Yosemite SMB sightings this last weekend. july 23rd.

**Gooseberry** · 07-25-2011, 08:07 AM

The first one was white and parked over by Curry village and was able to pulse the horn to say as they loaded and the second was by Yosemite village and was a brown gold kinda color.

I also had a white bubble top going north on the 99 just before fresno.

I feel for the Families of the Hikers that slipped in the river went oer Vernal falls. It was tuff going while we worked the rivers edge.

While I worked the area I had the gate closed for the mist trail. When I came out just over a hour later the crowd was huge waiting to go up. What really got my attention was the parents taking todlers to infants up the trail. One lady had the infant in chest carirer that I warned about how slippery it was to go up but she went up.

It was slippery enough that my K9 was not having a easy go of it and was in a full climbing harness with a long line.

**BroncoHauler** · 07-25-2011, 08:37 AM

While I do feel sorry for the family of the hikers, the monumental stupidity of the hikers themselves will only earn themselves a nomination for the Darwin Awards. Climbing OVER the railings, ignoring the multiple warning signs that (last time I was there) cleary state you will fall to your death if you enter the river, stepping into a ragging snow-melt fed river, and doing so above a 300' waterfall is playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded revolver.

Herb

jage · 07-25-2011, 08:49 AM

Two spring ago we were hiking in a canyon with lots of hard packed snow and ice still patchy on the trail. I'd just put my Yak Tracks back on to cross the river because you had to leap a few feet to an solid ice mound the size of a VW bug and then move up it. Just the trail ice was treacherous enough, and this was a solid slick piece over a river boulder.

Right behind us came a couple with a dog and the woman had a baby on her back in a pack. They stopped and I thought they were discussing how to proceed. Before I could offer the woman my yaks, she turns and jumps on the ice hump, slips a big and scrambles up- normal shoes no traction, nowhere good to fall especially with a baby you can't reach.

I was agast- I mean at least take the baby out, climb up the ice and pass the baby from sure footing to sure footing right? Nope- not worth 2 minutes. The dog couldn't even make it without the guy's help.

Quote:

I feel for the Families of the Hikers that slipped in the river went oer Vernal falls.

That's sad, but the part that stuck out for me was "ignored the warning signs" and "crossed a metal guardrail" to enter the swift moving cold water.

**Gooseberry** · 07-25-2011, 09:00 AM

John D a 46 year veteran of Yosar said it best in a lecture at Leconte Memorial saturday night.

We have a natural fear of hights but not of water. We need to learn that one and respect its power.

This is my part

Its to bad the world is getting bubble wrapped and people are not learning cause and effect anymore.

**daveb** · 07-25-2011, 08:34 PM

Something I sent to Ubergeek as a PM last week who was in Yosemite:

Bad news and brings back an old memory when I was at Nevada falls. This guy was next to me at the top, when he reached down to scoop up some water. Next thing that happeded was his wife started yelling at me what happened to her husband. I turned around and he was gone and there was no way he had got by me. He never made a sound. She went ballistic on me and started freaking out running all over the place. Man, the rangers were all over me for a month. Because I didn't actually see him go over the falls they had to do a full search and rescue. They kept calling me at home and work, but I told them that I just couldn't see how the guy could have got passed me. They made it known to me that it was costing big buck doing that search. They said, "so you think we should be searching the river" and I said...yeah! About a month later I got a phone call that divers found him in the river below the falls wedged into a rock. I had to do an on phone Deposition and was told I might have to show up to court. They suspected suicide but also asked if the wife pushed him in Guess they had to cover all possibilities. People just gotta respect those heights.

And the water! BTW one kid was from my home town and the others were just up the road...not good at all and I feel for the families.
Even at places like Glacier Point, care must be taken, especially with kids

**Gooseberry** · 07-25-2011, 10:50 PM

Its a good thing he did not grab you and take you with him.

The waters edge of any granet is slick and all the falls in the park you can slip and not recover on slopes that look like it would be easy.

I worked area's below more then one waterfall last weekend to try and locate missing loved ones.

The best thing to do is go way up stream to fill water bottles and not take the chance.

J

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveb

Something I sent to Ubergeek as a PM last week who was in Yosemite:

Bad news and brings back an old memory when I was at Nevada falls. This guy was next to me at the top, when he reached down to scoop up some water. Next thing that happeded was his wife started yelling at me what happened to her husband. I turned around and he was gone and there was no way he had got by me. He never made a sound. She went ballistic on me and started freaking out running all over the place. Man, the rangers were all over me for a month. Because I didn't actually see him go over the falls they had to do a full search and rescue. They kept calling me at home and work, but I told them that I just couldn't see how the guy could have got passed me. They made it known to me that it was costing big buck doing that search. They said, "so you think we should be searching the river" and I said...yea! About a month later I got a phone call that divers found him in the river below the falls wedged into a rock. I had to do an on phone Deposition and was told I might have to show up to court. They suspected suicide but also asked if the wife pushed him in Guess they had to cover all possibilities. People just gotta respect those heights.

And the water! BTW one kid was from my home town and the others were just up the road...not good at all and I feel for the families.
Even at places like Glacier Point, care must be taken, especially with kids

**daveb** · 07-26-2011, 08:59 AM

He was a good 6 feet away...personally I wouldn't get that close on smooth granite as wet as it gets from the mist. I think what caught my attention besides how close he was to the edge of the falls was that he actually was drinking the water. Coming out of little Yosemite, the water isn't too safe to drink w/o treating it. Still, I couldn't believe he never made a sound.

**Gooseberry** · 07-26-2011, 09:11 AM

yep they run pac animals into that valley so I agree on the treatment of water.

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveb

He was a good 6 feet away...personally I wouldn't get that close on smooth granite as wet as it gets from the mist. I think what caught my attention besides how close he was to the edge of the falls was that he actually was drinking the water. Coming out of little Yosemite, the water isn't too safe to drink w/o treating it. Still, I couldn't believe he never made a sound.

**BroncoHauler** · 07-26-2011, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveb

...Still, I couldn't believe he never made a sound.

If it had been me going over the falls, the entire Yosemite Valley would have heard some "choice" words about my own stupidity. They would have echoed off Glacier Point and made it all the way back to Half Dome. Women, children, and those faint of heart, would have blushed, and could have been traumatized.

As for drinking untreated water? I don't know if I'd drink water anywhere in the world anymore that hasn't been treated. Maybe a fresh water spring, but even that has some risk.

Herb

Jeffrey · 07-26-2011, 02:10 PM

Thinning the herd. At least it was suicide.