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I didn't make it to the top of Half Dome because it was getting late, I was exhausted and didn't want to be the final idiot to fall off in the dark and get it closed for everyone. Despite not being at my most fit, I think I am in good enough shape to make the full trek if I had started earlier after a full night of decent sleep. And packed more sustenance than three Cliff Bars and a 20oz bottle of water. And had sunblock. And lipbalm. And was wearing my knee braces (damn that last one makes me feel old.)
This isn't a list of regrets; it is a plan for next time, because I had awesome adventures and something really has to go wrong to have a bad hiking day in Yosemite. Despite that list of insufficiencies, I did upwards of 15 miles, over 2000 feet of altitude gain, and had an awesome time.
The night before was spent at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
iridium.chez(Fresno), and quiet down time and good conversation exactly what I needed. I crashed on a spare bed and got to break in my new sleeping bag, but a -32ºC rated bag is a bit warm for inside use, so I spent the night overheating, kicking the bag off, being a bit chill, getting back in, and damn 5:30 comes early.
The drive from Fresno is more gentle than coming in through Manteca, I found a gas station with the orange Rockstars, had a smoothie and oatmeal in Oakhurst, and was amused by a playful raven while stopped for roadwork. I think November may be the best time of year in the park, it is still warm in the middle of the day, most of the deciduous trees have figured out it is autumn and are a beautiful yellow, and the park isn't as crowded as in high summer.
Most of the people out hiking were in pairs or groups. Of the few loners, most were women for the day hikes, but the one lone overnight backpacker I encountered was a guy (He stopped me and asked if he could ask a random favor. I threw up my hands and said "Purple!". There was a moment of bafflement before he laughed and asked me if I happened to have napkins or a handkerchief he could have. I didn't have that, but there was gauze in my first aid pocket, which would work for cleaning lenses and occasional sniffles for the next few days.) This gender imbalance in lone hikers is in a bit of contrast to that of the groups which were either all male, or co-ed bust mostly male. Despite some creative mulling in an attempt to extrapolate some sociological insight from this very limited survey, I haven't managed to come up with even a marginally plausible theory. Do guys need to have buddies when hiking? Why do women not go in groups without guys but somehow are more inclined to go by themselves?
I don't think I will manage to get back to Yosemite before winter sets in, so will have to hold off on attempting Half Dome again (with better planning for a difficult 10-14 hour hike, duh.) till next spring.
This isn't a list of regrets; it is a plan for next time, because I had awesome adventures and something really has to go wrong to have a bad hiking day in Yosemite. Despite that list of insufficiencies, I did upwards of 15 miles, over 2000 feet of altitude gain, and had an awesome time.
The night before was spent at
iridium.chez(Fresno), and quiet down time and good conversation exactly what I needed. I crashed on a spare bed and got to break in my new sleeping bag, but a -32ºC rated bag is a bit warm for inside use, so I spent the night overheating, kicking the bag off, being a bit chill, getting back in, and damn 5:30 comes early. The drive from Fresno is more gentle than coming in through Manteca, I found a gas station with the orange Rockstars, had a smoothie and oatmeal in Oakhurst, and was amused by a playful raven while stopped for roadwork. I think November may be the best time of year in the park, it is still warm in the middle of the day, most of the deciduous trees have figured out it is autumn and are a beautiful yellow, and the park isn't as crowded as in high summer.
Most of the people out hiking were in pairs or groups. Of the few loners, most were women for the day hikes, but the one lone overnight backpacker I encountered was a guy (He stopped me and asked if he could ask a random favor. I threw up my hands and said "Purple!". There was a moment of bafflement before he laughed and asked me if I happened to have napkins or a handkerchief he could have. I didn't have that, but there was gauze in my first aid pocket, which would work for cleaning lenses and occasional sniffles for the next few days.) This gender imbalance in lone hikers is in a bit of contrast to that of the groups which were either all male, or co-ed bust mostly male. Despite some creative mulling in an attempt to extrapolate some sociological insight from this very limited survey, I haven't managed to come up with even a marginally plausible theory. Do guys need to have buddies when hiking? Why do women not go in groups without guys but somehow are more inclined to go by themselves?
I don't think I will manage to get back to Yosemite before winter sets in, so will have to hold off on attempting Half Dome again (with better planning for a difficult 10-14 hour hike, duh.) till next spring.