RAIN DELAY

I have hiked, walked, marched, stepped, traipsed, strolled, rambled, sauntered, and schlepped on  trails, beaches, hills, mountains, valleys and roads for the past many weeks and months. Mostly I have been lucky and avoided rain. Remarkably, during my epic Half Dome Hike in Yosemite last October, our group actually did manage to catch rain, which was no small accomplishment since it more or less, 'never' rains in California and rains even less during droughts. On that hike we beat the odds. On my hikes closer to home I have been very lucky and mostly avoided getting wet other than from own sweat which is not inconsequential on days when the temperatures are north of 90°F.  I was caught in real thunderstorm during a recent hike in Wisconsin, but that was memorable as it was so rare for that to happen to me. So, is there a point to any of this preamble? Yesterday when I woke up, the skies somehow managed to look darker after the dawn than they had during the actual night. This is an optical illusion of course, but it is still very unsettling to see such darkness when a new day is first unwrapping itself. Still, I thought I might take a little walk. Sometimes, dark skies, are blown away and rains don't come. Yesterday was not one of those days. An early morning hike was curtailed when the rains started when I was only 1 mile from home. I took refuge in a grocery store thinking I could wait out the storm, but the forecast was for a few hours of continuous rain - so I simply walked back the one mile in the pouring rain.  In the late afternoon, the rains had completely dissipated, although the threat for more had not. Still I ventured out, managed an eight mile hike which was marred only by a mild drizzle towards the end. When the day was done, I still had managed to walk ten miles. Always an accomplishment, no matter how dubious. 

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rain-shortened early morning walk, not even three miles.

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Your Food Diary For:

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

BREAKFAST	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bar	380	58	14	6	270	22
Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal	600	108	10	16	0	4
	980	166	24	22	270	26
L U N C H
Home Made - Garden Salad, 1 bowl	100	6	0	4	400	4
Fried Chicken Tenders	300	17	20	14	766	2
Hash browns - Hash Browns	200	46	0	6	86	3
Quaker Chewy - Chocolate Chunk	180	38	4	2	160	14
	780	107	24	26	1,412	23
D I N N E R
Curry Chicken With Rice	800	233	23	46	1,740	9
	800	233	23	46	1,740	9
S N A C K S
Generic - Hersheys Dark Chocolate	500	28	38	9	100	11
Roundy's - Honey Nut Tasteeos, 3 cup	440	88	6	8	560	36
	940	116	44	17	660	47
Totals	3,500	622	115	111	4,082	105
Your Daily Goal	4,298	537	143	215	2,300	161
Remaining	798	-85	28	104	-1,782	56
	Calories kcal	Carbs g	Fat g	Protein g	Sodium mg	Sugar g
	*You've earned 2,368 extra calories from exercise today

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
2.6 mile rain-shortened hike	34	512
EIGHT MILE afternoon hike	96	1,770
Add Exercise Quick Tools
Daily Total / Goal	130 / 30	2,282 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	400 / 210	6,436 / 4,130

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I'd WALK A MILE FOR A CAMEL

'I'd walk a mile for a Camel' was the catchphrase slogan for Camel Cigarettes for decades in the 20th century.  I suppose the implication was that even if another brand of cigarettes could more easily be obtained, it would be worth the walk to get a Camel brand smoke.  Now, I would not walk 1 yard for a Camel cigarette or any other type of cigarette, nevertheless, this week I did walk a lot of miles.

Way back on Friday, January 30th, my blog reported that I had walked 80 miles for the week.

20 hours on the treadmill.  'Walking' 4 mph -  80 miles (January 2015)

272.7 lbs. I did weigh 272.7 lbs on January 31st.  By January 31, my weight had already declined by 36 lbs.  This is the part of my blog from that date that explained how disappointed I was with my progress on that specific week:

Saturday, January 31, 2015

          THE SCALE OF JUSTICE DID NOT TIP IN MY FAVOR

This week I went wild with 20 hours on the treadmill.
I continued to consume less than 1000 calories each day.
I was expecting a very satisfying result on the scale.
I was so excited with anticipation, it was hard to fall asleep last night.
AND YET, WHEN I STEPPED ONTO THE SCALE THIS MORNING, I WOULD BE LYING IF I SAID THAT I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.
It seemed unjust to me that I spent 20 hours on a treadmill and 'only' lost 3.7 lbs.

Now, let us fast forward to today.  Today is Saturday October 24th, nearly 7 months after I was 'disappointed' that I had only lost 3.7 lbs in a week where I was eating less than 1000 calories per day and that I walked 80 miles.  I recall thinking at the time,  that walking was not my exercise of choice any more.

SOMETIMES THINGS CHANGE.

Ever since my successful hike UP & DOWN HALF DOME in Yosemite Park, I have discovered that walking is absolutely invigorating.  I enjoy strapping on a backpack filled with water and/or apples and/or couple of granola bars and logging some serious miles at a pace very near 4.5 mph.  I previously believed that I would unlikely walk 80 miles in one week again.  It simply seemed preposterous. I was wrong.

This week I walked 122 miles!
Saturday     October 17          16 miles
Sunday       October 18          19.1 miles
Monday      October 19          13.1 miles
Tuesday      October 20          18.1 miles
Wednesday October 21          26.2 miles
Thursday     October 22         17.1 miles
Friday         October 23          13.1 miles

GRAND TOTAL MILES WALKED OCTOBER 17-23           122 MILES

I am fairly certain that this might be a personal record that might not be broken for a long time.  I do not want to break this record.  I want to revel in the accomplishment and maintain a much more balance approach in the future.  Still, I am glad that I completed this week of half-marathons.  Today, Saturday, there is a strong possibility that I will not get the opportunity for any walking at all...  No problem, I am guessing that my legs and feet could use the rest... I will still log many steps on the fitbit walking back on forth on the giant Quilt Market Show floor...

When this week started, I weighed 220.1 lbs.  It was with great anticipation that I stepped onto my scale this morning, after all this walking and walking and walking... (and plenty of eating as well...)

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219.0 lbs

I weigh 219.0 lbs.

I lost 1.1 lbs this week

I have lost 90.0 lbs in 304 days. Today begins Day 305.

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

I weigh 219.0 lbs (304 days ago I weighed 309 lbs)

I have lost 29.1% of my weight since Dec 24.

I have a BMI, body mass index of 29.29

I had a 42.0 BMI on Dec 24 just 304 days ago (Class III obesity)

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Your Food Diary For:

Friday, October 23, 2015

BREAKFAST	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Omelette - 3-egg Omelette With Cheese, 3 eggs	425	0	21	28	650	2
Roundy's - Center Cut Bacon, 3 Slices	70	0	4	7	220	0
Tropicana - Orange Juice - 100% Juice, 20 fl oz	280	66	0	4	40	56
Fruit Salad - Mixed Fruit, 3 cup	270	72	1	30	66	30
	1,045	138	26	69	976	88
L U N C H
Kellogg's - Special K Original 0.81 Oz. (23g) Single Serve Box, 2 Box (23g)	180	34	0	10	340	6
Cheerios - Small Box 5/8 Oz., 5/8 oz.	60	12	1	2	85	1
Kellogg's - Raisin Bran - Single Serving Box (1.52 Oz/43g), 1 box	140	34	1	3	150	13
Cookies - Chocolate chip, soft-type, 1 oz	130	17	7	1	92	0
Alive & Radiant Foods - Kale Krunch - Quite Cheezy, 2.2 oz	220	20	15	9	572	2
	730	117	24	25	1,239	22
D I N N E R
Generic - Mahi Mahi, 7 oz.	216	0	2	47	224	0
Potato - Potato - Mashed, 0.5 cup	120	16	4	5	100	8
Steamed Green Beans - Steamed Green Beans, 0.5 cup	22	5	0	2	2	0
Seafood Gumbo - Seafood Gumbo, 2 cup	312	18	10	22	1,206	0
	670	39	16	76	1,532	8
S N A C K S
Dewars - Scotch 1 oz. Shot, 4 oz.	276	0	0	0	0	0
	276	0	0	0	0	0
Totals	2,721	293	67	169	3,747	118
Your Daily Goal	5,074	634	169	254	2,300	190
Remaining	2,353	340	102	84	-1,447	72
	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar

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       Your Exercise Diary for:

Friday, October 23, 2015

Cardiovascular	Minutes	Calories Burned
Walking, 4.5 mph, very, very brisk pace	168	2,645
MFP iOS calorie adjustment	N/A	270
Daily Total / Goal	169 / 30	2,915 / 590
Weekly Total / Goal	1132 / 210	19,294 / 4,130

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TOTAL CALORIES CONSUMED 2721 CALORIES
TOTAL CALORIES BURNED 2645 CALORIES
NET CALORIES 76 CALORIES

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fitbit day 51

41000 steps

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My brother game me a vintage 1998 Rolling Stones shirt that he purchased nearly 20 years ago.  A very nice gift, indeed!

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I was not planning on taking any more long outdoor walks during my Houston trip.  The tradeshow begins today, Saturday, and I will not have any more 3 hour blocks of time to take a 13 mile stroll.  Tradeshow days can be long starting with breakfast, long hours on the show floor and dinner with colleagues.  I owned my feet, legs and body a rest anyway.  It appears that outside conditions may not be so favorable for the next few days as the remnant of Hurricane Patricia will have a large impact on Texas

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.