An electrifying experience....

One week to go (almost). I'm through training other than my usual long walks, and work-outs in the gym. I'm as fit (or unfit) as I'm going to get.

I have had been thinking about a new / specialized pair of shoes to wear on the granite, something that sticks like spiderman’s feet. Rock climbing shoes! I used to have multiple pairs for different types of climbs, and the ones for steep slopes were great. I once did a free (unroped) pre-climb up a 50 degree ramp, relying on my sticky shoes for a few hundred feet of vertical. That would work for Half Dome. So, off to REI again to use my $20 bonus coupon from buying the new pack. One thing I did not count on though - changes in technology and shoe sizes in the decades since I gave the sport up. I tried on a few non-aggressive pairs in my own size, and my feet immediately cramped. Climbing shoes were always uncomfortable (painful really) but these were much worse than I had encountered in the past. I considered a pair of approach shoes which can be used for smearing on steep slopes, but $250 for hiking shoes. Really? I think not. So, I opted for a new pair of hiking shoes to replace my Keens’s, which are a bit worn out, and which have a newer Vibram sticky sole (“megagrip”). Comfort and a bit more grip sound like a good combination.

The problem with the Park Service lottery, is that you submit a bunch of dates that might work, and then hope one of them is picked. I picked a bunch of dates in July, and one in August in an attempt to hit it during the dry season. Of course, I was awarded the one in August, but I figured I’d be safe since it was early in the month. Not having anything to worry about now that I have conquered all of my hanging fears and bought all the gear I need, I started looking at the long term weather forecast for Yosemite. Sunny skies, warm, 0% humidity until the 29th. We then go from party cloudy, to scattered thunderstorms with a 50% chance of precipitation….until the 3rd. Crap. I can now worry about hiking 8.5 miles to the start of the cables, and getting getting a big thunderstorm role in. I have had enough lightning experiences in the Colorado high peaks, including close encounters of the electrical kind where everything is sparking, and the granite starts humming. Really, it happens. I've also been stuck on a rope when a lighting storm rolled down the canyon, half-way up a climb, with lots of metal climbing gear on a sling around my neck. I levitated the last pitch. 

So the thought of holding onto a steel cable in the middle of an electrical storm, does not resonate with (or through) me. Hopefully, if we start early enough, with our trusty headlamps shining brightly, we can get to the top early enough to miss any storms. That and the weather forecast keeps changing. I'm not going to worry, I'm not going to worry....I'll keep repeating that until Monday night.

One more entry before I leave.