Well, did the hike yesterday and it didnt go as planned... I got my *** handed to me by the mtn... I could almost here it saying to me... "Sorry sir maybe next time" lol.

It started out awesome, hit the trailhead by 5:10 am, stoped only 3~4 times from the trailhead to the top, that part went really well as it took me about 5.5 hours to get to the top. I felt awesome at the top, drank about 5 liters of water/gatoraid mix getting there. Resting on top & eating lunch I figured the Half Dome part would be a piece of cake since I've done it so many times. So I finished up lunch & headed down the back side to get water at the only spot I knew of that would have water. This took me down 1 trail I have never been on... approx 2.5 miles to cut over to the John Muir trail and back towards the Half Dome cut-off. That addition proved to kick my ***....

I stopped to talk with a group of hikers coming up the trail and they mentioned that I had all down hill coming up. I thought it would be a piece of cake, one of the hikers mentiones something like "you should like it", in a tone that didnt occur to me that he may have been slightly sarcastic. That section of the trail was freekin steep and long. So steep my feet jammed into the front of my boots for so long that one of my toes had 2 layers of skin peeled back and another was rubbed raw. About 1/2 way thru I found the water I was looking for and when I was done pumping it I realized how much the section I just got off ouf took out of me... and I wasnt thru it yet. My legs were already starting to complain.... Keep in mind I've already hiked 70~80 miles this year so it's not like it's my 1st trip of the year.

By the time I got back to Half Dome cut-off I took time to rest a minute and evaluate the situation... it was already 3:50pm and the Half Dome segment would take at least 3~4 hours RT on fresh legs... so I bailed on it. turned out to be the right decision, I stopped a couple of miles later to check on my feet as they were really screaming at me. That's when I found the 2 layers peeled back. Looked ugly at the time but it was only skin. Couple of bandaids across the 2 soar spots and I was on my way. I headed back down the Mist trail which consists of 2 sections of steep steps. I had 2 choices... the long way which was 4.0 miles or the Mist which was 2.5... I figured I had the most problems going down hill (no steps) and that the long way was just more of what did me in to begin with so the short way was the only way. Finally got off the trail by 7pm and back to the truck 15 minutes later.

The 1st time I hiked Clouds Rest 15 years ago I called it the hike from hell... once again it lives up to my expectation.

total distance is estimated at 23~24 miles.

From the trail to the top









From the top...



It's hard to see here but there is a line going up the cables on half dome... I later found out it was a 2.5~3.0 hour wait for those wanting to go up the inside... no wait for the onside of the cables...






OOPS....(JK) I had to detour for water which took me down the eastern side of the mtn and added another 2~3 miles

 

thats AMAZING! those pictures you took are out of this world! now me personally, i wont go into the woods unless i have my dog, gun and hunter orange on, or im on my quad but if i was promised scenery like that i might just walk it out

 

All we have is flat land, great pics

 

the pics dont do it justice as for how the mtn slopes down into the valley... nothing like the 90* of half dome but it is steep and if you fall, your not stopping until your at the bottom... 5000' down

 

Awsome photos. been there done that about 30 years ago. This spring we are going to Denver and will drive to the top of I think its mt. Eden. Anyway it is the highest paved road in the US at 14, 264 feet. I climbed Mt Shasta about 30 year ago and it is only 14, 160 and oh my god the air was thin. We be really interested in seening how the 07 6.7 mega cab does at that elevation.

 

it'll be interesting to see how well I do at above 10k... I did pretty well Saturday (CR is just under 10k) so I'm hoping I'll be fine on top of Whitney.