yosemite next summer

aaron · Post by **aaron** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:32 pm

i am moving to the valley next summer and can't wait. i'm going to dirtbag it and learned all the tricks for staying/eating/climbing for free. i'm wondering if $700 a year is a logical amount of money. keep in mind that i will eat tourist's leftovers, recycle cans, camp for free, and drink king cobra. any ideas?

Post by **MiaRock** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:36 pm

yikes you're going old school camp 4. somehow i don't think it is a glamorous as they made it sound back then.

aaron · Post by **aaron** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 4:39 pm

glamour isn't what i'm looking for. i want to climb 12 months a year w/o getting a real job. i know it's not glamorous, i did a two week mini dirtbag session there in august.

Post by **Steve** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:30 pm

Make friend. Sometimes those friends will have a house in or around the park, or know someone who does have a place wher eyou could eat, sleep, shower, stay out of the park for a couple of days, etc.

Post by **Legion** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 5:44 pm

why are you asking other people how much money YOU will need? isn't that subjective to your own values and standards of living? You can live in Yosemite for free it just depends on what you are willing to do and what kind of morals you have. Where do you draw the line? Why not just get a job with YCS or the park service? You can't climb 24/7 anyway and you could live a lot more comfortably (and more importantly, legally). You'll still have plenty of time to climb and you won't be adding to the overpopulation of climbing riff-raff in the Valley and making it that much harder to get clout with the NPS.

Post by **pigsteak** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 6:06 pm

good point legion....climbing 24/7 is never as glamorous as they make it out to be...plus, it is funny how we want people to abide by rules in the Red, as far as land issues go, but be willing to tolerate it in CA...

Post by **TradMike** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 6:09 pm

Definitely go with the Yosemite Concession Services (YCS) option. They provide housing, showers, laundry, 50% off just about everything there.

http://www.coolworks.com/yosemite/default.htm

Although you can easily fly under the radar, I would not recommend it (bad karma). I returned to my illegal sleeping spot this past August and a widow maker had fallen over where I had slept the previous night. It was @#%?ing scary to see a 5ft diameter tree lying were I was the night before. From then on we slept in a wood framed canvas tent with a friend that worked for YCS.

Post by **Paul3eb** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 6:35 pm

yeah, stick to the basic ethics if you do it so that other people can enjoy everything too. especially dirtbags that might come after you, else the rangers/service peeps might be keeping their eye out for that type or might take measures to make sure it doesn't happen anymore. also, i'm all about eating people's leftovers. we throw away so much good food in this country. but (and you'll have more experience here) people who are camping tend to leave few leftovers. even more important, with that kind of dependence on eating leftovers, you'll be eating from a whole lot of different people. that means you'll be open to a whole lot of difference diseases. granted, i still hold that's ok to a point: a little here and there will make you stronger (it's proven, not just the old adage "if it doesn't kill you it'll make you stronger"). but there will be some things you can't ignore: hepatitis, flu, pneumonia, some std's even.. the list is longer than my knowledge of it. and that'll not only be something you have to fight (and possible lose, hepatitis the most popular example) but it'll also cut seriously into your climbing time. without a proper diet you'll be weaker to fight it. and you'll be a weaker climber without a good diet.

so if i were you, i'd over-budget, plan on suplementing with good food, vitamins, or medicine, or all of 'em. best case, you don't need any of them and end up saving more money. worst case, you can always bail yourself out. just be smart about it, take as many precautions as possible. but please don't make things worse there, stick to the rules.

aaron · Post by **aaron** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:19 pm

fuck the rules, don't get caught. no ycs, there's stuff in my system that won't make passing the test easy. jobs suck.

Post by **pigsteak** » Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:25 pm

yep, just what we thought.....another cheesey poser wanting to ride the coat tails of all tax paying americans who make Yosemite such a grand attraction for millions every year. you are right aaron...fuck the rules....throw shit off of el cap, bolt whatever the hell you want when you go, steal thy neighbors last bottle of whiskey, mooch gear and ropes off everyone else without adding your own booty, make your own illegal campground...damn..why don't you freakin chip Midnight Lightening while you are there...fuck the rules!!!!

grow up, quit drinking, kill the drugs, pay your own way legitmately, and THEN do whatever the hell you want.