Hi I thought lets try before the events : Have you heard about the bears? We now have 4 and several are very active meaning that they will rip your car open take your pack that you leave out and try to get food from the bear lockers ( hint a nice man just walked in and gave us a pack that the bears got last night).
Next we will have several more storms before the snow sets , what you need to do is have a plan , the storms will be colder and maybe longer than the last one so if you happen to get stuck during one of these events and we tell you that the best thing to do is get out of the Canyon I would listen, The key here is CANYON... RAIN ...AND... PAST HISTORY. Look up the Canyon as you drive in, notice we have one road in/out very narrow at the Portal so if we get a long downpour in the upper canyon area It will come down hill this might happen in your area also so if you are coming down, stay clear of the bottom of the drainage, this may be the trail so EXPECT THE TRAIL TO BE A RIVER AND the stream crossings will be wide. Wide is good because it means it will not be that deep , narrow and swift means deeper and may force you down into the flow and your pack will become an anchor so before you cross any stream have a clue of the flow depth and maybe unhook you pack straps and use a stick or poles to check the depth and force of the flow ( another is "the wait until Chuck crosses and if they make it" your chance is increased but then.... when the storms start the temperature will drop so you need something to block the wind keep you dry and warm and know where you are and how long it will take you to get down .
Stay with your group or have a plan if you split and know that it will not work , Chuck above that made it through will not listen so plan for that. GET THE CAR KEYS... LET THE OTHERS SIT IN THE COLD AND DARK FIGHTING OFF THE BEARS AT ALL COST NEVER LET THE KEYS GET OUT OF YOUR CONTROL. Some will lock the keys in the trunk????? Some problems with this but helps the local economy. Motels food service and gear , if you have the after market security bring money and books to read .
Parking will be way down the road when you get here so do not park in the area by the pond you will get a ticket.
The walk in campground is near the trail head making it a one stop move so think about that. This lets you move your stuff from the car to the bear box once , limits the times you need to fight the bears off the car and the box.
We will see several major accidents in next few weeks , check with your doctor if you have any past problems , If you have any question about stress on the body get a full exam .
Cell phones Verizon and maybe ATT will work if you can see the Valley , text works better than voice. Make sure if you call for a rescue it is needed, We see a lot of "I think the person needs help" and will call a rescue the person then gets down before the group that started the rescue. Many times the person didn't know that a rescue was started and will drive off . If you start a rescue stay until it is over or the SEARCH and Rescure dispatcher has talked to you.
Unless we have a fire in the canyon the smoke will be from miles away ,the smoke will make it hard to go fast and may be bad enough that you will not be able to do the hike plan on it before you get to the Portal and think it will be clear.Watch the webcam if it looks bad it is .
Ok so now the normal trail stuff go slow drink and eat , the faster you go the greater the chance you will turn back and have a problem ,your problems then turn into problems for others.
Please be aware that you are the one that can control the outcome of most of these events ....... be safe get home from the hike to hike again. Thanks Doug
