OAUSA Net - August 11, 2016 - Sequoia and Yosemite Adventure

DaveK · Post by **DaveK** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 11:09 am

Our net this week is the destination, Sequoia and Yosemite. Rick Schirmer KK6CTT, will be recounting this adventure through these very spectacular National Parks. Both parks have a fascinating history and should be on everyone's list of places to visit.

Here is just a little taste:

: Yosemite.JPG (94.95 KiB) Viewed 935 times

: Yosemite 2.jpg (60.46 KiB) Viewed 935 times

lrsrngr · Post by **lrsrngr** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 11:06 pm

Product for the evening:

NAT GEO free mapping site: http://ngmaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/Embe ... heme=light
Drill down and pick your topo for the area you are looking for by clicking on the red tab once then again on the map name and it will down load a PDF file to your computer for saving.

: NAT GEO Dialing Down.jpg (304.99 KiB) Viewed 873 times

There are five pages:
Page 1: 1:100,000 overview of the area

: Topo, Half Dome Example 1.jpg (149.9 KiB) Viewed 922 times

Pages 2-5 are the depicted quad of the area at 7.5' quadrangle or 1:24,000 map.

: Topo, Half Dome Example 2.jpg (155.72 KiB) Viewed 922 times

: Topo, Half Dome Example 3.jpg (151.4 KiB) Viewed 922 times

: Topo, Half Dome Example 4.jpg (142.84 KiB) Viewed 922 times

: Topo, Half Dome Example 5.jpg (332.94 KiB) Viewed 922 times

You cannot manipulate it like you can their program software but a really nice tool if you just need a little map help that does not cost an arm and a leg.

NAT GEO map of Yosemite National Park paper copy MSRP $11.95 do a search for it.

lrsrngr · Post by **lrsrngr** » Wed Aug 10, 2016 11:55 pm

Yosemite Falls 2,475' with 3 drops:

: Yosemite 03.JPG (129.26 KiB) Viewed 919 times

Vernal Falls 318':

: The Falls 1.jpg (108.7 KiB) Viewed 919 times

: Yosemite 06.JPG (120.03 KiB) Viewed 918 times

: Yosemite 07.JPG (108.28 KiB) Viewed 918 times

Nevada Falls 594':

: The Falls 2.jpg (110.53 KiB) Viewed 919 times

: Yosemite 11.jpg (101.12 KiB) Viewed 918 times

I highly recommend walking up the Mist Trail during the hotter days. This is just as its name implies a misty trail that keeps you wet and sometimes soaked but feels great when the heat is up and the breeze helps keep you cool. We did this going up and took the John Muir Trail down which allowed us to see the whole thing from another perspective (plus you are walking downhill and the need for being cooled down is not as important as the trip up.

NPS trail information for the Vernal and Nevada Falls: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/ ... atrail.htm
General distances:

Valley Hikes.pdf: (102.82 KiB) Downloaded 61 times

lrsrngr · Post by **lrsrngr** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 12:10 am

The crowds and noise of the falls will melt away once you get to the top and start your last leg into Little Yosemite Valley and the campsite if you so choose to make this a multi-day event like we did. First order of business; get those packs off and setup camp so that chow can be thrown back pretty quickly.

: Yosemite 10.JPG (126.62 KiB) Viewed 917 times

Next or as you come into camp there might be two other things that you might like to take care of; water resupply:

: Yosemite 13.JPG (105.88 KiB) Viewed 917 times

and locating the privy:

: Yosemite 15.JPG (121.31 KiB) Viewed 917 times

Next up...making sure your site is animal compliant and not an attractant!

Or, do the Half Dome day hike: https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm

lrsrngr · Post by **lrsrngr** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 12:25 am

Let's tackle Half Dome next:

: Yosemite 25.JPG (98.27 KiB) Viewed 916 times

: Half Dome 640.jpg (265.29 KiB) Viewed 863 times

You have to watch your weather and other data coming out of Yosemite before you get there. There are alerts posted on the Yosemite NPS website and it really does help to start planning and researching this trip one year out. Yes, I said "one year out!"

: Yosemite 26.JPG (59.16 KiB) Viewed 916 times

This is deceiving but it was not easy either. This snow pack sits on a granite face that could, if you are not careful, be a big problem if you lose your footing and go the short way rather than the spine of the ridge. I did find a nice place to slide down on my butt when we left but it was definitely not here. My spot had about a 35 foot run that was a chute and I knew which way I was headed.