REVISITING THE HALF DOME CABLES

This picture below is the best way to illustrate why the permit system used for access to the Half Dome cables became necessary.  Contrast this picture posted on the National Park Service website with my picture of the cables.   It is difficult for me to imagine how much more difficult (and/or annoying) it might have been to climb that last 425 feet to the top of Half Dome constrained by the parade of people ahead of me.  On the day that I made my ascent, one thing kept me back, my own need to recoup my strength, catch my breath, and muster the courage to take another step forward (up)   I wish I had timed myself, as I can't tell if my entire climb took 15, 20 or 25 minutes.   I simply do not know.  Looking at this photo posted by NPS - it is easy to see that the climb could easily have taken an hour.   In fact, the line just to get started looks like the kind of line I often see at a Starbucks which usually encourages me to leave the store.

This 'gif' and text were lifted from http://www.nps.gov/yose/learn/management/hdp.htm

How many people are too many for a wilderness trail? Half Dome, one of the most popular attractions in Yosemite National Park, lies in designated wilderness. In 2008, up to 1,200 people a day tackled the famous trek up the cables; the high level of use has led to both safety and environmental concerns. The National Park Service (NPS) is developing a plan to provide long-term stewardship of the Half Dome route in a manner that is consistent with the Wilderness Act and the NPS Organic Act.

Contrast the photo above with my photo of what the 'traffic' on the cables looked like on the day of my hike.  In fairness, our hike took place at the tail end of the season.  Still, if I was faced with hundreds of hikers on the cables, I think the experience would have been much different.  

On the day that I climbed the cables, It appears that the total number of people on the granite rock face of Half Dome is less than 10 people and that number would include people going UP and DOWN.  

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this information came from recreation.gov

Yosemite—Cables on Half Dome Pre-Season Lottery Lottery applications for permits to climb the Cables on Half Dome are required during the peak season, which is from the Friday before Memorial Day Friday through Columbus Day. The lottery application period is open between March 1 and March 31 each year. Recreation.gov announces results in mid-April. Applicants receive an email notification of lottery results also in mid-April. Changes to lottery applications may be made only during the lottery application period, and only by calling Recreation.gov at 888-448-1474. Visit the Cables on Half Dome pre-season lottery application information web page for more details, as well as this application Tip Sheet!

Yosemite—Cables on Half Dome Daily PermitsApproximately 50 permits are available each day by lottery during the hiking season. The application period for the daily lotteries occur two days prior to the hiking date between midnight to 1 p.m. Pacific Time and notifications are made later that night. For example, to hike on Saturday, submit your application on Thursday between midnight and 1 p.m. Pacific Time and receive an email notification of results late on Thursday night. Results are also available online or by phone the next morning. Visit the Half Dome Daily lottery application information web page for more details.

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THIS IS THE CURRENTLY USELESS INFORMATION REGARDING THE UPCOMING 2016 SEASON... MY ADVICE WOULD BE TO CHECK THIS WEBSITE AS MARCH 1st, 2016 approaches.... That was the MONTH AND DAY in 2015 that the lottery applications opened to the public during the current season that ends within a few days.

Important dates for 2015: 

Half Dome Cables will be up Saturday, May 2, 2015
Daily Lotteries to begin Thursday, April 30, 2015

Due to the low snow pack, the Half Dome Cables will be put up on Friday, May 1, 2015 allowing permitted public access to begin Saturday, May 2, 2015. Day use permits will be available through a daily lottery which will run 2 days in advance of the hiking date. Daily lotteries will begin on April 30th. Each day the application period will begin at *12:01 A.M. (PST) and end at 1:00 P.M. (PST). Lottery results will be available early the next day (the day before the hiking date). Notification will occur through the email address listed on the application. If no email address is available, then a voice message will be left at the mobile number listed on the application.

You may apply for a hiking permit for up to 6 people, and you may apply only once per daily lottery. The name you specify on your recreation.gov account will be designated as the group leader, and therefore, must be your legal name. You may also specify an alternate group leader by their legal name. A permit is only valid when the group leader or alternate leader is present along with the group at the base of the sub-dome. The group leader or alternate leader must carry a copy of the permit (electronic or paper) and a government issued photo identification. The name on the government issued photo identification must exactly match the group leader or alternate name on your permit.

Persons proceeding beyond the base of the sub-dome or ascending the cables without a permit are subject to citation or arrest (Federal misdemeanor). Refunds or date changes are not available because of inclement weather. Hikers must always use proper judgment when assessing whether or not to proceed to the summit. Permits are required 24 hours a day / 7 days a week to proceed beyond the base of the sub-dome or to ascend the Half Dome Cables. Day use permits are valid for 24 hours starting at 12:00 A.M. (PST) and ending at 11:59 P.M. (PST) for the date issued. Day use permits are not available for application or pickup in Yosemite National Park. Day use permits are available only through recreation.gov.

* An exception will occur on April 30th (one day only) when the application period will begin at 8:00 AM (PST). 

For more information about hiking Half Dome please visit: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm

      Attention: Before visiting Yosemite National Park for safety information click on this link: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/yoursafety.htm. For safety information specifically regarding hantavirus, go to http://www.nps.gov/public_health/zed/hanta/hanta_camp.htm. 

Know Before You Go

• The group leader or alternate listed on the permit must be present (with photo ID) to use the permit. Resale or auction of advance reservations is prohibited. Any resale or auction of permits will make the permit/contract null and void.

• Read the Safety Information prior to making your reservation.

• General Rules and Regulations for Cables on Half Dome are located here.

• FAQs for permits for Cables on Half Dome can be found here.

• Boots with sufficient ankle support and traction are recommended.

• Protective gloves for the cables are also recommended.

• The summit of Half Dome is extremely dangerous in the case of lightning; Check forecast before your hike and summit early in the day to avoid afternoon thunderstorms; If a storm appears nearby, descend immediately with caution and patience on the cables and steps.

• The summit is typically 15-20*F (8-11*C) cooler than Yosemite Valley and windy conditions are common; Be prepared for cool temperatures and rain showers.

• No trash service on trails.

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 Thursday MENU

breakfast     Quaker Oat Instant Oatmeal, 3 cups Fruit Loops dry cereal 950 calories

lunch           Panera Bread Roasted Turkey & Avocado 1/2 sandwich

                    Turkey Chili Bowl                                                                540 calories

dinner         Hormel Chili Turkey, Multigrain rice cakes, toast coconut 1250 calories   

SNACK      honey crisp apples, organic date pieces, granola                   826 calories

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 3576 CALORIES

                        

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CALORIES BURNED
65 minutes, MayMyWalk 5 mile walk, brisk pace    988 calories  

Thursday NET CALORIES 2588 calories  

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fitbit day 35

16900 STEPS

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.

HALF DOME PLANNING GUIDE

Today I am going to share some tips for making a summit on Half Dome in Yosemite Park.  I start by duplicating my own facebook post from a couple of days ago.  This represents my attempt to be at least mildly amusing.

If one wants to make the 4800 foot ascent up to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite Park, I can offer these seven simple steps. STEP 1. Lose approximately 85 pounds (only necessary if one starts at 309 lbs) STEP 2. Train for six months: treadmill, elliptical machine, stairmaster STEP 3. Train to increase upper body strength (actually I skipped this step - I only wished I hadn't as I navigated the Half Dome cables to make the final 425 foot ascent) STEP 4. Be fearless (STEP 4 is actually impossible - so skip that one) STEP 5. Somehow manage to climb your way down from the mountain because cell phone coverage at 8842 feet elevation atop Half Dome is spotty at best...so if you want people to be aware of your accomplishment you are going to need to return! STEP 6. Allow at least 12 hours for the approximately 18 mile day hike from Curry Village in Yosemite Park. STEP 7. Don't forget your FitBit as you will get a kick out of learning that you have climbed the equivalent of 550+ flights of stairs. (Imagine climbing from street level to the top of the Empire State Building... Then imagine doing it nearly 5 more times)

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I found a website, yosemitehikes.com which also offered some helpful advice.

Hike Distance:  14.2 miles (22.7 km) round trip via Mist Trail

Half Dome Elevation:  8,842 feet (2,695 meters)

Total Elevation Gain:  4,800 feet (1,600 meters) from Yosemite Valley

Hiking Time:  10 - 14 hours

Why climb the trail to Half Dome?  Half Dome is the ultimate Yosemite day hike - the one you can't die without doing, and the one you're most likely to die while doing.  t's got 900 feet (300 meters) worth of spectacular waterfalls at the bottom if you take the Mist Trail route; bigger-than-life panoramic vistas at the top; and a knee-knocking, hand-clamming cable ascent that will test your courage, your strength, and the tread on your shoes.

Permit Alert:  You'll need a permit to access the cable section of the trail. 

Crowd Factor:  High - so high, in fact, that the park service has instituted a permit system for the cable route, a perennial source of bottlenecks. In 2012 the park service switched to a lottery system, which remains in place. While getting a permit can be a challenge, the permit system has definitely reduced crowding, and the days of 45-minute waits to get onto the cables seem to be over.

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and finally... Here is some detail information on acquiring a Half Dome permit lifted directly from the official United States Government National Park Service website:  http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/hdpermits.htm

(The information duplicated below was for the 2015 season which will conclude in 9 days.... My advice would be to use the nps.gov.yose/planyourvisit website as it is updated for the 2016 season.

Half Dome Permits for Day Hikers

Permits to hike to the top of Half Dome are required seven days per week when the cables are up (as called for in the Half Dome Plan in order to protect wilderness character, reduce crowding, protect natural and cultural resources, and improve safety).

A maximum of 300 hikers are allowed (about 225 day hikers and 75 backpackers) each day on the Half Dome Trail beyond the base of the subdome.

Permits are distributed by lottery via Recreation.gov, with one preseason lottery with an application period in March and and daily lotteries during the hiking season. Backpackers—including those who want to spend the night in Little Yosemite Valley—should apply for Half Dome permits with their wilderness permit rather than using the process described below.

On each preseason lottery application, people can apply for up to six permits (six people) and for up to seven dates. Applications will only be successful if the number of permits requested is available on at least one of the requested dates. If enough permits are available for more than one of the requested dates, permits will be automatically awarded to the highest priority date, as entered by the applicant.

The applicant must specify the name of the trip leader and may specify the name of an alternate. Each person may apply as a trip leader only once per lottery. People applying multiple times as trip leader will have all their lottery applications canceled. Permits will only be valid if the trip leader and/or alternate specified on the permit is part of the group using the permits. The group with trip leader or alternate must be present together at the base of the subdome, where rangers will check for permits. The names of the trip leader and alternate may not be changed once the application is submitted, and their permits are not transferable.

Preseason Lottery

During the preseason lottery, 225 permits are available for each day. The application period for this lottery is from March 1 through March 31 (eastern time). Applicants will receive an email with lottery results in mid-April (or can get results online or by calling Recreation.gov). We are planning on the Half Dome cables being up May 22, 2015 through October 13, 2015, but these dates could change based on conditions.Update: The Half Dome cables will be installed and available for use beginning on May 2. All 225 day hiking permits will be available via the daily lottery, as described below.

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Can you see that little RED DOT in the center of this photograph?  That is me, sitting on a ledge at the summit of Half Dome. It was a bit lonely out there! The word, 'awesome' is often overused - I am pretty sure it applied last Thursday, only five days ago,  around noon when I was soaking in the vastness of Yosemite.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~    Tuesday MENU breakfast      Multigrain Rice Cakes, Chocolate Granola Bar  495 calories lunch            two large apples, center cut bacon 6 slices         400 calories dinner          Manhattan Clam Chowder, Oat+Honey bars       620 calories SNACK       Multigrain Rice Cakes, gala apple                       440 calories TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 1955 CALORIES                                                               ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  CALORIES BURNED MapMyWalk 1 hour, 2 minute walk 5 MILES                          1052 CALORIES Tuesday net calories 903 calories ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~   fitbit day 34 17374 steps ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Each time I take a 'workout walk' outside... I like to snap at least a photo or two of something that I see that is interesting.... Today, It was the giant carved pumpkin at the Lincoln Park Zoo ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  GREEN DOT - STARTING POINT RED DOT - ENDING POINT

HALF DOME CABLES

Today I need to talk about the cables at Half Dome.  The cables allow the hikers to ascend the final 425 feet to the top of Half Dome. This last part of the hike makes the first 4312 feet of ascension seem like a piece of cake by comparison. Rick Deutsch, author of "ONE BEST HIKE: YOSEMITE'S HALF DOME" has the same sense of humor as my brother when it comes to minimizing just how harrowing that final ascent is:

...the Half Dome hike becomes an extremely strenuous one.  Included is a harrowing 425 foot vertical climb up the approximately 45-degree incline on the back side of the granite slope.  Not to worry; this is accomplished with the aid of two steel cable handrails.

Not to worry...Two steel cable handrails?  Really? This makes it sound like one is holding onto a bannister while walking up a staircase. It is not quite that way. In discussing this hike with my brother two days later, we were trying to remember how many sets of poles we had traversed in order to get to the top.  I found my answer in Deutsch's book

Each of the two cables is actually assembled in thirds, with each run anchored to the granite rock.  The cables are held upright by 68 pairs of 3-foot pipes placed into 5-inch holes drilled into the rock.  To allow a hiker to stand vertical, 2-by-4-foot boards are loosely fastened to the pipes.

Although Yosemite National Park is open year-round, the trail to the top of Half Dome is not.  Again, I return to Deutch's book.

The pipes and boards are put in place by the NPS (National Park Service) trail crew every late May (weather permitting) and removed in early October (usually after Columbus Day).  It takes about 20 skilled people to carefully handle the pipes and boards.  They are secreted away in the off-season.  The cables themselves remain on the mountain year-round.  Although not prohibited, it is not advised to ascend Half Dome during the off-season unless you are a skilled big-wall climber.  It is very dangerous to use only the cables to rappel up and down. 

As I re-examine the passages of this book that speak of the cables - I discover that the author of "ONE BEST HIKE: YOSEMITE'S HALF DOME" is a master of understatement.  That he wrote that it is not advised to ascend Half Dome during the off-season is unintentionally funny.  As far as I am concerned that would be the equivalent of saying: It is not advisable to jump out of an airplane without a parachute! Both statements clearly good advice, and both statements seemingly unnecessary!  Just one man's opinion.

About 6 miles into the hike up the mountain, I was asked by my brother if I would consider making this same hike again.  At this point along the trail, I had not seen the final ascent other than pictures on the internet.  I emphatically replied that I would definitely do this again.  Shortly after making the final ascent and managing the cables back down to the sub-dome, I quickly amended my previous statement.   No, I would not be interested in making this hike again.  I would like to now amend this statement one time more.  I would make this hike again.

I realized that the biggest obstacle to climbing the cables and overcoming the 45-degree slope to the top of Half Dome was my increasing worry with every advancing step that I was going to have to figure out a way to get down.  As it turned out, navigating the cables down was much easier.  It did not require great strength.  Compared to the trip up, it was no problem.  This is not to say that it was simple, just that it was much easier.  Certainly the result of slipping would have been catastrophic, but one is not battling gravity in quite the same way on the way down.  And that makes a world of difference!

According to the Rick Deutsch book, more than 40,000 people attempt the Half Dome hike each year and most are successful.  This seems like a counter-intuitive statement at first.  If one takes into account the planning needed to secure a permit, and preparing for the hike by bringing the proper equipment, food and water after completing the proper physical training - I can see why a group drawn from this set of people would be successful.  There are no requirements set by the National Park Service restricting anyone based on age, size or strength.  THERE ARE MORE RESTRICTIONS FOR RIDES AT DISNEYLAND THAN THERE ARE AT HALF DOME.  At Half Dome there are NO restrictions.  Although no official records are kept, it appears that the common lowest age of successful hikers up Half Dome are as young as 10 years old.  Rick Deutsch claims to know people over the age of 80 who have made the ascent.  I made my ascent 42 days before my 58th birthday.  I can IMAGINE having the physical strength to do this again for a few more years - although I am guessing that that window will be shutting down before too long. That particular biological clock is ticking away inside of me...

The last tidbit of information that I want to share today is the length of the final ascent. As mentioned, the elevation of this ascent is 425 feet.  Rick Deutsch in his book uses the Pythagorean Theorem to divine the actual distance a hiker has to travel the cables.  He assumes a 45-degree angle (which might even be understated) and estimates the distance at a bit over 600 feet.  Climbing up that mountain that final 600 feet of an 8.2 mile hike from the trail head was the hardest 600 feet I have travelled in my life.  And absolutely worth it!  Getting down again also had it own rewards!

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On the way down from the summit of Half Dome I managed a selfie. In the photo my left hand is holding onto the cable and you can see the a part of the cable on my right.  As I remember it, I was about  2/3 down when I thought it was selfie time.

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 Saturday MENU

breakfast  oatmeal, bacon, three poached eggs                                550 calories
lunch        three KIND bars: Almond & Coconut                            570 calories
dinner       Homemade Chili, red delicious apple                             968 calories
SNACK   three Keebler fudge cookies                                            255 calories

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 2343 CALORIES

Two days after the Half Dome hike soreness kicked in, big time.  I felt a tightness in my thighs that made it difficult to climb up or down even one flight of stairs.  This did not prevent me from taking a 90 minute power-walk on the Chicago lakefront while my daughter was attending an enrichment class in preparation for a high school placement test.

MapMyWalk 6.74 miles  (14104 steps)  90 minutes                 1287 calories

CALORIES BURNED 1287 CALORIES

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Saturday net calories 1056 calories

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fitbit day 31

20926 steps
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final thought for the day:
According to the sign at the trail head, the trail to the summit is 8.2 miles.  According to Rick Deutsch, the cables portion of the trail is approximately 600 feet.  Those cables are the most talked about part of this trail.  Mathematically, they represent a tiny fraction of the distance: 

Total trail length=5280 ft/mile x 8.2 miles=43296 feet

600ft divided by 43296 feet=1.3%.

That last 1% of the Half Dome Trail is a portion of the trail that one will never forget.  I know I won't.
   

GENESIS OF THE HALF DOME TRIP

This morning I begin by quoting my own blog from April 19, 2015

My brother Andy has been trying to organize a trip with a small group of climbers for the past three years.   Two years ago his trip was scuttled during the United States Federal Government partial shut-down.  Last year, again, the trip was scuttled when the park was closed due to huge wild fires just two days before the planned summit.  Apparently, it was God's plan that I be invited and included in this expedition.  God was just waiting for me to lose 90 pounds so that I could be invited and would agree to participate.

The trip is scheduled for Thursday, October 1 in nearly six months time.  I think I have time to train and get myself physically and mentally prepared for this challenge.  The hike immediately becomes another one of my 'life-long dreams.'  (although this dream began less than 48 hours ago)

The weather forecast in the days leading up to October 1 were increasingly bad.  It was starting to appear to me that I had joined a doomed expedition.  This group of Half Dome hikers already had two consecutive cancellations in their history.  Our group was eating dinner in the Ahwahnee Lodge on Wednesday night and when we all saw that the forecast called for increasing probabilities of rain for Thursday as the day progressed, a true damper was cast over the evening.  One can hike in the rain.  One cannot climb up the final ascent if that slick granite (when dry) is actually wet.  The chance for rain by the 2:00PM hour was 100%.  None of us could actually recall seeing a forecast that was so sure of itself.  My experiences with weather reports is that the probability of rain given by meteorologists can be 80% while it is actually raining!   So, it did appear that rain was going to be part of our day.  And it was.  And it mattered not - as the rain held off just long enough for us to get to the final ascent and down again.  This trip had been 'cursed' twice before, long before I had gotten involved (cancelled by government shutdown, cancelled by wildfires)  Apparently, God, wanted to see us sweat a little bit - before allowing us to proceed to our goal.  In the end, God was cooperative.  So, I say this: Thank God. (literally)

Once we had made the summit and navigated the cables back down to the sub-dome, and managed to hike off the subdome back to the tree line, it did start to rain again.  For a little while it rained hard.  I will be honest, I couldn't have cared less.  I was still focused on thinking about what I had just accomplished.  The hike still had another 9 miles to go before we returned to our car which was parked in Curry Village.  In fact, before the day was over, we would actually see deep blue skies. which were followed by more rain.  God threw us no more curveballs that we couldn't handle.

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I checked the type of workouts that I was doing back when I initially agreed to participate in this hike.  Apparently I had already made the switch to the elliptical machine from the original workout of choice, which had been the treadmill.  On April 19, when I agreed to participate in the hike, my workout was 42 minutes on the elliptical machine and the machine was reporting a burn of just under 500 calories.  I am well aware that the calories reported by exercise equipment is not accurate.  However the statistics that these machines produce are very effective in showing relative performance and improvement.  On the very same machine that I was burning under 500 calories in 42 minutes, I currently burn 2000+ calories in 92 minutes with the resistance setting set to maximum.  Does this mean that my workouts today on that same machine requiring 300% more energy?   (500 calories compared with 2000 calories)  Actually, that is exactly what I think it means. It is clear that I vastly improved my strength and endurance in the 165 days advance notice I was given before the day of the hike.

Back then, in April I had no experience climbing a flight of stairs.  This time, I am going to quote my own blog from Monday May 25th,

My confidence started to uptick when I did nothing more exotic than bounding up five flights of stairs on the way to my workout on Saturday.   On Sunday, my confidence SOARED when I discovered that I could walk up 13 (thirteen) flights of stairs from my 12th floor apartment to the 25th floor where the fitness room is located.  If I can do this, and I can, because I did, then maybe I really can train to ascend 4800 feet from the base in the valley of HALF DOME to its Summit.  I HAVE CONFIDENCE IN ME.  It feels great. No longer scared, I am more excited than ever.  I am going to continue stair climbing. My building is 25 floors from ground floor to the top where the fitness room is located.  I will work on navigating all 25 floors prior to working out... Once I accomplish that, I may start to time myself to get better at this.  Now I also know that I don't have to be fearful of stepping onto a STAIRMASTER machine if/when I see one at a YMCA.  I should, and I will embrace the opportunity.  

It is very enjoyable for me to remember a time, just four months ago that I was crowing about my new ability to climb 5 and then 12 flights of stairs.  I was crowing about this because at the time it was only five months earlier that I remembered how I struggled to walk up three flights of stairs to visit some neighbors for dinner.  When I discovered that I could walk up 5 and then 12 flights of stairs without getting winded, I was genuinely very proud of myself.  It is important to remember that the training required to walk up 5 or 12 flights is not quite sufficient to get oneself prepared for a 5000 foot climb.  The thing is, one has to start somewhere... One has to start at the point where one is at.... I did start.  It was only three weeks ago when I successfully proved to myself that I could climb 400 flights of stairs in one day - because I did it.  After that accomplishment, I will admit that I had the greatly increased confidence that I could successfully navigate Half Dome.

Confidence though is a funny thing.  On Tuesday, in San Carlos after 'checking in' at my brothers house.  I walked with Jimmy (the photographer of the stupendous photo below) back up the hill from town with our small bag of groceries.  I don't know if the hill was 150 feet or 200 feet.  All I do know is that the steep incline of this hill was difficult and challenging. That grocery walk to 'downtown' San Carlos sapped a lot of the confidence that I had built up over nearly 6 months.  It turned out that that was my own mind playing tricks with me.  I did do almost everything I needed to do to be prepared for Half Dome.   The one thing I avoided, which I now know that I shouldn't have was working on upper body strength.  Climbing those cables for the last 150 feet required every ounce of strength in my arms.  One does not simply walk up to the summit while holding onto the cables.  One uses the cables to to advance inch by inch.  I do think that that only those who have done this can understand this.  I just did it, and I am going to be remembering and relishing this accomplishment for the rest of my life.  

Our team of six hikers included Jimmy Ferguson who is a very serious photographer hobbyist. (instagram: jrfbrooklyn) Not only did he take this picture, but he first 'discovered' that this would be a cool picture if anyone was 'crazy' enough to sit out on that ledge.  Apparently, among the six of us, I was the craziest.  The truth is, there was ZERO DANGER in getting to this spot - although it is not a great place for someone uncomfortable with looking down.   I treasure this photo.  A few weeks from now, I am looking forward to seeing the version of this shot taken with 200mm black and white film, also by Jimmy.

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224.6 lbs

I weigh 224.6 lbs.

I lost 2.2 lbs this week

I have lost 84.4 lbs in 283 days. Today begins Day 284.

I will always be at the beginning of a journey that never ends.

I weigh 224.6 (283 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 27.3% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 30.04 

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 276 days ago (Class III obesity)

I had a goal set nearly 6 months ago to train for  a Half Dome hike.  Today, I have a question for myself:  Now What?
Luckily, I have an answer for myself as well: Keep Going.

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 Friday MENU

breakfast  Apples/Cinammon Quaker Oatmeal, mixed fruit salad  620 calories 
lunch        SUSHI                                                                             680 calories
dinner       (during plane trip) apple, granola, toasted coconut      1550 calories
SNACKS Vanilla Powerbar, genoa salami w/provolone cheese     400 calories

TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 3250 CALORIES

calories burned

AFTER HALF DOME HIKE - GOOD DAY TO GIVE MY BODY A REST.
We checked into a Salida, California Marriott Fairfield Thursday evening.  In the morning, we continued to the San Francisco Bay Area in order for some of us to catch their various flights back home.  My flight was scheduled for 3:55PM Pacific Time.  I was scheduled to arrive Chicago 12:30AM Central Time.

CALORIES BURNED 0 CALORIES

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Friday net calories 3250 calories

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fitbit day 30
12089 steps
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after logging 54101 steps on Thursday, I simply couldn't bear looking at my fitbit hovering in the neighborhood of 5000 steps when I was at the airport waiting for my flight home.  45 minutes, marching in place solved that problem.  As goofy as I might have looked - many people knew exactly what and why I was doing this.  "Counting steps?"they asked.
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I received these two photos via email today.  These were snapped by Matt, another guy from the Half Dome expedition.  

This is what he wrote in the email:

Hi Marc.  Here are a couple of good shots of you being crazy!

I have to be honest with you... I thought the other guys were crazy NOT to take advantage of this amazing photo opportunity!  

SUCCESS!

The roundtrip hike up to the summit of Half Dome began at 6:15AM.
The summit was reached at 11:30AM.
The hiking group returned to the origin point approximately 6:30PM.
The length of the hike was approximately 20+ miles.
The fitbit recorded that we climbed the equivalent of 563 flights of stairs.
It was cold.
It was hot.
There was sunshine.
There was rain.
There (apparently) was (a thin layer of) ice on the final ascent which we managed to avoid.
There were a number of wardrobe changes.
There was anxiety about a bad weather report promising 100% chance of rain.
There was great joy as the rain held off almost completely until we reached the summit.
There was a carefree attitude walking in rain after making summit.
There was exuberance when the sun came out and blue skies appeared for a while.
This was an epic day.

.
Today is a day to post pictures....lots of pictures.... I will have lots to say about this hike in the coming days.... Right now it is sleepy time!

It has been months and months since I have stuffed this many calories into my system.  On the other hand, it has likely been never since I have burned so many calories in a single day.  The body does need fuel.

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 THURSday MENU

breakfast   two hard-boiled eggs, two large Gala apples                    416 calories
lunch        almonds, mango slices, four oranges, date pieces,
                 raw pumpkin seeds, Kale Crunch                                    2656 calories
(This was not really lunch - it was more of a non-stop eating (fueling) situation.
dinner      FISH TACOS (MEXICAN RESTAURANT)                     629 calories
SNACK   Le Noir Chocolate Bar, Firecracker Dark Chocolate,
                 three CLIFF BARS                                                          1260 calories

total calories consumed 4961 calories                                                              

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CALORIES BURNED

20 mile hike, nearly 5000 feet increase in elevation... 7240 calories
(This is what the fitbit suggested... who am I to argue?)

THURSday net calories 2279 calorie DEFECIT!

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fitbit day 29

54101 steps
563 floors

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