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| After hiking through Little Yosemite Valley I started hiking up through a forest of trees, making switchbacks for a few miles. At the top of this mountain you can see the east side of Half Dome very well and can see people going up the cables. |
| END OF TRAIL THROUGH FOREST worst yet to come! |
| Before you get to the cables portion of the hike, you go up a little dome of about 1/4 mile. It has switchback steps cut out of the rock. Some of the steps are probably to big for Paul Bunyan and some to small for Mini Me. This was a very difficult portion of the trail. If you look at your feet all you see is blue sky off the edge of the steps! Then a steep smooth granite surface to get over the little dome to Half Dome. |
| TOP OF THE STEPS good place to see if you are still alive! |
| The cables portion of the hike is very tough, especially if you're exhaused from hiking and climbing for the past 8 miles and 4 to 5 hours. This is where I went half way up the first time and turned around and went back down. I didn't even stop at the gift shop and get a " I ALMOST MADE IT TO THE TOP" T-shirt. My second try I did not take a back pack filled with goodies, only a fanny pack with 2 bottles of water/gator aid mix, a few energy bars and a few beef jerky strips. I had less hikers to stop for too. |
| THE CABLES TO THE TOP |
| ON THE TOP resting for awhile |
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| I just kept looking straight ahead while going up the cables, pulling and stepping up and finally... "I MADE IT TO THE TOP" I enjoyed the view for about 1/2 hour and hiked back down. |