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Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13

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avatar Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 07:27AM
I only got flipped off twice on this trip (and that was in the same "instance" )
smiling smiley
Great trip. Beautiful weather.
Huge Disclaimer: Some SERIOUS exposure getting there. Very strenuous.

A few of the 400+ photos I took:
http://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/DivingBoard09

With the recent storm the mountains were gorgeous... Starr King surrounded by flocked trees...
Only bummer was clouds came in and wasn't able to get a orange HD sunset. sad smiley





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2011 07:17PM by bill-e-g.
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cthenn
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 07:41AM
Very extremely awesome photos! The ones of the rockfall are incredible.

Where's the exposure? I thought it was just some high angle scrambling to get there. Once you get there though...
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 08:20AM
Bill-e-g: I only got flipped off twice on this trip (and that was in the same "instance" )

what did you DO??

Bill-e-g: Only bummer was clouds came in and wasn't able to get a orange HD sunset.

I'm convinced that they don't exist in real life; it's all Photoshop wink

B
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 09:43AM
>Where is the exposure?

Here's a photo of the "trail":


Many people define "exposed" differently. Something I think is not exposed is
"super" exposed to others. So I just want to really err on the side of caution on
this and not put people in harms way here. This is an extremely challenging hike
in my opinion. It can be done with very minimal risk.... but since a first timer
won't know where they're going it poses many challenges. With a heavy pack
(someone made me carry everything)...

If someone knows more please enlighten me. I can draw the route on a picture if anyone thinks
that is NOT the route or whatnot (cause I'd like to do the hike again...)

Anyway, this is from supertopo snakedike climb doc:

"the trail ends
and you must walk directly toward the
South Face of Half Dome on talus and slabs
with some bushwhacking. Cairns are
abundant and may or may not guide you
on the right path. Skirt the base of the
South Face on sometimes exposed ledges
and 3rd and 4th class to the sandy
switchbacks that lead to the base of the
Southwest Face and the start of the route."
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pchflyer
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 02, 2011 12:23PM
Quote
bill-e-g
>Where is the exposure?

Here's a photo of the "trail":


Many people define "exposed" differently. Something I think is not exposed is
"super" exposed to others. So I just want to really err on the side of caution on
this and not put people in harms way here. This is an extremely challenging hike
in my opinion. It can be done with very minimal risk.... but since a first timer
won't know where they're going it poses many challenges. With a heavy pack
(someone made me carry everything)...

If someone knows more please enlighten me. I can draw the route on a picture if anyone thinks
that is NOT the route or whatnot (cause I'd like to do the hike again...)



Anyway, this is from supertopo snakedike climb doc:

"the trail ends
and you must walk directly toward the
South Face of Half Dome on talus and slabs
with some bushwhacking. Cairns are
abundant and may or may not guide you
on the right path. Skirt the base of the
South Face on sometimes exposed ledges
and 3rd and 4th class to the sandy
switchbacks that lead to the base of the
Southwest Face and the start of the route."

Just thought I'd revive this old but interesting post...
Having scouted/ researched this route myself over the last decade or so, I'm convinced there are at least 4 different routes to the Diving Board. I took a route similar to the one you described, including bailing out on another attempt at probably the same spot on the backside of Half Dome! (This is probably due to how direct it looks from the ground). My route actually descended quite a bit behind Broderick to find a more manageable angle up through the trees. There is probably an ideal shortcut that takes you across and above the lower slabs without the exposure.
Remember, Ansel Adams made it up there with a heavy 8x10 camera, by a different route altogether. There is video of him actually on this trail at the SFMOMA website. It looks steep, but not overly exposed. I scouted the lower part of another route this weekend which looks to be easier than the Lost Lake route, although longer-I'm going to try it this summer. I'll try to update the results then.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/02/2011 12:28PM by pchflyer.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 02, 2011 01:36PM
You may want to also look here:
http://yosemitenews.info/forum/read.php?3,24825,24836#msg-24836

I believe wherever's prefered route is up from Emerald. Perhaps he will say more.
My favorite way in is b/t Lib and Brod and then up the quickest way.
From what I recall Ansel went up LeConte Gully.
(the link to the video is among the thread linked here)

Have fun


Chick-on is looking at you!
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 09:50AM
>what did you DO??

Someone gets a little tired and/or hungry... I goat it up a hill grabbing onto manz, etc.
to get me up there.. someone else winges... that someone is told to go that-a-way...
crosses a stream... then told to not go that way... go the udder way...
someone has troubles crossing puny little stream... (2nd time).
flip a do... followed by smart ass comment by mwa... followed by second flip.



ok, so taking a picture at the time didn't help things
smiling smiley
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 10:00AM
Bill-e-g: ok, so taking a picture at the time didn't help things


AHHHH -- I was thinking in terms of strangers!!...you keep it close to hometongue sticking out smiley

(mike's gotta be a saintB))

BTW, that "trail" looks like some of the bushwacking that I have done in canyon country (minus a few thousand feet of elevation)

B



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/14/2009 10:08AM by Bee.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 11:33AM
>I thought you carried a GPS? Do you have a track of the route?
Yes, and yes.

I can post some picts of maps if you like with the route we took.

For the record... we did not actually take that "trail" above. On the way up we looked at it
and said no way... we would like to see the Diving Board.. we don't carry ropes ...
On the way down we followed the ducks and got to about 150ft! away from where the pict
was taken. At that point I said ... F! We aint going across that. So we spent probably
an hour and 1/2 hiking around to get that 150ft! My guess is that climbers just scoot
across that section without much difficulty.

>BTW, when you do these hikes, do you carry a pocket size camera or SLR size?
The picts are all taken with:
"Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom"
It's pretty compact. Could carry it in my front pants pocket. Haven't jumped to SLR yet...
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 14, 2009 06:04PM
No problem. Unhide your email or email me and I can send you it.

Gary could probably answer any camera questions... smiling smiley
I can put up a wide and non-wide photo to give some idea..
(alot of the photos on picasa are wide (16x9))

I'll put a map with the gps tracks I have...
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cthenn
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 08:19AM
Bill, my email is "unhideded" now (I think). If not let me know.

Where is your map showing your tracks? Could you post a link? I don't want you to become a shopping mall of gps tracks, but I may ask for a few more!!!

Re; the camera...wide as in widescreen...I get it. I thought it had a wide angle lens.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2009 08:22AM by cthenn.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 09:26AM
>Bill, my email is "unhideded"
I sent tan email to your "unhidden" adx. You no get?

>Where is your map showing your tracks?

They are here. These are all GPS tracks from 2006 on. (yeah, it ridiculous, I know)
(I SAID I LOVED the place!) smiling smiley

Click on the links and then use the zoom tool to get more detail...
The whole sha-bang:
<http://picasaweb.google.com/dale.dekeyser/Maps#5324926371652674674>;
From there just click forward to get more detail (map cut into the 4 quadrants)...
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 10:53AM
Dale,

My last overnighter this year will be in the Vogelsang area coming from the Merced Lake direction. I'm undecided about which route to take, over Vogelsang Pass or up past Babcock and Emeric Lakes. Present plans are to take the Pass to provide a birds eye view of the higher peaks but several people rave about the other route as well. I won't have enough oxygen or time to do both. Any personal preferences?

Jim
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 12:44PM
Jim,
I suggest going up the Fletcher Creek trail into the Vogelsang HSC area. There are some roaring torrents if you do it early enough and some nice rocky stuff if things are dry. Climb up the little peak on the east side of Emeric Lake and have a look around. Nice pitch site up there also. After leaving Vogelsang HSC area go past Fletcher Lake and then head east cross country to Townsley Lake, very wide open terrain. Continue east and work an easy way up and over the ridge between Evelyn Lake and Ireland Lake. Once on the ridge you will see Ireland and the trail that heads north from Ireland Lake. The geology at Ireland is worth a peek. At the Ireland Lake junction take the east route to Lyell Canyon and then north to TM. Or at the Ireland Lake trail junction you can go west and get back to the Vogelsang HSC area and take the Rafferty Creek trail to TM.
There is no "better" or "recommended" path. They're all good.

Early in the year there may be some high water issues on the Lewis Creek trail. Dale may also have something to say about all this.


Old Dude
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 06:02PM
Quote
bill-e-g
Click on the links and then use the zoom tool to get more detail...
The whole sha-bang:
<http://picasaweb.google.com/dale.dekeyser/Maps#5324926371652674674>;
From there just click forward to get more detail (map cut into the 4 quadrants)...

Can I impose on you to add another map cut centered on half dome? It seem like your diving board trip is at the very edge of one map cut.


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 01:15PM
What!? No comment on the "board"?
Or my sweet Avatar?
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 01:29PM
Jim,
Where you staying overnight? The dome Mike talks about is sweet. Love it.
As he says it is all good. The big question though is... as you are hiking up Vog. Pass are you
going to be saying "that bill-e-g! if I just make it back!! he is a gonner!!".?
The view from Vog. Pass is just incredible. So that is why I'd lean towards Lewis.
You can see Gallison and Bernice Lakes and... then when you get to the other side
there is a great view of Vogelsang Lake. I just doubt you will go up there from Vog HSC.
Fletcher Creek... you will not see Babcock or Emerick unless you go off the main trail...
So my vote would be Lewis. You'll forget later that it was hard and you wanted to hurt me.
Probably if you took a survey you'd get about 50/50.
If you can muster Fletcher Creek and then later hike up from Vog HSC to Vog Pass that
would be the best of both worlds.
The route up Townsley that Mike talked about is awesome too...
Take pictures. Gives you and me a reason to stop and smell the roses... smiling smiley
You're not tired... you're just stopping to enjoy the view and take a click click
There's some photos in my picasa "Bernice" album of Emerick and Vog Pass if you
want to take a peek...
http://picasaweb.google.com/yosemite.chick.on/Bernice



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2013 07:07PM by chick-on.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 02:25PM
Mike & Dale,

I am planning on spending the night before along the Fletcher Creek trail a little past the footbridge in order to knock off 1,000' of altitude the following day. It's still another 2,600' climb to Vogelsang Pass without side trips. That might be the toughest day of the entire trip. No need to cuss you out, Dale. Already know it's going to feel like giving 4 pints of blood. Was planning to spend the last night somewhere near Babcock Lake.

At one time I was wondering about the feasibility of exiting via Evelyn Lake/Lyell Canyon but it will add another 5.5 miles and I was going to follow it up with a final day hike to North Dome the next day down where there is oxygen. The entire 10 days in the park is going to proove interesting considering my age and how long it's been since I've done high altitude backpacking. Just going to have to stay flexible and see what I can do. If I'm out of gas it will be Fletcher Creek & Rafferty Creek. If it turns out I can manage it I will take both the Lewis Creek and Evelyn Lake routes. I may never have another chance to see this area because there are so many other trails I want to tackle on subsequent trips to the park.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 04:11PM
Did you really mean Babcock?
Fletcher? Townsley? Boothe? probably u meant Boothe..

My 2 cents is to skip Babcock entirely unless you want to "mark off the trail".
Emerick (the spot Mike pt'd out) (provide you like to camp on granite)
(I could not believe some friends of mine don't want to camp on granite)
(huh!?!?!? Granite... mmm... delicious granite! Smooth... clean... crispy... Granite!)
(from that spot you see the lake on one side and the meadow on the other...nice.. smiling smiley )

or Townsley. is my suggestion. I think you are not suppose to camp at Vog. Lake
but not certain.
I'd skip Boothe too..
I'm babbling again ...it's all good but Emer and Townsley are most pict. IMO.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 04:29PM
Dale,

Yes, I meant near Boothe Lake, possibly in the backpackers camp although I'm not certian of its' precise location. Also, it's going to be a Saturday night which I'm not crazy about. I am more likely to push on down Rafferty Creek a short ways or toward Evelyn Lake to get away from the weekend crowd. As indicated in previous posts last year I'm not a fan of busy campgrounds, having no tolerance for jackasses when it comes to getting sleep. It also has to be a place where I can pitch a non-freestanding tent. Last year I bought the Sierra Designs Flashlight Clip, one of the lightest 2-person tents one could find but now realize that much of Yosemite has no place to sink tent stakes. I know you love that granite!

Jim



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/15/2009 04:29PM by tomdisco.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 05:15PM
Jim, no worries!
There are plenty of rocks! Just put some cordage (about 2-3 ft.) where you put your stakes in normally.
Find large rock. wrap cord around rock... And you are set... stake or no stakes... no problemo.
Give it a try at the comfort of your home. (provide your own "rocks"winking smiley
Below Tuolumne Pass there are plenty of spots to ditch into the woods and use your stakes. smiling smiley
(been there... smiling smiley ) (wifey said 'no mas' at my request to xcountry to Reymann Lake) (this year... wink wink)
Yeah, don't camp anywhere near the HSC IMO. There are sooooo many places you can pitch why... ???
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 07:39PM
>Can I impose on you to add another map cut centered on half dome?

Take a look again. I put some Google Earth images also.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 08:10PM
Quote
bill-e-g
>Can I impose on you to add another map cut centered on half dome?

Take a look again. I put some Google Earth images also.

32-35 are terrific. Thanks
Even shows Sierra Point Climb
Fantastic. Do the last 1-2 pics show where you took photos?
How do you coordinate the GPS and the camera?


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 09:35PM
>Fantastic. Do the last 1-2 pics show where you took photos?
Nope. Those are just the GPS track points. With the Garmin MapSource program it has a
"View in Google Earth" option after downloading the points from your GPS.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 11:11PM
Dale, is the trail out to the Diving Board an official "trail" in the sense that it would be listed as a "destination" in park reference books? I am curious that if someone went into the ranger station and asked about it, would they give out the info/directions, or would it be something that they would try to discourage folks from doing.

(sorry if this Q/A is already buried in this thread)

QB
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 15, 2009 11:55PM
Quote
Bee
Dale, is the trail out to the Diving Board an official "trail" in the sense that it would be listed as a "destination" in park reference books?

Trail? Rolling on floor laugh
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 12:05AM
Quote
eeek
Quote
Bee
Dale, is the trail out to the Diving Board an official "trail" in the sense that it would be listed as a "destination" in park reference books?

Trail? Rolling on floor laugh

Errr...maybe noteye popping smiley
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:23AM
Quote
Bee
Dale, is the trail out to the Diving Board an official "trail" in the sense that it would be listed as a "destination" in park reference books? I am curious that if someone went into the ranger station and asked about it, would they give out the info/directions, or would it be something that they would try to discourage folks from doing.
QB

QB,
You'll be hard pressed to find it in any reference books. So a big no on that one.
There is a "trail" to it though... and it is "fairly" simple to follow from LYV.
This is the way to the snake dike route up Half Dome effectively.
Take a look again at the 4th post where I mentioned it. As is typical some people
decide to go nutsoid with ducks/cairns so it can throw you off the best way to go.
(and said person(s) caused me to get flipped off btw)
And if you look at the map I posted the dead end path to the SW was dayhiking
poking around .. following ducks... well... some climbers will come up that way or
the most direct route between Broderick and Lib. Cap.

I'd be very interested what response you'd get at the Wilderness Center. It could be
anywhere from "no problem, it's easy" to "do you have a death wish?" to "huh,
you should use the cables honey (i.e. NOT the diving board))".
I remember one time talking to a ranger in the valley for a time and asked about
Tenaya. I clearly remember him saying "it's not that bad".

You could ask at Camp 4 too. Probably a number there know alot. The searching
I've done looks like they use ropes for the section before snake dike also.
You can get the supertopo writeup on Snake Dike .pdf for free. Just go to their website.

Hopefully the whole thing has been shown in the proper light. It is NOT easy.
Know your limits, live to hike another day, ... yadda yadda yadda...
I was fairly reluctant to post anything to be honest. But the views were just spectacular
and I wanted to show how much rock had fallen, how much snow was still on Starr King,
Mt. Hoffman, Glac. Pt., Buena Vista Crest / Horse Ridge, etc.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:57AM
Bill-e-g: >I'd be very interested what response you'd get at the Wilderness Center. It could be
anywhere from "no problem, it's easy" to "do you have a death wish?" to "huh,
you should use the cables honey (i.e. NOT the diving board))".<

Just for fun and interest, I will be asking about the ruoute when I go in May. I know what the response will be to ME when I ask, because a) I don't look like the typical outdoorsy type b) the minute they hear that I am hiking alone, the brows start knitting.

Bill-e-g: >Hopefully the whole thing has been shown in the proper light. It is NOT easy.
Know your limits, live to hike another day, ... yadda yadda yadda...
I was fairly reluctant to post anything to be honest. But the views were just spectacular
and I wanted to show how much rock had fallen, how much snow was still on Starr King,<

Trust me, it came across loud and clear that this is no stroll in the meadow. No one has to tell me that this is not a route that I would be taking alone (or without psychiatric analysis before I did it). If the descriptions dont make the point, the photos certainly drive it home for sure.

(we have not heard much from Mike, are you SURE that he came back in one piece?) tongue sticking out smiley

QB
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:05AM
>How do you coordinate the GPS and the camera?

Actually this could be done... the .gpx file contains a timestamp for each track point.
So as long as the camera's time is set correct...
Unfortunately it MapSource doesn't make it easy to get the timestamp...
and if you use the upload then you end up with a .gps file w/no timestamps.

Aren't you glad you asked? smiling smiley
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 08:28AM
>(we have not heard much from Mike, are you SURE that he came back in one piece?)

Unfortunately he could not make this trip due to prior engagements.
It was probably for the best cause I'm thinking it's quite possible there would have been
a mutiny on my hands with both my honey and Mike. (they like to gang up on me when I
tell them it's "only 100 ft. more up and less than 1/4 mile to the REALLY great spot" tongue sticking out smiley)
(and of course I'm right but I just don't rub it in... smiling smiley )
So it was only me and the wifey.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 02:08PM
If you search for "snake dike route" on google you can find some nice photos and trip reports.
I guess we got lucky because we didn't see a soul after Nevada Falls b/c it's an
extremely popular climb.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 06:30PM
Bill-e-g, I have more questions (surprise!) What sort of footwear were you using on this trip? I have been trying to decide between the newer style, lightweight "trail runners" or classic leather boots. I almost bought the trail runners because the idea of something lighter seemed really nice, but some people said that they would not hold up during a "real" hike (class 3?) Well, looking at your pictures is real enough for me to test the limits of the trail runners (or my sanity if I were there) so I am curious what did you choose to wear for this hike?

QB
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 06:41PM
He uses a trail shoelet. I use a Vasque boot. Since I'm rather tall and weigh over 200lbs I worry about stepping on a rock or something and rolling over on my foot. A few years ago I tried the trail shoe but did indeed have a few rollovers. I've stuck with the high top boot since. We both swear by using a pair of sticks while trekking. I'm sure he'll have more to say. We are heading out to the cabin at Frog Creek on Lake Eleanor tomorrow and will be looking for the old trail that used to run parallel up Frog Creek and intersect with the Miguel Meadow to Laurel Lake trail. Probably hundreds of pictures to follow.


Old Dude
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 06:51PM
Quote
mrcondron
We both swear by using a pair of sticks while trekking. I'm sure he'll have more to say. .

You do not feel encumbered by these walking sticks, as if you were saddled by canes? (i had to walk with those clip-on canes for a year, so I have shied away from using walking sticks) Is there a general rule about when you break out the sticks? Does one need to practice with them before taking them on a trip?

QB
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 06:56PM
Bee, some people love talking sticks; some people shun them. It's just personal preference.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:00PM
Quote
eeek
Bee, some people love talking sticks;......quote]

"Talking" sticks??

(Is that worse than Stalking Ticks?)

QB
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:09PM
Walking stick?
What is that ancient riddle of Sphinx at Thebes?
That explains the walking sticks need. I have found a beat up pair of shorter than normal ski poles (from salvation army) to be a great assistance walking in the hills. Use them like you would for cross country skiing. Give additional power on the uphills (use the arms more) and better stability if extended and planted on the downhills especially if ground is slippery. One other minor benefit, if your hands tend to swell while hiking, the poles reduce that congestion by the muscle action and movement associated with pole use. I wouldn't spend a lot on poles unless you are sure you will benefit from them. If you are not at the point in life where the weight to strength ratio is approaching infinity, you may not need them.


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:15PM
Quote
Frank Furter
I wouldn't spend a lot on poles unless you are sure you will benefit from them. If you are not at the point in life where the weight to strength ratio is approaching infinity, you may not need them.

A good point to ponder; I am a lightweight and still quite strong, so maybe I will just play around with one of the many sets of ski poles hanging around.

QB
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 07:05PM
Mike,

I use only one walking stick so there's a free hand to swat at mosquitos. Otherwise, I'd poke myself in the head while swatting.

Jim
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 08:55PM
Sticks are very handy off trail or stepping out on steeper trails both up and down. I find them very useful even on level ground if I want to look around. If I have a misstep or whatever then the sticks will prevent a fall. They're good for crossing streams on a log or just stream crossing in the water. A few years ago when it seemed rattle snakes were thick I would extend the sticks and plant them as far ahead as possible to alert the snakes. I've also used them to alert a bear or two on the trail I'm coming. I use them to dig cat holes. I use them to hold tent guys out. I've used them to hold up a tarp. I've used them to goose Billy when he stops on the trail to pee. I've used them to skewer pine cones an fling them at Billy. We use them as a tripod base to hold the water bucket in camp. I've used them to hold me up while gasping for breath at 12K+. That's all I have to say about that.


Old Dude
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 11:24PM
I'm late getting to bed.
OMG!
I would not go xcountry without sticks. I should take a picture of them for you to show you the beating they take.
When carrying a pack they save your knees sooooo much going downhill. And going uphill you kinda can
pull yourself up with them.
Also going downhill if you need to drop down 3-4 ft. it is not a problem with hiking sticks. Add a pack and ...
I absolutely swear by them. And Leki rules. They have replaced the bottom sections of mine no questions
asked.

I also swear by trail runner type shoes. Just get the kind that have Vibram soles. I use Merrells.
And that's another reason to use sticks. If you turn your ankle a bit you can catch yourself with the sticks.
Without sticks... your butt is probably on the ground.

Ok, gotta get some nighty night for the trip tmr. See ya.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 16, 2009 11:25PM
Somehow I didn't read Mikes post about sticks... he's spot on... smiling smiley

Also if you read my post about the Sierra Pt. trip I specifically mention walking sticks..
And get 2. Wife got only a single and we just ended up buying her a pair later after
she used mine.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/16/2009 11:30PM by bill-e-g.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 17, 2009 04:54AM
I think walking sticks are a generational issue. More commonly used over age 50 or so. Would like to hear if the younger crowd actually use them. I don't ever remember wishing I had them when I was younger but I definitely find them useful as I approach my seventh decade on this rock.


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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Sierrafan
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 17, 2009 11:56AM
I used a hiking stick from way back as a kid...it was just normal procedure to find a good stick at the beginning of the hike. I never cared for the fancy store-bought versions, especially when I saw older folks using two of them to walk on an easy trail. Always thought it looked kind of stupid.

But good walking sticks have become harder to find, with more crowded conditions, so I finally bought one of the new extendable type a few years ago, and always take it along. I actually ended up buying a bunch of them (Walmart, around $10 and nothing at all wrong with them, shock absorber, tips, compass and strap included, or one with a tripod socket for use as a monopod) for our Half Dome trips. The nice part about the collapsible poles is that you can either stick them in a day pack or outside of it when you don't want to carry them. I use a couple of rubber band/carabiner drink bottle carriers (Walmart, about $1.00) clipped high on my pack, and can easily slip the pole through without removing the pack.

I've never found two necessary, but under some conditions they might be a good thing. Crossing a stream on rocks, coming down the steps (like the Mist trail), or any place where your footing is marginal, a stick is good insurance and can make things much easier on knees or for tricky balance.

The one with the tripod socket came with a tent, and is used double-duty as the pole. One thing about the 'upscale' ones is that some of them collapse a little shorter, and may fit inside a pack better if that'd where you want to carry them. (I like having them outside the pack so I can grab one if I need it). Another bonus for solo hikers is they make a 'click' from the shock absorber if tapped deliberately on the ground. Since a quiet solo hiker is likely to surprise something you don't want to surprise, this amount of noise is enough to at least serve as a warning. More pleasant and controllable than a bear bell. If you get in a position where you're supposed to look big and ferocious (such as confronting a mountain lion), having a stick to swing around can't hurt.

I still like the general idea of a nice wooden walking stick better, but in reality, the new collapsible poles have a lot of advantages.


Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/17/2009 11:59AM by Sierrafan.
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 19, 2009 06:13PM
WTF!

>Would like to hear if the younger crowd actually use them.

How the h-e-c-k old do you think I am?!?

Sure if you are dayhiking you don't need them. Mike and I were talking about
carrying an additional 30+ lbs. Or doing xcountry dayhiking...

Argh!
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 19, 2009 06:17PM
Quote
bill-e-g
WTF!

>Would like to hear if the younger crowd actually use them.

How the h-e-c-k old do you think I am?!?

Sure if you are dayhiking you don't need them. Mike and I were talking about
carrying an additional 30+ lbs. Or doing xcountry dayhiking...

Argh!


Rolling on floor laughRolling on floor laughRolling on floor laugh

(I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to get around to this one, seeing that you were the first to really comment on my ??? about sticks)

QB (notice the new avatar????)
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 19, 2009 06:25PM
Quote
bill-e-g
WTF!

>Would like to hear if the younger crowd actually use them.

How the h-e-c-k old do you think I am?!?

Argh!



In goat years... or pirate years?
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 19, 2009 06:31PM
>bee: I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to get around to this one
Been in the woods... using my sticks... did we mention they are great for hiking in the snow too!
Did some skiing down some hills in the snow into Laurel Lake... smiling smiley
And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Avatar!

>In goat years... or pirate years?

Bahhh!
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 19, 2009 06:48PM
Quote
bill-e-g
>bee: I was waiting to see how long it would take for you to get around to this one
Been in the woods... using my sticks... did we mention they are great for hiking in the snow too!
Did some skiing down some hills in the snow into Laurel Lake... smiling smiley
And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Avatar!

>In goat years... or pirate years?

Bahhh!

Rolling on floor laugh
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 20, 2009 06:12AM
Sticks can be alot of fun too!

This isn't Yosemite but whatever:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dale.dekeyser/Glacier
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
April 20, 2009 12:11PM
Quote
bill-e-g
Sticks can be alot of fun too!

This isn't Yosemite but whatever:

http://picasaweb.google.com/dale.dekeyser/Glacier

That url says:

Oops... there's nothing to see here. Either you do not have access to these photos, or they don't exist at this web address. Please contact the owner directly to gain access.
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jbecker
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 19, 2009 02:26PM
Hey Dale,

Never done the Liberty Cap / Broderick approach to Snake Dike - have always headed up over Nevada Falls, and along the backside of Half Dome. Might try it next time though and expect to get lost for a while. Yea, getting up to the base of the climb is slightly sketchy if you don't hit it just right - I usually end up kind of nervous at some point. You might try posting to Supertopo - they have GPS coords of the approach at http://www.supertopo.com/rockclimbing/route.html?r=yohasnak. I'll bet the guides over at the climbing school would be a good resource - they probably have the approach pretty wired.

Nice picture of the Diving Board! We made it over there the first time I went up to do the climb 30 years ago - had some totally inadequate description of the base of the route ( "oh you can just see the first bolts" or something ) and couldn't find it, but we had a fun day battling the manzanita and dodging the rattlesnakes anyway.

Best,

Jon
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 19, 2009 02:57PM
Thanks Jon,
I'm 100% certain now we had the approach spot on. (found some more photos from the supertopo link)
It was just at one point where there really wasn't much of a ledge and, fearing for our lives... we decide to
take the round-about way. Maybe with a lighter pack I would just go directly up the "trail"...
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jbecker
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 19, 2009 04:59PM
That sounds about right. We went up right after Lost Lake up along the edge of the slabs, and then traversed left across the slabs on the back side of Half Dome. We didn't rope up there but we did put our climbing shoes on!
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Yvette
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 27, 2009 05:10PM
Beautiful photos!

~YZ
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Bob Weaver
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 27, 2009 07:48PM
This is the only true "Diving Board," right? I have seen so many photos taken at the summit of Half Dome with captions like "(name) on the Diving Board at the top of Half Dome." I have always thought those were incorrect. The only "Diving Board" is the one shown in your photos and the one Ansel Adams took his famous shot from, correct? There is nothing correctly referred to as "the Diving Board" at the summit of Half Dome?
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 27, 2009 08:23PM
Hi Bob,

I asked Billy this same question a few months back, and the answer is yes. That precipice that sticks out on the top of Half Dome is correctly referred to as "the Visor" (I used to think that THIS was the Diving Board...wrong) So that thin slip of a ledge that the Goat is hopping around on is the REAL diving board. YPW or someone has a nice picture of Half Dome with the correct names and pointers clarifying this issue.


Bee Cowboy
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Bob Weaver
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 28, 2009 01:43PM
Maybe a sign should be posted on the summit of Half Dome. "This is the Visor. This is not the Diving Board. If you want the Diving Board, jump down to that rock down there."
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 28, 2009 01:48PM
To add to the confusion, I believe the "visor" is also called the "beak".


The cure for a fallacious argument is a better argument, not the suppression of ideas.
-- Carl Sagan
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 28, 2009 04:33PM
Hmmm...... Could relieve some congestion on the way down the cables.


Old Dude
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Bob Weaver
Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 28, 2009 04:53PM
How about a slide from the summit of Half Dome down to the swimming pool at Curry Village?
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avatar Re: Diving Board Trip - April 11-13
May 28, 2009 04:54PM
"Hey, watch this"


Old Dude
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