MetaChat - Three Yosemite queries of a rather specific nature

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03 April 2008

Three Yosemite queries of a rather specific nature I'm going to a wedding in Yosemite this weekend (whoo, back from Latvia for eight whole days!) and I was wondering:→[More:]

1) If I'm staying in Curry Village and the wedding is at the Ahwahnee Lodge, do I, uh, walk there? Are there sidewalks? If so, should I walk in my wedding attire change at the lodge?

2) What's all this about bear lockers? What goes in them? Do I need to bring my own lock? (And wouldn't the bears be able to break through a lock anyway?)

3) Any other tips for a city kid (I've never even slept in a tent before!) headed out into the bottom of an insanely gorgeous glacial valley featured on my state quarter?

Thanks!

*gawks at waterfalls*

post by: mdonley at: 17:23 | 7 comments

1. No walkies. There are shuttles, though.

2. Anything edible, or that might seem edible if you're a bear. This includes toothpaste. You don't need to bring a lock. I think they don't actually lock -- they're just hard for bears to open.

3. The tents at Curry village aren't really tents -- they're tent cabins -- canvas-sided huts. It will be cold at night. Bring warm clothes for sleeping and, if you can pack it, a really warm sleeping bag.

posted by mudpuppie 03 April | 17:30

There's a shuttle bus that round around the valley.

The only thing I remember about bears at Yosemite is the leaflet that was in our cabin. It told you what to do if you saw a bear.

- wave your jacket above your head to make yourself look big.

- shout at it

- throw things at it, i.e. sticks and small stones

- if that doesn't scare it, stand very still.

Uh, ok. I've attracted its attention by waving and shouting, made it mad at me by throwing stuff at it and now I have to stand still?

A bear came close one day but wandered off on its own.

≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by essexjan 03 April | 17:34

More Yosemite bear info.

posted by essexjan 03 April | 17:37

Ooh, i'm so happy for you being on holiday.
Watch out for bears. i know someone who was trapped there during the fires, and so she got her period. There were lots of bears.
i might know someone who worked/s there. i'll check back if i do.

posted by ethylene 03 April | 17:52

- wave your jacket above your head to make yourself look big.

- shout at it

- throw things at it, i.e. sticks and small stones

- if that doesn't scare it, stand very still.

As I recall from my scouting days, the first three are only for mountain lions; with bears you're supposed to go right to the fourth one. If you do the first three to a bear, you're likely to make it aggressive. Just sayin'.

posted by Doohickie 03 April | 18:16

By and large the bears are looking for food and would rather not be bothered, they aren't generally aggressive towards people but they will protect themselves if they feel threatened. They can and will open your car to get food out of it, so don't leave any in there either.

posted by doctor_negative 03 April | 18:38

I've been waiting years for a reason to post a link to this: Reactions of Black Bears to Human Menstrual Odors (.pdf)

The "methods" make me giggle like a 12-year-old boy.

≡ Click to see image ≡
This guy appeared 3 minutes after my curmudgeonly father complained about Yosemite being too touristy and lacking wildlife. The manager of the store came out banging something metal and the bear ran away.

posted by simbiotic 04 April | 00:42

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