I took this trip during the Yosemite fire. To begin with, I didn’t visit the places for which I paid for and no refund was proposed. The trip has been carried on in any case.
The guide was a camping expert (ex boy-scout), passionate of wild life like tons of other people are in the world. No license or brevet for actually exploring and guiding in the mountains and especially in Yosemite has been shown.
During our stay there was a fire in Yosemite and it was easy to see (compared to other wild- experiences with certified guides across the world) that neither our guide nor the company had no clue about safety procedures:
1) The area was smoky, it has not been asked if there were people with respiratory problem (for which the mountain is good, but not the smoke of a fire).
2) the camping did not have any signal, so it was impossible to check out for updates concerning the fire. Our guide was asking around, like you could ask for the final result of a match.
3) no radio-transmitter has been provided to give update (from the company to the guide) concerning the fire. And once we got the signal, not even the chief was that updated (like you should be if you put at stake 12 lives)
4) no refund nor a backup transport to the city before the end has been provided in case of normal panic attack (feeling unsafe inside a burning park) or other problems.
5) no mask has been given to us, and the last night it was needed to sleep. I got one because my Airbnb owner was aware of the situation and got me one.
6) there were NO Americans in the park, only tourists, mostly participating to this kind of experience with these companies.
To end up, unprofessional, unsafe, without a clue about safety procedures. The only purpose of the company was to end the trip in order to avoid ask for refunding. Something to be ashamed of.
Ah, if you still decide to join them, be aware that you have to give around 15% of what you pay as tip.
Réponse de l'hôte
Aug 2018
Hi,
Thank you for writing. We, too, share all of your safety concerns regarding running trips into Yosemite National Park. We take the safety of each of our guests very seriously.
On any given day, our Operations Team combs through a multitude of information, including fire updates from CALFIRE and consistently monitors air quality and it might impact our guides and guests. Our team meets daily to discuss current conditions and how they might impact the safety of the trips.
In addition, our Ops Team is in constant contact with our guides on the ground to update us on how trips are progressing and what safety issues might be concerning them or our guests. Our guides are required to hold certificates in first aid and CPR, and many also have Wilderness First Responder training.
While the last few weeks have certainly been a trying time for many companies running tours to Yosemite, we are proud of the hard work, attention to safety, and performance of our guides. They truly are an 'incredible' team of people, providing safe and exciting adventure tours for all of our guests.
Thanks again for reaching out to us concerning your tour and the safety of our guests. It's something we take extremely seriously and will continue to do so.