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Original poster

Anyone been to Yosemite? Should I worry about altitude with a one year old?

49 replies

oranges · 24/04/2007 22:47

We are taking ds to Yosemite in May and I suddenly worried if he will be okay at that altitude. We are staying in the valley, which is about 4000 feet. Has anyone taken a baby that high? Was it okay?

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 26/04/2007 16:44

Yes, oranges .

We fit right in, too!

If I won the Lotto, I'd buy a place in Boulder for sure!

aDad · 26/04/2007 16:48

Did you climb El Capitan expat?

that is one impressive lump of rock.

expatinscotland · 26/04/2007 16:50

I did!

But the 'easy' way - Snake Dyke. A 'classic' (= a wee bit of a runout sandbag) Yosemite 5.7.

Excellent quality rock, though!

aDad · 26/04/2007 16:52

well i still bow low in respect to you!

I'm sure the easy way isn't all that easy just looking up at the thing

Califrau · 26/04/2007 17:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PetronellaPinkPants · 26/04/2007 17:43

virgin are awful
they think just cos they give you some socks and balm to rub in your head that they can jam you in with a tiny seat pitch and feed you food that pigs would turn their noses up at

BigGitDad · 26/04/2007 17:43

Oranges, if you get the chance, do the night tour of the Valley, it is excellent. At one point you stop at the bottom of El Capitan and yell 'Hello' and all these lights light up where the climbers have camped up on the cliff for the night hanging in their baskets.
I love Yosemite it is one of my favourite places. I hope you have a wonderful time there too. May will will nice as you will see all the waterfalls.
Expat, I have promised myself that one day I will do the Half Dome walk, I so want to be on top of that rock looking down into the valley!

PestoMonster · 26/04/2007 17:50

Califrau, didn't you pre-book the kids meals on-line beforehand? We fly Virgin all the time and have never had this problem.

Original poster

oranges · 26/04/2007 17:55

thanks for the tip. any more?

OP posts:

Califrau · 26/04/2007 18:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

alipiggie · 26/04/2007 18:05

Gulp, sounds like you had a nightmare Califrau. oranges just make sure that both you and the baby drink plenty of water that's the main thing of living/staying at altitude and give him a sippy cup to drink from on the way up. I live at 5,300ft and have no problems with altitude and both my boys are fine. But we do drink loads every day. You'll have a fabulous time. Enjoy it.

BigGitDad · 26/04/2007 18:26

Anyone going to San Francisco if you can, have breakfast at Mamas at Washington Square
See this
It is fantastic, get there for 8am or the queues will be too long
Also on the square is a large green and you will see lots of chinese people doing their daily stretches etc (forgotton what it is called but excellent poeple watching)
God I am getting really angry now because I am not going. Humprhhhhh!!

expatinscotland · 26/04/2007 20:17

You can also hike up El Capitan.

Or down it after you finish climbing .

BigGitDad · 26/04/2007 20:46

Fancy that, you climb up El Capitan and then you have to carry everything you hsve, your rubbish, your climbing gear etc all the way down, seven miles or so! (I saw a documentary on Jack Osbourne climbing it, very good)
When we were there we were told the youngest person to climb it was an eleven year old boy!

expatinscotland · 26/04/2007 23:59

Jack did a big wall and he also doesn't lead. He was on there as a tourist.

Snake Dyke is a day route, although a very long day.

And because there are so many yahoos on it, you have to try your best to get there at suck ass early o'clock and even then you get stuck behind slow parties, have parties of twat climbers trying to pass you all day, and God help you if it starts to storm.

Luckily for us, we did it in October and it was fairly quiet.

Like Colorado, there's usually one big snowstorm in Sept. and then Indian summer there for a few blissful weeks.

There's no way I'd EVER do a big wall.

It's about the only thing worse than high-altitude mountaineering, IMO.

I just think, 'Why?'

BigGitDad · 27/04/2007 09:08

I have always gone in late September/october time and the weather has always been beautiful. I would like to see it in the Spring that must be lovely.
I have been to Boulder too. That who area of Colorado and Wyoming is lovely, have you done much hiking there?

expatinscotland · 27/04/2007 09:12

I haven't done much hiking in Wyoming, only climbing, but did a whole lot in Colorado! Lived there for 8 years.

Would go back if I didn't have to work - haahaahaa.

expatinscotland · 27/04/2007 11:42

Also keep in mind that the park now limits the number of cars that can enter the park due to pollution concerns.

Many visitors now need to ditch their cars well outisde the park and get into the coaches provided.

BigGitDad · 27/04/2007 11:47

So they finally went ahead and did that then?
I'd go back tomorrow if I could, sitting at the bottom of Half Dome on the dry river bed of Mirror Lake is my idea of heaven. (With my wife and children beside me of ciourse, and preferably the kids getting on etc. I know the next time I go they will ruin the whole experience for me and I will never want to go again..
Do you hike with your children now expat? Some friends of mine take their children aged 4-9 camping, last year they went to Isle of Skye and had a lovely time.

expatinscotland · 27/04/2007 11:50

They had to, BGD. Also they had to raise the entry fees because the government cut their funding.

Think it's like $25 now.

I don't hike with my children just now because:
a) we live in city centre (but soon we'll be moving away to be closer to the freedom of the hills )
b) they are 3 and 1.

BUT, DD1 already enjoys the outdoors, as we do, and now that she's getting stronger she enjoys rambling more.

We look forward to making a life near what we love.

BigGitDad · 27/04/2007 12:12

If you want to buy one, I have got one of those kiddie carriers, bought it a couple of years ago £130 from Cotswolds, latest model at the time.
Something like this this
You can have a lovely walk whilst you other half struggles manfully...
My kids are 2 and 4 and are too big for it now (Too heavy more like!), we used it for our first child which was good but now we have two it is harder going on long walks.
If you are interested let me know as we are going to sell it on soon.

Original poster

oranges · 29/04/2007 08:38

Can I ask a question? Is there a part of the river in Yosemite where it is safe to splash in the water? I vaguely remember doing this a few years ago, with lots of young families nearby also swimming, but I keep being told it is to dangerous to get in the water anywhere.

OP posts:

BigGitDad · 29/04/2007 20:50

I think you can have a paddle where the road crosses the river if you are walking from the Village to Mirror Lake. I seem to remember seeing families having a picnic there. However I have always gone on Sept/Oct time and of course the water level is alot lower at the end of the summer than at the beginning. Also at that time of the year the water will be melt water and will be very cold!

gingersj · 29/04/2007 20:54

Took my ds (4) and dd (6)skiing this year. We went up to 10000 feet, my dd was fine. My ds was not, went all limp and floppy and was not a well boy.....

I got down the mountain in double quick time and as we went down, he came around, so definitely a case of altitude sickness or something like that.

I am sure at 4000 you should be OK, just keep an eye out and anything weird, get down as quick as you can.....

Shame it did not permanently change ds's behaviour.....

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