Curry Village ‘Tent Cabins’

Two people have died after contracting hantavirus during their stay in tent cabins at Yosemite National Park’s Curry Village. Both these individuals stayed there in June, while we stayed in May, before the outbreak. The disease was contracted by people who stayed in the so-called ‘Signature Cabins’. The infected tent cabins sport wooden side walls, while ours was all canvas. Hantavirus has a six-week gestation period and we are well beyond that and we are all still hale and healthy.

There are hundreds of tents in Curry Village and during the summer months thousands of people stay there every week. The hantavirus is spread by deer mice. Yosemite can be a very wild park. Last year the danger at Curry Village was from rock slides. The edge of the village abuts shear granite walls that rise hundreds of feet.

We were constantly cautioned never to bring nor leave food with in our tent. One night, Dan heard and felt what we believe was a passing bear as it bumped into and shook our tent. It didn’t wake any of the rest of us.