A Travel and vacations forum. TravelBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » TravelBanter forum » Travel Regions » USA & Canada
Site Map Home Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Yosemite National Park



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #23  
Old May 4th, 2004, 04:26 AM
Go Fig
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

In article , adjgiulio
wrote:

"Go Fig" wrote in message
...

Are you disagreeing with most people do it in more than 10+ hours


Jay, may I ask you if you're talking of the NPS "estimated" time or of some
other statistic.


I have no idea what the NPS suggests, mine is based on a personal
sample over many years.

Cause last year I realized that often the NPS estimated
time is much higher than the true time needed for an average-skilled hiker.
Probably the NPS prefers to overestimate the correct time so that
under-skilled hikers won't underestimate the difficulty of the hike. But
this is just my personal opinion...


I think it would be irresponsible for the NPS to give anything but a
decidedly conservative estimate.

Do you recall their estimate ?

jay
Mon May 03, 2004




Ciao, Giulio


  #24  
Old May 4th, 2004, 04:41 AM
adjgiulio
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

"Go Fig" wrote in message
...
In article , adjgiulio


I think it would be irresponsible for the NPS to give anything but a
decidedly conservative estimate.

Do you recall their estimate ?


It's 10 to 12 hours.

http://www.nps.gov/yose/trip/valleyhikes.htm

Ciao, Giulio


  #25  
Old May 4th, 2004, 04:51 AM
Go Fig
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

In article , adjgiulio
wrote:

"Go Fig" wrote in message
...

If you don't mind I'd like to ask you something more about these two

hikes.
Are them considered long/strenuous/day hikes or they should be faced as
backcountry experiences?


These are very tough day hikes, from either Glacier Point or Happy
Isles it is about 10-12 hours return for most. From Happy Isles you
can hike to Vernal and then you have the choice of the steep ascent to
the top of Nevada Falls or the much longer horse trail. A little past
the top of Nevada Falls there is a campground with bear boxes.

I recommend to most, to make a overnight here and do it in two days.

From Happy Isles it is 17 miles return.

Bring some canvas gardening gloves for the cables on the final ascent.

I hiked around Annapurna and went over a 19K foot pass, but had a much
bigger sense of accomplishment in doing Half Dome... then Mt Whitney.


Once you're on the Nevada Fall's top, how many miles there are still to

get
to the Half Dome?


About 4.


I hiket from Happy Isles to the Nevada Fall's top last year and it was not
easy but "doable" without many problems. Next time I'll be in Yosemite I'd
like to reach the Half Dome's top. I'm wondering if the last part with
cables is just tough or if it could be frightening for people who fear
heights (unfortunately I do suffer vertigo...kind of situation like the last
part of the Angels Landing in Zion).


The approach is quite daunting looking at it, and coming down sharing
the path with those coming up, does add some challenges. It is very,
very steep at points. Looking down is something everybody remembers,
so those with vertigo it could be quite tough. But the real vertigo
comes from this small outcrop of rocks on the top, yikes !

You may want to talk to your doctor about using something like
Compazine to alleviate some of the symptoms.

This is a G R E A T hike.

jay
Mon May 03, 2004








Can I ask you one more thing? Would you point out some "semi-hikers"
rewarding hikes in the Tuolumne Meadows area?


Just outside the park entrance is Saddlebag Lake, from there you can
hike to the top of Mt Conness (12K + ft.) it is about 8 miles. What
views !!!


Thanks, I wrote your advice down. I won't forget it.

Ciao, Giulio


  #26  
Old May 4th, 2004, 05:11 AM
Ken
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

Go Fig wrote in :
The approach is quite daunting looking at it, and coming down sharing
the path with those coming up, does add some challenges. It is very,
very steep at points.


The steepest parts of the Half Dome cable section are 40 to 45 degrees. That's
steep enough that you could not climb without some sort of hand support, but
unless you have a heart attack or something, you are not going to fall off. If
you're very uncomfortable, just keep both hands on one cable and slide yourself
down. That way people going up can use the other cable.
  #27  
Old May 4th, 2004, 10:25 PM
Andreas Werner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

Hi Giulio,

adjgiulio wrote:
"Andreas Werner" wrote in message
...

Hi Andreas,


For hikers:
- The one and only: Half Dome! Only for hikers with good endurance.
- Yosemite Point: Also quite good, not as hard as Half dome. Use it
as a
warm-up for the harder hikes.



If you don't mind I'd like to ask you something more about these two hikes.
Are them considered long/strenuous/day hikes or they should be faced as
backcountry experiences?


Yosemite point is 4-6 hours depending on your shape. Half dome is 8-12 hous.
Don't even think about Half Dome if you didn't do several 6-hour hikes
in the last
time. Yosemite point is without any shadow for long parts of its climb.

Don't mix up hiking and sports: You might be an daily jogger or even a
marathon
runner. Still, you never use your feet continuously for 12 hours. I'm
6' and 230 pounds
(mostly not muscles), but I do more than 20 day hikes a year with 5000
feets level
difference. Frequently two on Saturday and Sunday. Still I have never
been able to
do long jump of ten feet;-) So these are different ball games and you
only know your
shape in hiking is by doing it.

Serionsly: Do some hikes before the trip if you don't hike frequently
anyway. If you
don't hike at least some weekends every year, don't try Half Dome. For a
real test,
do cloverleaf hike: find a place where you can do a real long hike in a
pattern around
the trailhead where you can "chicken out" at multiple places. That's my
way for setting
up hikes together with people I don't know. If you're on top of Half
Dome, there is no
other way than walking back all the way.

Technically (meaning difficult steps - dropoffs etc.) both are child's
games, maybe
except the top end of Half Dome, where you have to should be free from
giddiness
and where you need power both in legs and arms.

Once you're on the Nevada Fall's top, how many miles there are still to get
to the Half Dome?


Others already answered you: it's about half the way. On the other hand,
when you are
on top of Nevada Falls, you can recover on that nearly flat part to
Little Yosemite Valley
(hint: use the facilities there - last one on the way), and the next 1/3
of the level gain is
done in the forest. So in summer, the climb to Nevada Falls is more
strenuous than the
rest. I can't cope well with heat, so maybe others think different.

The last part with the ropes is really best seen in the report

http://www.rahul.net/kenton/fun/yosemite/

But: when you see the picture of the top part, it looks harder than it
really is. On my first
tour, I didn't dare to do the last part. It was my second year of
hiking at all, and I was
really out of power, maybe I was wrong, maybe it was better that way.
I've done it
three times since then. Two hints he Usually there some old gloves ar
the start of the
rope part. Pick out some, you need them more on the way down than
uphill. AND:
really have good hiking boots on your feet.

Can I ask you one more thing? Would you point out some "semi-hikers"
rewarding hikes in the Tuolumne Meadows area?


Sorry I can't. Smallest thing I ever did myself in Yosemite was Yosemite
Point. If you
travel more than 5000 miles for a hiking vacation, you don't go for the
easy loops. And
I never recommend hikes I haven't gone myself before. I mentioned all
small walks I
know in my earlier posting (That's the thing to do on the day after a
long hike).

Andreas

  #28  
Old May 4th, 2004, 10:38 PM
Andreas Werner
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

Hi Ken,

Ken wrote:

Go Fig wrote in :

These are very tough day hikes, from either Glacier Point or Happy
Isles it is about 10-12 hours return for most. From Happy Isles you
can hike to Vernal and then you have the choice of the steep ascent to
the top of Nevada Falls or the much longer horse trail.


I'm a middle aged recreational "athlete". I exercise 6-8 hours a week non-
competitely. I've hiked from Happy Isles to Half Dome and back in 8 hours
(including rest and photo and lunch stops) and I am not the fastest person on
the trail. If you camp half way up the trail, you need to haul camping gear,
which slows down your pace a lot. You also need a backcountry camping permit,
which isn't easy to get.


If you exercise 6-8 hours a week you are way ahead of average training. Most
people really need 10+ hours for it. I usually need about 8-9 hours with
a long
break on the top and lots of photo stops in between. Nevertheless, one
should
plan for 10+ hours and be happy when returning earlier. NEVER ever
start after
8 a.m for the Half Dome hike.

!!!! And the usual disclaimer: Hiking Boots, Water, Sunscreen, Hat,
Raincoat !!!!

(I mention it as often as possible, I've even seen idiots with sandals
on top of Half Dome.
Guess they probably came back somehow, but one rainfall and they won't ...

Andreas

  #29  
Old May 6th, 2004, 05:26 AM
adjgiulio
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

"Andreas Werner" wrote in message
...

Hi Andreas,

I'd like to start thanking all you guys who gave me some very useful
information in this thread.

Yosemite point is 4-6 hours depending on your shape. Half dome is 8-12

hous.
Don't even think about Half Dome if you didn't do several 6-hour hikes
in the last
time. Yosemite point is without any shadow for long parts of its climb.

Don't mix up hiking and sports: You might be an daily jogger or even a
marathon
runner. Still, you never use your feet continuously for 12 hours. I'm
6' and 230 pounds
(mostly not muscles), but I do more than 20 day hikes a year with 5000
feets level
difference. Frequently two on Saturday and Sunday. Still I have never
been able to
do long jump of ten feet;-) So these are different ball games and you
only know your
shape in hiking is by doing it.

Serionsly: Do some hikes before the trip if you don't hike frequently
anyway. If you
don't hike at least some weekends every year, don't try Half Dome. For a
real test,
do cloverleaf hike: find a place where you can do a real long hike in a
pattern around
the trailhead where you can "chicken out" at multiple places. That's my
way for setting
up hikes together with people I don't know. If you're on top of Half
Dome, there is no
other way than walking back all the way.


You're right. A enjoyable hikes is, before all, a safe hike. If you live all
the year in a city it's quite not easy to measure your hiking skills untill
you are on a trail. There is no way to say "...I play 2 hours tennis so I'll
be able to hike about..." and that's a big problem for a lot of people. Now
I live in Seattle and here around there is plenty of chances to hike all the
year. I've just been to the Olympic NP were I had some very nice hikes. Ever
heard about the Point of the Arches?
Well, anyway, I'll surely have chances to test myself on some hikes at the
Mt. Rainier NP before trying the Half Dome. Sincerely this year I would not
probably be back in Yosemite since I'd really like to explore either the
Rocky Mountain area or the Pacific Coast.

So in summer, the climb to Nevada Falls is more
strenuous than the
rest. I can't cope well with heat, so maybe others think different.


I climbed to the Nevada Fall last year and it was my first long hike of the
year (perhaps Nevada Fall is not a long hike for you but it was for me...).
What about the way from Glacier Point? Could you tell me something about it?
Is it scenic? From my DeLorme Topo looks not very steep.

Sorry I can't. Smallest thing I ever did myself in Yosemite was Yosemite
Point. If you
travel more than 5000 miles for a hiking vacation, you don't go for the
easy loops. And
I never recommend hikes I haven't gone myself before. I mentioned all
small walks I
know in my earlier posting (That's the thing to do on the day after a
long hike).


Andreas, here I have a different opinion. Last year I travelled from Italy
to have a "hiking" vacation and I enjoyed a month in the southwest hiking
daily, even the hikes I had were not all long and strenuos. Perhaps we just
give a different meaning to the word "hike". For me a hike is walk in the
nature and doesn't necessarily require a strenuous phisical effort. Some of
the hikes which I remember more pleasantly are, for example, the Congress
Trail (Sequoia NP) and the Navajo Loop (Bryce Canyon NP) and they're both
less than 2 miles. I understand that a hike that offers a phisical challenge
can give a bigger satisfaction in being completed but I think that many
short hikes are anyway worth even a long trip.

Ciao, Giulio


  #30  
Old May 6th, 2004, 05:49 AM
Ken
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Yosemite National Park

"adjgiulio" wrote in
:
What about the way from Glacier Point? Could you tell me
something about it? Is it scenic? From my DeLorme Topo looks not very
steep.


Do you mean the Panoramic Trail from Glacier Point to Nevada Falls? That is a
spectacular trail that gets very little traffic. You can continue up to Half
Dome, but the total distance will be longer than starting at Happy Isles.

A nice loop hike is to take the 4 Mile Trail from Yosemite Valley up to Glacier
Point, then take the Panaroma and Mist Trails back down to Yosemite Valley.
That is not as long or difficult as the Half Dome Hike, but almost as scenic.
 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Info on Malaria in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Safari Rangers Australia & New Zealand 3 October 10th, 2003 10:04 AM
Info on Malaria in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Safari Rangers Europe 1 October 9th, 2003 06:42 PM
Info on Malaria in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Safari Rangers Latin America 0 October 9th, 2003 01:52 PM
Info on Malaria in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Safari Rangers Backpacking and Budget travel 0 October 9th, 2003 01:47 PM
Driving route from yosemite to bryce canyon and zion national park Amiram USA & Canada 4 September 20th, 2003 07:58 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 02:49 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 TravelBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.