Difficult times for Yosemite
Post date: Mar 6, 2017 3:57:48 PM
Very sad news yesterday about a young woman who was killed in the park:
http://www.kcra.com/article/tree-falls-kills-woman-in-yosemite-national-park/9094449
While John Muir often reveled in the storm and crash of Yosemite Valley, this reminds us that it is still not only wild, but dangerous. The Park Service closed many areas of Yosemite Valley on Sunday to address the concerns about falling trees in the windy weather.
Meanwhile. both Big Oak Flat (Highway 120) and the southern route (Highway 41) are closed due to damage from the storms this winter. Highway 40 through Wawona is expected to open in the next ten days, but the damage on 120 is much greater...and it may be a matter of months before that highway is re-opened. A whole section of the mountain between the Big Oak Flat Entrance station and Yosemite Valley is still sliding down into the canyon...and the road has huge open gashes in it.
With Tioga Pass closed until at least then end of June by the enormous snowpack, that really leaves only one road into the Valley---ironically the road through Mariposa (Highway 141) which has been the hardest to keep open over the past few years.
Hetch-hetchy is still open, for those who want to explore that area, but the bridge at Wapama Falls has been damaged as well, and the trail to Rancheria Falls was closed the last time we checked.
Yosemite needs our love and support. We are proud members of the Yosemite Conservancy, and hope you will be too!