The best quote ever about Yosemite

[DonTom]

That is an interesting remark. The canyon is 277 miles long so it has about 1000 miles of rim. Someone comes to the one mile of rim that is crowded and judges the entire canyon.

Even in New York City, there are areas to get away from most of the people!

I just prefer less famous places than the Grand Canyon.

Seeing all the people in Grand Canyon City get off buses one after the other was a turn off to me. But I am sure if I looked hard enough, I could find some places there in that 277 miles I would enjoy. However, there are countless other areas I would rather visit.

-Don- in Surrey, BC​

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

    PBS is running a series on US National Parks, and last night after the football, Cold Case, ans the Amazing Race, it was nice to sit back and enjoy some quiet moments about Yosemite and its history.  It makes me all the more anxious to head South West to see it all (OK to see some of the highlights)

Ed

 

[Mark R.]

You RVers are easy to please, Grand Canyon=big ditch, Yosemite= big rocks.

Saddest time I had in a park was in Yosemite some years ago, the park service had made it illegal to sky dive (free jump) off of EL Captain, the local club was demonstrating against the rule, three people illegally jumped to prove it was safe, the third persons chute did not open in time.

 

[Wendy]

Don - Try Grand Canyon in fall. It's not crowded and the weather is delightfully cool. (Is Grand Canyon City the same place as Grand Canyon Village?) I prefer less crowded parks but still love the canyon.

Wendy

 

[Pierat]

The Grand Canyon is also beautiful after a winter snow -- a totally different experience, in fact, from the summer scene. And chilly! Be sure to "make local inquiry" about the roads.

 

[seilerbird]

I spend May and June at the Grand Canyon on the south rim right in front of the Bright Angel Lodge waiting for the Condors to arrive so I can photograph them. Usually I prefer my parks to be totally empty but I actually love the crowds there. I spend my day people watching. Half the people that visit the Grand Canyon are foreigners and I love watching them. I spend a lot of time talking to the tourists and I get to know a lot about foreign countries. People are so friendly in National Parks, it is so easy to start a conversation with just about anyone with the line "And where are you from."

Now I am getting all antsy thinking about photographing the Condors next summer with my new Canon 7d.

 

[Carl L]

Saddest time I had in a park was in Yosemite some years ago, the park service had made it illegal to sky dive (free jump) off of EL Captain, the local club was demonstrating against the rule, three people illegally jumped to prove it was safe, the third persons chute did not open in time.

Wasn't that incident the subject of a Darwin Award?

 

[Mark R.]

Carl may have been a runner up for the award.

I may have my memories mixed up but I think the jumper that came to an abrupt stop, may have started a fire at the base of the mountain, at the place of Her landing, smoke flare on foot I think. Watched the helicopter bringing bags of water in to put out the fire.

 

[Mark R.]

From National park service web sight.


October 23, 1999

B.A.S.E. JUMPER DIES IN YOSEMITE JUMP

Jan Davis, 60, of Santa Barbara, California, died yesterday afternoon while attempting a B.A.S.E. jump from El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. A crowd of approximately 150 people witnessed the event.

Her jump was the fourth of five planned jumps as an act of civil disobedience, protesting the fact that B.A.S.E. jumping is an illegal activity in the park. Although the jumps were illegal and not sanctioned by the National Park Service, the participants agreed to peaceful arrests, forfeiture of their equipment, and appearances in the U.S. Magistrate Court for violation of 36 CFR 2.17A3, Illegal Air Delivery in a national park.

B.A.S.E. jumping remains illegal in Yosemite National Park. There have been six fatalities and several injuries relating to B.A.S.E. jumping in the past twenty years.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

 

[1joester2]

    PBS is running a series on US National Parks, and last night after the football, Cold Case, ans the Amazing Race, it was nice to sit back and enjoy some quiet moments about Yosemite and its history.  It makes me all the more anxious to head South West to see it all (OK to see some of the highlights)

Ed

I saw that program... so many parks, so little time...

I thought it was a really nice collection of brief history snippets for each park. Some day when I can full time, I intend to visit them all and really experience them.

Joe

 

[Mark R.]

Carl you were correct she did win the award, her husband got the runner up award.

read it here.

http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-39.html

 

[1joester2]

She wasn't the only Darwin winner in 1999.

http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/darwin1999-20.html

 

[Mark R.]

A lot of competition for the award. :-\