Hem fet el cim! Half Dome!

Escrit 10/07/2008

6:00am, comencem el trekking del Half Dome: 25 km, 1500 metres de desnivell fins arribar al cim, a 2695 m. Teoricament no es recomanable ferlo en un sol dia, xro es pot fer. Una de les gran excursions dels USA! Les dues primeres hores s'han passat rapid perque encara feia fresca i em passat les Vernal i Nevada falls, dues cascades impressionants. El cami ha continuat pujant fins arribar a la base de la muntanya, tot aixo sota un sol lacerant a 30 i pico graus. Per acabar, els ultims 400 metres es fan amb una inclinacio de 45 graus, ajudant-te per uns cables. Durissim! Pero a merescut la pena; un cop a dalt les vistes eren espectaculars.

La part dura es la baixada, amb constant descens i un sol de justicia. X sort hi havia el riu Merced, on ens em refrescat. Despres d'11 hores de caminar, podem dir que em fet el cim!

Reventats xro contents conduim fins a Fresno on fa un calor de mort i dormim en un motel, esperant anar dema a veure les Sequoies!

C&C

6AM, the trekking to the top of the Half Dome starts. 25km round-trip and 1500 meters of altitude gain to the top (2695m). They recommend to sleep half-way, but we prefer to do it in one day. This is one of the great treks in the USA. The first 2 hours go fast ... it is still cool weather. We already passed the Vernal and Nevada Falls, impressive both. We keep going up, all the way to the base of the dome, under a hitting sun at 30 degrees. To finish the effort, the last 400meters are done using some cables, as the wall is too steep (45 degrees, see pic). It was hard, but once at the top, it was worth it. And from the top, the view is extraordinary.

The hardest part is going down, with hard and steep downhills and the sun hitting fully. And we run out of water ... so it becomes harder. Even we have Merced River next to us, water needs to be purified and we don't have the gear to do so. But after 11 hours, we are back ... and we've made it! Summit!

Really beat but happy, we drive to Fresno where a heat wave is killing us. We sleep at a hotel, waiting for tomorrow to see the Sequoias!

[last 200 meters, up using the cables]

[that's how you do it!]

[Cristian, arriving at the top ... tired!]

[Cesc and Cristian, top of the half dome, thanks to a fellow climber]

[going down ... much easier :D ]

[serious ... so steep is the wall ... that's why you need cables]