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Yosemite Tweetup

Page history last edited by Eileen Ringwald 11 years, 7 months ago

Participants - Who's Planning on Going?

If you think you might be able to make it, put your name on the list with any relevant notes. (i.e. possibly bringing friends, etc. Hashtag: #YosemiteTweetup or #YosTweetup

@lstefurak
@lizzy_t
@patrickgensel
@rockgrrl (+1 @voden)
@eleddy
@benpope
@dmasten (+1 @astrogerly)
@eliz_rocks
@sudarkoff
@adrienneknits
@RikRay
@dubid0 (+1 Pete)
@AleyaJean Nope :(
@Climbingguy123 Also Maybe..
@nwskiclimb
@sharpendwood
@JeremyShapiro
@billurbanski

What to do?!!

Yosemite is a world class location for all types of climbing. Assuming that we have a variety of ability levels I expect we could do a day of top-roping/trad leading and another day of bouldering. People of course are encouraged to explore the multi-pitching opportunities that exist all over the valley. Beginning in Spring (May?) 2011, simply hiking to top of Half Dome will require a reserved-in-advance permit. Climbing the face of Half Dome and hiking back will not require a permit.

Yosemite can be very crowded, especially on the classic routes, so the best chance to do any group multi-pitching would be on a Thursday or Friday.

Very Important - Food Storage/ Bears!

Yosemite National Park is home to hundreds of American black bears; these bears have a voracious appetite. They also are incredibly curious and have an amazing sense of smell. This combination tempts them to seek our high-calorie food. Sometimes bears that routinely get our food become aggressive, and sometimes have to be killed as a result. By storing your food properly, you can prevent a bear's unnecessary death.

Failure to store your food properly may result in impoundment of your food or car and/or a fine of up to $5,000 and/or revocation of your camping permit.

Car door pulled out by bear in search of food.

Bears will break into cars to investigate any object that smells or looks like food.

What is Food?
"Food" includes any item with a scent, regardless of packaging. This may include items that you do not consider food, such as canned goods, bottles, drinks, soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, trash, ice chests (even when empty), and unwashed items used for preparing or eating meals. All these items must be stored properly in Bear Boxes.

From the Yosemite NPS Page

Weather in April

Average Temperature: 35 to 66 degrees Fahrenheit

PROS: Snow is melting in earnest now, but do not be deceived; the weather in April can go from perfect to terrible in 24 hours. Be Prepared. Some backcountry trails below 6,000 feet might be open, so BE CAREFUL! You'll go in for some backpacking and get caught in a strong storm. Waterfalls are flowing strong! Sunny days are perfection itself in April. Cables on Half Dome will be down, so no big crowds on the 12 mile long approach to back of Half Dome. The Merced River will be cranking with runoff. ;-)

CONS: Same as January. The Glacier Point and Tioga Roads usually do not open before Memorial Day Weekend at end of May. Badger Pass closes usually by April 1st. at the latest. Snowpack will probably make last part of hike to base of Half Dome face impassable. Cables will be down on Half Dome, so day hike to top via backside route may be treacherous due to snow/runoff.

Current Weather Update:

It was fairly warm but there is still a good amount of snow in the high country and at the base of many cliffs. The falls are going off right now which is really pretty. This also means a bunch of the routes in the valley proper are wet

As you guys may know or have read Yosemite has lots of jamming and wide cracks. A good route to do early on would be Jamcrack. It's often busy on weekends so could be fun on a weekday. The first pitch is 5.7 and the 2nd is 5.9 and you can lead them in one big pitch if you want. You can also set up a TR on a few 5.10+ cracks that finish near the first pitch anchor.

Camp4 wall should be dry and is good for weekdays since I think it gets crowded on weekends. Same is true of the swan slabs (short but sunny and crowded on weekends).

The Five Open Books has a bunch of short (2-5 pitch) climbs that don't have too much wide suffering. I expect some of them may be wet but you have a bunch of options and a short approach.

I am pretty sure that the upper pitches on the East Buttress of El Cap are soaking. The falls up there (Horsetail I think) are running quite vigorously.

The East Buttress of Middle Cathedral should be dry but the approach could have snow and the descent will DEFINITELY have a bunch of snow. This could cause some excitement. There are a few random rappel stations (if you can find them) that can get you around the snow. Otherwise it might be steep snow hiking and possibly digging for the one mandatory bolted rappel station.

There is a huge snow bank up on Higher Cathedral rock. I would avoid Braile book and the regular route. The hike up to the Cathedral Spires is pretty long and possibly snow but those routes should (I think) be dry....

A friend recently did Central Pillar of Frenzy (a full helping of Yosemite wide cracks and Jamming). However he said the snow bank is ~ 90 feet tall!!!! He kicked steps up it and clipped the first pitch anchor. They were able to start by climbing the 2nd pitch... pretty crazy.

The routes at the base of El Cap should be warm and dry.

Manure Pile is warm and dry but crowded as ever... Lizzy and my hope is to get everyone to go there on Friday. We could have a group multi-pitch day spread out between After Seven, Nutcracker (may be wet in spots) and others. A bit of an early morning will yield an awesome day!!! We can split up leaders and rope teams as needed.

Arrival Dates for the weekend of April 23/24, 2011

We've booked campsites for that weekend April 23/24 weekend, be there!

To be a bit better organized please note what day you will be arriving/camping!

Wednesday 4/20 - Camp 4 (hopefully!)

@patrickgensel
@eliz_rocks
@billurbanski

Thursday 4/21 - Site 004 in Lower Pines

@lizzy_t
@lstefurak
@patrickgensel
@eliz_rocks
@billurbanski
@rockgrrl
@voden

Friday 4/22 - Site 004, 005 and DBL1 in Lower Pines

@lizzy_t
@lstefurak
@patrickgensel
@eliz_rocks
@billurbanski
@rockgrrl
@voden
@nwskiclimb
@sudarkoff
@adrienneknits
@JeremyShapiro
@sharpendwood
@benpope + maybe a friend or two if there's space
@dmasten (+1)

Saturday 4/23 - Site 004, 005 and DBL1 in Lower Pines

@lizzy_t
@lstefurak
@patrickgensel
@eliz_rocks
@billurbanski
@rockgrrl
@voden
@nwskiclimb
@sudarkoff
@adrienneknits
@JeremyShapiro
@benpope + maybe a friend or two if there's space
@dmasten (+1)

Sunday 4/24 - Site 004 in Lower Pines

@rockgrrl
@voden
@nwskiclimb
@eliz_rocks
@patrickgensel
@billurbanski

Please add yourselves for the nights you expect to stay!

@eleddy
@RikRay
@Climbingguy123 Fuel Cost splitting partner bailed...2200 miles solo too much. Out.
@sharpendwood

San Francisco Bay Airports/Rally Pointspositive news:

City/South Bay

SFO -

San Francisco Airport - Between SF and Mountain View
~ 4 hours to Yosemite
Often the best price from certain East Coast cities.

San Jose Airport - Near Mountain View, Sunnyvale
~ 4 hours to Yosemite
Closest to many of the Silicon Valley/ South Bay climbers.

East Bay

Oakland Airport
~ 3.5 hours to Yosemite

Further South and East

Fresno Airport
~ 2.5 hours to Yosemite

Transportation/Carpooling

Where we can see how to get who where in the most efficient/convenient way. Post if you're willing to carpool & from where, or if you find any great plane ticket deals, etc...

Public Transportation

The Bay area has decent rail transportation between the CalTrain, BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and the VTA Light Rail. This should allow people to commute by train to meet up with carpools.

Flights

Southwest Airlines has pretty cheap flights along the west coast and they allow you to take 2 bags for free. They do a lot of flights into San Jose Airport.

Vehicle Count

Add your name and how many vehicles you will have, also note if you can carpool

@patrickgensel - Flying in to SFO 4/19 then flying out 4/25 Renting a car
@lizzy_t/@lstefurak - we'll have a truck and can drive 3 other ppl. coming from Mtn View. Can shuttle people from San Jose Airport. (STILL HAVE SPACE!)
@benpope - work schedule is always a bit dicey, so carpooling may not be convenient for riders, but I've got an SUV and will be leaving from the south bay
@dmasten - I'll be driving in from Tehachapi/Mojave/Antelope Valley area. I can pick up people from Fresno (FAT) Airport.
@eliz_rocks - Flying in to SFO, carpooling with @patrickgensel & @billurbanski. Heading out to Yosemite from SFO Wed. morning, back Monday. Probably room for one more.
@sudarkoff - driving from SFBA, will probably have a couple of spots in my car. @JeremyShapiro claims one!
@RikRay - also coming from Bay Area, will pool. My truck is small but I can haul lots of gear/wood and one other body.
@rockgrrl - will be in camp on Thursday with @voden, will probably either be driving up & camping/climbing someplace before Yos, and/or staying later in Yos after the Tweetup (would be leaving Monday at the earliest)
@nwskiclimb- I am 100% now. Fly in to SFO on 21st AM out 25th PM. Renting a car staying in SF on Thursday night after Mumford and Sons concert driving out to Yosemite Friday. Plenty of room if anyone needs a ride, also I have a national parks pass to get my car and anyone I ride with into the park.

Campsite Info -

Reservations are necessary in Yosemite see below for camping details.

One Week Park Entrance Fee: $20 per Car

Yosemite Only Annual Pass: $40

Interagency Annual Pass: $80 - It provides access to Federal recreation sites, including National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Forest Service. (The best deal if you visit parks often!!)

Campsite Fees: $20 per night for up to 2 cars and 6 People. So ~$3.50 per person per night Some larger sites are possible if they are not already reserved.

Campsite Plan: We've booked three sites in Lower Pines, including one double site. Together, these 3 sites have a total occupancy of 24 people and 8 cars, but it's usually not too big of a deal to squeeze in a few extra people, and extra cars can be parked across the street in the Curry Village parking lot. One site (Site 004) is reserved from Thursday night (4/21) through Sunday night (4/24) and is for 6 people / 2 cars. The other two (DBL1 and 005) are booked for Friday (4/22) and Saturday (4/23) nights. This way there will be lots of room on Friday and Saturday nights (4/22-23), and some room for early arrivals/late departures in Site 004. When we get closer to April, we can figure out if we'll have more people before Friday, in which case the following backup camping options are still available, in addition for trying to get a site at North/Lower/Upper Pines via last minute cancellation. Either way, midweek camping shouldn't be too hard to find.

Backup Camping Options: Camp 4 is the only first-come first-serve campground and can be a backup if a lot of people are coming early. In April, it shouldn't be too hard to get a spot in Camp 4 midweek (and we have lots of space for the weekend in the Pines sites). It may be possible to reserve extra nights at any of the Valley campgrounds for weeknights. The Pines campgrounds are in the Valley (best option). Reservations are available here (enter "Yosemite" in the Park/Facility Name field).

Here's some other options that allow reservation and could accommodate a group. We probably won't need to use any of these options unless there is a substantial group coming early and no midweek cancellations in the Pines.

Campground reservation options -

Indian Flat RV Park - Pricey, private, tent cabins, cottages, and they have showers. 15 miles from El cap meadow, 25 tent sites, six people and two vehicles per site. http://www.indianflatrvpark.com/accomodations.htm

Dirt Flat / Dry Gulch,USFS - 16 miles to El Cap meadow. All walk-in, a total of 6 sites, 6 persons each. "Most sites are on the river or have river access and shaded by Oak and Pine trees."

Wawona, NPS - 27 miles to valley

Hodgdon Meadow - 4875 feet in elevation and contains Family and Group camp sites. It is 25 miles (45 minutes) from Yosemite Valley. The Group Camp is tent-only and closed for winter.

Dimond O - Its a bit far and has amenities. I like it because it list rock climbing listed under Services & Amenities Within the Facility! They provide the belay.

Google map link

Camping near Yosemite

Food/Amenities -

Yosemite functions as a small town. This means there are hotels, restaurants, showers and a grocery store. The one downside is that you pay a premium for these services.

Yosemite Village:

Grocery Store - Beer, Groceries, Ice, Wood

Degnans Deli - Sandwiches, Ice Cream, Wi-Fi

Curry Village:

Mountain Shop - Climbing Gear (LOTS), Clothing

Small Store - Some food, Beer, Firewood, Ice

Pizza Deck - Pizza :-D

Cafeteria - Burgers, Etc

Coffee Corner - Coffee, Ice Cream (Seasonally)

BYO Area - Tables and Microwaves.

Yosemite Lodge:

Cafeteria - Burgers, Pasta, seasonal fare.

Rooms

The Awahwanee:

Food (most likely too pricey for climbers)

Expensive Rooms

Some Local Hotel Info/Links

The Yosemite Lodge is possible for those who do not want to camp.
There are tent cabins available in Curry Village and Housekeeping Camp.
If you really want to splurge you can stay in the Awahwanee Hotel, the Ritz of Yosemite.

Routes

If you've got any must-do routes or problems, here's where you record that!

Nutcracker FFA 1967 R Robbins 5.9
Royal Arches 5.10b or 5.7 A0 (pendulum)

There are a multitude of crags in addition to the major formations in Yosemite and a lifetime of routes to do.

Guidebooks:

Four Supertopo books: - Free Climbs (Trad), Sport climbs and Top Ropes, Big Walls and Bouldering

These are select books and contain many of the classic routes.

Falcon Guide by Don Reid - Free Climbs

Much more comprehensive but lacks some of the easy to read supertopo funcitons.

Most likely has 300% more routes than supertopo.

There are a few other guides that have less routes and information.

Emergency Info

Yosemite has an amazing search and rescue program. YOSAR is on call and can help out if something bad happens.

Useful Links

http://www.supertopo.com/routebeta/yosemite.html

http://www.supertopo.com/routebeta/yoboulder.html

I created a checklist with Packwhiz, anyone is welcome to use it:

http://www.packwhiz.com/l/10806995/yosemite-tweetup

Climbing is Dangerous

Climbing is inherently dangerous and the risk of death or serious injury can never be completely eliminated. It is up to each individual to make his or her own choices regarding acceptable risk. Tweetups are collaborative efforts with no individual organizers, and each participant only assumes liability for their own well being, just as you assume liability for yours! Cheers!