Throughout our history as a guide service, fires have not been a physical threat to our programs, primarily because we operate in higher elevations and alpine regions, which have thinner forests and lots of granite. Most major fires over the past 20-plus years have all occurred at lower elevations and in the drier foothills outside…
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Standing Proud: A Half Dome Summit On Opening Day Everyone has people in their lives, places, and unique things about themselves that makes them proud to be who they are. For me, a recent experience guiding our first Half Dome in a Day hike of the season did just that. Arriving to Lasting Adventures for…
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Dispelling The Myths About Yosemite’s Bears by LA guide, Michael Misselwitz If there’s one thing we know to be true about the bears of Yosemite National Park, it’s that plenty of myths exist about them. As stewards of the wilderness, it’s our job as guides to dispel those myths, and after decades of sharing the…
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Tip #0: Don’t start with the route pictured above. Photo of legendary El Capitan rock climbing kingpin, Tommy Caldwell, sourced from Facebook. A mountain guide’s tips for your first rock climbing experience in Yosemite. Words by LA guide and program director, Matt Schilowitz Since the inception of modern rock climbing, Yosemite Valley has long been…
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Understanding Altitude Sickness: Causes, Symptoms, Preventative Measures, and Treatment If you travel to an area of increased elevation without allowing time for your body to acclimate, there is a chance that you may experience altitude sickness. Altitude sickness, also known as elevation illness or mountain sickness, occurs in areas with lower oxygen levels and can…
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Examining Yosemite’s diverse climate and its fascinating collections of trees Within the 747,956-acre expanse of Yosemite National Park, ground elevation varies from as low as 2,105 feet at the Merced River to a towering 13,115 feet at the peak Mount Lyell, Yosemite’s highest point. This drastic change in elevation taking place within relatively few miles…
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Understanding Yosemite’s Reservation and Admission System for Summer 2021 (Pro tip: Book a tour with us and we’ll deal with it for you.) As Yosemite continues to navigate the changing climate of coronavirus along with the rest of the world, their admission policy and visitor permit plan evolve. Last summer, Yosemite instituted a day-use reservation…
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Four women who changed Yosemite forever. by Kara Maceross Cover photo: Yosemite climbing legend, Lynn Hill, LA Times Women have played an influential role in the history of Yosemite for thousands of years, although you don’t hear their names as often as you may the likes of John Muir, Chief Tenaya, Galen Clark, Ansel Adams,…
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The Horsetail Fall “Firefall” is one of the most coveted photo ops in the valley. But it’s also one of the hardest to get. Here are 10 things one guide learned from attending this winter. Photos and words by LA guide, Kara Maceross A few years ago when I started working for Lasting Adventures I…
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