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Current
WX:
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Fresno, CA
As of: 9/5/10 3:53 PM PDT
96°F
Wind:NW at 13
Visibility:Unlimited
Sunrise:6:33 AM
Sunset:7:22 PM
UV Index: Moderate
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6/9/01 - The summit of Half Dome!
(Something I'll never EVER do again)
Upon arrival at Yosemite, we checked into our Curry
Village cabin. We were going to stay at in a canvas tent, but we re-thought
that idea. Amy: "I want a bear to have to struggle a little to eat me..." People who stay in canvas tents
have to keep their food & other smelly items in metal "bear-proof" lockers. We made sure our car
didn't have any traces of food. Bob: "I don't think the Budget in Fresno
would've liked the Hyundai back without all its windows..."
That little red speck in the middle of the staircase is Bob in front of Vernal
Falls. Everything at Yosemite seems larger than
life...
Amy on the Mist Trail getting misty in front of Vernal
Falls. We started our hike to Half Dome at 5:30
am local time...the sun is just beginning to rise, and there's nobody on the trail but us and a few
other lunatics.
A little more sturdy than the Peruvian bridges on the Inca Trail, that's for sure.
Here's a fun game--find Bob in front of Nevada
Falls!!!
We've already walked 4 miles uphill, with 4.5 more to go! At least Amy's still smiling...(for
the camera, at least).
Our first clear views of the back of Half Dome...it's 8,842 feet high (about 4,800 feet above
the valley where we started).
Why do they call this Emerald Lake?
Hmmm....
Another fun-find game: Where's Amy?
The side view of Half Dome--apparently we're on the circle tour!
Once you get about 3/4th the way to Half Dome, the trail rises above the trees and you can see
the Sierra Nevada range.
Once you get to the granite section of Half Dome, it starts getting much, much steeper. Note
the dude on the right and the angle of the trees to get an idea of how steep this sucker is. And this isn't the
hard part...
Click on this photo (and the following two photos) to get a full-screen view. You'll be able
to see the cables and individual climbers struggling their way step-by-step up the mountain.
Note the concerned look on Amy's face. Amy: "This is crazy. C R A Z Y."
We only took one photo on the way up the cables because it's nearly impossible to let go with
either hand for fear of plummeting to a very nasty death. To summit, you wear leather gloves to protect your hands
while you pull yourself up the mountain from board to board. If it weren't for the cables and the boards, there
is no way you could get up the summit.
Looking left--imagine yourself 300 feet above the ground, trying to drag yourself up another
500 feet to the top...and it's a long, long way down.
The arrow points to some NUTCASE READING A BOOK ON THE EDGE OF THE CLIFF--THAT'S A 4,000 FOOT
DROP!!! Amy: "I think I'm gonna be sick..."
Bob, holding his arms out as far as he can, trying not to get too close to the edge, snaps a
photo of the valley floor (and the MORON WITH THE BOOK...)
Amy feeling sick to her stomach thinking, "How the hell am I going to get down...uggggh".
Bob: "Could you please quickly take our picture so we can get the hell off this thing? Thank
you."
Amy: "I'm too scared to move."
3 1/2 hours later, for a total of 8:55 of hiking,
we finally make it back to the car...in pain. Lots and lots of pain. You don't believe us? See below for the carnage!
(Now you knew you couldn't see a Bob & Amy vacation without a little injury...)
Amy's heel
Bob's blistered right pinkie toe. (Gerd & Claudia--PINKIE TOE!!!)
Bob's grody left pinkie toe.
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