Yosemite trip report

Right on. Thats why I continue to read this forums, to hear about trips like yours.

Jonaz, we were in Upper Pines, the only campground in the valley open in early March. Very pleasant -- in the 60s during the day, 30s at night. We could hear the roar of Vernal Falls in the campground.

What a change from Spring 2006. We had snow flurries, ice on the rock faces, any hike had major snow all around and did I mention it was cold...

Thanks for the pics :)

Excellent pictures. Where did you camp at in Yosemite?

We will be there in early August, not the spring, but it's the best we could do, even then we couldn't get a site in the valley, got one down at Bass Lake.

Tiger, we aren't moving to the dark side -- I absolutely had to have cell coverage -- my students were taking an exam, so I needed to be available. Plus most of the boondocking in the Sierra is out of reach in the winter -- the forest service locks the gates until the end of snow season. So Yosemite was almost our only choice. Plus, Upper Pines is so amazingly well-located -- it is right at the east end of the valley, right at the trailheads.

And the trick to making Yosemite look like a remote area is easy -- just hike above the valley floor, and the crowds thin out right away! Also, go in the off season -- I would imagine that in summer, even the more difficult trails can get pretty busy. I have not been there in summertime since 1959 -- to quote Yogi Berra, when asked about how he liked a very popular restaurant: "Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded."

Glad you enjoyed Yosemite! One of my favorite places. Great photo of Vernal Falls but sad to see that little water flow. Tough times for Sierras.

I worried at first that you had gone to the dark side, with "real" campground and cell coverage. What next? An outdoor flat screen TV? Was glad to see that you proceeded to deliver your usual fantastic trip report. You managed to make Yosemite look like it belonged just to the 2 of you. Thanks for sharing!

Campfire Time wrote:

icanon wrote:
As a amateur nature photography I gotta get myself out there.

We've been there twice in the spring. Tons of people walking around with high end cameras and tripods. It's like a photographer's convention. It's the only place I've ever actually seen someone using a 4x5 view camera with a wooden trip in the field. Very cool!

They are nice to see those 4x5 cameras. Had one fellow using one a few years back at a long exposure workshop, he had so many people around him asking all kinds of questions.

profdant139 wrote:
Chuck, once you get a thousand feet above the valley floor, the big tripods and big cameras tend to disappear. I carry a DSLR and a light-weight (but full size) tripod, and I am often the only person foolish enough to lug that stuff up into the high country!

Sounds like me only one up there with all that stuff but loving it!