Yep we did it...CJ, Emily and I survived our hike up to the top of The Rock. It was a beautifully long day to say the least. I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Mad love to Team Half-Dumb. Next time we get together for some family bonding I promise it will be in a location where massages are conducted by hot men named Sven and the champagne will be flowing....no squirrel-killing Lynx's, rattlesnakes, wildfires or rescue missions allowed!
16.4 miles (RT):
No off roading...
Nature's Technicolor:
The runner...
Authentic...
To The Top!
Other Half-Dumbs:
Where Boot Camp Paid Off:
Don't Look Down:
Half Dome Cairns:
Shadowed:
DOWN:
For a step by step visual tour of this hike including photos of my family as well as Mariposa Grove click here.
For those who aren't aware I've had to take a break from running in order to mend some injuries. My 'new' NikeiD's crapped out just shy of 200 miles. As such, they started causing some pretty painful wear and tear on my feet. Then due to overcompensating for said pain my tracking was thrown off and my hip started to pay the price. NO FUN AT ALL.
After weeks of trying to push through the pain I finally forced myself to take the last 3 weeks off so my body could heal. In the meantime I've been hooked up with a gym membership so that I can run safely on a treadmill rather than dodging cars and lifted sidewalks around Rancho Park/Cheviot Hills.
I kept tonight's run slow and short in order to assess things. Glad to report that I feel great and I'm completely stoked about being back in the gym.
Every Memorial Day weekend The Colonel heads off to Yosemite National Park with a group of old friends from High School. Last year I had the pleasure of joining his crew. Too much fun, indeed!
I just received the above photo which he took this afternoon right before his final ascent to the top of Half Dome. It's kind of tough to see but there are tiny little specks of people climbing the cables just beyond TC's head.
From TC:
"Left at 7:45, got up top about noon, back in camp at 5:00 -- and I was jamming the whole way. It's a long-long hike. And it was FREEZING up there! "
Congrats, Colonel! TOTALLY inspiring!
In exactly one month I'll be heading up those same cables for the second time. It's been too long...super excited, yo!!!
In case you were wondering, my parents are to blame for my 'green' obsession. Family vacations ALWAYS involved tents and fishing poles. I knew what "Leave No Trace" and "Pack It In, Pack It Out" meant YEARS before going to Burning Man. I grew up with an organic veggie garden in the backyard. And my family recycled long before it became standard to put those big blue recycle bins out on the curb next to the trash bin.
My parents were the first environmentalists that I ever knew. And they taught me well. My mother has EASILY read every John Muir book ever written. And my father has read at least half (he works a lot). In fact, I'm pretty certain that I knew who John Muir was WELL before George Washington. And growing up only a couple of hours away from Yosemite was like having the most amazing playground right in my backyard. Yes, we played there often...
So today, on National John Muir Day, I raise my cup to Mr. Muir with much thanks and gratitude. Without his efforts the wondrous majesty of Yosemite National Park would not exist as we know it. Without John Muir it would sadly have been lost under a blanket of water much like the HetchHetchy Valley.
The mountains are calling and I must go. -John Muir
I'll be climbing Half Dome again at the end of June...63 days and counting!
Thanks to DST I no longer have to race the sun in order to get my evening run in before dark. So nice. Though I can already tell that the warmer weather is going to have it's own impact on my training. But that's okay...I like getting sweaty!
For those keeping track...I kicked ass on The Hills today. Miles 2 & 3 are considerably faster than any of my previous runs. If I keep this up I'll have no problems taking on Half Dome, again, this June! 17 miles with a 4800' elevation gain...bring it!
