Feet first is NOT the way to climb

Where did we leave off? I'm not quite sure, but I fill you in on a few events of the past few days. With computer access limited to business hours (M-F, 8-5), many things can happen in between blog entries. So, going backwards again... (and later you'll see that going backwards is a bit of a theme for me)

Yesterday (Monday, 24 July 2006) RJ and I enjoyed a scenic tour of the south rim of the Valley. We started by get up early. Well, it was early for RJ, anyway. We biked over to Curry for our morning showers, downed some oatmeal, then hit the rode for the Four Mile trailhead, which is, coincidentally, about 4 miles from our campsite. We chained the bikes to the trailhead sign and started huffing up the hill just as the watch flipped from 7:59 to 8:00. The Four Mile trail leads from the Valley floor to Glacier Point, which is perched on the south rim over 3200 feet above the floor. Now you would think that with a name like "Four Mile trail" it would be obvious how long the hike is going to be. Well, forget that idea. The actual distance to Glacier Point is 4.6 miles. Let's have Al Franken expose that lie in his next book.

Four point six miles and 3200 feet elevation gain may sound daunting, but this trail has two major mitigating characteristics that make every strenous step easier to take. First, the trail originally was built as a toll road for horses to convey paying passengers to the Point. Therefore, the trail is very nicely graded. Rather than being a continuous series of granite steps like the Upper Falls or Half Dome trails, most of the track is smooth dirt or old macadam. That makes for easy footwork and a comfortable stride, both of which lessen the perceived effort.

Secondly, the Four Mile trail rewards hikers with an evolving set of stupendous views. Early in the climb, one gets to view the North American wall of El Capitan and the meadows that line the Merced river. As height is gained, the best possible views of Yosemite Falls appears. Then the humble hiker passes right below Sentinel Rock, which towers thousands of feet above the trail. Eventually, Half Dome come into view as the trail rounds Union Point. The last mile of the path wends through sugar pine forest and then Glacier Point pops into sight.

We reached Glacier Point around 11:30. The quiet of our morning hike where we encountered around 6 people was shattered by the hordes at the Point. We fought the crowds at the small store for a pre-melted ice cream cone and a warm Diet Coke for RJ. Haven't I told you that Coke sucks? And it spreads its miserable aura to ice cream held in close proximity. In any case, we huddled in a corner away from the scores of tourists capturing their lovely selves in front of the airy views of Half Dome and Nevada and Vernal Falls for posterity and consumed the junk we purchase along with the snacks we carried with us.

After a hour's break, we headed down Panarama Trail. This path lead us past Illilouette Fall, then around to Nevada Fall after five miles and about 2000 feet of descent and 800 feet of climbing. That left us with about 3 and a half miles of descending trail to Happy Isles. Despite the crowds, we reached the bus stop in good shape by around 5pm. We rode the buses back to the trailhead, collected our bikes, and headed off to dinner. Fourteen plus miles and about 4000 feet of climbing. Good day. The last comment from a fellow YA volunteer: "So they actually served you dinner at the Lodge? Well, I guess some of the climbers are worse." So we bustled off for a shower before we got condemned.

Prior to Monday's hiking, RJ and I did a bit of climbing. Perhaps it should be called a combination of climbing and flailing. On Saturday after work, we headed back to the Church Bowl to climb Uncle Fanny again. I intended to do a better job on it than my first time. However, I placed a few pieces of protection in poor orientation and created a beastly amount of rope drag. By the time I was on the last 15 feet of the climb, I had to do deep knee bends to pull up rope to advance. The meant that every foot of advance felt like pulling a coal train up with me. Eventually, I ended up falling twice in the same spot. Each time I had been pulling so hard with my arms that I popped off and flew head over heals. RJ said that the rope drag was so high that he didn't even feel my fall, although he had a good view of it. In the end, I retreated off the climb, leaving two cams behind, which lead to the next's morning's activity.

After a good night's rest, I woke RJ early (for him) so we could climb up the much easier Aunt Fanny. This allowed us to traverse to the top of Uncle Fanny from which we rappelled to retrieve the abandoned cams. We reached the ground by 9:40, then raced off to clean up a smidge before zooming across the Valley to get to work bare minutes late.

That's all for now. Cheers!

So I'm not a meteorologist

RJ quite enjoys the fact that for some reason whenever he shows up in Yosemite, foul weather in never far away. His record is quite impressive - hail, rain, thunderstorms, floods, etc. How can I be expected to predict the RJ Effect?

I'll give you my record of events over the past few days. First, though, to follow up on the lost CCC worker: the poor fellow fell to his death from the north rim of the valley. He was found deceased - no hope of saving him after a 1600 foot drop.

Now for lighter news, in reverse order of occurrence -

Yesterday (Thursday 20 July 2006) we had a significant thunderstorm. Clouds starting gathering by late morning and by 2 pm it was rain quite heavily. Lots of thunder and lightning, which is somewhat uncommon here in the valley. I'm guessing about 1/2 inch fell here and much more in the high country. All of the waterfalls perked up a bit, which was nice since many are starting to dwindle to trickles as the snow at high elevation is disappearing. Last night we had a pizza and cards get-together. Two of our co-workers hosted the event, with most people bringing additional snacks, wine, etc. I retired early (big surprise there!) and RJ entertained the ladies with his card playing skills.

On Wednesday, I teamed up with a food service worker to climb a moderate, 3 pitch route called Munginella. The day was quite hot, but we were fortunate to find lots of shade as we climbed higher. Total height of the climb was probably 600 to 700 feet, including about 250 feet of approach hiking. I learned a few new things from Ben and had a ton of fun on the climb. After the climb, RJ and I joined 7 other volunteers for a trip to the Big City of Oakhurst. We haven't left the park since we arrived at the end of June, so the drive was a nice change of scenery. We bought a few groceries, including caffeine free Diet Pepsi and Fruity Pebbles, then ate at an Indian casino. RJ donated a dollar to the tribe after our meal in a 2 cent slot machine.

Tuesday gave us another dump of rain in the late afternoon. Fortunately, RJ and I had completed a few fun things earlier in the day, so we didn't mind too much. First, we climbed a short, moderate route at the Church Bowl climbing area. I stretched my skill level a bit, but I got up the climb reasonably well. Only a small amount of skin left on the rocks. After our exercise, we visited the Lodge cafeteria for a nice lunch. We got back to our campsite in time to batten down the hatches on all of the tents of the Yosemite Association volunteers before the rain hit.

That should catch us up on the main events of the past few days. Today RJ and I are working together for the first time this month. We running the membership/information booth on the walking mall in the morning, then we'll answer questions (and perhaps duck out of the rain) at the Yurt in the afternoon.

Happiness to all. Keep the comments flowing. Paula

"It never rains in Yosemite" P. McNerney 09/02

Well it is 4:30 PM and I don't feel like rowing my bike back to camp after work. It has been very hot here (95-105) and the humidity has been up. So, that means that storms form over the high country to the east in the hot afternoon. Well, the sometimes make it back west to the valley. We had a fair little storm on Tuesday afternoon, but it wasn't at all a washout.

Well that has all changed. It has been pouring hear for the last hour and a half. So, I am assuming that our tent is not too dry and everything will be mud. We are fine, because we are sleeping in the Teardrop, but it is still a pain. And I was promised so long ago that it never rains. (This is my fourth trip and I have seen more than four storms.)

Well we left the solutide of the valley yesterday and went to Oakhurst for shopping and dinner. It is the first town south of the park. I haven't seen a traffic light since June 27th. It was amazing. We got groceries, and then we went to an Indian run casino for the buffet dinner. It was a challenge, but I got my $13.99 worth of food. And tonight two of our co-workers are buying Pizza for everyone for dinner. Not a bad stretch.

Yesterday, Paula went climbing about 600' up on the wall near Yosemite falls. She and I did her first 3 lead climbs this week on lower slabs. All were 1 pitch high (150' or less). She found a climbing partner that is somewhat more experienced than her. So for their first route they are doing an easy route but it is 3 pitchs and it is about a 200' scramble to get up to the start. So it was an impressive height when you combine the climb to the start and then the 3 pitchs to climb. I will let her explain more later.

Well I don't want to get wet, but I don't want to miss Pizza. There are priorities in life, even in Yosemite.

R.J.

Finally, some pictures...maybe

Okay, troops, let's try to add some pictures to this blog. I'm going to try 4 of them as an experiment.

This is Indian Rock, the only natural bridge in Yosemite. We hiked to Indian Rock on the 13 July 2006 on our way to North Dome.

Below are the Half Dome cables from our first backpacking trip during this series. If you squint really hard, you can see RJ near the top. Hang on tight! The cables go up 400 feet at about a 60 degree angle.

Here's RJ taking a nap at our North Dome campsite. Poor, tired boy. The Snow Creek ascent was arduous, so he deserved a break.
Finally, how about my famous swimming bear? Here he is...

Warm days @ 4000'

Well the weather here has been warm as well. We have been 100 degrees the last few days, but remember that 90 is comfortable here because of the low humidity. But the extra 10 degrees is fairly noticable. So, what do you do when it is hot at 4000'? Go to 10000'! That is what we will be doing in the AM. We are taking another trip, and this one will be to Ireland Lake. I don't know if you can even Google this one, because it is very small and very remote. This trip will start at 8500' and the lake is at 10700' and about 11 miles in and 11 miles back. So that is the plan for Tuesday and Wed.

As for our CCC (California Conservation Corp.) hiker that was lost. Well he was found at about 18:30 hrs. that night by one of the helio crews. Unfortunately they found him on a ledge about 1600' below the crest of the cliff. So it was not a happy ending. Since it was a fellow park worker that was lost, the search became very large, very quickly. They ended up with 3 helios and several crews coming from outside the park. It was very interesting to see a military gunship flying above Half Dome.

We have talked to several people that are hiking the entire Pacific Crest Trail, which goes from Mexico to Canada, and it covers the entire John Muir Trail. And they all have said that the JMT is by far their favorite part of the hike. And they have given us updates on snow levels and river crossings to this point. It sounds like we should be in good shape by the time that we start it in August. Also we have seen many people that are starting the JMT here in the valley now, and we tell them that we will see them on the trail in a few weeks.

Talk to you soon.
R.J.
P.S. Mmmmm, Beef!

We're not lost, but someone is

Our backpacking trip was very nice. We climbed up Snow Creek trail (the steepest 3500 feet climb out of the valley, thank you) and hiked around to North Dome, where we spent the night. This morning, we continued along the north rim of the valley to Yosemite Point, then the top of Yosemite Falls. After taking in the sights, we descended via Yosemite Falls trail. Total distance of about 19 miles. We're going to wrap up the trip with pizza for dinner, but we wanted our blog community to have the latest info as soon as possible. Of course, we'd like for you to have the latest pictures, too, but that's a continuing saga. Soon -- maybe.

There's two items to share from our backpacking trip. First, there is a search going on right now for a man who went missing right where we were hiking. He is part of a trail repair team. At one of our rest stops we saw several of the crew pass by and we talked to a few of them. Then, about an hour later at our next rest stop, we saw a fellow who seemed to be looking for someone. At first I thought he was part of a backcountry EMS response, but it turned out that he was looking for the missing crewmember. Our campsite for the night was right in the area that the fellow disappeared into. As I type this, we can hear the search helicopter patrolling the rim of the valley looking for the fellow.

Second interesting item is much lighter. We decided not to pitch the tent last night, since the temperature was pleasant and the skies were clear. From our campsite we could view the entire south rim of the valley. Just after sunset, as I was lying in my sleeping bag and taking in the rapidly changing hues caused by the dying sun, I noticed a blinking light at Glacier Point (a high spot on the south rim that one can drive to; from it one can look 3200 feet straight down to the valley floor). I flashed my little LED headlamp back at the distant winking light. A few seconds later the light on the opposite wall flashed me another few blinks. We played light speed tag for the next several minutes. RJ and I were isolated at our campsite perched near North Dome, with not a soul near us. But then someone reached out with a flashlight and touched us from miles away. Too bad the lost trail worker couldn't have seen the same thing.

To wrap up for the day, RJ and I would like to thank all of you who add comments to the blog. It's nice to hear from our friends and loved ones back east. If you have a moment, add a comment. (Kevin - be nice!) Also, please pass on the blog address to anyone who might be interested. So, now it's time for pizza. That will be a large cheese and pepperoni, please.

The slow march of Snowe Creek

Well I now have the Backcoutry permit for our trip on Thursday and Friday. We will be accending up Snowe Creek (2800' elevation in 2.5 miles) and then we will camp just below North Dome. North Dome in directly across the valley from Half Dome so we should have some very good views. After a trip up North Dome in the AM we will follow the north rim to Yosemite Point and then down to the top of Yosemite Falls and finally down the Falls trail. It should be a fairly challenging trip.

I just left the Visitors Center where Paula was working at the time. As I arrived there the ambulance arrived also. When I walked in, the Ranger was taking a BP on an elderly patient and Paula wasn't trying to work on him or stick needles in him. Instead she was showing people about trails on the large map. I was amazed. I have never seen Paula that close to a patient that she wasn't working on.

So, we will update again on Monday.
R.J.

Me Tarzan, You RJ

RJ and I had an adventure last night. We ventured to the Church Bowl climbing area where I lead my first climb. It was the very easy Aunt Fanny's Pantry (5.4 chimney). We reached the top and rappelled safely, so the climb was a success. For me, it was a big step forward because I was placing protection and completely relying on my own skill for the first time. Kind of like being the nozzleman on the first line at a structure fire. You've practiced everything in simulations, but facing the real thing for the first time with no one in front of you presents a new level of challenge - and a warm feeling of accomplishment afterward.

We're working today, then we'll leave early tomorrow (Wake up, RJ!) for an overnight backpacking trip.

Photos? Not yet. Talent? Let me tell you about talent...

So finally RJ has thrown me the reins of the blog for a while. He's working at the Happy Isles Nature Center (HINC) all day. Since the HINC is on the far side of Yosemite Valley from the volunteer computer, I was appointed blogger-for-the-day. Let me try to catch you up on what's happening here.

This weekend I had a great climbing lesson. Just me and the instructor for 7 hours. We covered many moderately advanced techniques, including gear placement, escaping a belay, aid climbing, and leading. I donated a square inch or two of skin to the granite, but blood loss was kept to a minimum. Who knew that rock was so abrasive?

Yesterday RJ and I borrowed the raft of two of our co-worker/volunteer friends, Susan and Jerry. We launched the SS Yosemite at Stoneman Bridge (just a short walk from our campsite) and floated along the Merced River for about a mile and a half. The view of Yosemite Falls and Half Dome were spectacular. It was especially nice to take in the sights from the refreshing coolness of the river. From the engineer's perspective: (95 degree air temperature) / (55 degree water) = (bliss factor of 0.95)

The other event of our days off (not counting doing laundry) was that we invited a few of our volunteer friends for dinner. John, Jerry, and Susan pretended to enjoy the grilled sausage and hash browns we served up. Actually, the food was at least edible, and given the setting, what's not to like?

Let me also catch you up on a few happenings from earlier last week. RJ and I had a number of bear encounters. It started when RJ saw a big one Tuesday night right outside the tent. He was reading in bed when he saw a big shadowy figure go by.

Then on Wednesday morning as I was running along a trail I encountered a group of about 6 people huddled together. One fellow said that a bear was in amongst their tents. I paused to ask the crowd whether the bear was eating natural food or whether it had stolen some human food. When they answered that the bear had swiped some human possessions, I ran toward the bear, ordering it to get lost - and it did. Fortunately, I was still about 30 feet away when it bolted, so I didn't have to make a decision about how close I would get before I would be the one to get lost. Without looking back at the crowd, I continued on my run. I just hope they cleaned up the remnants of whatevert he bear had been munching on. As I plodded off, a female camper who had been trapped in her tent just a few feet from where the bear was eating said something like "You go, girl." I think she was glad to be able to exit her tent without a bear to deal with first thing in the morning.

Thursday morning brought some more bear activity. As I was biking to work, I saw a bear on the side of the river. He jumped in and swam to the opposite bank. After shaking off like a dog, he trotted off into the woods. Cool. I have pictures of the Esther Williams bear, but you'll have to wait for us to work out the technical challenges for full coverage. Stay tuned.

One final thing for today's entry, and this one will be of special interest to Mike Ende. As I was biking here, I spotted Engine 51 parked near Awhawnee Meadow. I knew that meant that they were preparing for a helicopter landing. I diverted my track toward the engine and asked the two firefighters what was happening. They said that they were waiting to land a bird from Modesto to take a patient from the Yosemite clinic to a "real" hospital. I snapped a few pictures and headed out. (Yes, Mike, we'll post one on the blog as soon as possible. Who needs pictures of swimming bears when you can have engine 51 against the backdrop of Half Dome?) A few minutes ago, while I was typing this blog entry I heard the helicopter pass over twice - once going to the LZ and then on its way out. Let's hope the patient does well.

Since it's just about time for work (Oh, the drudgery of slaving away in Yosemite!), I'll post this entry and bid you all a good day.

Photos and Talent should be coming on Monday!

I think I have a work around for the photo problems. The only kink is I will not have any access to the computer until Monday. So you will have to wait. Also, I will try to get Paula to post something, you know with a point, and with good grammar, etc.

But as far as this week in the valley it have been very slow. Mon. was busy and the rest of the week has not been crowded. Part of the reason could be from the landslide on Rte. 140 (the main access to the park) http://www.inciweb.org/incident/236/ Click on the News Releases to see additional photos.

Paula will be taking two climbing classes this weekend. One on Crack Climbing, and the other will be on Lead Climbing. So it should be an interesting weekend for her. I will likely try to do some big day hikes.

Talk to everyone soon.
R.J.

Work, Work, Work.

Okay, it is more like Work, Work, Day Off, Day Off, Work.

Well we have started work here in Yosemite (Yes, Al I said I am working) and it is going very well. The holiday weekend was somewhat busy, but Paula and I had off on Sunday and Monday. So we missed most of the action. Work is mostly giving out information to people, actually I am planning to have "Yosemite Falls is @ Bus Stop #6" tatooed on my forhead. But no tattoo shops here so using a Sharpie Marker works for now.

Our basic schedule is three or four days on and then two days off. So we will have time for at least 5 backpacking trips. So far on our first trip in the backcountry we took the bus to Tioga Road and then backpacked about 15 miles to the valley. We went over top of Clouds Rest (9980') and Half Dome (8860'). If you look at the webcam here: http://www.yosemite.org/vryos/sentinelcam.htm You can see Half Dome in the front and Clouds Rest is the peak right behind it. (Marty, If you look at the webcam at night, you will see darkness)

Right now I don't have any way to post photos, but I am working on this problem. So for now you just get to read my descriptions.

More to follow.
R.J.