EISPIRATEN

It got the point we have to consider the permit system or beef up the number of rangers out there. Amen, brother. 99% of weekends, it is not a matter of beefing up the rangers, it's that there are not any rangers in the first place. Either the forest administration is so broke they cannot put range...

We hiked Ontario Peak on Saturday, July 10. Passing one of Ontario's false summits, I heard a noise from above. There was a herd of at least seven bighorns. We watched each other for a few minutes and then they wandered off out of sight behind the rock outcrop. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived...

Simonov - We hiked Ontario yesterday. We must have passed on the trail. I made a point of checking Kelly's water and was surprised to see it dry. The first pipe, which never had that much flow, was dry. The water pooling under the second pipe seemed to be oozing out of the ground. Could the pipes ha...

We hiked to Timber Mountain today, Saturday, June 19. When we got our permit, the guy at the counter warned us that there were two nuisance bears active. One was at the trailhead and the other at the saddle. Some morons have been feeding them and now they think that every hiker will give them a meal...

Your neat looking flower is the snow plant. It is parasitic without chlorophyll and lives on decaying pine needles. Thank you for repairing the trail signs. We were there Saturday at 9AM and had to park a 1/4 mile below the parking lot. The place was mobbed. A bus from the Evergreen Hiking Club adde...

We hiked to Kelly Camp today June 12. I was surprised to see that neither of the springs at Kelly had any water. Both pipes were dry. I assume that the underground source of the water is still frozen. There were patches of snow here and there. It would be strange if these springs dried up. Icehouse ...

A general discussion about gun control and the meaning of the Second Amendment would accomplish nothing in this forum. There are other places to do that. But, the first post concerned the change in the law allowing weapons in National Parks. Does anyone really believe that you need to pack heat in ...

A general discussion about gun control and the meaning of the Second Amendment would accomplish nothing in this forum. There are other places to do that. But, the first post concerned the change in the law allowing weapons in National Parks. Does anyone really believe that you need to pack heat in t...

Could someone please tell me exactly how many people have died in national parks who could have saved themselves by carrying a weapon? Anybody know of an example or two?

Super pictures!! I use a binocular strap to carry my camera. It fits somewhat like a shoulder holster with clips on the front straps. The strap takes the weight off your neck and distributes it around the shoulders. Several models are available here http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/commo ... =25&am...

The park service is starting a permit system for Half Dome. Full details at: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm Half Dome Permits Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are now required on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and federal holidays when the cables are up. This is an interim ...

We hiked Bald Peak today via the Silverado Trail. There was one short section that had washed out, but it had been repaired by the mountain bikers. Otherwise, you would not know it had rained except for the odd muddy spot. I would think that the Holy Jim Trail also endured the heavy rains that well....

Nice report Elwood. Thanks for posting.

I think it was Hikin Jim who reported that this trail had a section wiped out in a land slide. Did you notice anything like that? Has that section been repaired or was it buried under snow?

We returned to the Santa Anas Saturday and hiked the Silerado Motorway to the Main Divide Road and on to Bald Peak and the unnamed next peak. The topo map shows a 4229 foot benchmark next to the second peak. So, I am calling it Peak 4229. The day's totals were a 14.7 mile round trip with 3995 feet o...

I am glad to see that I am not the only one who butt slides down steep, loose slopes. Going uphill is no problem. You lean forward, your heels dig in, and you motor up the slope. Going downhill is where it's all slipping and sliding.

I am still waiting for an answer to my questions. How do you know he said it?

I would hike everyday except for this thingy called a job.

So Tom Tidell was "heard to say". Are his comments somewhere in the public record? In the newspaper? On tape? Who exactly heard them? When and where? We need facts not hearsay. Frankly, I have a hard time believing that the head of the forest service would shrug off half of a national fore...

Rumpled - The Motorway had plenty of mountain bikes. The Main Divide had a bunch of dirt bike riders.

We hiked Bedford Peak in the Santa Ana Mountains Saturday. The unmarked trail begins off Maple Springs Road and is shown on topo maps as the Silverado Motorway. https://eispiraten.com/images-archived/richardk.smugmug.com/Nature/Bedford-Peak-2010-01-02/DSC03771/755827475_TNssL-L.jpg The last vehicle ...

If you do not follow the Death Valley boards, you may not have seen this picture. It is one thing to read news accounts, but another to see the evidence. I found it to be sobering.

It makes you wonder how many more bodies may be discovered now that the vegatation is gone.

From today's LA Times: Records show no mention of terrain in withholding aircraft during Station fire Two officers at the scene called for aircraft to begin dousing the blaze around 7 a.m. on Day 2. At some point one order was canceled, but records give no indication of who did so or why. Newly rele...

If you frequent the Whitney Portal Store message board, you know Bob Rockwell. He was part of the search team for the missing Germans. His pictures of the search are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockwellb/ ... 843864841/ A news story is here: http://www.inyoregister.com/content/view/121302/27/

I can see why North Face is filing suit. It's a little too close for comfort. They sell their stuff through drug stores. The pharmacy is where I get all of my hiking gear.

That is an amazing sheet of ice hanging from the trail sign.

Nice trip report - thanks for posting!!

The speculation on the Death Valley boards is that the Germans were trying to reach the China Lake/Fort Irwin military complex. They had a park brochure with a simple map showing the base to be south of the dirt road where their vehicle stopped with 4 flat tires. The map was too crude for them to re...

I am reading a book "Death In Yosemite" that covers every known fatality in the park. One of the big categories is guys who leave the trail thinking that they can do a shortcut. A surprising number die in the attempt.

Nice first post and good pictures. Welcome aboard!!