out of Taboose Pass on Saturday. I won't be in the area until the Forest Service offices close on Friday so I have to wait to pick up my permit until 8 am on Saturday morning, ruining my chances at getting an early morning (i.e. cool) start up Taboose. Because we're entering a national park they can't nightby calipidder - General Discussion
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say there is no formula. It depends significantly on the terrain, the difficulty of the hike, the weather, the access to water along the way, and if I'll carry water treatment. In the sierra I rarely carry more than a liter at a time because water is everywhere and I have the ability to treat it. I tend to drink a lot when I'm stopped near water on a break, theby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Probably not. We hit it in a dry year on 4th of July weekend. The crossing part was a rock hop, but below the falls was a perfect swimming hole. We were heading down the canyon and had just come over the Muir Gorge bypass and it was HOT. I dropped my pack and jumped in. One of my best trail memories in Yosemite.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Ooops, see there I go mixing up my R-creeks. At least I didn't dig out the picture of Rush Creek. Or Reversed Creek. Or...well you get the idea.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Awww man, so I guess there was no refreshing swim in my favorite Yosemite swimmin hole?by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Hard to stir up that mountain house that way...by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Other sources are reporting that people kept climbing after the incident?! I'm sorry, but stupidity like that...come on! I wonder how much of it is the "this is the only day I have a permit/the only time I'll visit yosemite/I must push on!" mentality vs just poor decision making/ignorance/inability to read. People didn't seem to have a problem turning around on Whitney this weekend wby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
You mean today? Because I have a few examples from today alone - like the person who slammed on their brakes in front of us in the pouring rain near Tenaya Lake in order to ....you guessed it...take a picture. Or all time? My favorite was probably the woman in high heels and a cocktail dress. On the (older) Lower Yosemite Falls trail. On that tiny little paved hill right before the falls. Iby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Well, the JMT suddenly got a lot easier.by calipidder - General Discussion
Here's the problem: GPS's will route using OPG (my Garmin is weird - in one direction it will send me on the NPG, in the other it selects OPG. Can't remember which direction it is, I usually don't use GPS on my way to Yosemite, I know the way ). So use common sense and the advice here instead of relying 100% on GPS directions. I've seen so. many. clueless. people. on OPG. I ranted about it onby calipidder - General Discussion
If you hike through at just the right time and look like a sad and starving backpacker trying to get over the GWD they might give you fresh baked brownies. The $$ to stay there must subsidize this wonderful tradition. I know that calorie bomb got me all the way to Precipice Lake one year before I needed anything else to eat.by calipidder - Photography advice, critiques and tutorials
Translation: This is out interim solution to the fact that so many permits are being unused because they are stuck in the hands of scalpers instead of the hands of people who will actually use them.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I moved to California 11 years ago and started my obsession with the mountains and desert with a trip to Yosemite's Housekeeping camp a month or so after I moved. Now, I'm in Yosemite several times a year. I usually kick off the new year with a snowcamp at Dewey Point with friends. I'll usually come back for one more winter trip in the Valley around February (camping at Upper Pines in the snow isby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Ayup. I use NG Topo at home for planning but have a full set of Harrison maps to throw in the truck/pack for when I'm on the road. I usually print maps from NG topo but plans always change and it's nice to have a good overview map for those occasions. I like the National geographic ones as well (especially the Death Valley one for the old mining dirt 4WD roads). The nice thing about NG Topo isby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Flew over Bishop on my way from DEN-SJC this afternoon and took a quick blurry pic of conditions. Labeled some Landmarks for help. It's still crazy snow up there!by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
We had some basic work done once at Bishop Automotive and it was fine. Behind the chevron on the way out of town to the north.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Another small factoid: Mark Twain lived there for a short time and worked as a miner.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Usually I'm playing around in Yosemite or other Sierra destinations by mid-June but with this year's snow we decided to spend a weekend exploring in the Bodie Hills. It was fun - I hadn't spent much time back there (other than Bodie proper). Saw some great ruins, bagged three peaks, pinstriped the Tundra on the way to Aurora, saw an excellent sunset, and drove back through Tioga Pass on opening wby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I don't have a GPS track of that particular hike, but my experience is that more often than not the distance on the signs in Yosemite are inaccurate. They never add up or make much sense. For example, you'll be standing at Point A where a sign will say "Point B 4.1 miles" and when you get to Point B the sign will say something like "Point A 3.9 miles". And when you get to pby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Just outside the park, 20 Lakes Basin. Take the water ferry across Saddlebag Lake and hike the loop around the lakes. It's beautiful back in there. Bennetville Ghost Town (really short easy hike) Gaylor Lakes Gardisky Lakes and Tioga Peakby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Learned about this from a ranger at the Yosemite Creek trailhead today: http://www.nps.gov/yose/parknews/pencasar1.htm QuoteYosemite National Park Searches for Missing Person Near Upper Yosemite Falls Subscribe | What is RSS Date: June 19, 2011 Yosemite National Park is searching for 30 year old George Penca, from Hawthorne, California. Penca was last seen on the Upper Yosemite Fallby calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Oh, um, also: I got fish tacos at Whoa Nellie. There's no 'fancy' about this, just a heck of a lot of YUMYUMYUMYUMYUM.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Tenaya Lake, today. Yes, there is still ice.by calipidder - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion