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Lost Brother in Yosemite

nytimes.com

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Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#61

Post by base698 »

joe_the_user wrote: post #9
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #5

Although the stated reason for National parks to restrict it isn't safety, it is a common complaint amongst objectors anywhere. BASE jumping is inherently dangerous. That is no reason to ban it. The highest goal cannot be to make the World a perfectly safe Disney park.

Just to note that Yosemite is not "the world" but a particular place. While a National Park is owned by the government, in limiting allowed activities in the park, the Park Service is actually exercising the same rights that a private property owner has - you are the Park Services guests, the Park Service can request that you reframe from engaging in a variety of activities and naturally has a variety of reasons. Tha…

I prefer "freedom to roam" like in most of the scandinavian countries, where I can BASE jump and not fear being tased after landing.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#62

Post by Thlom »

abakker wrote: post #39
vannevar wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But there are probably an order of magnitude (or two) fewer riders than bikers.

Maybe, but the horse riders have boatloads of money (In my experience), attend meetings, and have historical precedent on their side. Mountain biking is still new. Horse riders can always look back to a time when what they now do for sport used to be the only form of transit. I come from a family of horse riders, and am a mountain biker. Really, it is completely possible to get along and share the trails. Obviously,…

Horse shit is mostly grass and other plants and doesn't really smell much. It will rain away or compost to dirt much quicker than smelly dog poop. But yeah, might be an idea to shuffle it out of the trail.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#63

Post by vacri »

stickfigure wrote: post #48
maaku wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The damage is to the serenity enjoyed by the people hiking or horseback riding, not the trail itself.

As a hiker, I would much rather step aside for an occasional biker than deal with the huge, easily startled, smelly beasts that shit all over the trails.

I also think most people would deal with a biker than a bear :)

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#64

Post by base698 »

hootydooty wrote: post #45

I don't know how to feel about this. I feel bad because they died but then again they were both illegally basejumping

I guess you don't feel bad when someone gets killed jaywalking either?

For next time, the default when someone dies is sadness--FYI. It's something in humanity that makes it so.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#65

Post by base698 »

Thlom wrote: post #62
abakker wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but the horse riders have boatloads of money (In my experience), attend meetings, and have historical precedent on their side. Mountain biking is still new. Horse riders can always look back to a time when what they now do for sport used to be the only form of transit. I come from a family of horse riders, and am a mountain biker. Really, it is completely possible to get along and share the trails. Obviously,…

Horse shit is mostly grass and other plants and doesn't really smell much. It will rain away or compost to dirt much quicker than smelly dog poop. But yeah, might be an idea to shuffle it out of the trail.

The horseshit is awful on the trail up Half Dome. It may not smell that bad to someone who loves horses, but I assure you it smells to someone who doesn't.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#66

Post by lbearl »

stickfigure wrote: post #48
maaku wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The damage is to the serenity enjoyed by the people hiking or horseback riding, not the trail itself.

As a hiker, I would much rather step aside for an occasional biker than deal with the huge, easily startled, smelly beasts that shit all over the trails.

As a hiker I would much rather step aside for a slow moving well trained animal then dive out of the way for a mountain biker going downhill way over the posted speed limit around sharp corners.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#67

Post by WildUtah »

carsonbaker wrote: post #12

I think part of the reason base jumping is banned in Yosemite has to do with the spectacle of it. The National Park system was founded with a mission to preserve the serenity of our land, and to give its visitors an opportunity to experience solitude. But Yosemite Village is a lot like a city today. Unless you get more than a day's hike away from the valley floor, there's no hope of finding solitude or serenity. The…

"What would John Muir have thought about BASE jumping?"

I've read John Muir's books about Yosemite. I remember they way he climbed up the unstable ice cone that forms in the winter around Horsetail fall just to stick his own head into the vortex. I remember all the unclimbed and unclimbable-looking rock faces he scrambled up without modern protection.

If John Muir knew about BASE jumping and wingsuits, he would have thought, "I need to do that right now today!"

But he would also know that it isn't compatible with what's left of the wilderness experience in Yosemite.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#68

Post by abakker »

Thlom wrote: post #62
abakker wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe, but the horse riders have boatloads of money (In my experience), attend meetings, and have historical precedent on their side. Mountain biking is still new. Horse riders can always look back to a time when what they now do for sport used to be the only form of transit. I come from a family of horse riders, and am a mountain biker. Really, it is completely possible to get along and share the trails. Obviously,…

Horse shit is mostly grass and other plants and doesn't really smell much. It will rain away or compost to dirt much quicker than smelly dog poop. But yeah, might be an idea to shuffle it out of the trail.

It's still shit. When I have to avoid it while biking or walking, it interrupts the tranquility of my enjoying the trail.

On a more serious note, a major problem with animal feces on trails that are shared with bikers is the risk it poses when you run it over, and it splatters all over the place. If it gets in your mouth, or on the nozzle of your water bottle or camelback, you can get sick.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#69

Post by ChristianGeek »

cwbrandsma wrote: post #4

Twin Falls, ID is right on the edge of the Snake River Canyon, with the Perrine Bridge connecting it to all things north of the town's location. We frequently have bridge jumpers, as it is allowed. Last month a 73 year old guy died when his second parachute didn't deploy correctly. He needed the second parachute BECAUSE HE LIT THE FIRST ON FIRE! http://magicvalley.com/news/local/video-shows-base-jumper-on... I don't…

I feel bad for his family, but that's a Darwin Award winner if I ever saw one. Unless he had a terminal illness. Then I applaud him.

Re: Lost Brother in Yosemite

#70

Post by Simulacra »

I can see both arguments for and against. I think the NPS is also concerned with the spectacle of people thumping the side of a mountain in front of a class field trip, and the liability on their part (because it's not if someone will sue, it's when).
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