Former Yosemite climbing ranger, Lincoln Else and I have been friends for many years. I actually took him up his first big wall (Quarter Dome in 1997) though his big wall career has far surpassed mine in the subsequent years. We recently had a great conversation debating the big wall permit system. Regarding permits, potential quotas and a sense of equity between the backpacking use group compared to the big wall climber use group, Lincoln asked, “So, explain why climbers should be the only group of people allowed to camp in Yosemite‘s wilderness without being required to get any education about how to responsibly protect a place that we as a climbing community hold sacred? What makes us (climbers) so special?” Implied in his question is the fact that the education would happen when climbers pick up their permit.
Lincoln's question is a common one. Here is my answer:
The term “Wilderness” is used to describe two VERY different types of environments in the park. These differences have resulted in SEVERAL disparities in expectations and requirements for the use groups utilizing these disparate environments.
Bear canisters
Required by back packers
Not required by big wall climbers
Burying human waste
Required to bury at least 6” deep and at least 100’ away from water sources, trails and camp sites.
Big wall climbers are required to carry their waste with them and dispose of properly upon returning to “civilization.”
Distance from front country
Backpackers are required to be at least four miles from Yosemite valley and at least one air mile from a road
Big wall climbers are allowed to bivy inside the valley as long as they are off the ground on their route.
Permits
Backpackers are required to get permits.
Big Wall climbers are not required to get permits.
These disparities in expectation make perfect sense and have been done for very valid reasons. You don’t need bear canisters on a wall. You cannot bury human waste in granite. You cannot be four miles from the valley when the wall is literally part of the valley.
Everyone agrees with the validity of the first three differences. But for some reason when it comes to permits many folk complain that different expectations are somehow "unfair." Permits have historically not been required of big wall climbers because they introduce a dangerous pressure to “climb now.” Permits delineate a window of time for the activity. If it ends up raining on your hike, it's an inconvenience, but not dangerous. Climbing in a rainstorm is incredibly dangerous and has been deadly on more than one occasion. Introducing big wall permits introduces added danger to an already dangerous activity. This is one of many reasons I feel the permit system should not be made permanent.
Climbing ranger, Jesse McGahey himself acknowledges these differences as a reason why overnight permits have historically not been required of big wall climbers. In Gripped Magazine, May2021 McGahey is quoted, “Most of Yosemite’s big walls begin in designated wilderness, BUT DUE TO THE VARIABLES INVOLVED IN THIS ACTIVITY, a wilderness permit system for overnight walls has not been implemented in the past.”
Comments