I'll write down a couple of points on my views on the Half Dome issue:

1. Regarding the Half Dome numbers being cut down: They have cut the trail access first to 400 per day on weekends; then to 400 per day 7-days a week, and now 300 per day 7-days a week.

I see people on this forum and others complaining about the tourist hikers, hikers in flipflops, too many injuries/deaths/rescues, even complaining about "sniveling about quotas".

I understand the local Sierra Club chapter's "official" response was to ask for the even more limited numbers.

And the Yosemite Valley lawsuit to limit access to the valley brought on by some extreme environmentalist views is yet another example of trying to limit access.

2. Using safety as a reason to limit access: Anyone remember enjoying Hot Creek? or swimming in the pool above Vernal Fall in the late summer? Officials can always find experts who can cite a few observations to justify their actions, and then close off access. Saying the number of accidents on "Half Dome is head and shoulders above the rest" without actually quantifying the number of accidents against the number of hikers who go is "putting a spin" on the facts.

One poster on another forum stated: "Not having to read about Another Half Dome Death; Priceless." How about not having to read about another: Vernal Falls death? Yosemite Falls disappearance? Mt Whitney death? Highway death? There is no way to completely protect people from accidents. It is reasonable to post warnings and educate people. But to make it a crime to actually go??? At that point, government has gone too far, in my opinion.

Half Dome is one of America's iconic locations and hikes. They even put it on a coin!

The hike, the view, the experience, the memories -- all of those things come together to make it a highly sought-after hike. It is not reasonable to say that people should just look elsewhere. There may be other locations with similar views, similar fame, etc. But none is the same. In my opinion, the park service should try to enable as many people as possible to enjoy the Half Dome experience. It truly baffles me that more people don't share my view.

I guess I can be included in the list of those complaining about quotas. But here's the problem: Over the years, I have seen trail quotas imposed that are WAY too tight. Trails where I can't get a permit, or get the very last one, and then hike in and see barely a handful of other hikers, and camp where there is nobody around for miles. Yeah, I got that sacred "solitude" experience, but the frustration of not getting a permit, or the potential of being locked out is way more frustrating. If I want a solitude experience, there are plenty of places I can go.

It is my opinion that the Wilderness Act has been misinterpreted when they use it to exclude reasonable numbers of people from the wilderness. When will "environmentalists" and the rest stop their continuing and endless attempts to reduce access to the wilderness???

I've been a Sierra Club member for years, but this latest round of events has convinced me that it is time to end that.