Park yourself California State Parks, a Day Hiker’s Guide at REI.com Could a $15 fee added to auto registrations save California’s state parks? The California Legislature’s Budget Conference Committee thought so, voting yesterday to remove state general fund dollars from…
Monthly Archives: June 2009
Is Half Dome safe? A cautious maybe
by tom • June 16, 2009 • 6 Comments
The summer hiking season of 2009 has barely begun and already Yosemite’s Half Dome has notched its first fatality. But keep in mind that 50,000 people a year climb the harrowing “cables” route to the summit and return home to…
A human-nature hike on the Guadalupe River Trail
by tom • June 15, 2009 • 2 Comments
If you live in San Jose you’ve no doubt heard about the Guadalupe River Park and Gardens downtown. The city has cleaned up the Guadalupe River to control flooding and create a pleasant place to jog, stroll or ride bikes…
Yet another hiker dies at Half Dome
by tom • June 14, 2009 • 25 Comments
Update IV: A Florida man was found dead Monday, apparently having fallen from a cliff near Mirror Lake in eastern Yosemite Valley. ### UPDATE III: A friend of a couple who witnessed the accident posted this account. ### UPDATE II:…
Quick note for RSS feed readers
by tom • June 14, 2009 • 5 Comments
I experimented last week with showing a short summary instead of full posts in my RSS feeds, but I’ve decided to bail on that approach and have restored the full view. Here’s how come:
What people bought last week
by tom • June 13, 2009 • 1 Comment
In case you’re curious: Lowepro Off Trail 1 Camera Bag — An interesting choice for hard-core hiking photographers. It’s a fanny pack that holds two big lenses and an SLR body. Last year’s item on camera bags and packs for…
Cool Bay Area mapping tool for iPhone owners
by tom • June 12, 2009 • 3 Comments
Armor for your iPod OtterBox Armor Series case at backcountry.com AccuTerra terrain maps for hikers, bikers, campers and outdoor travelers are coming soon to the iPhone (the big Version 3.0 upgrade is June 17). Free “lite” versions of the software…
Support Our Parks Weekend: June 20-21
by tom • June 12, 2009 • 0 Comments
California Parks Foundation wants us to wear green ribbons, visit a state park and demonstrate solidarity in the need to save our parks from the budget ax. Soon you’ll be able to upload pictures and videos of your state park…
Bear family up a tree at Yosemite
by tom • June 11, 2009 • 1 Comment
Dan Mitchell caught a mama and her cubs in the act of being bears. It seemed to me that “mom” was perhaps showing the cubs how to climb trees. She would edge them over to a tree and then they…