Yosemite Backpacking 2019

[Greg]

Funny story. DM is going backpacking next week with his wife. He invited me to go as well. I accepted. Here's hoping it doesn't end in madness and bloodshed

[Drunk Monk]

I've been wondering who might start this thread.

Here's hoping it doesn't end in madness and bloodshed

No promises.

[Greg]

No promises, part deux.

[Drunk Monk]

Okay I will promise this. If it all works out, we may see the face of god.

[Greg]

Sorry, man. No shrooms for me.

[Drunk Monk]

Oh ye of little faith...

BTW, my vacation just began a few hours ago. I celebrated by eating almost an entire bag of cheese doodles and watching some Carnival Row.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Whoa, slow down there, Captain Danger!

[Greg]

If eating a bag of junk food is a vacation, then I vacation every day!

You should have come up to Lynch Lair to practice your hiking. That's what I'll be doing. Unless I'm eating a bag of junk food instead.

[Greg]

I've spent the morning doing the most important preparatory job for the hike. I've sewn the patches on my pack.

[Drunk Monk]

Not to be alarming but...

Hiker climbing Yosemite's iconic Half Dome dies in 500 foot fall

This August 2011 file photo shows Half Dome and Yosemite Valley in a view from Glacier Point at Yosemite National Park.
AP

JOSHUA YEAGER | VISALIA TIMES-DELTA | 2 hours ago
   [email=?subject=USA%20TODAY:%20Hiker%20climbing%20Yosemite's%20iconic%20Half%20Dome%20dies%20in%20500%20foot%20fall&body=From%20USA%20TODAY:%20%0D%0A%20Hiker%20climbing%20Yosemite's%20iconic%20Half%20Dome%20dies%20in%20500%20foot%20fall%20%0D%0A%20%20%0D%0A%0D%0A%20https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/07/yosemite-half-dome-death-hiker-dies-500-foot-fall/2248098001/][/email]
An Arizona hiker fell to her deathwhile ascending the iconic granite peaks of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park on Thursday, the National Park Service reports. 


Danielle Burnett, 29, of Lake Havasu City, was scaling the steepest part of the popular trail when she fell more than 500 feet down steep and rocky terrain.
Burnett was dead when park rangers arrived on scene, according to park officials.
It's unclear what caused the fall. The incident remains under investigation. 
Half Dome rises nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and is one of the park's signature sights. Each summer, visitors vie for one of 300 spots released in a daily lottery to complete the 14-mile trek to the top of the iconic dome and back.
The cable trail was first erected in 1919 to help hikers complete the demanding climb. Since then, thousands have scaled the granite cliff for one of nature's grandest views.


National park news: The nature of Yosemite hangs in the balance as national parks juggle growth, preservation
Yosemite deaths: Hiker dies in off-trail fall at Yosemite, two others injured in separate incidents at park
The parks service revised the Half Dome permit system in 2010, restricting the number of hikers able to complete the climb.
Prior to the limit, officials believed overcrowding contributed to an increase in deaths and injury on the trail. On peak days, as many as 1,200 visitors could be seen scaling the trail.

[Dr. Ivor Yeti]

Yer all gonna DIE!!!!

[Greg]

I thought that was a given? Oh, you mean this week. Chances are high.

Oddly, people died the last time I was in the park, too.

[Greg]

Yes,  I was out practicing. Yes, I'm an old man who is afraid he won't be able to keep up and at some point he will be cut up and used as a food source by the more able hikers.

Conversely, we could just spend the week hiking around Lynch Lair. No bears (not yet, anyway). Plenty of Cows and Turkey Vultures.

[Drunk Monk]

Nah man, we’re vegetarian.

I suspect you’ll be in better shape than us. We haven’t been hiking and won’t be acclimatized to the altitude. It’s not a race, so no worries.

[Greg]

But I am oh so sweet. Except for the gristle.