Half Dome

So, David and I survived Half Dome-barely. We had this grand idea to hike Half Dome this past Saturday so we drove out to Sonoma, CA to spend the night in a hotel. We then woke up at 3:30am (what is this, a surgery rotation?), drove the hour and a half to the Happy Isles trailhead and started our trek. Before we left the parking lot we encountered a bear, David's least favorite animal. It is a surprise that we didn't just turn around then and there. We then hiked for 3 hours up the most beautiful valley I have ever seen. It wasn't until an hour after that that David tells me that he pulled a muscle in his left hip and can't flex his hip without a lot of pain. He refuses to turn around because by that time we are two miles from Half Dome and he's going to "work through the pain." He then proceeds to hike uphill by pulling up on his shorts to lift his leg every time he needs to take a step with his left leg. As we near the Half Dome the hypoxia really sets in. We each get extremely tachycardic after just a few steps. We get tachycardic eating a sandwich. Finally we see our goal, or as David calls it "his Biatch." Again, we almost turn back. Then we're at the base of the cables where you pretty much have to pull yourself up the vertical, granite face of Half Dome by only your arms and sheer willpower. And then we are at the top! It was amazing, beautiful, and scary all at the same time. Then, we had to slide down the cables and not fall off the mountain. We then started the long trek back. I almost had a mental breakdown when we were still 2 hours from the bottom because I was tired and my feet were hurting and I just wanted off. We contemplated having the ranger call a helicopter for us. Eventually we made it down with bruised toes-wear properly fitting shoes if you go! We then drove back to the hotel for a good night's sleep. Since that time David and I have been very stiff, hardly able to walk, waiting for our toenails to fall off and I have acquired a URI in the process. Regardless of the tough times, it was the most amazing and beautiful hike. David and I have learned a lot about each other during the process. I highly recommend it to everyone that wants to go, just be prepared.