Ugh, I was watching the Travel Channel and it must have been during the summer when it was super crowded. We are going June 30 through July 3. :eek: And, like iSm said, we will be doing the Mist trail early in the a.m. I do not want to be doing that with anyone more than in my group and a few people that we pass. {right, or pass us?}

About the early concessionaires, isn't that incredible? The owner of the Lodge was in good with the government and helped him to take that 50% from the others {Glacier Point Lodge also, I think?} How the Lodge was the only place either that was allowed to or that would sell liquor.

I bought a couple of books that I haven't had a chance to read {we were there 3/12-15}. One about the women of the Valley and I have to admit, I forget the other one.

But I love the history of it all. I am amazed, with that story from the lodge, that Camp Curry stayed as long as it did. It seems the Currys' did maintain control over it for quite some time. {?}

It is lovely, also, you get to see Mono Lake {unless that is going N instead of S on the 395}. We've done some hiking up in the Tuolomne valley area.

Also, I finally did see snow on those Mammoth Mountains last year!

Does the Devils' Postpile get snow? That would be neat to see. If you can get to it, that is.

I love the (white man's) history of Yosemite. It's been a long time, so I don't remember details, but I was once an avid student of Yosemite history.


The history that really captures my imagination though, and which can no longer be known, is of the Native Americans who lived in the Valley. Though no life could have been easy back then, they resided in Paradise on Earth ... and, with its hidden location, was one of the last native strongholds to survive. I find the notion of the last Indian holdouts existing in Yosemite Valley, one of the most glorious places on the planet, so darn romantic. They were lucky enough to survive for decades longer than most natives on the continent ... yet still doomed to lose the holy splendor of nature's most glorious temple to the invading Europeans.

And the history from there is charming, to say the least. Yet we can know little of the eons when this unmatched Valley was unsullied by civilization.


(Le Sigh)

Thanks for sharing your pictures Mousepod!

I've been to Yosemite many times. My family always seemed to make it there when we traveled out to CA. The one time we stayed in Housekeeping camp, I ended up in the emergency room with an asthma attack as a result of the mold/mildew/dust/whatever. We never stayed there again.

I can say from personal experience, that contrary to the trail being indicated as handicap accessible, the trail up to the bridge below Nevada Falls is not stroller-friendly. We made it though.

Curry Village is nice. We have stayed in the tent cabins and the regular cabins. There are 2-room cabins that have adjoining rooms with double beds in them with a bathroom in between. That's where we stayed on my most recent trip.

Devils Postpile does get snow, it's at about 7500 feet. The opening date is variable, last year it opened in late June. The road to Devils Postpile is right at the bottom of the Mammoth Mtn ski resort, I don't believe they plow the roads past there, so access is dependent on the absence of snow. Normally you park at the Mammoth Mtn parking lot, and take a bus in. They have buses that make stops, so you can get off, hike around and take the bus to another section of the monument. It's well worth the trip.

Wow, that's the exact dates of our Swankamping Trip to Sequioa.


Is there some Sierra National Parks convergence point where we can communicate with each other by leaving messages under a magic stone in each park??

Thanks for that info, DreadPirateRoberts! I've only been once but we had only the one day and we did a few hikes and not focused on one place. I didn't know you could go on top of them. I saw this on Huell Howard. Oh, whatever his name is! :mad: {I love the guys' show, it is on local t.v., he does CA spots}. But it sounds like it is unaccessable during a snow.


Oh, iSm, the history before the white man came. It really does sound like Paradise. It is hard to imagine. Yes, that history is very worth while. The naming of some of the local mountains {right, three brothers and others?}, the name 'Yosemite'. The little museum in the Valley doesn't do a lot of justice, but it is good that they acknowledge their primary presence in the valley.

So, seriously, the dates of Camp Swank begin the 30th? I've been trying to see if we can go one night.....the Hubster says I don't know what I am asking for. ;)

Mousepod, was the Mist Trail open? Or did you guys just do it? When we went in March, it was closed but we ran into a couple coming down the John Muir trail and they said they'd done the MT but that the JMT was worse because of the snow. It was, really, I bummed everyone out by saying no more hiking in/on that type of snow on the side of a mountain! I'd bought snow show thingies :rolleyes: but they said there was no snow so I left them at home. Would have been perfect.

Oooh, wait, did you have snow while you were there? Or was it from the weekend before you went? I follow the webcam and saw some snow.....

The Mist Trail was open (and crowded as the day went on). We didn't get snow, but we did have some rain on Saturday.

We'd go back in a second.

Let the swanking planning commence!

Very close, it's Huell Howser. It's also fun, but expensive, to take the gondola up to the top of Mammoth Mtn. They keep the gondola running during the summer.

mousepod~ oh yeah, we will be going up first thing in the morning to do that. I am clumsy and don't want to have to navigate around other people. Once I start up, I don't want to stop.

{I am wondering if we can make the '08 swanking, too....}

DRP~ LOL Howser!! Dang, I was close. :D So, this gondola, I must have missed it. Or thought it was for skiers.

Anywho, even though I fudge his name I love his shows. And Samantha Browns.

Is anyone watching the Travel Channel and their National Park week?
Yesterday they had the ten top in the West and of course Yosemite was on it. What was cool is that the Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood were on there, also. My sis in law lives there, we visited end of September. I thought the area had the feeling of a big playground. :D So much to do and it is all so close. {to those areas, LOL, not me}