Weird Comments
With Yosemite getting 3 to 4 million visitors a year, you can imagine that rangers here get some rather bizarre inquiries/comments. Well, we’ve culled some of the best and present them to you now. …And yes, these are for real!
One ranger’s favorite: the fellow who walked into the Wilderness Center with his family and asked the attendant at the desk: “So, tell me, where do you keep the animals at night?”
This one courtesy of the Wawona Ranger Station at the south end of the park involves a European entourage who arrive at the station in a panic. The Euros report that their rental car had been “bombed by terrorists” but rangers soon discovered that the “powder residue” from the “bomb” was actually pancake mix and destruction to the car was done by a bear not a bomb. Paw prints all over the back seat provided the evidence.
A woman from Iowa was visiting her sister in Sacramento. The visitor from the Midwest didn’t like mountain roads. She sent an e-mail to us wondering which road they could take to Yosemite that “avoided the mountains.”
Some of our other favorite comments left on Forest Service registration sheets and comment cards by backpackers completing wilderness trips:
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- A small deer came into my camp and stole my bag of pickles. Is there a way I can get reimbursed? Please call.
- Trails need to be reconstructed. Please avoid building trails that go uphill.
- Too many bugs and leeches and spiders and spiderwebs.
- Chair lifts need to be in some places so that we can get to the wonderful views without having to hike to them.
- A McDonalds would be nice at trail head.
- The places where trails do not exist are not well marked.
- Too many rocks in the mountains.
We are always looking for great personal stories about Yosemite/Gold Country. If you have one you would like to submit for possible posting please contact us at:
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