A black bear provided tense moments for a family in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., recently when it removed a window screen and considered breaking into the house.
“We got a visit from one of our neighbors, apparently he is not fond of our front door and doesn’t know what ‘shoo’ means,” Christian Pondella joked on Instagram.
As viewers can see, the light-colored black bear deftly removes the screen and sniffs for several seconds as Pondella and his wife and son try shooing the bruin. At one point the bear seems on the verge of climbing through the window.
Pondella, an adventure photographer, said the bear “eventually left” during last week's encounter, and it has not returned. “No damage except the screen,” Pondella said.
Black bears are abundant in the forest around Mammoth Lakes, and commonly sighted by residents.
Motorists planning a trip to the Eastern Sierra might want to lighten up on the gas pedal because police might be using aircraft to monitor their speed.
The California Highway Patrol has, on the past two weekends, conducted sting operations in which airplane pilots have coordinated with ground units to catch speeders.
The CHP stated in a news release that on Sunday the agency stopped 16 motorists between Lee Vining and June Lake, and issued speeding tickets to 13 of them.
On Sept. 15, the CHP stopped 19 drivers and issued 12 tickets near Tom's Place south of Mammoth Lakes.
Drivers who were not issued tickets, according to the Mammoth Times, were traveling less than 20 mph over the speed limit. Most of those who were ticketed were diving much faster.
Said Lt. Ron Cohan, a CHP commander based in Bridgeport, in a statement:
"In our daily lives we tend to forget the dangers of speeding…. The CHP will continue to use all the tools at its disposal to reduce speeding."
A military jet crashed Thursday afternoon onto Owens Dry Lake east of U.S. 395 in the Eastern Sierra, but the pilot ejected and was seen walking with his parachute, the Sierra Wave reports.
The Inyo Sheriff's Department, Lone Pine Fire and Ambulance were said to have sent units to the crash site, near the old PP&G plant south of the town of Lone Pine. The pilot reportedly was hospitalized briefly at Southern Inyo Hospital, suffering from back pain.
Details were vague at the time of this post but here's what Sierra Wave is reporting:
Officers said the pilot was seen walking with his parachute and appeared to be okay. Right after the crash there was a military aircraft circling over head. It was reported as a naval aircraft.
The Inyo Sheriff’s Dispatcher said he received numerous calls from people who saw the crash – from motorists and local residents. Early reports indicated explosive ordnance may have been aboard the crashed jet. Initially authorities thought the plane was from China Lake Naval Weapons Center. Later a call indicated it was an Air National Guard plane.
Inyo Sheriff Bill Lutze advised officers to let the Navy handle the
wreck. There was reportedly some fire confined to the plane that went
out. The aircraft itself was not accessible by vehicle, but the
Sheriff’s Department stationed patrol cars nearby to the secure the
area.
The pilot did go to Southern Inyo Hospital with some complaint of back
pain. It was not immediately known why the plane went down. The Eastern
Sierra is part of a larger military controlled air space in which jets
regularly train. This is not the first crash in the dry lake- Owens
Valley area.
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.
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 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
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."
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
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
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:
Recent Comments