Elizabeth and I got up at 5:45 am. We grabbed our packs and breakfast, slipped out of the RV and headed into Yosemite. It would take us 30 minutes to get to the trailhead. We were beginning our adventure to the top of Half Dome.
The hike to Half Dome is 16.5 miles long and gains 5000 feet in elevation. The last 400 feet up the side of the dome itself is done by using steel cables. I have been looking forward to this hike for 5 months and today was t
he day. The climb, round-trip, should take about 10-12 hours. I put on some great worship music on my ipod and hit the trail.The first marker in
the trail is Vernal Falls. You must take the Mist Trail to get there and it is well named. After about 400 granite steps we reached the top of Vernal Falls. Next stop, Nevada Falls. Through a series of switchbacks up the side of the mountain we reached the top. Nevada Falls is about 60 stories high and is fabulous. We sat there and had a little snack and rested. A little beyond that was the halfway point.The trail levels out for about a half mile, but for the oth
er 8 miles it is straight up. Our pace lessened as the altitude increased and the oxygen decreased. We finally made it to the "saddleback" of Half Dome and possibly the toughest part of the trail so far. It w
as here that Elizabeth decided she could go no further. The saddleback again is a series of switchbacks up a granite rock face. The incline was grueling and my quads were burning up. I would rest about every 60 seconds. I finally made it to the cables around 1 pm. It was there my heart sank. Not because of the cables, I was ready for that. Dark clouds were setting in and climbing the dome in the rain is a very bad idea. I could see the cables were highly congested at the top as people were trying to get down due to the inpending weather. I sat there for 20 minutes trying to decide what I would do. I finally decided it wasn't worth the risk and I headed back down to meet Elizabeth.
The descent down was more difficult than going up. It's very hard on the knees after a few miles of decline. We finally made it back to the trailhead. It had taken 11 hours. Even
though I didn't climb the dome I felt pretty good about physically making the hike. We met the Slemps and the boys later and had dinner together and shared with them our adventure of the day.I would like to thank a few folks for making this hike possible. Bryan Colgrove for all the help and sage advice preparing for the hike. (equipment, food, backpack, etc.) Jim Larkin for helping me get in shape for the hike since February. And finally Brenda Curry for praying that I would stay alive. Well... I'm alive. -Alan
You made the right choice Alan. There have been many deaths on Everest because climbers let there emotions of not wanting to fail cloud their judgement. You and Elizabeth had an awesome climb and like you said, you're alive. The pictures are killing me, they are soooo cool. This blog has been a great source of enjoyment, especially hearing about time with the boys. Keep your head up and your welcome, I hope the advice was useful and I'm glad the pack went were I couldn't. Bryan
ReplyDeleteUmmm... yeah so maybe next spring let's take a group of us guys back out there and you and Bryan can be our guides. The pics have really sold me. You can honestly see God's creative hand through all your pics (well the ones without you in them) LOL. Let's talk when you get back about the possibility of going. Have fun and be safe. Your car drives really well by the way. She hit 125 yesterday and I barely push the gas.
ReplyDeleteBummer that you couldn't do the last little bit, but big congrats on making it all the way up to the dome! Looks like you're having a great time. We miss you back here and look forward to your return. Keep up the pictures, and have fun on the rest of your adventures. Chris
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