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[Yosemite]

Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Hiking, backpacking, running, biking, climbing, rafting, and other human-powered activities in Yosemite National Park

Moderators: Wickett, dan

Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Phil » Thu Jun 04, 2020 9:03 pm

Sounds like a massive pain in the ass and an even more massive overreaction. I could probably get into a nuclear weapons storage facility with less hoops to jump through.

I think the only requirements they left out are:
stand on one foot facing east
Invoke the name of an ancient god
go outside and howl at precisely 8pm GMT
legally change at least one of your children's names to Tenaya
make a mountain out of a molehill
consult the Ouija board
download some ap
......................


Did I miss anything? Because it sure seems like they've made it into some sort of onerous joke.

And what happens if the chipmunks and ground squirrels with Bubonic Plague end up with Covid-19? Do they turn into super death rodents?

No Yosemite for me this year...I've got better uses for and easier things to do with my time.
Phil
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby AlmostThere » Thu Jun 04, 2020 9:23 pm

[quote="Phil”]
No Yosemite for me this year...I've got better uses for and easier things to do with my time.[/quote]

I am really really really really really looking forward to my six day trip with hardly any people on the trail this June.
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Phil » Thu Jun 04, 2020 9:49 pm

You do have a good point there, AT.

Aside from going out for breakfast and becoming a lot too immersed in all the news, nothing has really changed in my life, but I'm done with it. We've proven one thing though, as a species, we're so good at thinking that we're now outthinking ourselves and inventing things to think about and react to. This ain't the Big One, but the term, The Big 'C' has taken on a whole new meaning. Maybe I need a break more than I realize, but I kinda want to go to Italy instead.
Phil
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby balzaccom » Fri Jun 05, 2020 6:19 am

Sadly, they probably won't let you in, Phil. Since they are coming out of their initial surge of COVID19, and we're still in the middle of ours, they don't want you there.
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Phil » Fri Jun 05, 2020 6:31 am

I know, wishful thinking. I owe the GF a nice vacation with a first-class plane ride involved, but finding a destination isn't so much a problem of agreeing on it, just in where (if seemingly anywhere) we won't have to hunker down for two weeks in our hotel room and eat out of vending machines. C'est la vie.

How's your inner ear thing going, Paul?
Phil
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby AlmostThere » Fri Jun 05, 2020 6:39 am

I'm burning out on the whole escalated-anxiety-over-everything in general. Like, we've gone from pandemic panic to protest panic, no breaks.

It's funny, I think the new process is kinda nice. No standing in line at Wawona. No farting around at visitor centers listening to people trying to swindle a permit without a bear can. "We won't take food." Um. Well... there's ultralight, and there's stupid light...

The fun part - every time I set up a trip to Yosemite, I automatically have more people wanting to go. I got a permit for 8. Well, when I got it in January, I imagined, it'll be easy to add someone last minute. HA. #9 is responsible for getting her own permit, there are no walk ins anymore, and - yep, quota's gone. The new walk in process is not started til after our trip. So she is left with Bridalveil trailhead, which is in a closed campground. Guess we could drop her off on the way to Ostrander and meet her on the trail, so not the end of the world. But such are the wrinkles of these group trips where I organize for others.

The thing that will change big time is trail crew. No sharing tools without disinfecting them. Wear masks. Wash your hands more. Monitor for symptoms - as the Wilderness First Responder on deck at most of our outings, guess who gets to document it all? when we are allowed to go back out on the forest... we're not there yet. Bureaucracy is scrambling to adjust. Some of my questions for the Yosemite wilderness folks stymied them... all winging it through as best they can.

Can't wait til the murder hornets roll into town. Guess I need to get more epi pens...
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Phil » Fri Jun 05, 2020 6:53 am

Did you ever think that widespread rioting would be a welcome relief?

We have the attention span of gnats...going from one piece of stinky cheese to another. This winging it is no way to run things, anything. I take solace in the notion that my grandchildren will write their dissertations in about 40 years on how to not run an utter shitshow of mutually assured destruction.
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby AlmostThere » Fri Jun 05, 2020 7:02 am

It is as it has always been... we have been here before. Not specifically with the pandemic, but with these big attention-getting things that get us off our little tracks in life for a while.

Backpacking has been a habit for so long that not going has been the toughest part of it all. Everyone needs to check out for a while, every once in a while. I'm going to go do my daily re-pack of the pack and look at the maps again. Have a great weekend, Phil.
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby balzaccom » Sat Jun 06, 2020 7:54 am

What I find frustrating is the wild variations from national forest to national forest. Inyo, Sierra, Eldorado, Stanislaus, Humboldt-Toyabe all have different policies, procedures, and regulations.

And those don't coordinate with Yosemite...sigh
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Grzldvt » Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:46 am

I went through the process and got my permit, it simply was not a big deal. In fact I was on the very first GoTo meeting and they did a nice job and had my permit and parking pass the next day. Actually it was easier than listening to the spiel, being tested, and let some smart a$$, power hungry ranger make you feel lucky you got a permit from him.

Being a victim of COVID-19 and down for 12 weeks with 5 weeks being beyond miserable and have possible permanent lung damage, I for one truly appreciate what the park is doing, and how they are being so careful.
Steve
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby balzaccom » Thu Jun 11, 2020 6:12 am

Congrats to you for all of that. Grzzldvt. Hope the rest of your summer is magical.
Check our our website: http://www.backpackthesierra.com/
Or just read a good mystery novel set in the Sierra; https://www.amazon.com/Danger-Falling-Rocks-Paul-Wagner/dp/0984884963
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby AlmostThere » Thu Jun 11, 2020 7:19 am

I hope they keep the process as it is, going forward.

Glad you are feeling better, Steve.
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Grzldvt » Fri Jun 12, 2020 3:37 am

(LONG)
Thanks, I am looking forward to a great summer. I do have an appt with a Pulmonologist in a couple weeks to determine how bad the lung damage is.
EDITORIAL RANT ON I went from running(10/13 min miles) 12-13 miles in serious hills out my back door(5% to 8% grades) for marathon training in early February(which has been cancelled BSIM.ORG) to now barely being able to jog(14/16 min miles) for 2 minutes on the flats and gasping for air at the end of the 2 minutes. My VO2Max went from 45 down to 30 and dropping. All I can say is please take all the precautions seriously. Don't be a manly man and think it won't hit you. Don't fear it but respect it EDITORIAL RANT OFF

I caught it in the air at a car show I work in Huntington Beach in mid February, it hit me hard within 3 days, and trust me I know the exact details. By late March I was finally out of bed and almost human, and trust me darlinks, I was beyond miserable, but incredibly wheezy. I take Albuterol for exercised induced asthma and it did absolutely nothing at all. Up until Mid May I would do anything over a very short walk 1-2 miles, or cut the grass, a 15 minute job, I became extremely wheezy, and the fatigue would overwhelm me. I would sleep for 6-8 hours after anything physical.
Most days I would go to bed around 11:30 PM after the news and not wake up for 12+ hours. Getting out of bed at 12 noon or even as late as 2PM was not unusual. It wasn't until late May, very early June did I get back to some normality getting p at 7-9 AM.
Not looking for any sympathy just stating you DO NOT WANT TO CATCH this virus. This is more education than anything else from someone who got hit with the more serious end of it. Several close family friends that work at the local hospital, were upset I did not check into Emergency. I guess I was one of those manly men whose machismo was stronger than wanting help. This virus has changed my life from an incredibly high energy active PTSD marathoner, to the opposite of barely having the energy to walk 3-4 miles. Don't end up as a Steve :D
Qualified for a Stanford Anitbody Test in early April, it came back negative. Talking to my Dr. I was still infected, so no antibodies yet.

This trip is actually a big milestone for me, looking forward to it and the weather looks perfect!!!! :mrgreen: . A little concerned about the time on my feet, since I normally come into this hike after completing a Marathon/Relay Race around Lake Tahoe and take the "shortcut." I believe this time with the serious enforcement of parking we will take the normal trail.
In the GoTo meeting they stressed the "Official Trailhead" not just for Glen Aulin but all trips.

Will post a trip report.

Please no need to respond to me, or this post unless you feel compelled to. My goal was to let you know how bad this virus can be and if there is a mix of protocols, go with the most conservative. Just be patient with the various agencies, based on my experience they are doing the best they can to keep them and you safe from this thing.
This virus is changing/we are getting more knowledgeable about it, on a daily basis so what might have been good yesterday may have changed today.
Steve
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Re: Yosemite Backpacking 2020

Postby Phil » Fri Jun 12, 2020 6:07 am

I'm glad you're doing better, Steve.

You're the flip-side of what this is about that I, and so many others, find it easy to forget or discount as our own worlds are inconveniently turned upside down. Thanks for the moment of humility as it hits just a little closer to home. We can't live in fear, but we can all use a dose of empathy. Myself definitely included. That's the long-haul of it.

Just know that you're in my thoughts and that I'm cheering you on from the sidelines with every step of your trip.
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