So, my family left Yosemite six weeks and two days ago.......phew......
We stayed in the now shut down insulated cabins at Curry Village. These were shut down because of Hantavirus deaths.
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hantafaq.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/health/waiting-and-worrying-after-yosemite-hantavirus-outbreak.html
A wonderful Dutch family stayed in the cabin next to ours. They complained about mice scurrying around their cabin, and lo and behold, they trapped three mice in a matter of an hour. As the Dutch family left, and the maintenance crew (in masks and gloves and wielding sprayers with a bleach solution) lifted the canvas, a mouse nest the size of a basketball was revealed. People in other cabins took pictures and started talking about lawsuits. We headed out -but we were going to anyway.
Our cabins were free of mouse poop, I was not so sure about other cabins. My just turned six YO daughter spent time in the Dutch folks' cabin playing with their kids. Well, it's been 6 weeks and there have been no reported cases of the virus that may have been contracted while we were there. We kept an eye out, told our Pediatrician the situation...the Pediatrician made sure that the local Lab had a Hantavirus test ready if needed...and we've spent the last six weeks checking for fevers daily and listening to our 14 YO son tell us that he would hate us forever if his baby sister died because we had to go to Yosemite......but that's how this 14 year old deals with anxiety.....
Yosemite was stunning, not only the natural splendor (truly deserving of the word Awesome) , but being able to chat with folks from Europe, Asia, North and South America too. So, don't avoid Yosemite because of mice and do mingle with the crowds.........
