Pete Thomas Outdoors

Yosemite wastes no time in reopening, welcoming visitors

After Congress gave final approval Wednesday night to a budget compromise that would temporarily reopen federal agencies, Yosemite National Park in California wasted no time in announcing that it was open and welcoming tourists.

Visitors, for the first time since the partial government shutdown was imposed on Oct. 1, were allowed access to public areas and roads. But facilities and other public services were still in the process of being brought back online.

"We are excited to reopen and welcome visitors back to Yosemite," stated park superintendent Don Neubacher. "Autumn is a particularly special season to enjoy Yosemite’s colorful grandeur."

The news release included the following information:

 "Major highways and roads leading into and through Yosemite National Park, including the Glacier Point and Mariposa Grove roads, are open to vehicles. Park visitor centers will reopen and Ranger-led programs will resume on October 17. Visitors are urged to consult the Yosemite Guide for a list of programs.

 
"Valley campgrounds in Yosemite will reopen on October 17. Those with reservations will be able to check in by noon. First come, first serve sites at Camp Four, Wawona and Hodgdon are also available.
 
"Delaware North Parks & Resorts at Yosemite, Inc., the park’s primary concessioner, is reopening facilities and will begin to welcome guests immediately.
 
"The Ansel Adams Gallery, located in Yosemite Village, will also reopen."

Plane reported missing over Yosemite in December is located

A single-engine airplane that was reported missing over Yosemite National Park in wintry weather last Dec. 17 has been located, along with the deceased pilot, in the park's rugged Vogelsang High Sierra Camp area.

A park visitor spotted the plane on Saturday. Yosemite rangers hiked to the area Sunday and discovered the body of Nicol Wilson, the male pilot, at the scene of the crash. The plane, surprisingly, was largely intact.

A Yosemite news release issued Monday reads:

Wilson, who was flying from the Santa Barbara area to the Mammoth Lakes Airport on the east side of the Sierra Nevada, disappeared during a winter storm on Monday, December 17, 2012.  After extensive searching of the Yosemite high country, the search was suspended for the winter season. 

Yosemite National Park has searched extensively over the past several months, once conditions allowed for travel through the high country.

The Yosemite National Park Helitak crew was greatly assisted by the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Civil Air Patrol (CAP), California Emergency Services, and YoDogs (canine search and rescue assistance) during the extensive search operation.

Yosemite National Park Rangers will be removing the plane from the backcountry over the next several weeks.

Body of missing hiker recovered by Yosemite park rangers

Sad news out of Yosemite National Park, where rangers on Tuesday recovered the body of Kenneth Stensby near the base of Vernal Fall. A search was launched after Stensby, who is from Minnesota, did not return from a day hike on Sunday. (Stensby is pictured at right.)

On Monday his pack was found at the railing atop Vernal Fall. His body was first spotted Sunday evening by air and ground crews. 

The following is a news release issued Tuesday afternoon by the California wilderness park:

Yosemite National Park Rangers have recovered the body of missing hiker Kenneth Stensby near the base of Vernal Fall.  Stensby was fatally injured after falling from a cliff near the top of the waterfall.  His body was discovered by Yosemite National Park Search and Rescue Ranger personnel and was extricated at about 1:00 p.m. today.

Stensby, 73, from Edina, Minnesota, had been in the park for several days.  He was staying at the Ahwahnee Hotel and went on day hikes each day.  Each morning, Stensby would leave a note with the Concierge, outlining his daily plan. 

On Sunday, May 5, his note stated that he was planning to hike to the top of Vernal Fall via the Mist Trail and return to the hotel around noon. Hotel staff attempted to contact Stensby around 5:00 p.m. that evening, and discovered he had not returned. 

They contacted the National Park Service to notify Park Rangers that Stensby had not returned to the hotel.  Park Rangers discovered his backpack near the guardrail at the top of Vernal Fall later that evening.

Yesterday, the park conducted a full scale search and rescue operation, including multiple ground teams, a dog team, and a California Highway Patrol (CHP) helicopter.  The search area was concentrated around the Mist Trail. 

There was intermittent rain throughout the day, resulting in difficult search conditions.  The CHP helicopter, concurrently with ground teams, spotted Stensby’s body around 6:00 p.m. last evening.

The Mist Trail, closed during the search and rescue operation, has now been reopened.

Trouble in paradise? Drug busts are on rise at Yosemite

If everyone seems happy in Yosemite National Park, it ought to be and probably is in most cases because of the spectacular beauty of a pristine wilderness.

But some visitors to the iconic California park are high on more than nature. They're on drugs.

According to an NBC Bay Area investigation, Yosemite boasts the highest number of drug arrests and citations per 100,000 visitors compared to other large national parks.

Malcolm Morgan, a camper from Larkspur, California, is quoted as saying: "We were comparing it to Disneyland. We see a lot more happy faces here in Yosemite than we did at Disneyland."

Yosemite receives about 3 million visitors per year. NBC reports that drug busts have increased 18% since 2007 and that last year park rangers arrested or cited 855 visitors for possession of drugs.

Most of those arrests occurred within the seven square miles of Yosemite Valley.

For the sake of comparison, there were 2,393 drug possession arrests in Yosemite in from 2010 through 2012. There were 500 in Yellowstone National Park; and only 365 in Grand Canyon National Park.

Yosemite Deputy Chief Ranger Julie Byerly said she thinks most of the drug users are "largely folks that are coming and going," and not serious nature lovers. She does not believe Yosemite has a drug problem.

Said United States Magistrate Judge Michael J. Seng, who tries federal drug cases in a courthouse in Yosemite Valley: "It’s been primarily marijuana, mushrooms, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and then the party drug--ecstasy."

Seng implied that the problem stems from a drug culture existing among certain groups that visit the park from nearby communities. Yosemite Valley is easily accessible and receives most of the park's visitor traffic.

It should be stressed that visitors are not likely to experience shady dealings or drug-related problems. It's also worth noting that this iconic park is much bigger than Yosemite Valley; it boasts nearly 1,200 square miles of scenic valleys, meadows, great trees, rivers and waterfalls.

But if you happen to be in Yosemite Valley and that crisp scent of pine is temporarily interrupted by something far more pungent, well, you'll have a pretty good idea what you're smelling.

--Image of Yosemite's fabled El Capitan is via the park's Facebook page

Little girl's heartwarming letter to Yosemite rangers goes viral

Rangers at Yosemite National Park received a letter recently from a little girl named Evie. Taped to the letter were two small sticks, each maybe a few inches long.

But it was Evie's touching words that produced smiles and warmed their hearts. So the rangers shared the letter Wednesday on the California wilderness park's Facebook page, and it has since been shared by more than 6,400 users, "liked" by nearly 12,000 people, and commented on by nearly 1,000 people.

This is because Evie's letter is cute, but mostly because its broader meaning underscores the goodness in children, who generally want to do the right thing, and who will follow through if given a chance.

Those two sticks, it turns out, were carried out of Yosemite by Evie at the end of a family outing. Removing items from national parks, or from any wilderness area, is frowned upon because all natural items within these wonderful open spaces are what keep them pristine.

Visitors to national parks are advised of this smart principle via posted signs and in literature, and somehow the message reached Evie, after she had left the park, and discovered the two sticks in her pocket.

Tiny sticks. Insignificant, perhaps, in terms of keeping Yosemite pristine. But to Evie, they had to be returned to their place of origin. Hence, the letter (pictured at right), which might just brighten your day, especially if you're a parent or are planning to have children::

Dear Park Rangers,

I am a Yosemite Junior Ranger. I went to Yosemite recently and accidentally brought home two sticks.
I know I'm not supposed to take things from the park, so I am sending them back. Please put them in nature.

Thank you, Evie

Search for missing plane in Yosemite area is suspended

The search for a plane that has been missing since Dec. 17 in the Yosemite National Park area has been suspended, park officials announced.

The plane was last detected, via radar, on Dec. 17 over the North Dome area. An exhaustive multi-agency search began Dec. 18, but the effort was hampered by severe winter weather.

More than five feet of snow has fallen in the iconic Sierra wilderness park during the past week.

The pilot was Nicol Wilson of the Santa Barbara area.

His family had reported him missing on Dec. 17, after failing to arrive in the Eastern Sierra town of Mammoth Lakes, as planned.

Yosemite stated in a news release that the search for the missing plane will resume in the spring, when conditions allow.

Woman attacked by mountain lion in Big Bend National Park

A female hiker was attacked Friday by a mountain lion on a remote trail in Big Bend National Park in Texas, the park announced in a news release issued Saturday.

Andrea Pinero Cebrian was with friends on the Mesa de Angulia Trail at about 12:30 p.m. when the attack occurred. She sustained head injuries and was treated at the scene after her friends had telephoned for help.

According to the Alpine Daily Planet, Cebrian refused to be transported to the nearest hospital in Alpine, about 60 miles away.

Park officials stated in the news release that the area, in the westernmost region of the park, has been closed while rangers and biologists investigate and search for the mountain lion, or cougar.

The closure remained in effect through Sunday, according to the park website.

"Visitor safety is our main concern here in Big Bend and we will monitor and close the Mesa until we deem it safe for visitors," Park Superintendent Cindy Ott-Jones said in the news release.

Yosemite rangers searching for missing new employee

Yosemite National Park rangers have launched a search for a park employee, Jessica Rose Garcia, who failed to show up for her first day at work Sunday at the Wawona Hotel and may be somewhere within the vast California wilderness park.

A park news release issued Monday night states that Garcia was last seen Saturday morning, by a co-worker at her park residence. She had been walking east along Forest Drive, near the Wawona stables. She had just attended an orientation meeting and was dressed in her dark-green work uniform.

Garcia is Hispanic, standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, and described as being shy and reserved around strangers.

The rescue effort includes the park helicopter, dogs and ranger teams on horseback and foot. The focus is on an area that includes the South Fork of the Merced River, and the Wawona area.

Anyone with information about Garcia's whereabouts, or possible leads, is asked to telephone the Wawona Ranger Station at 209-375-9520, or Yosememite Dispatch at 209-379-1992. The Yosemite Dispatch is available 24-hours per day.

--Pete Thomas

Majestic Yosemite Falls can now be enjoyed via webcam

It's not the same as being there, of course, but thanks to the installation of a webcam, fans of Yosemite National Park can enjoy a real-time glimpse of majestic Yosemite Falls from their homes or offices.

The park announced the news Monday.

Yosemite falls, which plummets 2,425 feet, is the highest waterfall in North America and the fifth-highest in the world. The webcam records images every 30 seconds.

It's the fourth Yosemite landmark to receive a be featured via webcam on the Yosemite Conservancy website. The others are El Capitan, Half Dome and the Sierra Nevada high country, including Tenaya Peak and Clouds Rest.

Conservancy president Mike Tollefson stated in a news release: "The webcams provide windows into Yosemite for people to plan a visit and to be inspired about the need to preserve and protect one of the world’s most unique places. This technology makes the park’s incredible scenery accessible to anyone, anywhere and at any time. What could be better than starting your day by viewing Yosemite Falls?"

-- Pete Thomas

Search turns up body of missing Death Valley cyclist

Sad news out of Death Valley National Park as the body of a cyclist who had been missing since March 12 was found Tuesday between the Mesquite Spring campground and Scotty's Castle Road.

George Kohler, 67, who is from San Francisco, had strayed on-foot from a cycling group he had been traveling with and had been the subject of a multiagency search effort since March 13.

The Sierra Wave reports:

Kohler had been exploring Death Valley with a bicycle touring group and was last seen at a campfire at the Mesquite Spring campground Monday March 12th at approximately 8:00 PM.  According to interviews conducted with the bicycle group, Kohler departed from the campfire after saying he was tired. 

In the morning when Kohler did not meet up with the rest of the group, his tent was opened up; but there was no sign of Kohler or any indication that he slept in his tent.

The Inyo County Coroner will perform an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Foul play is not suspected but the incident is under investigation.