Half Dome

I've been able to travel so frequently this year that I haven't had much time to post more than an overview of each trip. One activity that definitely warrants a closer look is the Half Dome hike I completed on my Sierra Nevadas trip in September. Almost twenty miles in length and requiring a climb of nearly 5,000 feet, trailhead to summit, it was undeniably the most difficult hike I've ever undertaken. The views of Yosemite National Park from the summit made it one of the most rewarding.

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Luckily in planning my trip, I was able to reserve a Camp Curry tent cabin not far from the Happy Isles trailhead in Yosemite Valley. My first morning in the park, I woke up in time to be out the door by 5:00 AM. It was still pitch dark. By themselves, the swath of stars, visible through the conifer canopy, were worth the early start. A few hundred yards from the camp, I got anxious being alone in the woods and seriously contemplated returning to the cabin until sunrise. Another hiker passed and I siphoned comfort while following him at a slowly expanding distance.

The main trail hosted more, but not too many more, hikers. I hiked this path as far as Vernal Fall in 2008, though not in the dark. I that waterfall about first light, conversed with another hiker for much of the steep segment up to the top of Nevada Fall, and had covered five miles in two hours before the first rays of the sun bounced off Liberty Cap, which rose over on the trail's left side.

Nevada Fall

Trail to Half Dome

A steady ascent ensued after a short level span along the north bank of the Merced River. Four hours and nine miles in to the hike, I reached the 8,000 foot benchmark, a long shoulder on the northeast flank of Half Dome. I had another 800 feet to climb in about a half mile. Put another way, 17 percent of the climb came in the last 5 percent of the distance. That first 95 percent wasn't a cakewalk either. Not long after starting up this portion, I stopped from my first extended rest.

Half Dome from Saddle

Steel Cables assist hikers the last 400 feet up the dome. Being among the early arrivals, I set a comfortable pace interrupted by a handful of breathers to the top. Reaching the summit just after 10:00AM, I first had my picture taken at the requisite spot (Yosemite Valley serving as the backdrop) before finding a quiet place on a cliff-edge to finish my breakfast. I further explored the top a bit prior to descending the now hiker-clogged cables.

Yosemite Valley from Half Dome

Tenaya Canyon from Half Dome

Top of Half Dome

After following the same trail back as far as Nevada Fall, I explored the crest of those falls before finishing the hike along a slightly different route. Around 4:00 PM, I arrived back at cabin #663--there is no #666, I checked--and collapsed on the bed for a well earned nap.

Half Dome Cables

Camp Curry Cabin

Trip Statistics
Length: 19.2 miles
Time: 11 hours 1 minute
Elev. Change: 4,801 ft.
Max Elev.: 8,836 ft.

Elevation Profile

2010 Bike Rides

I returned to Philadelphia today after spending Christmas back home and found the streets covered with slush & snow. These conditions along with the wintery weather forecast for the next couple of days suggest that I won't be able to ride my bike again this year--I've only had three rides since an expensive repair in October. The times seems right to post of summary of my rides for the past year. This year, I rode 1,049 miles on twenty-two rides within six states (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan & Indiana).

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Eighteen of the rides started from my apartment building Philadelphia. The four non-local rides included two on Cape Cod, an Eastern Shore trip that included a ferry crossing, and a nostalgic hometown ride from Niles to South Bend. The total miles are more than the 757 I rode last year but less than the all-time high ridden in 2008 (1,335 miles). I'm just fifty-two miles short of 5,000 since rediscovering the hobby in 2006 and have put 4,474 miles on my Kona Bike. The average mileage per ride (47.7) this year was my highest average yet.

Without question, reaching (and returning from) the Atlantic Ocean was the major milestone achieved this year. It was the longest (133 miles) one of four century rides for 2010. Other memorable rides include a one-way trip back from Central Jersey using the old D&R canal tow path, a long ride to northern Bucks County and two short theme rides (Germantown historic houses and Mural Arts program.)

Sonora

For my last trip of 2010, I spent four days exploring the Sonoran Desert. I flew in to Phoenix December 10th and drove south toward Tucson the next morning. My first stop was Saguaro National Park. After a brief stop in the visitor center, I hit the trail, King Canyon Trail to be exact, though I didn't stay on it for long. I lost the trail in desert wash. Climbing a hillside that I thought led back to the trail really led to an old, decaying mining road. I pressed on to the top of the ridge off-trail with a few cactus scrapes still to show for it. Eventually, I reached Wesson Peak to enjoy a grand panorama of Tucson.

From Saguaro, I drove directly to Tombstone, Arizona. The city had several Christmas related events scheduled for that Saturday. I rearranged my itinerary so I could see the historic courthouse surrounded with luminaires and listen to the Tuba Christmas concert. While I was in town, I also watched the light parade and Christmas Tree lighting in addition to seeing some well-know sites like the OK Corral & Boothill Cemetery.

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Sunday started with mass at St. Xavier del Bac, a short drive south of Tucson. The mission church dates back to the Spanish colonial era is is reputed as the best example of such Architecture from that period in the US today. Continuing south, I visited a decommissioned Titan Nuclear Missile Silo and then returned to the 18th century with a visit to Tumacacori NHP, another Spanish Mission site. After passing through Nogales on the US-Mexican border, I turned toward the National Observational Astronomy Observatory on Kitt Peak west of Tucson. They run a program for the public each night that runs four hours and touches on many aspects of the science.

Monday I got out to stretch my legs; first with a warm-up hike at Fort Bowie National Monument, site of the major military based during the Apache Indian Wars, and then for the longest hike of the trip, a ten-mile trek through the bizarre rock formations in Chiricahua NM. I stayed outside for my last day on the trip with several hikes in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument on the border three-hours west of Tucson. Before catching my flight out of Phoenix Skyharbor Airport, I stopped to see my cousin for a brief, but very enjoyable visit.

Statistics
Total Miles: 5,864 miles
• Air: 4,686
• Car: 1,149
• Hike: 29
Total Counties: 5
New Counties: 3
Fuel: 36.8 gallons
MPG: 31.2
Cost: $994.15

Tombstone Courthouse - Luminaire Festival

St. Xavier del Bac

Belt of Venus - Kitt Peak

Chiricahua National Monument

Organ Pipe Cactus