Yosemite Badger Pass Spring Fest, 2009 from Chris Falkenstein on Vimeo.

Pond skimming at the Yosemite Badger Pass Spring Fest 3/28/2009.

Ahwiyah Point rock fall - A very large rock fall occurred from Ahwiyah Point near Half Dome at 5:26 am on the morning of March 28. The impact generated ground shaking that was recorded by numerous seismometers across California, registering as the equivalent of a local magnitude 2.5 earthquake.
The rock fall originated near the summit of Ahwiyah Point and fell roughly 1800 feet to the floor of Tenaya Canyon, striking ledges along the way. Debris extended well out into Tenaya Canyon, knocking down hundreds of trees and burying the southern portion of the Mirror Lake loop trail.

Reminiscent of the 1996 Happy Isles rock fall, there appears to have been a small airblast associated with impact on the valley floor. Fortunately, due to the event occurring in the early morning, there were no injuries. The volume of the Ahwiyah Point rock fall is still being determined, but it was clearly one of the largest rock falls in the past decade; for perspective this rock fall was many times the size of the recent October 2008 rock falls behind Curry Village.

Numerous smaller rock falls have occurred from Ahwiyah Point since the initial failure, and the southern portion of the Mirror Lake loop trail remains closed until further notice.

With the recent news about the Ahwahnee Hotel needing earthquake retrofitting and then we have a small earthquake. "Engineering consultants hired to assess the physical structure of the hotel, found the 80-year-old reinforced-concrete and steel framework to be so fragile, the building is in danger of total or partial collapse in a strong earthquake, which could endanger the lives of visitors."

"http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/269191

A friend of mine was up early on Saturday and said he could hear it coming and then felt the jolt.

A microearthquake occurred at 5:26:04 AM (PDT) on Saturday, March 28, 2009.
The magnitude 2.5 event occurred 3 km (2 miles) ENE of Yosemite Valley, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 6 km ( 4 miles).  http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Quakes/nc40233925.html

Here is a reflection of Yosemite Falls in Yosemite Valley. Today has been cooler with some good wind. The river has come up and the falls starting to boom from the snow melt from yesterday's warm temperatures.

The poppies are still hanging in on Hwy 140 between Mariposa and El Portal but will not be lasting much longer.

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There is a rope swing in Yosemite Valley where the rope goes up 300' to a anchor on a overhanging wall. You hook in with a climbing harness and run!

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Come Skiing With Us At Beautiful Badger Pass! Our Last Day For The Seaon Will Be Sunday, March 29, 2009

Our final week of operation is proving to be an epic one, with beautiful weather, amazing conditions and short lift lines.  What a beautiful day at Badger Pass. Lots and lots of SUN. Tomorrow's high should be @ 55 degrees with lots of SUN. So please don't forget your suncreen!! We will be closing for the season on this Sunday March 29, 2009.

This Saturday is our SPRINGFEST!!! Lots of fun for the whole family. So come on up and play. I will see YOU on the slopes!!

Badger Pass - Daily Snow Conditions:
Date: March 27, 2009
Downhill Operations
Base Depth: 60" to 78”
New Snow: 0
Snow Conditions: Fast A.M., spring carving
Forecast: Sunny
Temperature: High 55, Low 21

Wildflowers bloom in abundance after Yosemite fire

The Associated Press

Scientists say the wildfire opened up barren places where the flowers could grow without competition. February's storms brought enough moisture at the perfect time for the flowers to blossom. 

 It rained hard all night with a dropping snow level and by 7am this morning it was snowing down 2,000', in El Portal, and it is currently snowing at 2pm.

The chain controls have been up and down all day and Badger Pass is closed due to snow on the road.

This photo was taken at 9am on Hwy 140

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 There is cold storm moving in with rain predicted to fall by this evening and then the snow level is supposed to lower on Sunday morning down to 2,000' which means snow in Yosemite Valley (4,000')

Right now there are beautiful clouds floating around with rays of sunshine blasting through once and awhile.

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 The poppies keep on going. This was taken about 6 miles west of El Portal on Hwy 140 and as you can see there are a few poppies out. The weather forecast is for rain and snow starting Saturday  evening with snow levels dropping down to 3,000' on Sunday.

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The comments, all 44 of them, for this project are now available on the NPS website

I read several of the comments and most seemed postive in preserving the resort in its historical character. Here is the comment from the Sirra Club.

"The purpose of the rehabilitation project is to provide a phased program for rehabilitation of the Badger Pass Ski Lodge that will 1) maintain and protect the integrity of the historic Badger Pass Day Lodge and character-defining features of the Badger Pass cultural landscape; 2) treat critical deck, structural, and drainage deficiencies contributing to past and ongoing water-intrusion damage; 3) replace temporary structures with permanent buildings of compatible construction to maintain continued ski area operations; and 4) maintain ski area service and support functions while protecting the winter recreation visitor experience at Badger Pass Ski Area."