Sad day in Tuolumne Meadows

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snowhazed

Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
Jun 27, 2016 - 04:24pm PT
All of the TM leos now have to gas up in lee vining, almost every day. The time it takes to do so on taxpayer dollars and the environmental impact of all those extra drives is insane.

On the plus side I bet the leos are spending a lot more time dicking around on the internet in lee vining than they are patrolling....
snowhazed

Trad climber
Oaksterdam, CA
Jun 27, 2016 - 05:02pm PT
Uhhh- I'm 36, far away from boomer class, the point still stands this damages the environment significantly.
Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
Jun 27, 2016 - 05:34pm PT
Thank goodness they're clearing out all that sh#t from Tuolomne.

Based on the track record of the NPS, the concessioner will probably re-open the gas station as some gift shop that will make more money than the gas station did. And they'll open a video game arcade next door, all with the blessing of the NPS.
Flip Flop

climber
Earth Planet, Universe
Jun 27, 2016 - 06:25pm PT
Dear World,
It is now officially Two Wallabies Meadows.
Best regards,
Siri
Risk

Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
Jun 27, 2016 - 10:13pm PT
You're missin' the point, here. . . the sad thing is the loss of a rare and precious lifestyle that existed in that space. I'd be surprised if even one of the posters on this thread cares a good goddamn about the gas station being gone.

It's the magic that will be missed!

Says it all. So, where's the new hang in the Meadows to take in for generations of memories, tradition, and decorum?

NPS is classless how this was handled, and they don't care whatsoever. if contrary, speak up.
rbord

Boulder climber
atlanta
Jun 28, 2016 - 12:41pm PT
ekat thanks.

I'm not sure that I am missing the point. This precious magical lifestyle that is so tragic to lose - I think the reason we feel it's so tragic to lose is because it was our lifestyle, they were our hangouts, they were our memories. It's a lifestyle that's ingrained in our identities, and the loss of those memories is a loss of identity and status for us, and we want it to mean more than (I think) it is, in hopes of retaining our identity and status.

But life goes on, it changes, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

Sure our response to change is Messi, but don't cry for me Argentina! Yea I still haven't gotten over it, but give us time, we'll change too.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jun 28, 2016 - 12:46pm PT
Having participated, to no avail, in the public input in the YNP planning process since the mid-1970's, I continue to maintain that all the relocation has done is increase vehicle traffic. I remember when Yosemite had service stations at Chiquapin, and three in the Valley, in addition to that at Tuolumne Meadows.

I particularly appreciated the Chinquapin station, because the day of the first moon landing, I had been climbing in the Valley in the morning, and was heading down to Fresno when my water pump went out just below Chinquapin. I got towed to the Valley, they repaired the water pump (all for about $20.00 - and on a Sunday), and made it back to see and hear the small step for a man. . .

In addition to the River campgrounds, we have lost campgrounds at Glacier Point, Smokey Jack, Harden Lake, Porcupine Creek and Tenaya Lake. None has been replaced. This increases day use driving.

The TRP and the MRP all purport to calculate a "carrying capacity" as if that capacity has no dependance on facilities for visitors. In my less-than-humble opinion, I find both master plans abominable in their innate contempt for those whose need to earn a living limits their ability to visit the Park.

John
Bruce Morris

Social climber
Belmont, California
Jun 28, 2016 - 02:00pm PT
Sure, you've always been able to make your own off-road wilderness climbing experience in YNP.

But a world-class rock climbing and bouldering area like Tuolumne Meadows without a mountain shop and a supported guide service certainly seems like a way of hanging out an unwelcome mat. Mostly it's a way of breaking the historic continuity of new route development in the Meadows since the early 70s and before. It's a way of wiping the historical memory slate clean.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jun 28, 2016 - 02:17pm PT
What a bunch of whining old has beens

I resent that characterization! Except in bouldering, I'm a "never was."

;-)

John
hooblie

climber
from out where the anecdotes roam
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:02pm PT
my sister and bro in-law peaked as real estate brokers north of LA back
when carter (volker) waged war against inflation with 19% interest rates.

they're still at it and know from transition, fluctuation and vicissitude.
she schooled me with the comment "value lacks meaning absent time."

i protested but she made her case with a peach. worthless when in
blossom, green, brown or gushy. rules the pallette in it's prime.

like a painting lacks meaning with height but no width.

as a dimension, you gotta give time it's due

~~~~

my favorite memory of the place was the completely transparent look yabo
shot me in his vulnerable glory, with underage lynn if not at that moment
on his arm, at least fresh off the other end of ... and packin' his rope

time passages
OjaiClimber

Trad climber
Ojai, Ca
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:17pm PT
There's more bad news. A new company called Aeromark or something like that (arrow mark?) has now taken over the shuttle bus. It is no longer free. The driver attempted to charge me $4 cash (they can only take cash, you know how many hikers and climbers carry cash on them), to shuttle from Tuolunme campground to Tenaya Lake which is a joke. The bus runs on natural gas and that distance was about 6 miles so $4 is a 600% mark up?. I told her that the website stated that it was free as well as the front entrance AND the park map they hand out. She let me on for free but then I got the whole story about the new hidden fee. It IS posted on the new grill and hiker store on a piece of paper. So don't go up there any more thinking you'll get to take the shuttle back to your car unless you've got cold hard cash. She actually asked me to call my congressman or make up a Facebook petition to get this to stop. Anyone want to put in some leg work?
overwatch

climber
Arizona
Jun 28, 2016 - 06:58pm PT
Original post deleted for a better supertopo
Sierra Ledge Rat

Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
Jun 28, 2016 - 09:11pm PT
Having participated, to no avail, in the public input in the YNP planning process since the mid-1970's....

Remember the 1980 GMP? I bitterly fought with the NPS for any years.

The last time I went to Yosemite, the NPS was hap-hazardly bulldozing parking lots in the woods around the Lodge. It made me so sick.
Risk

Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
Jun 28, 2016 - 10:12pm PT
First, they they abolished the coolest campground anywhere- Soda Springs Walk-in at TM. Then, they kick out YMS from the CCC Mess Hall (now, a boring visitor center). Next, they relegate YMS to an Ice Locker. Who knows what's next. Abolish "A" loop, remove the campground altogether, eliminate the store, close all areas to parking (except striped spots)? They fence off areas of Tenaya beach for "restoration" with ugly signs and fences. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for protection and restoration. But, Regulatory encroachment to the park by NPS and access thereof is a major threat - much more than the motorhomes.

I first stayed in TM in 1962, and the place is the same, except for the regulations and prohibitions put there by NPS, mostly unnecessarily. For years, Sharsmith was the only Ranger at TM. Now, we've gotta veritable swat team on standby. Send a message upward, Mead! Anyone get a ticket lately for a dog off leash when a Coyote ran past you?
Bruce Morris

Social climber
Belmont, California
Jun 29, 2016 - 12:40am PT
First, they they abolished the coolest campground anywhere- Soda Springs Walk-in at TM.

I second that. But didn't the Sierra Club sell (or donate?) that patch of land to the NPS? Obviously a big mistake since that eliminated any traction the Club might have had with the authorities.

You might add to the list of insults and injuries the closure of paid showers at the Lodge. 10 showers per day was polluting the Dana Fork? Sure!

All this stuff taken together sounds like it's all part of a general effort to keep people from hanging out in the Meadows and climbing.

JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jun 29, 2016 - 10:41am PT
I knew I was forgetting at least one campground. Soda Springs Campground was wonderful, indeed. And yes, SLR, I remember the 1980 plan. I particularly remember how the public's responses clustered about equally around two different scenarios. One was to leave it the way it was, and one was to reduce existing development.

I thought this was an extraordinary rebuke of the "get development out of the park" crowd, because the entire planning process was not a random sample, but one selected in a way that it was strongly biased in favor of the "get development out" crowd. Even with that bias, they couldn't reach a consensus to that effect, or even a clear majority of already biased responders.

The NPS nonetheless arbitrarily chose the "get development out" alternative, and has steadfastly pursued policies to that effect ever since. I suspect the backlogged NPS maintenance budget would have much stronger public support if NPS policy recognized that ordinary working stiffs would like to enjoy "their" national parks, too.

John
Risk

Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
Jun 29, 2016 - 11:22am PT
The Sierra club bought the section (640 acres) at Soda Springs in 1912 and sold it to NPS in 1973. NPS closed the walk-in in 1974. The Soda Springs Campground started out as a haphazard drive in campground they converted to walk-in. Other Tioga Road campgrounds closed by YNP include Smokey Jack, Tenaya Lake (both ends had campgrounds), and the horse camp at Gaylor Creek. I think there may have been another campground that was near the North Dome trail, too. There was once a time when the TM campground was open right when the road opened, as long as you could get your car in.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
Jun 29, 2016 - 11:26am PT
TMJessie, the closed campgournd near the North Dome trail was Porcupine Creek, on the old Tioga Road. In the 1960's, you could still drive on the old road to the campground. This not only provided a relatively lightly-used camping area, but also avoided the need to trudge up the old road for the final part back from the hikes to North Dome, Indian Rock and vicinity.

John
Bruce Morris

Social climber
Belmont, California
Jul 12, 2016 - 01:43pm PT
Here's some shots of the closed and boarded up Mountain Shop and CMS taken this past weekend. The old gas station area does seem to be serving as a huge over-flow parking lot for the adjacent grill and store.




That sign on the board must be the reason there are huge crowds parked at the Lembert Dome lot now. When I went in the TM Store at 6 pm, the employees were advising tons of tourists to go to Lembert if they needed to find a BR. Why not an open-pit latrine in the TM Store parking lot?
HighTraverse

Trad climber
Bay Area
Jul 12, 2016 - 04:30pm PT
Wouldn't it have been more logical, from an environmental perspective, to shut down the gas station, remove the pumps, dig out the gas tanks, and simply leave the building with the mountain store and YMS where they were? I can see keeping the nasty gasoline drippings out of the meadow aqua-fir
Bruce is right on with this one. With modern cars/trucks/buses there's no need for a gas station in Tuolumne. Any modern car can easily drive from Lee Vining to Crane Flat and back on less than 1/2 a tank of gas. I drove from Lee Vining to the Los Gatos area last week with plenty left over.


* rant warning *
We should be pleased the NPS is doing what they can to preserve the Meadows habitat. That goes for Tenaya Lake as well.
Do we miss the Good Ole Days? Sure, I've got lots of memories of camping/dining/wenching in places where today you'd get at minimum a talk from a ranger.

So where DO they fuel the LEOs and shuttle buses? That would be a good question to put to the NPS. Just a guess: fuel tanks at Yosemite Lodge or White Wolf? A tanker truck coming up each night in the wee hours? Of course many of the shuttle buses go to the Valley anyway and can fill up there or at Crane Flat. By the way, the buses are propane. Somewhat cleaner for the environment that gasoline or diesel.

Porcupine Flat CG is still going. Or was when I went down there 2 years ago. Just as funky as ever. I'd recommend a car with more than a little ground clearance.

When I see the really beaten down volunteer trails in The Meadows I actually get angry. Right now YNP has a project going to erase most of the volunteer trails and replace them with a properly drained gravel path. If that keeps people away from the river banks so much the better. The trail appears to go near enough to the river for peoples' enjoyment and education. Perhaps some of the more timid Meadows creatures will return to delight us all.
A great deal of the trail damage outside the Meadows (and some in the Meadows) has been and is caused by riding and pack horses and mules. Let's get them out of the Meadows, Lyell Canyon, the High Sierra camps etc. With a possible exception for disabled persons.
To supply the camps and remove the garbage/human waste, I'd rather see a helicopter flight every week or so than the turds, piss and erosion from the packers.

I won't diss on the NPS or YNP ecologists and planners. They know a lot more than I do about balancing public use with conservation. As far as I'm concerned, a tilt towards the conservation side is past due.

As was mentioned in the thread about Valley traffic this is one of the big challenges of the 21st century. We should be happy there are people who care about these problems and are doing their best. If you talk to any of them, I've talked to a few, they will all tell you they'd love to do more to preserve the wilderness and allow "appropriate" use, including climbing. But they've got to deal with the realities of political and commercial pressure.

*end of rant*
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