Hiker falls to his death from Yosemite's Half Dome

[xotoxi]

Hiker falls to his death from Yosemite's Half Dome - Yahoo! News

Coloradomtnman...please check in!

 

[007]

Heard today about all the cuts that will be taking place around the country in national parks. Less access and higher entrance fees. And now they have a reason to shut down half dome.

 

[JBeukema]

. And now they have a reason to shut down half dome.

unless equipment or safety rails etc provided by the park failed, the man's death is not fault of their own. he accepted the dangers and risks involved. These tragic incident should not be spun or used to achieve any political or personal agenda

 

[007]

. And now they have a reason to shut down half dome.

unless equipment or safety rails etc provided by the park failed, the man's death is not fault of their own. he accepted the dangers and risks involved. These tragic incident should not be spun or used to achieve any political or personal agenda

I agree... but you and I both know how the government works... if they want to shut something down, any reason will do, and they've been saying lots of things in national parks are going to get shut down. "Less access and higher entrances fees" was what I heard.

Don't ask me why... I thought all those park permits and entrances fees kept the parks going.

 

[Missourian]

For the same reason my local government always cuts library hours to "save money" just before they propose a new tax...

 

[007]

For the same reason my local government always cuts library hours to "save money" just before they propose a new tax...

Funny how that works... we keep paying more but keep getting less. Look at the size of a can of tuna. It's considerably smaller. How about soap? I bought some Coast and now it's got dips molded into both sides so deep there's hardly anything to it. Less cereal in the box. I mean prices keep going up but we're getting less. Where in the hell is the extra money going for getting less than we did before?

 

[JBeukema]

It's called inflation and devaluation. The American Dollar is pretty much valueless. You're not really paying more (in terms of wealth or value), you're just handing them a greater number of bills The numbers look bigger only at a glance. It's like giving 2/3 of something versus 5/9 of something. Sure, you gave 5 of something (dollars) instead of four- but each was significantly more useless


and yes, it took me a while to find two fractions that work because i really do suck at math >.<;;

 

[007]

It's called inflation and devaluation. The American Dollar is pretty much valueless. You're not really paying more (in terms of wealth or value), you're just handing them a greater number of bills The numbers look bigger only at a glance. It's like giving 2/3 of something versus 5/9 of something. Sure, you gave 5 of something (dollars) instead of four- but each was significantly more useless


and yes, it took me a while to find two fractions that work because i really do suck at math >.<;;

What are we going to do when our dollar is finally worth nothing?

 

[strollingbones]

pay back china?

 

[strollingbones]

be sure and note this was a hiker using hand cables, not a climber. 50 k a year do it and only one death since 2007. i hate to see the state parks and national parks suffereing from deferred maintance.

 

[JBeukema]

Well, if history is any lesson, we'll collapse... fracture and
-Restructure
-Fracture
or
-cease to be the Republic that we are (were?)

I don't know if we have enough friends (who aren't in the same boat) to 'reset' our economy while resembling what we have been

 

[Red Dawn]

. And now they have a reason to shut down half dome.

unless equipment or safety rails etc provided by the park failed, the man's death is not fault of their own. he accepted the dangers and risks involved. These tragic incident should not be spun or used to achieve any political or personal agenda

I agree... but you and I both know how the government works... if they want to shut something down, any reason will do, and they've been saying lots of things in national parks are going to get shut down. "Less access and higher entrances fees" was what I heard.

Don't ask me why... I thought all those park permits and entrances fees kept the parks going.

please calm yourself down.

In spite of what Rush Limbaugh told you about socialist, commie liberal government control, half dome is not going to be shut down because some dude fell. People die on half dome almost every year.

 

[Coloradomtnman]

And people die every year on other formations in Yosemite, as well as other national parks. You can read about them in Accidents in North American Mountaineering, a text reporting almost all of the climbing accidents on the continent each year. They won't shut down Half Dome for someone's death.

I climbed the northwest face of of Half Dome about 6 years ago and it was the first time I had ever climbed Half Dome. I went down the "cables route" with a 90 lbs. unwieldy haulbag and I thought it was pretty sketchy, but danger is part of the reason anyone climbs anything. If it weren't dangerous, why do it?

Here's a photo looking up the cables route:

Andrew : photos : Half Dome 2003 : Those cables are't that bad

There's also a photo of the Valley from the summit of Half Dome through the smog on this website.

What they need to do in Yosemite is establish a public transportation/shuttle bus system as the only means to visit Yosemite Valley. I spent two months there living in the dirt and scrounging to eat just so I could climb. I saw so much pollution and traffic in the Valley that somedays Half Dome was barely visible. Yosemite Valley is one of the most beautiful places on this planet, whether it formed by chance or because God created it, and we should do everything we can to ensure that it remains so.

 

[JBeukema]

dude... resize that pic...

 

[Coloradomtnman]

dude... resize that pic...

I would but I don't know how.

 

[JBeukema]

here, dude

 

[Coloradomtnman]

here, dude

Thanks, I fixed it.

 

[JBeukema]

Muuuuuch better

 

[Zoom-boing]

CM - the pic loses something when you make it smaller. I liked it better bigger.

On the cable pic - are you somehow harnessed to it or do you just climb up it? Was it scary but fun at the same time?

 

[JBeukema]

CM - the pic loses something when you make it smaller. I liked it better bigger.
/QUOTE]

Hence the thumbnail. You click to view full-size