Ok, just kidding, we did hike Half Dome in Yosemite though. And it was like my own personal Everest.
Not because it was an 18 mile hike. Not because it took 10 1/2 hours, and my toes hurt the whole way down. And not because I got ridiculously sweaty, like in the picture below.
It was because I had to conquer these horrible things. These are the cables that take you up to the top of Half Dome. Let me give you a description of the cables from our book, "One Best Hike - Yosemite's Half Dome": "The cables are multi-stranded steel, about 1 inch in diameter... They are attached to 3-foot stanchion poles and resemble a banister. The poles rest in holes drilled into the rock. Note that I said "rest". They will come out if you pull up on them... At the base of every pole pair is a long two-inch-by-four-inch piece of wood placed perpendicular to the path. This allows you to stand every 10 feet and take a rest." Oh PS you are hiking up and down at a 45-degree angle. Here's another favorite quote from the book, "Be advised that although it has seldom happened, people have fallen to their deaths by slipping from the cables. A 2000-foot drop looms not far from the cables." Well friends, I have a small but intense fear of heights, and as I was coming down these cables, I slipped, and for a moment was on the outside of the cables. On sheer granite. With a looming 2000-foot drop. Needless to say I fully embarassed myself by saying, "Help me!", at which point a kindly Brit grabbed me, and then I proceeded to cry hysterically for what seemed like a long time.
Look at these great pictures we got at the top though!
Totally worth a near death experience. Almost.
2 comments:
Good job!!! I will have to try that one of these years. Maybe when my kids are older incase I fall off the cable...eke!
That is crazy, amazing, and totally scary!!! The view looks amazing. You are so brave!!
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