California - Yosemite National Park
I went to Yosemite for my birthday. My ever-patient son was with me, and we stayed at an airbnb about 45 minutes from the park. We drove in on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we took a nice, short, flat hike to Mirror Lake in the hot California sun, and stopped at the Visitor Center, and did a few things in the Valley. It didn't prepare us for what Sunday was to bring.
On Sunday morning, we left the cabin at 530 am to get to Yosemite, and we started our hike to Half Dome at about 6:30 am. The first two miles of the hike were pretty much up steps, along the beautiful Vernal Falls and Nevada falls. This section carried us up about 2000 feet from where we started. Soooo pretty. Matt had to stop about every 50 steps so I could catch my breath, but he was ok with it. After Nevada Falls, there was a short uphill climb to the Little Yosemite Valley - which is very pretty. It was a nice flat area, and I was able to catch my breath after a little stop at the river up there. The next section was again very uphill - lots of switchbacks, then a bit of just steep, then switchbacks, etc... all the way to the subdome. In this section, I think Matt had to wait for me every 20 steps, and I was starting to get discouraged when I saw the sign that said 2 miles to Half Dome. We carried on.
About 200 feet from the subdome, we heard thunder, and it started to sprinkle a little bit. It was awful! So far, we had climbed about 7.5 miles uphill, and we wanted the payoff... but to get to the top of Half Dome, you need to climb up a cable system, above tree level. It is the most dangerous place to be. The cables can become electrocuted, even without lighting in the area.
We went to the base of the subdome and contemplated. The sky seemed to be clearing a bit, and we started up subdome. By this time, my legs were shot, and I did not like the looming storm in the distance, and I turned back. Matt went ahead, slowly, and getting information from other hikers.
He made it to the top of the subdome, at the base of Half Dome, and at the cables. He decided, smartly, not to go up the cables. It was disappointing, but he knew that it was the smart thing to do. The view was amazing!
The climb down the hill was exhausting, and we finished the hike in about 11.5 hours, and covered approximately 16 miles or so. It was a great way to spend a birthday weekend, and Matt was awesome for doing it with me, and waiting for me along the way.
