Yosemite Valley today - 2011

[markskor]

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Yosemite Valley – 2011

Just returned from the Valley and happy to announce that all the falls are indeed running wild – as expected. Great fun to see all sorts of normally dry waterfalls alive and vibrant where usually there is not any water at all coming over the rim.
Ribbon Falls, a large falls just west of El Cap, now looks just like a second Yosemite Falls – 2000 foot drop (see picture) – amazing.

There is some bad news to report however regarding the Valley BP campground, (the one behind the Stables). Due to recent spring erosion, they are rerouting all the sewer lines in the north-east end of the park. Now, instead of the sewer lines flowing down the general north river basin, and following close to the Ahwahnee road, as has been in the past, now they are digging trenches (piles of dirt everywhere), starting at the stables and heading south, installing pumps (to push the sewage- thru 1-foot pipes) across/over the stone river bridge, and then eventually leading/pushing the chit west, intending on following the Curry side of the river down. This is probably a good thing, ground pollution-wise, but the greatest result seen is that some facilities, (specifically the old stone/wood restroom building) in the BP camp is now gone.(No more flush toilets and running water spigots there.) All that remains of that archaic building now are the bull-dozer tracks where the BP Camp restroom once stood (see picture). Also, at the present time, there is no potable water spigot available/seen in the BP camp.

The ranger I talked to said YNP does intend to install a water spigot and some porta-potties there eventually, for us backpackers to use this summer but this is not yet done. Until that time, the BP camp in the Valley is closed…sigh!

[Bandito]

Thanks for the report!

[rlown]

hmm. You were in the valley (at some point in time) and out of all that beauty, you drew the outhouse? Just asking.

[oldranger]

Mark

Who did you steal the camera from!

Mike

[markskor]

Russ writes: "You were in the valley (at some point in time) and out of all that beauty, you drew the outhouse? Just asking."
IMHO, the BP campground is the most desirable campground of all the Valley sites. Just ask SierraMaclure (her dizzy tree-top, hammock picture) among others...a bit of sanity in the otherwise overcrowded Valley zoo. Where else would you camp when in the Valley? Nobody bothers you in the BP camp, and it is safe.
After a 2 week trip a few years back, I took a zero day there, resting up, doing some fatties, and drawing.
I also drew the Tuolumne store, the main store, and a few other buildings too...
Mark

[maverick]

Thanks Mark!
Any more water fall photo's by any chance?
I like the Half Dome sketch, was this drawn on this trip?

[markskor]

Mav,
My buddy Stan carried the long lens (Nikon) and expect a bunch of photos from him real soon.
BTW, Spent a lot of time in El Cap meadows watching the climbers...about 12 on the nose route and will publish those too, if they come out.
Yosemite Falls this AM.

[maverick]

Thanks Mark, it's looking good up there.

[gary c.]

Great pictures and drawings Mark. It's a shame about the bathroom, I hope that they replace it soon. Thanks for posting your report.

[maverick]

Markskor wrote "Until that time, the BP camp in the Valley is closed…sigh!"
So does this means that next day permits will not be issued until they reopen the
backpacker campground, or do they have an alternate site set up for backpackers?
Are they planning to increase the same day permits therefore increasing entry quotas
until it is reopened?