i haven't made this year's trek to Yosemite but based on previously doing that hike shortly after the Tioga Road opened following a fairly heavy winter, I'd say that the first part of the hike (which is mostly in the woods) will probably have a moderate amount of snow but once you get close to the rim, things should be pretty clear. I found the part in the woods a little tiring but it was not whby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Love this shot! Even without seeing the chick-on's face, it looks like he's screaming "HOLY SH****T"!!!!by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteryanmj dang. there goes my hopes for rafting in 2 weeks Just be sure to duck REALLY low when you get to the bridge!by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotewherever A bear usually has the right of way, but it was a very long way back to any place where I could safely get off the trail. So I waved my hat and began loudly singing "My Grandfather's Clock". After two verses, he got a disgusted look on his face (everyone is a critic) and turned around. Eventually he found a ravine and disappeared up the hill... My wife and I both lauby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteDavidK42 ... (i.e., the part from Big Meadow down to the big rockslide on Hwy 41)... Oops, of course I meant "...on Hwy 140..."by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Thanks for this, wherever. A question for you: One of the things I'm planning for my Sept visit to the park is to try and take the Old Wawona Road from the Valley Floor to where it reconnects with the current road at Grouse Creek. I've roughed this out approximately in Google Earth but I know from having tried this once before a number of years back that when you get about a half mile or so bby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Before the Old Wawona Road was built, the Mann Brothers (early entrepeneurs in the Wawona area) built a horse trail from Wawona to the Valley. This trail went to (and obviously beyond) Old Inspiration Point. I'm pretty certain that part of this trail is still maintained down near Wawona (I've not taken it but I think it starts behind the visitor center and heads up along Alder Creek). I've notby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Wow...that's news to me, too. I've been so busy trying to trace the route beyond Inspiration Point that it never occurred to me either that the bottom of the new road wasn't the bottom of the old road! One more thing to check out on my next visit!by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
The one that really kills me is the "view" of the old Coulterville Road from W2 or W3 (can't remember which off the top of my head). When I first got interested in the old roads, I'd stand there and look and look and look and just couldn't see much of anything. Then I hiked that section of the road and realized why you couldn't see anything...much of it is hard to see when you're ON tby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
So, if I'm following you, you'll be coming down what the topo calls "Pack Trail" and picking up the Old Big Oak Flat Road (also called a Pack Trail on most topos) a little below where it crosses over Cascade Creek? If that's the case, there's a fair bit of scrambling on that stretch of the OBOFR and one significant bit where the old "ZigZag" was buried under a massive slideby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
chick-on could speak to details far better than I but unless you're planning on later this summer, I would think you might hit some tricky stream crossings and some generally soggy conditions depending on exactly what route you take. How far west do you intend to go along the north rim before crossing the Valley to the south rim?by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Zoom in enough on the gigapan view of Half Dome and you can see at least 2 (and possibly a few more...wasn't sure about all of them) people climbing up the face. Really great shot...I could probably spend at least 30 or 40 min panning around this one picture. I agree, by the way, that the view of Half Dome from North Dome is just stunning (and far more imposing than the unzoomed gigapan imageby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotechick-on Also of note in the area... (esp. for DavidK42... The Carlon Hotel was on the other side of the river (the south side)... and there is an old road that starts at the picnic area (Carlon Meadow) and heads up to Hodgen Mdw/Ranch area that you may want to check out) I only went up .5 mile up the road... if you want pix... lemme know.. Thanks, chick-on...I was aware of that roadby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Has anyone else had this issue? I find that off and on for the last week or two, when I check for new messages on the board, most or all of the topics will be highlighted as having new messages and then, when I go in to the individual topic, there's nothing marked as new. FYI, the posting times on the messages aren't changing so that's not causing it. I thought it might be losing track of my lby DavidK42 - General Discussion
I'm not planning on doing this particular trip but I just had to say that every once in a while, I'm struck anew by the vast collective knowledge of this board's participants and people's huge generosity in sharing advice, answering questions, producing annotated maps, posting vast amounts of photos and so on. I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to all of you who make this board such a cool plaby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteeeek Reservations to access the Cables on Half Dome for September will be available on June 1, 2011 at 7:00am PDT. Is that on nps.gov or on Craig's List? Oh wait...at 7:00 on nps.gov and 7:03 on Craig's List.by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteFrank Furter Citing failed tests with bears, federal parks officials have refused to add the Ursack to a list of containers approved for Yosemite National Park and other nearby parks, setting off a protracted legal battle.... Well, that's kind of a key point (taken at face value). I'm certainly not going to take it at face value, though...does anybody here know how effective these thingsby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteFrank Furter What do folks think of this process of eponymous naming of natural earthly features? I'm of two minds about it. Some figures are so inextricably linked with the history of the area (in some cases, with the very survival of the area as we know it) that naming major features after the likes of John Muir, Ansel Adams and Stephen Mather doesn't bother me at all. With "lesby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Wow! I find most of these excerpts to be quite obnoxiously stated...even when I can sense some good intentions under them" So it's only those no-good "indolents" and unemployed who can be bothered with standing in line? We'll teach them to lose their jobs! Never mind scalpers reselling tickets, let's get the scalping money to ourselves! Hey, sure, there's a thunderstormby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotey_p_w Carrying pepper spray is not legal. It's considered a "weapon", and other than firearms, weapons still aren't legal in Yosemite. Even personal defense pepper spray isn't legal in Yosemite. Not that I have any desire to carry pepper spray in Yosemite (or anywhere else) but this strikes me as way up there on the bureaucratic idiocy scale (not on your part, y_p_w...I know yby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quoteitchbay We were going to explore a trail that starts off Big Oak Flat Road across from Foresta that heads up to Cascade Creek. FYI, at the point this trail hits Cascade Creek, you'll have come to the Old Big Oak Flat Road. Before you get there, you'll also cross over Wildcat and Tamarack Creeks. This time of year, Tamarack will probably be tricky (and potentially dangerous (as in "dby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I just noticed that this is a re-awakened 3-year-old thread. I'm quite interested in this trail...anybody know if it ever spun off in to any other threads in this forum (or elsewhere)?by DavidK42 - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Quotebpnjensen Anyone know what this was? Did you get any pictures? My own "I-don't-think-we're-on-the-trail-anymore-Toto" moments are mostly involved with finding stretches of the old stage coach roads so I'm not familiar (except through old maps and readings) of the various Mist/JMT "off-shoots" but I'd love to see pictures as the investigation of "used-to-be"by DavidK42 - Backpacking and Hiking Yosemite and the Sierra
Not sure if it was the intention but this is the first of the YNN's I've seen that actually makes me NOT want to go to the Park!by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Quotewherever Don't dwell too much on the big sights that adults love. A nearby frog is more interesting than a distant waterfall. This is actually a good tip for adults in general! The big sights are indeed spectacular and I do love them but learning that a frog, or a butterfly or a gentle trickle down a moss-covered rock-face can be every bit as beautiful and enchanting as staring over theby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
I always consider Sentinel Dome to be one of the best pay-off hikes in or near the Valley. It's short, has relatively little elevation gain and gives you spectacular 360-degree views from the top. You're almost as high as Half Dome with a tiny fraction of the effort. --David Kby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
Really great read. You mention that you'll be posting more about your porter & guide in a subsequent blog entry. Please let us know when it's up...I'd really like to hear more (and if you're up for putting a bunch of your pictures on Picassa or some other site, please let us know that, too..want to see more as well as well!) Unless you're planning on including it on a subsequent blog-posby DavidK42 - General Discussion
FWIW, I'd second everything plawrence says (I haven't eaten at the Curry Village sites but his assessments are consistent with what I've heard others say). There's also the Mountain View Lounge (or do they call it something else...I can never remember) which is in a separate building right next to Mountain Room. It's mostly a bar but, on a cold, rainy night, there's a nice big open-on-all-sby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteDanPJ It is nested right in the middle of Yosemite park, so the location for those visiting the park could not be better. Actually, it's pretty far from the geographic middle of the Park (which is (approximately) Mount Hoffman) and not all that close to the middle of the most common sites (depending on the amount of traffic in the park, it can easily be an hour or more from the Wawona toby DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion
QuoteSherry I went last year once in May and once in September. There were big changes. In May, all the waterfalls were in full bloom and by September, Yosemite Falls was a trickle. I remember hearing a few of the waterfalls were year-round but I am not sure. In the Valley, Bridalveil, Vernal & Nevada (just to name three of the better known waterfalls) are nominally "year-round"by DavidK42 - Yosemite and the Sierra Nevada. News & Discussion