So I just got back from running on dirt trails at a nearby Santa Clara County Park that is mostly donated ranch land still periodically used for grazing. At the entrance, I was within ¼ mile of ranch estate homes, but mostly noticed a rattlesnake crossing the parking lot, a mountain biker returning to his truck, and someone riding a horse on a trail I wasn’t going to be on. As I hiked, I passed under the shade of grand oaks, heard birds chirping, saw a few prancing deer, noticed a coyote running from another housing tract, watched a bobcat stalk through tall grass, looked skyward to see raptors riding the updrafts of a steep hillside, and persuaded my yellow lab that it was a bad idea to chase a feral pig that our footsteps had startled, leashed to me or not.

Later, I noticed the occasional cow chip or road apple, crossed a new bridge, went down some recently added stairs, and passed a rock wall, but instead of dwelling on those or worrying about being attacked by a mountain lion, I started thinking of ways to keep people from L.A. and the Bay Area out of the Sierra, the Rockies, and the State of Jefferson (exceptions will be made for those who were born in these perfect mountainous regions, yet somehow had the misfortune to wander off and lose their way). Although born in the Bay Area, I get a pass, because I live on the outskirts of the Bay Area and spent at least half of my years in the State of Jefferson. People from out of state are not a concern and will be unrestricted (they leave soon enough and never bring any newfangled ideas, inventions, and concepts with them). I began to imagine a protective structure to keep urbanites where they belong. I got home, picked up the newspapaer, and sure enough found that they have plans in Manhattan not just for their own Half Dome, but also to be covered by a half dome!



By the way, I don’t think we should build any of these protective structure in the mountainous regions, so I am proposing trying it with San Francisco first even though my sister lives there (she tells me they like experimental and greeny types of things there). I read that these half domes have already succeeded in other urban centers, and just like all wild areas, I figure all urban areas are the same. I guess they import some of their food, have roof top gardens, and convinvce rich people to donate land for farms within the city.

As a personal bonus, this will keep San Franciscans from noticing the cattle ranch I am opening in the Tuolomne River Valley above Hetch Hetchy. But I won’t be selfish. Investors who contribute at least $100,000 to this corporation will be granted time share rights to the lodge I will be building for my employees in Tuolumne Meadows, near Lembert Dome (we’ll tear down the structures already there). Investors from L.A. and San Francisco will not be allowed to stay in the lodge, but will be given the option to escape the confines of their bio domes to experience my dude ranch near Waterwheel Falls (there is a rustic barn there for those who don’t want to sleep in the camping area). If the cattle portion of the business fails, I’m sure I’ll be able to find something in the tax code or some way that my lobbyist can support the portion of the corporation that the investors care most about. I’m not really worried because I’ll be fine either way.

If you like to hunt, you can bring guns you are licensed to carry. You can't legally hunt here, but I can arrange transportation and a knowledgeable guide for you to an adjacent wilderness area. Also, if you are interested, my buddy has some mining rights in a wilderness in Nevada and another in Northeastern California. In addition to the gold and silver you might find, he unexpectedly stumbled upon materials important in battery production, and needs investors to get a business off the ground supplying batteries for your hybrids, lap tops, and smart phones. If your interest is oil because hybrid and electric cars don't fit your circumstances, you might have to try my other buddy, who has a wilderness permit in Alaska. One link (they are not hard to find): http://www.savethefront.org/assets/docs/rmf_grazingfacts.pdf

SeanReedy wrote:

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote: some disabled people were demanding cable-car access to the summit of Half Dome. There were similar controversies at Mount Rainier, disabled people were demanding motorozed access to the summit of Mount Rainier.

So, I'm guessing one aspect that got in the way of such demands is the rule to keep things non-motorized in wilderness areas...

No, actually it didn't. Disabled people claimed that wilderness laws were discriminatory and thus disabled people should be exempt. They demanded to have roads paved through wilderness areas so that they could drive through the wilderness and enjoy what other people were enjoying. Disabled demanded cable cars to Half Dome, Snow Cats to Mount Rainier, etc.

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:

SeanReedy wrote:

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote: some disabled people were demanding cable-car access to the summit of Half Dome. There were similar controversies at Mount Rainier, disabled people were demanding motorozed access to the summit of Mount Rainier.

So, I'm guessing one aspect that got in the way of such demands is the rule to keep things non-motorized in wilderness areas...

No, actually it didn't. Disabled people claimed that wilderness laws were discriminatory and thus disabled people should be exempt. They demanded to have roads paved through wilderness areas so that they could drive through the wilderness and enjoy what other people were enjoying. Disabled demanded cable cars to Half Dome, Snow Cats to Mount Rainier, etc.

Sorry, left out a word. So, I'm guessing one aspect that got in the way of such demands, justified in any way or not, from succeeding is the rule banning motorized/mechanized vehicles and tools in wilderness areas...unless you have cattle grazing there. (Edited to try to be as clear as possible)

Sierra Ledge Rat wrote:No, actually it didn't. Disabled people claimed that wilderness laws were discriminatory and thus disabled people should be exempt. They demanded to have roads paved through wilderness areas so that they could drive through the wilderness and enjoy what other people were enjoying. Disabled demanded cable cars to Half Dome, Snow Cats to Mount Rainier, etc.

Hey, I'm physically disabled... never demanded that stuff. I don't know what the intellectually disabled demand, though.

MoapaPk wrote: I don't know what the intellectually disabled demand, though.

There are two choices:
ALL is allowed! I have my rights!

OR

NOTHING is allowed! Save us from ourselves!

But which is better?

Who will win?

Trawinski wrote:What's the SP consensus on this push to get rid of the Half Dome permit process and add a third cable?
http://savehalfdome.com/www.SaveHalfDome.com/The_Solution.html

I oppose it and am wondering how one voices an opposing opinion. Is there a site like the above one for people who'd rather see the cables come down?

There are two features (forum search and the related links at the bottom of this page) that a few of us who have been around awhile could have mentioned. Then we could have helped link this thread to this awesome thread from the good old days:
http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/new-for-half-dome-this-year-t51573-45.html

FWIW, under ADA wheelchairs are allowed in wilderness areas as an exception to the usual rules. Not very practical for most wheelchair users, though Wheelchair Bob Coomber summited a California 14er. (DK if in wilderness.)

Then there are these people:

Rather than signing an online petition, writing a letter, or attending a meeting while visiting Yosemite, I was passing time in an entertaining discussion about how to “Save Half Dome”:
(http://www.summitpost.org/phpBB3/post842167.html#p842167)

Many non-climbers would be disappointed to lose their handhold on this frequently over-crowded spot:



Some are mostly worried about this:





Some are turned off by this:



or by this:



combined with this:



While many are concerned for the health of this:



My kids and I learned from this Disney movie that everything will be solved as long as a bunch of us go live in space for awhile first:



It reminded me of the time when I was a kid that I learned all will be fine as long as we survive the wrath of this guy:



because we can do this:



with a little of this:



But then after the BP clean up commercial, this former NASA guy said this: “You don’t let go of one handhold until you are sure you have another. Right now we are letting go of both handholds.”http://news.bostonherald.com/news/national/general/view.bg?articleid=1350593



Luckily, I learned from my Aug. 2011 Costco consumer magazine titled, Sustainability, that we probably won’t need to go live in space. http://www.costcoconnection.com/connection/201108?pg=27#pg1

Personally, I’m a fan of this:



But entertained as I may be, I really just wish I could keep my hands off my keyboard and do this:



I figure he can teach me how to climb better so I can do this:



If I overcome my fear of heights enough to manage that, I may have to try this:



and risk this:


They don’t allow cycling on Half Dome, but at least I can use my mountain bike for this:



Although my mom and wife may look at me like this:



Better get to it; time to say this:

Maybe it's time to distinguish right and left. Bye Good!

simonov wrote:I think you are all ignoring a far more pressing issue.
When are they going to get around to repairing Half Dome? It looks like it broke in half at some point.

Obama did it. Damned Liberals always trying to change things.

I've never been to Yosemite so I cant say if I want the cables down but here's my opinion of the premise.

Those cables were put up 100 years ago, so they are historical and allow for people to have life long memories. Very cool, very cool.

However, it allows for a million people to climb it a day, which takes away a lot of the 'sacred' appeal of visiting an otherwise technical(?) summit. A majority of people want another cable because they dont posses the skills to climb Half Dome without them. Majority wins in a democracy(or democratic republic rather), so if you left it to vote, those who dont want cables are SOL. But the NPS (rightly so) doesn't work like that.

From the standpoint that I, a mountain climber, couldn't climb Half Dome or Longs Peak's Diamond, would not take HD's cables down, but would not want to see cables put on the Diamond. I hate the fact that people can drive up Evans and Pikes Peak as well, but there is no tearing down those roads and there is no taking down the cables when they're already there.

The cables need to stay, but they should not add another one. That's ultimately going to be the NPS' stance. Being crowded out can be a dangerous situation, but people should not become complacent on a mountain just because they have cables to help them up.

MoapaPk wrote:Remove the highways from the Smoky Mountains!

I've been advocating that for years. At the very darned least, take out the road to Clingman's Dome. Fill it in and reseed it with native plants and trees. Make people walk to the mountain.

Hiker falls to her death in Yosemite (Half Dome) on
http://theadventureblog.blogspot.com



A hiker in Yosemite National Park fell 600-feet to her death on Sunday while descending from Half-Dome in the rain. The death was just the latest in a particularly bad year in the National Park, which has already seen 13 other deaths in 2011.

26-year old Haley LaFlamme, along with three of her friends, were making their way down from the summit while a thunderstorm raged around them. The group was on the famous Half Dome cables, which are put in place on the steeper sections of the trail to aid with the climb, when LaFlamme slipped and fell. Rangers were immediately called for assistance, but she died almost instantly.

With 14 deaths in Yosemite already this year, 2011 is on pace to be one of the worst years in the history of the Park. In the five previous years, stretching from 2006-2010, Yosemite had 38 deaths total, and with 4 million visitors per year, the park is amongst the most visited in the entire U.S. system.

Safety experts are blaming some of the fatalities this year on the unusually heavy snowfalls this past winter. Those snows lingered later into the year, and have created heavy run-offs that continue even now. Rivers and streams remain swollen, and those conditions have caught many unaware, such as the three people who were swept over Vernal Falls a couple of weeks back. Hopefully this is not a trend that will continue, and visitors to Yosemite will take a bit more caution in the days ahead.

My condolences to Haley's friends and family.