Outdoors, action and adventure

Yosemite Half Dome cable permits required daily this season

Yosemite National Park officials have announced that day-use permits to climb the Half Dome cables will be required seven days a week for the 2012 summer season.

An interim program that required permits on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays was implemented by the National Park Service in 2010 and switched to a seven-day-per-week system for 2011, to better regulate the number of hikers using the cable system. Safety issues have arisen from crowding, which also has led to long waits on the popular hike.

Some changes to the permiting system were made this year, and permits will now be allocated through a preseason lottery, a two-day-in-advance lottery, and as part of the Wilderness Permit process, with a maximum of 400 hikers allowed each day on the Half Dome Trail beyond the subdome.

Permit fees also have increased, with two separate fees collected for 2012. A non-refundable processing fee of $4.50 will be charged when applications are submitted online ($6.50 if done by phone). An additional $5 per person refundable fee will be charged when permits are received, and helps offset the cost of stationing park rangers at Half Dome to check for permits.

Further details regarding the lotteries and the wilderness process can be found at the park's website at www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm.

The Half Dome cables are generally in place from mid-May through mid-October, depending on snowpack and weather conditions.

Image of Half Dome and climbers using the cable system courtesy of Scott Gediman / National Park Service

Mammoth Mountain receives more than a foot of snow

It's a bit early to get excited about skiing and snowboarding in California, but with a major dumping underway in the Lake Tahoe area and at Mammoth Mountain in the Eastern Sierra, the excitement is understandable.

As of 10 a.m. Wednesday, about six inches of snow had fallen on Donner Summit in the Tahoe region. Mammoth, which has pegged Nov. 10 as opening day, received lots more and snow was still falling in both regions.

More than a foot had fallen at Mammoth's main lodge, and perhaps double that amount blanketed the upper slopes. Five inches had fallen down below, in the town of Mammoth Lakes.

Tweeted pro snowboarder Greg Bretz, who lives in Mammoth: "I get to set up some rails and snowboard today."

He's not alone. But as exciting as this wintry blast may be, a quick warmup is in the forecast throughout the Sierra Nevada.

The temperature in Mammoth Lakes is expected to reach 60 degrees on Sunday, and it's supposed to reach 65 degrees in the  Lake Tahoe area.

Still, this storm is being regarded as an indication that a repeat of last season and its record snow totals may be at hand, thanks to another La Niña winter. Only time will tell.

-- Photos show Mammoth Mountain's base and main lodge areas as snow was falling Wednesday morning. Courtesy of Mammoth Mountain

Yosemite National Park trail improvement project completed

Yosemite National Park is a place of such natural beauty that it seems easy to take little notice of the areas that help visitors enjoy their magnificent surroundings. Thankfully, there are those who realize the importance of maintaining these oft-overlooked spots, and a 75-mile trail restoration project in Yosemite has come to completion with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday at the park's East Valley Loop Trail.

The six-year, $13.5-million project -- funded mostly by Yosemite Conservancy doners -- is reportedly the largest trail repair and restoration project ever undertaken in Yosemite.

"Our goal was elegant in its simplicity -- improve the condition of Yosemite's most treasured, high-profile trails in order to protect irreplaceable natural resources," said Yosemite Conservancy president Mike Tollefson.

More than 30 miles of the John Muir Trail, from Tuolumne Meadows through Little Yosemite Valley to Yosemite Valley, had work done. There are new stone walls and rock staircases as well as drainage structures and habitat restoration to improve safety and protect areas bordering the trail.

Restoration and improvements were also made to about half a dozen trailheads along Tioga Road, offering better defined routes to popular locations, safer parking, food storage lockers or wilderness education exhibits.

"Yosemite's trails are pathways to discovery and inspiration. Some of the park's most important trails were improved to reverse years of degradation," said Park superintendent Don Neubacher. "The result is better trails, restored habitats and greater education opportunities for visitors."

 

Photo: Hikers enjoy the John Muir Trail near Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap in Yosemite National Park. Credit: Keith Walklet

Rafters, kayakers to enjoy one of best-ever whitewater seasons

While skiers and snowboarders are still carving turns in some areas across the West, thanks to  record snowfall winter that seemingly refuses to end, kayakers and rafters are gearing up for what's sure to be one of the most amazing whitewater seasons in recent history.

"These numbers are blowing my mind," Joe Carberry, senior editor for Canoe & Kayak magazine, said in reference to June snow pack summaries for states such as California, Idaho, Washington and Colorado. "You'd be safe to say that most river basins in the inter-mountain and western United States are still averaging above 200% of average. That is incredible for this time of year. Some, including drainages in California and Idaho, were still averaging 400%."

The accompanying video, showcasing the skills of top kayakers on Quebec's more low-lying waterways, provides a glimpse at what rivers out West will soon look like.

 

What this means is that the season, rather than starting in mid-May and waning by mid-July, is just beginning and, because mountain ranges throughout the West are so laden with dense snow packs, rivers will provide rollicking thrills for kayakers and rafters through August and even well into September in some places.

Carberry, when asked via email to list some of his top prospects, mentioned the Arkansas River in Colorado, "with the Pine Creek and Numbers sections set to create carnage galore."

He touted the Class V section of the North Fork of the Payette River in Boise, Idaho, which set flow records last year "and could get even bigger this season."

In California, Carberry predicted, "The rivers won't be the only thing gushing. Chili Bar on the South Fork of the American will be overflowing with customers and raft guides ready to run the classic Chili Bar section down to Folsom Lake, while Class V kayakers get their scare on by charging the Golden Gate section."

Another top spot in California will be the spectacular Forks of the Kern two-day stretch of mostly Class V rapids (the most difficult) in the Mt. Whitney drainage, which feeds the Kern River. That will peak July through August, according to Kern River Outfitters guide Luther Stephens.

Stephens, a well-traveled veteran, also touts the Middle Fork of Idaho's Salmon River; Oregon's Rogue and "last but certainly not least, the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. The Canyon is flowing at high levels and is slated to have a great season as well. The Canyon is awesome. You have to do it, if you have not already."

Sounds like a worthwhile plan.

-- Pete Thomas

Forecast promising for Saturday's Eastern Sierra trout opener

Sunny skies and cool temperatures are in the forecast for Saturday's opening of the Eastern Sierra general trout-fishing season. Anglers planning to participate might also be pleased to learn that fishing licenses will be readily available, after all.

Concern was raised when some bait-and-tackle stores within Inyo and Mono counties stopped selling licenses after the Department of Fish and Game launched its computerized Automated License Data System at the beginning of the year.

However, dozens of vendors have since come online, and to fill the void in Bishop -- where Culver's Sporting Goods, Mac's Sporting Goods and Brock's Fly Fishing Specialists are not selling licenses -- the DFG will be selling them Thursday through Saturday at the Chamber of Commerce on Main Street.

Fishing licenses, which are mandatory for anyone 16 or older, also are available online and at many larger sporting goods stores throughout California.
Anglers will have no excuses when DFG wardens make their customary checks throughout opening weekend and the remainder of the season.

The Bishop Chamber of Commerce is at 690 North Main St. The DFG will sell licenses Thursday from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Friday from 10-9, and Saturday from 8-noon. An annual license costs $43.46. A one day licenses sells for $14.04 and a two-day license sells for $21.86.

As for the fishing, most waters from Bishop to Bridgeport are well-stocked with rainbow trout. The mid-elevation lakes are free of ice, and five-fish limits ought to be fairly common.

To be sure, the only real drawback to this year's opener will be the painfully high gas prices. This might keep the crowds down but it will hurt area business that traditionally have relied on the economic boost provided by large opening-weekend crowds.

-- Image of Garrett Arman, one of the top anglers during the 2009 trout opener (at Gull Lake) is by Pete Thomas. Arman was 8 at the time and the rainbow trout weighed 5.4 pounds

Renowned bear expert offers advice for wilderness travelers

With black bears emerging from hibernation and becoming increasingly active in the wilderness and around mountain towns, Visit Mammoth in the Eastern Sierra community of Mammoth Lakes, Calif., has released a question-and-answer interview with renowned expert Steve Searles, the so-called Bear Whisperer. It's worth reading for anyone who plans on visiting bear country this spring or summer:

Q: What should you do if you see a bear on the trail?
A: Don't approach the animal, but don't run away, either. Enjoy the experience. If you don't have any food out, admire the animal from afar with binoculars or the zoom feature on a digital camera.

Q: And if the bear is close?
A: Make yourself look bigger by holding your hands above your head, bang pots together and yell at the animal. If everyone did that I wouldn't have a job. Bears are the best at reading body language and vocalization.

Q: What if you have kids with you?
A: A lot of the information out there says grab your kids and put them up on your shoulder. But this automatically sets an element of fear in the bear. Instead, keep young ones by your side.

Q: What about dogs?
A: All dogs bark at bears. And all bears run from dogs. If I had a penny for every poodle or Chihuahua that chased a bear I'd be rich. Bears are vegetarians—they don't make a living on dogs and cats.

Q: It sounds like black bears are fairly non-confrontational?
A: They're predominately gentle creatures that are genetically programmed to run from humans. People are 350 times more likely to be struck directly on the head by a bolt of lightning than to be attacked by a black bear. It's more dangerous to be walking down a city street than to experience an encounter with one of these animals. In the rare situation when a bear has gone after a human, it’s the equivalent of the Jeffrey Dahmer of the bear world.

Q: If you come home to a bear in your cabin, what should you do?
A: Always give the animal plenty of room to escape. Never allow it to feel trapped. If it's in your vacation home, open doors and windows so that it has a way out.

Q: What are the chances of seeing a bear while in the Sierras?
A: If you leave food out, pretty good. California is now home to approximately 30,000 black bears, making the state's 28,000 square miles of mountainous habitat quite crowded. Every square mile is now filled, which makes it difficult to relocate bears.

Q: What’s the best way to prevent bears from coming close?
A: Don’t leave food out. That includes bird food, it’s like meth for bears. People don’t always understand that feeding a bear is essentially like giving it a death sentence, since it trains the bears to eat human food and it will likely need to be killed as a result.

-- Image of American black bear is courtesy of Wikipedia

Enzo Oddo, 16, makes difficult sport of bouldering look easy

Bishop, Calif., is a bouldering paradise and attracts climbers from all over the world. A recent visitor was Enzo Oddo, 16, from Nice, France, and as you can see in the video the prodigy is bound for greatness.

While in the Bishop area, the prAna-sponsored athlete negotiated the fourth-ever full ascent of the highball named Ambrosia. That was only one of his impressive accomplishments during an expedition that included travel throughout the majestic Eastern Sierra region.

The video is worth watching if for no other reason than to gain an appreciation for those who are passionate about this obscure and very difficult sport. Enjoy:

Mammoth Mountain closing in on record snowfall season

**Friday afternoon update: Mammoth has surpassed its record; as of 2 p.m. the resort had recieved a season-total of 589 inches, with more falling and on the way.

With snow falling again Wednesday at Mammoth Mountain, and more expected over the next few days, the question is no longer whether the Eastern Sierra resort will realize a record snowfall level for a single season, but when that will occur.

As of Wednesday morning Mammoth had received 540 inches of the white stuff for the 2010-11 season, with 112 inches having fallen so far in March. Up to a foot was expected by day's end. That'd bring the total to 552 inches.

Since Mammoth began keeping records in 1969-70, the top season was 2005-06, when 578 inches (or 48 feet) fell on the resort's slopes. Mammoth didn't reach that number until May, after receiving 118 inches in April.

A new record could be set before the end of March, possibly before or during this weekend. Snow is in the forecast through Saturday, and again Tuesday. If the record isn't set by then, another storm is expected Friday, April 1.

No fooling.

-- Pete Thomas

Mammoth photo courtesy of Peter Morning

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas

Roads into Yosemite closed because of snow, debris

** Tuesday update: Roads remained closed as of 10 a.m. Tuesday

Heavy snow, mudslides and downed trees and power lines have forced the temporary closure of all roads leading into Yosemite National Park in the western Sierra Nevada.

A park media release stated that nearly four feet of snow fell during a 24-hour period in the Yosemite Valley, Wawona and Crane Flat areas. Highways 41 (Wawona Road), 120 (Big Oak Road), and 140 (El Portal Rd.). were closed Monday morning.

Highway 14o outside of the park between El Portal and Mid Pines was closed by Caltrans because of storm-caused debris and downed power lines. Badger Pass Road and Hetch Hetchy Road also are closed.

Assessments are being made regularly and prospective visitors are urged to call (209) 372-0200 for recorded updates regarding roads within the park; and to dial (800) 427-7623 for information about roads outside the park.

A winter storm warning was still in effect Monday morning.

-- Image courtesy of Yosemite

Mammoth Mountain releases opening-day video footage

For those who were unable to make it to Mammoth Mountain for its opener Thursday, below is a video released today by the staff:



Conditions were the best for an opening day in years at the Eastern Sierra resort, thanks to early snow and cold temperatures favorable to spread machine-blown snow.

In fact, this could be an incredible Thanksgiving holiday weekend in a lot of places. The Lake Tahoe area and Colorado's Rocky Mountains also have received abundant early powder.

Even Southern California resorts are shaping up. Mountain High in Wrightwood opened Thursday and Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake will open Saturday. Barring a long and unseasonal heat wave, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be white just about everywhere with a chair lift.

-- Pete Thomas

Twitter: @Pete_Thomas