Lets see, since 1857 15 people have died from rockfalls. And there have been 80 jillion visits. Not bad odds. How about putting up info prior to reserving these sites..."This tent is in a dangerous rock fall zone...beware...don't sleep too soundly." ... and let it go at that? Nope. Rather they will relocate and cram more tents into selected areas. Sad that the NPS had to abide by the 'study' and ignore the odds...had to avoid a fickle litigious mongering public and massive lawsuit by a heard of lawyers... Still only 15 deaths...in 155 years... really needed a study? Maybe they ought to get a 20 mm artillery gun that is used for triggering avalanches and blast a few rounds at the cliffs? That'll clean it up. (heck, they get out the chainsaw and remove dead fall branches from walkways, etc...so the practice of curing problems with technology is already established...harr...this would take it to new levels...can I pull the cord?) In the meantime they get +15 drownings a year, easy. So next will they do a study and shut down all trails adjacent to waterways? I could go on...no wait...I did.
Having been hit by a rock, I can tell you that it will really ruin your day. I was lucky--the rock hit my climbing pack square on the water bottle inside--nice shock absorber--I got away with a big bruise. This happened a thousand feet off the deck in the Southern Sierra. I've had rocks whiz by me on climbs in Yosemite, or while at the base of the walls. The key element is to keep your eyes and ears open so that you can take action to avoid contact.
Of course, that's not so easy while asleep in camp, so the best thing is not be in the danger zone in the first place. Signs, warnings, etc., won't protect people from themselves, so the NPS and Delaware North (the Yosemite consessionaire) have come up with what I think is a good solution that further limits their liability and provides a better margin of safety. Yes it will result in a few less campsites, but The Valley is already over-populated, so a few less people won't hurt a thing, in my opinion.
Yosemite is an ever-changing geological wonder. Rock fall, swift water, thunderstorms, and ice and snow contribute to the changing face of The Valley. "Mountains are always falling apart. One of the basic skills the mountaineer must learn is that, during specific acts of mountains falling apart, is to be somewhere else at the time!" (from: Mountaineering-Freedom of the Hills.
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2 repliesOf course, that's not so easy while asleep in camp, so the best thing is not be in the danger zone in the first place. Signs, warnings, etc., won't protect people from themselves, so the NPS and Delaware North (the Yosemite consessionaire) have come up with what I think is a good solution that further limits their liability and provides a better margin of safety. Yes it will result in a few less campsites, but The Valley is already over-populated, so a few less people won't hurt a thing, in my opinion.
Yosemite is an ever-changing geological wonder. Rock fall, swift water, thunderstorms, and ice and snow contribute to the changing face of The Valley. "Mountains are always falling apart. One of the basic skills the mountaineer must learn is that, during specific acts of mountains falling apart, is to be somewhere else at the time!" (from: Mountaineering-Freedom of the Hills.
--P