I just want to vent a little here in chaff. The Yosemite permitting system for wilderness permits and Half-Dome SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean really, 300 Half-Dome day hike permits gone within seconds of 7:00AM this morning? That is just crazy. How about posting a ranger, (line monitor), up there to keep so many people off the cables. And don't even get me started on the asinine, archaic wilderness permitting system that Yosemite has for JMT hikers.

There, I feel much better now, thanks.

ditto.........Obummer

Edited by bumpass on 05/01/2011 15:38:56 MDT.

Robert, I think they will have a ranger posted there everyday to insure that you have your permit. There is a small saddle before you start to climb up the cables where they keep gloves. I assume that is where they are going to station someone.

As for the permit process for Half Dome. I am in agreement with it. After climbing Half Dome and thinking that the whole thing was a cluster F....I am suprised not more people are hurt or killed on that rock. Also, when bad weather rolls in, many hikers still continue to climb up it. It is exposed and of course not a good idea. You have to understand, there are many novice hikers trying to hike Half Dome in sandals, and a liter of water and not much else. I have seen it.

Thanks for letting me vent and the empathy. I would think that Yosemite would look to it's neighbor, ( Inyo Nat'l Forest ), and handle Half-Dome with a lottery system or something similar to what they do for the Whitney trail. The thing that irritates me the most, is the scalping of the tickets and people picking up more than they need...just in case. It wouldn't be as bad if they at least let you hike to the base of the cables without a permit and not the base of the sub-dome. At least there is a view once you get on the sub-dome and beyond and the people that decide not to use the cables would actually be able to give their space to someone who would like to go up.
I have the same frustrations with how they operate the JMT thru-hike permits. They need to make them %100 reservable, and give us more options for destinations. If you are hiking the JMT, it takes planning ahead, and if you don't know 24 weeks in advance to allow that time, then you might be out of luck.

"I would think that Yosemite would look to it's neighbor, ( Inyo Nat'l Forest )"

Inyo might be its neighbor, but it is not its brother.

The national parks are part of the Department of the Interior. The national forests are part of the Department of Agriculture. Two completely different organizations with different budgets and different goals.

Send a letter to your congressman and to the Yosemite Park supervisor.

--B.G.--

You are trying to go to the wrong Half - the one with the long line. We found the other Half last July. It's hidden and no lines : )

You think the permit system is ridiculous for Yosemite. Try getting a beach camp ground spots in southern California in the summer, they book 1000's of campground reservation through summer in a matter of minutes .
On January 2nd my sisters get up early have their husbands helping out to get beaching camping spot at San Onofre, San Mateo next to San Onofre , Carlsbad or San Elijo state beach for a yearly family get together. We never know what campground we will be at that year till after the big push on January 2nd to get the reservation .

Luckily we now have a military dependent in the family we can get spots on camp pendelton but you can't apply for the reservation in till 3 months before your trip.
Terry

Edited by socal-nomad on 05/04/2011 07:53:59 MDT.

I sympathize with all of your various permitting/reservation woes. I obviously understand the need for the permits and/or reservations, especially for the popular destinations during the peak seasons, but I usually can't plan that far ahead and/or don't want to deal with the hassles.

I'm thankful that the wilderness areas in my backyard do not require permits for entry or camping. Hence I mostly stick there.

If I head out to an area that requires permits (like the Sierra), I mostly visit outside of peak season or to less-visited areas. This has worked out well for being able to rely on walk-up permits or no permits at all.

I'd love to visit Yosemite during the peak runoff times of late spring/early summer, or see the wildflowers in bloom in some of the high Sierra meadows, but I just can't bring myself to enter the fray and duke it out for a permit!