[pct-l] Public transportation to Yosemite
Bill Thoms
wthomsjr at comcast.net
Sun Jun 21 12:38:58 CDT 2009
Thanks to all the kind and well-informed readers who have offered advice
about public transportation to Yosemite. Sadly, public transportation is
something we feel good about other people taking, while we're still part of
America's love affair with the automobile.
My son who lives in the Bay Area is loaning a vehicle to me which will get
me to Yosemite in less than half the time of public transportation. Plus,
it'll get me back to the airport once I hitch a ride from Lone Pine up to
the backpacker's parking lot in Tuolumne.
-----Original Message-----
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Today's Topics:
1. Re: Public transportation to Yosemite (mark v)
2. Re: Public transportation to Yosemite (Stephen Clark)
3. Unbreakable and No Trace (CHUCK CHELIN)
4. Scott Williamson & Adam Bradley (Reinhold Metzger)
5. Re: Public transportation to Yosemite (Halfmile)
6. Marijuana in the Sierra & backpacking at 98 (Reinhold Metzger)
7. So. Cal Water Caches (Stephen Clark)
8. The Zen of the Passes (Matthew Edwards)
9. Re: Marijuana in the Sierra & backpacking at 98 (Carolyn Eddy)
10. PCT Fever & JMT Fever (Reinhold Metzger)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:15:02 -0700 (PDT)
From: mark v <allemande6 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Public transportation to Yosemite
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <862225.52550.qm at web53902.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
A couple years back we flew into Los Angeles, got a quick bus from the
airport to the train station, then the train to Merced, and the bus from
there to Yosemite. It meant staying overnight in Merced, but it was an ok
way to go. Details are here: (but there may be out of date schedules, so
call each number and make sure).
http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~rbell/JMTTransport.html.gz#GettingToYosemite
------------------------------
Message: 2
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:54:02 -0700
From: Stephen Clark <rowriver at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Public transportation to Yosemite
To: <wthomsjr at comcast.net>, PCT <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID: <BAY102-W501F754B3307598986DC10DF3B0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
No direct transportation from Fresno to Yosemite that I know of. But you can
fly into Fresno take greyhound or Amtrak to Merced and YARTS into the
valley. Then take the Yosemite Valley to Tuolumne Meadows bus or pick up
the JMT out of Happy Isles.
Here is Transportation info:
Fresno-Yosemite International Airport (tel. 559/621-4500),
located 90 miles from the South Entrance at Wawona, is the nearest
major airport, serving over 25 cities with more than 100 flights daily.
Airlines include Alaska, Allegiant Air, American/American Eagle,
Continental, Delta, ExpressJet, Frontier, Hawaiian, Horizon, Mexicana,
Northwest, United, and US Airways.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/yosemitenationalpark/1088020009.html#ix
zz0IzvHcCGU&D
Greyhound (tel. 800/231-2222; www.greyhound.com) also links Merced with many
other California cities.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/yosemitenationalpark/1088020009.html#ix
zz0IzvNqeK3&D
By Train
Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) serves Fresno and Merced on its
San Joaquins route.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/yosemitenationalpark/1088020009.html#ix
zz0Izw9Gt9q&D
By Bus
Daily bus transportation into the park from Merced, Mariposa, and other
nearby communities is provided by the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation
System (YARTS; tel. 877/989-2787
or 209/388-9589; www.yarts.com). Buses are not subject to park entrance
delays during peak season. From Merced, there are several YARTS
departures daily from the airport, the Amtrak train station, and the
Greyhound bus terminal. Round-trip fare is $25 for adults and $18 for
children 12 and under and seniors 62 and older. There are stops in
Mariposa at several lodgings and the visitor center, with round-trip
rates of $12 for adults and $8 for children 12 and under and seniors 62
and older.
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/yosemitenationalpark/1088020009.html#ix
zz0IzvV05PY&D
WOW! I can get it for $8 now... What a deal!
Oregon Bound
> From: wthomsjr at comcast.net
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:06:59 -0400
> Subject: [pct-l] Public transportation to Yosemite
>
> I will be flying from Boston to hike the JMT SB from Yosemite. Any advice
on
> getting to Yosemite without renting a car or hitchhiking? YARTS would
only
> talk to me about travel from Merced and Amtrak's route from Oakland to
> Merced is torturously slow and difficult. There's a bus from Fresno,
right?
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
_________________________________________________________________
Lauren found her dream laptop. Find the PC that?s right for you.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/choosepc/?ocid=ftp_val_wl_290
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:30:19 -0700
From: CHUCK CHELIN <steeleye at wildblue.net>
Subject: [pct-l] Unbreakable and No Trace
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
<db9154d0906201230r2e36a2f5paf75d241ac383b2a at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Good afternoon, Unbreakable and No Trace,
I've been trying to send you folks an email but I continue to get delivery
errors. If you're reading please reply off-list.
Thanks,
Steel-Eye
------------------------------
Message: 4
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:28:34 -0700
From: Reinhold Metzger <reinholdmetzger at cox.net>
Subject: [pct-l] Scott Williamson & Adam Bradley
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <4A3D6292.9000102 at cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Don't feel slighted Donna.....even poor Michelle will be passed up.
They are not even going to stop at Scott's house when they get to Truckee.
.....Poor Michelle.
They are very adamant about keeping their hike a pure backpacking experience
without vehicular support or the assistance of a support team, as was the
case
with Horton.
If they break Horton's record the way they are doing it, it will mean they
broke
Horton's ''PCT with support team'' record, without the assistance of a
support team.
If anybody can do it, I believe Scott & Adam are among that small select
group
that might be able to do it.
Scott trained hard in snow this year and it will serve them well in the
Sierra.
JMT Reinhold
-----------------------------------
Donna wrote:
A young man who works at the hardware store in town is apparently an amateur
journalist who has been wanting to do a story on the PCT hikers. He caught
a lucky break when Scott and Adam granted him an interview and gave
permission to post the accompanying video, which is available at
www.jacobnahin.com, and apparently also on YouTube.
Scott and Adam are going strong and are on track for their mileage targets.
They did not come up to Hiker Heaven, or take advantage of anything we offer
here (no showers, laundry, etc.) They came into town, ate pizza, shopped
briefly at the market, and moved on. I rode my bike alongside them (so I
could keep up!) on the road walk out of town.
L-Rod the Animal Magnet (yup, a new tag this season)
------------------------------
Message: 5
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:40:38 -0700
From: Halfmile <halfmile at pctmap.net>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Public transportation to Yosemite
To: Bill Thoms <wthomsjr at comcast.net>
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
<324d57760906201540g5768879bv84419911dd082d2e at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Bill,
Getting to Yosemite is easy, as Amtrak has service to Yosemite Valley
(they call it Yosemite Visitor Center at amtrak.com). The train starts
in Bakersfield and goes through Freso on the way to Merced where you
switch to a bus. If you fly to LA, Amtrak will bus you to the train in
Bakersfield. If can catch one of the first few trains out of
Bakersfield it does not involve an overnight say, although I would
imagine traveling from Boston would probably involve either an
overnight stay someplace, or traveling all night.
Flying to Bakersfield and spending the night at the Best Western Hill
House (2 blocks from the Amtrak station) would probably be a good way
to do this and Bakersfield would be easier to get to (than Fresno)
from Lone Pine if you need to fly back home after your JMT hike. The
return from Lone Pine is more difficult via public transportation, and
probably can't be done on a week end.
-Halfmile
On Sat, Jun 20, 2009 at 9:06 AM, Bill Thoms<wthomsjr at comcast.net> wrote:
> I will be flying from Boston to hike the JMT SB from Yosemite. Any advice
on
> getting to Yosemite without renting a car or hitchhiking? ?YARTS would
only
> talk to me about travel from Merced and Amtrak's route from Oakland to
> Merced is torturously slow and difficult. ?There's a bus from Fresno,
right?
>
> _______________________________________________
> Pct-l mailing list
> Pct-l at backcountry.net
> http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l
>
------------------------------
Message: 6
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:13:08 -0700
From: Reinhold Metzger <reinholdmetzger at cox.net>
Subject: [pct-l] Marijuana in the Sierra & backpacking at 98
To: PCT <pct-l at backcountry.net>, Hiker97 <hiker97 at aol.com>
Message-ID: <4A3D6D04.7050206 at cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Yes Switchback,
Norman and I hiked the JMT together for many years.
I'm sure he mentioned that to you during his conversations with you.
Funny.....85 lb was exactly the weight of my pack when I hiked the JMT
with the Scouts in 1996.
Did you say ''marijuana'' in the Sierra?........Gee, I always thought
it was ''skunk cabbage''.....no wonder I always felt so
funny after eating it.
That gives you an idea how naive I am when it comes to drugs....I don't
smoke, I don't drink, I don't do drugs....s...xxx is
my only vice......at least until I turned 98......That's when I took up
backpacking.
JMT Reinhold
Your mature trail companion
-----------------------------
Switchback wrote:
> Say, there is a big display about Sierra mountaineer Norman Clyde over
> at the Independence, CA museum.? It runs to the end of the year.? I am
> going over there to see it sometime before it closes.?
> I was the one who gave him the trail name "The Pack?That Walks?" when
> I went on a lot of his first accents in the 1930's.? He routinely
> carried 85 pound packs.? He use to ask me a lot about my adventures
> with John Muir around the campfire at night.
>
> Also, the authorities are warning hikers in the Sierras to be careful
> of marijuana groves.? Bad people guard those places and there are
> traps.? Report anything to law enforcement.
>
> I thank you for your attention.
>
> Switchback the Trail Pirate
>
>
------------------------------
Message: 7
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:44:35 -0700
From: Stephen Clark <rowriver at hotmail.com>
Subject: [pct-l] So. Cal Water Caches
To: PCT <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Message-ID: <BAY102-W3788BD715880D5A37444CDF3B0 at phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
Does anyone know if the water caches in So. Cal are still stocked?
I'm doing the I-8 to San Gorgonio sections this next week. Yes, I know it
will be hot, but so far the June weather has been quite temperate...
I believe there is a cache at mile 77.5, another at mile 91.5, miles 127.5,
143.2, 151.8, and 166.8. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
Thanks,
Oregon Bound
_________________________________________________________________
Lauren found her dream laptop. Find the PC that?s right for you.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/choosepc/?ocid=ftp_val_wl_290
------------------------------
Message: 8
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:26:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Matthew Edwards <hetchhetchyman at aol.com>
Subject: [pct-l] The Zen of the Passes
To: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID:
<5175463.238432.1245551168605.JavaMail.root at ip-10-250-131-129.ec2.internal>
Content-Type: text/plain;charset=utf-8
First as Strider told us at the kickoff I feel I must reveal my experience
level with snow travel in the Sierra. Not meant as a brag.. Just
perspective. I have travelled the Sierra around Northern Yosemite
crosscountry ontop of snow pack every spring since 1991.
The biggest lesson I continue to learn is self control is the most powerful
tool and indeed sometimes the only thing we as humans have left in the face
of conditions hostile to our lives.
Your attitude determines your reality.. Truly.
The High Sierra Passes have been Beautiful despite or perhaps because of the
weather. Glen,Pinchot,Mather,Muir,Selden, and Silver pass have snow on their
approaches and much more on the way down the north side but all were
splendid and quite Passable. By far the approach to Mather pass(nobo) and
the descent from Muir(nobo) had the most snow fields. Muir in fact had snow
for miles beyond. The sleet,hail,snowflakes, and rain that fell made it all
the more intense but no more dangerous.
Go slow, enjoy it.
Always remember you have everything on your back you need to stop at ANY
point and just camp if neccesary.
I was once "lost", alone, atop snow,wet,cold, and very scared. After panic
and chasing my own trail around that snowy ridgetop in the fading light I
finally just camped.
The next morning the trail became clear.. Everything seemed better despite
the worsening weather and I found the way.
If you feel lost remember the question is not "Where am I?" but "Where is
this place?"
You always know where YOU are, and that state of mind lends you much mental
strength.
I am not trying to be a guru here but I have been witness to a lot of fear
and double guessing this year since joining this hiker community of ours.
I want to help.
You are VERY much stronger than you think physically so long as that
strength and energy is DIRECTED by your mind from a relative state of calm.
To lose your cool is to be left in the cold.
Take heart Class of 2009.
Don't turn back..
Do what we came to do..
Prepare for the worst of course, but..
Go Through!
Sent from the Trail on my Peek
------------------------------
Message: 9
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 20:55:28 -0700
From: "Carolyn Eddy" <ECPG at peoplepc.com>
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Marijuana in the Sierra & backpacking at 98
To: "Reinhold Metzger" <reinholdmetzger at cox.net>
Cc: pct-l at backcountry.net
Message-ID: <FE024E210439471AAA160CFE1383E625 at carolynaa423d0>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original
The national packgoat club will be using goats to haul out the remains of a
pot farm, irrigation stuff, garbage, etc from behind Mt Lassen, in the
Warner Moutnains.
I've also seen meth cooking sites in the Columbia Gorge, verified by my
County Sherriff buddy who was with me.
Be a little careful out there. One meth site was right on the Herman Creek
trail which is the alternative stock trail for the PCT, although stock is
also allowed on the PCT.
"Sweet Goat Mama"
Carolyn Eddy
www.goattracksmagazine.com
------------------------------
Message: 10
Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 02:40:22 -0700
From: Reinhold Metzger <reinholdmetzger at cox.net>
Subject: [pct-l] PCT Fever & JMT Fever
To: pct-l at backcountry.net, joseph kisner <lostonthecrest at hotmail.com>
Message-ID: <4A3E0006.1020305 at cox.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Joe,
I call it the ''PCT Fever'' and I know exactly what you are talking about.
I get the exact same sensations about the JMT and I call it the ''JMT
Fever.''
I first caught it in the summer of 1996 and have been coming down with
it every summer since.
It's like a beautyful woman, ''Once bitten forever hooked''.
The only cure for it is to hike it and I have been doing that basicilly
every summer since.
Lord, I feel that itch coming allready.......the '' Fever '' is
breaking out allready......the JMT is calling me!!!
I'm not the only one.....seems to me everybody on this list has been
bitten by a beautyful woman and is suffering from some kind of fever.
Maybe the Marine Corps was right when they were telling us ''Stay away
from the women they are nothing but trouble.''!!!
We did not believe them then, but there might be something to that.
JMT Reinhold
Your ''JMT Fever'' suffering trail companion
----------------------------------------------
Joe wrote:
As my friends are traversing the trail at record paces, I can not help
from dreaming of being there with them. When I get a call from Scott, I
know exactly where he is calling from. I can, in my mind walk ahead, see
every turn, gaze upon every hill, mountain, and valley. I can do the
math in my head and predict when they get to the next water, town and
road. All this without a book. I can see the trees, boulders, my old
camp sites and predict where they will bed down. And I can do this all
the way to Canada. When I analyze this, I find it absolutely amazing.
Knowing a simple footpath with so much intimacy, that you can remember
every nook and crannie. Some call it smelling the roses, but it is far
more absorbing than that, the love that these guys have for this trail,
is nothing less than Grand. They all have love ones at home, live on
small budgets all year, and sacrafice it all to be where they are. Good
luck my friends, a piece of me will be with you guys to the end... Joe
Kisner aka..tatu-jo
------------------------------
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