Remembering Yosemite Video

This is a compliation of my ranger experiences while working as a seasonal Park Ranger in Yosemite National Park.

Click on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4UwDepYIZ8

This is what being a ranger is all about.

While on duty at Glacier Point a couple of young gentlemen approached me for advice. If I remember correctly, they had not been able to acquire permits to hike Half Dome during their visit time to the park. Since they couldn't hike Yosemite's icon, they wanted to know what else they could do that would be a difficult and rewarding hike. I told them, "I'm going to send you on a hike that will make Half Dome look like third grader stuff." Insuead of hiking to 8646 feet, I sent them up to 13,054 feet. I love it when I am able to connect visitors to the park. This interaction is what being a ranger is all about. This was their reponse with a picture on the summit:

Hello Ranger Dave,

I apologize for taking so long to write you.  I should have gotten the picture you requested to you much earlier.  I want to thank you for suggesting the hike to us.  It was definitely worth the three hours it took to reach the top of the mount and see everything around us.  When I reached the final step at the mount and realized how high I was and how every other peak in my vicinity was lower in elevation than I was at that moment, I was filled with a strong connection to everything that breathes and does not breathe.  My lungs were connected to the atmosphere and my body melted into the rock that I sat on.  It was difficult to distinguish between myself and anything else that I could see.  I will definitely be bringing others to share in this feeling in the future and I will have to thank you every time I do so because without your suggestion, I may have never known Mount Dana even existed.  With much appreciation and love,

-Matthew

Yosemite Cloudscapes Video

Photo Contest Picture

One of the visitors to Glacier Point took this photo during one of my presentations and entered it into a National Park photo contest. Fun.

Ranger Dave during a Sunset Talk at Glacier Point.

RIP Y48

In memory of an amazing fallen animal. Yellow 48. She was a resident of Glacier Point and the surrounding area for about 17 years. I had some experiences with this bear that I will never forget. She will be missed.

She had a diseased mouth and became too agressive and got too close to people. She also taught her cubs to do the same. That won't work.

Here is one of my experiences with Y48: http://rangerdavid.blogspot.com/2010/07/bear-kill.html

This is a picture tribute to Yellow 48. If you have pictures of Yellow 47 or Yellow 48, you may submit them to me and I will post them here on this tribute. Email Me

Photos by Eric Zbinden 2007

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Yellow 47 in 2009. Photo by David Rose.

Yellow 47 and her two cubs in 2010. Photo by David Rose.

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Many thanks to Jos Stratford from London for these three pictures. These pictures are the last or one of the last pictures taken of Y48. She was euthanized just days following the day these pictures were taken. Y48's interaction with this car partly contributed to her demise. Was it really her fault? The owner of this car left a cooler with food in it in easy sight on the back seat with the rear window open about 3 inches. Jos is a bird photographer who was traveling the world when he encountered Y48. He chased the bear away to keep her from accessing this food. Thanks Jos. Nice job. Pictures taken July 2013

Isn't that a beautiful bear?

So close, yet so far away.

Here is Jos response to learning of Y48 euthanization: 

"Well, thanks for me know. From Yosemite, I travelled all the way to Alaska and ultimately to Deadhorse on the Arctic coast. Saw quite a number of Brown and Black Bears on route, but Lady 48 was the most memorable encounter. Indeed, RIP

Cheers Jos"

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Hi Dave,

We saw your blog and were very saddened to hear of Y48's passing.  We were privileged to see her while on Glacier Point road on July 1 of this year.  It was one of the highlights of a wonderful trip to Yosemite.  It was our first time to visit the park but hopefully not the last.  Attached are a few of the pictures we took of her. We've spoken of her often while remembering our trip. Hopefully her cubs are doing OK.

Eric & Mindy
Rogers, AR

How Well Do You Know Yosemite 2?

Created by Ranger David Rose

Across:

1. campground

2. Tuolumne lakes

3. common post glaciation results

4. valley south rim point

5. vista point looking south

6. type of bird

7. symbiotic relationship

8. gap in the mountains

9. mountain named after a foremost geology Yale professor

10. crunchy forest floor

11. makes a line on the solid blue sky

12. a grey grouse

13. chance of seeing a mountain lion

14. young bear

15. common Native American game

16. presidential visitor in 1903

17. common Yosemite wild flower

18. there are 54 species of this wild flower

19. this great country

Down:

1. skin of a tree

2. high altitude plain

3. ski pass

4. get wet under this fall in Hetch Hetchy

5. butterscotch like

6. given name of first white man custodian of Yosemite

7. beautiful evening color

8. a tree in the Mariposa Grove

9. common insect

10. Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

11. common Miwok foods

12. foot traveler

13. moon phase

14. long standing controversy

15. silent night flyer

16. never stand under this in a lightning storm

17. glaciers melt into this river

View solution here >>

Silly Questions

One of my favorite ranger duties is the nightly ranger sunset talk out at Glacier Point. No. I think the campfire bear talks are my favorite. No. Well. Maybe the nature hikes are my favorite. Oh well. I guess I like it all.

My Ranger Duties

I enjoy my ranger job.

I love New York. I met these young people following one of my talks. They were fun. They are traveling cross country sampling many of the national parks. Check out their blog here: http://pa2catrip.wordpress.com

I love Scandinavia and Denmark. The girl to my right came up to me and said "Howdy!". I guess she thought I was a Texas ranger or something.

Illustrating during a beat talk titled "Bear Essentials" in our campground amphetheater.

Everyone was able to feel the fur of a bear.

Teaching an astronomy class on Sentinel Dome at 8200 feet to a group of about 100 people during sunset just before the giant super moon rose. What a magical evening that was.

Wildlife outside my cabin window.

Teaching the proper use of trekking poles at Glacier Point.

I love Sweden!

I love LA!

A rare summer storm. We had sleet in July. Cool!

I love Japan!

Leading a nature hike down the Four-Mile Trail and discussing geology to a group of about 16.

Glacier Point is on the right with Half Dome, Clouds Rest, Mount Watkins, Echo Peaks and Tenaya Peak. Geology is an interesting subject to visitors. I enjoy teaching it too.

Yellow 48 getting into trouble.

Bear Update

In May I posted a picture of our resident bear Yellow 48 and her yearling cubs that I saw as I was driving into Glacier Point for the first time. Here is that picture again with an update picture report of the growth of these yearlings. Rather incredible. Special thanks to Jeff Crawford for the use of his pictures.

Yearlings are on the stump in May 2013

Yearling in July 2013

My friend William Phelps encouraging the bear to go somewhere else to do bear stuff.

Making an exit

Bad Bears

There are more bad bears then usual in our area this year. They have attempted to break into our cabins for food. Not a good thing. I have been issued a mineral oil paintball gun to haze the bears and we are trying to trap them to examine them and tag them. Bears will be bears. The bear population is increasing and the food supply is diminishing because of two consecutive winters of significantly reduced snowfall.

Mineral oil paintball gun used to haze bears.

Mineral ball bullets

Maybe we are not catching the bears because it says "Bear Trap" on the side.