6/3/7 Note: participation is limited to 25 and we have reached
our limit according to those who have posted Will Attend!
I applied for
and was awarded one of the Yosemite Volunteer in the Park
(VIP) projects for the weekend of June 15-17 this year. The
project itself is for the morning of Saturday the 16th.
Please see the end of the cache description for the latest
updates to this event.
Benefits of participation
Volunteers receive a free pass to Yosemite Park good for Friday,
June 15 through Sunday, June 17.
Volunteers also get to camp for free in a campground in Yosemite
Valley beginning at noon Friday June 15 to 5 pm Sunday afternoon
June 17.
Other intangible benefits include:
* - Spending the weekend meeting other geocachers,
* - Summer camping above Yosemite Valley, and
* - The personal satisfaction that you have contributed to Yosemite
Park.
Getting there
From the north come into the Park by way of Highway 120.
Take Highway 120 to Yosemite Valley. At the junction with Highway
140 turn left and proceed into the Valley.
From the west and south come into the Park by way of
Highway 140. At the junction with Highway 120, continue easy on
Highway 140.
From the east follow Highway 120 from Lee Vining, passing
by Tuolumne Meadows and then Tenaya Lake to Crane Flat. At Crane
Flat turn left and head down into the Valley. You should fill up
your gas tank at Lee Vining.
The Gate Pass
I have uploaded an image of the Gate Pass. It is specific for
the weekend of our project. Open the image and print out the pass.
You will need to show the pass at the Park entrance both when you
arrive AND when you leave so make sure to keep it in a secure place
(like your wallet) after you show it the first time.
The VIP Project
Update 6/8/7: volunteers will help maintain the Camp 4 walk-in
campground. Activities will inlude removing campfire ash and rock
fire rings.
All volunteers are expected to participate.
Our Park Ranger coordinator will be Ken Stowell who was in
charge of a project I coordinated in the Park last May. Ken was a
well-organized and a great guy to meet as well.
The Park usually provides tools (hand tools, shovels and rakes, pry
bars, etc.) and other supplies (5-gallon buckets and leather work
gloves). While not required, I highly recommend that volunteers
bring their own tools and supplies if possible. The more tools we
have, the more likely we will be able to complete our chores
quickly, leaving more time on Saturday for us to enjoy the
remainder of the day.
The Park Ranger will arrive at 9 am Saturday at which time he
will review the details of the project with us, review safety
considerations, and have each of us complete mandatory paperwork
(Agreement for Sponsored Voluntary Services, Parental Approval
(where applicable), and List of Participants.)
The project is scheduled to last until 3 pm with a one-hour
break for lunch. However, for what it is worth, it has been my
experience in the two projects that I have participated in that the
work was complete before 1 pm.
For fire ring cleaning, we will shovel ash and debris into
buckets and then carry the buckets to a nearby Park truck where the
ash will be poured into the back of the truck.
Camp 4 is relatively close to Yellow Pine and we may be able to
hike over to Camp 4 from Yellow Pine.
Geocaching in the Park
Events: in addition to receiving credit for Attending this
Event, under the "New" Guidelines, we can add additional separate
Events. For example The Splinter Group has created the
"S'mores and Haunted (geocaching) Stories Event". (Thank
you, The Splinter Group!) I would be happy to assist with any other
add-on Events if there is interest.
Virtuals: there are a number of virtuals in the Park. For nice
Valley hikes, I would recommend "Sierra Point" and "Fort Monroe".
June 1 UPDATE: The June 16 CITO event and project has
changed in a few key parameters:
DATES: The dates for the weekend stay at Yosemite remain
the same, June 15-17. The date of the VIP project also remains the
same, June 16.
Yosemite Valley Map
CAMPING We will now be camping in Yellow Pines
Campground, camp site B in Yosemite Valley itself for the
weekend. We will NOT be camping at Tamarack Flat Campground as
originally planned.
As always, please feel free to contact me if you have any
questions. Phone number available upon request.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Enjoy! And happy caching!
50sumtin