Yosemite
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1611 photos
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Here's half dome!
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Rachel.
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Cooking breakfast the next morning.
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Has anyone ever gotten a whisperlite to work on the...
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Here presented plain-as-day is the brie cheese which Mr....
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Our awesome campsite.
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There he is! The bandit!
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Wow, the tent looked so shiny and white and clean back then.
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Looking over the map.
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Still charting out a course.
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John on Yosemite Point.
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John again, sans sunglasses, looking like an idiot.
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Trying to hold still for a picture while the mosquitos...
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Oh never mind.
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Happy now?
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John, thinking deep thoughts, peering through Yosemite's...
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Hi.
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Rachel at Indian Rock.
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Rachel at Indian Rock, zoomed out.
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Rachel, near our campsite on the second night.
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One of my favorite all time shots. Rach in the middle of...
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Moon over Tenaya Canyon and Half Dome. Half Dome looks...
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Tenaya Canyon. Cloud's Rest is the peak at the far...
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John, looking like he has been photoshopped into this...
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Rach, feeling ready for a bath or shower.
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At the road, back on the valley floor of Yosemite.
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Rachel and a big tree in the Yosemite Grove of Giant Sequoias.
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John, next to a big tree trunk in the Yosemite Grove.
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Dad and Half Dome. On the Yosemite Falls trail.
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Dad and Half Dome again. On the Yosemite Falls trail.
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John hasn't had his V8 today.
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Dad nearing the top of Yosemite Falls.
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Dad nearing the top of Yosemite Falls.
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John and Dad at the top of Yosemite Falls.
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A long way down.
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Dad and John somewhere along the JMT / Mist Trail.
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Dad in front of our tent cabin in Curry Village.
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Dad finds some hot coffee to warm him up early in the morning.
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Dad gawking at the multi-thousand foot high granite walls.
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Dad in front of the Curry Village Dining Pavillion sign.
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Glacier Point viewed from Curry Village.
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Dad in Curry Village.
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John ready to go hiking. In front of our tent cabin in...
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John and some big trees.
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Dad in front of some big trees at Wawona Grove of Giant Sequoias.
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Dad in front of one of the really big trees in Wawona. ...
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John and Dad walking through a tree.
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John finds a short cut.
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Dad in front of a big tree.
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John on top of Fallen Tunnel Tree.
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John on top of Fallen Tunnel Tree.
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John and Catherine on Panorama Cliff.
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Rachel drying our feet after our river crossing.
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John chillin' in the shades outside the tent. ...
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Making breakfast. Dad and Rachel.
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John fetching water from the stream.
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Rachel drying off her feet after our river ford.
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Dad drying off his feet after our river ford.
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John, Dad and Rachel. River successfully forded without...
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John and Dad hiking.
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John perched on a rock to get a better view of Nevada...
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Catherine and the faint trail of far-off Yosemite Falls...
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Catherine and Yosemite Falls. On aptly named Panorama...
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Catherine and Half Dome.
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Catherine and John examining the map on the Panorama Cliff trail.
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Catherine and John again on the Panorama Cliff trail.
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John and Catherine with Glacier Point in the background.
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Catherine hiking in Yosemite on the Panorama Cliff trail.
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Catherine on the bridge possibly over Illilouette River.
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John and Rachel in Yosemite.
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Dad with Dana (?) peak in the background.
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Dad with Dana (?) peak in the background.
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Catherine John and Rachel next to a big tree in the...
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Catherine Dad and John next to a big tree in the Merced...
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John and Mom at Tunnel View in Yosemite National Park. ...
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Mom at the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls.
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Mom and the Yosemite River.
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Half Dome wraps itself in a cloud.
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Royal Arches and North Dome.
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Tini and John in Housekeeping Camp.
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Royal Arches. I think there is a 5.8 A0 climb (14+...
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It's a bird... It's a plane... It's Half Dome!
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Stephan at Tunnel View.
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Rachel, John, and Tini relaxing among the big trees.
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John, king of the tree.
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John, Tini, and Rachel hanging out of Fallen Tunnel Tree...
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Tini, John, and Rachel walking among the big trees.
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Stephan holding two sequoias apart.
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Half Dome, as viewed from Glacier Point.
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Half Dome again from somewhere along Panarama Cliff. ...
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Half Dome and burnt out forest.
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Tini John and Rachel at perhaps the bridge above...
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Stephan spots a mule deer.
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Fire + Half Dome = Crazy pretty.
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Setting up camp.
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Smiling for the camera.
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John and Tini warm themselves by the fire.
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Group photo. Rachel, John, Tini, and Stephan. Half...
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John and Rachel pump water from the mighty Merced...
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John, Rachel, and Tini at the Nevada Falls overlook.
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Rachel on the never-ending stairmaster. Tenaya Canyon...
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The hand cables to the top of Half Dome.
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John trying to ponder the yonder.
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Rachel and Tini enjoy the view. Shame there are no...
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John again pondering the yonder.
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This seating position says "I'm scared of heights" much...
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Not a bad view at all. Tini, John, and Rachel.
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Tini, on top of the world.
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John and Rachel, top of Half Dome.
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Group Photo: Stephan, John, Tini, and Rachel. Top of Half Dome.
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It's a long way down from here.
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The diving board :).
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The diving board again. Awesome composition. All we...
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Stephan and Tini. Happy to be off the cables.
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Stephan.
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The mighty Merced.
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Rachel standing on some Fourth (third technically) of July snow.
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Rachel in front of the Tuolumne river near the flooded...
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Self photography in front of the rushing Tuolumne River.
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Poor little tree.
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This part of the hike was crazy. It basically involved...
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John looks dashing with a scarf tied around his neck. ...
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Cooking dinner once again.
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Mmmm... food.
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Sunset in the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne.
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Still eating dinner...
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The sun is almost gone!
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Mmmm.... Alpine Aire peach cobbler + in the tent to...
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The scenery wasn't much to write home about on this trip.
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John on the bridge over the Tuolumne River next to the...
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The flooded campground
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Rachel on the bridge over the Tuolumne River near the...
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Pretty waterfall above the bridge.
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A sort of crazy water cascade.
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John next to one of the upper Tuolumne Falls.
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Rachel next to one of the upper Tuolumne Falls.
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John standing in front of a waterfall on the upper...
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Rachel with the Cathedral Range in the background.
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John with the Cathedral Range in the background.
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John and Rachel, post-hike at Olmsted Point, Half Dome...
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John at the base of the southwest buttress of Cathedral...
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Colin (small, upper left) leading on the first pitch of...
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Colin, continuing the ascent up the first pitch of...
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Colin placing a piece on the first pitch of Cathedral Peak.
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Colin, squeezing himself into the chimney at the start...
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John at the belay station at the bottom of the 3rd (I...
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Colin, apparently veering off route too far to the left...
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Colin, placing a piece on what I think was the 4th pitch.
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Colin setting up an anchor at what turns out not to be...
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Colin anchor shot number 2.
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Colin twenty feet from the top of Cathedral Peak, with...
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John sitting on the top of Cathedral Peak with Tuolumne...
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Eichorn's Pinnacle with Cathedral Lake directly behind...
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Give me camera.
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I like short approach hikes. At right: car. At top...
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Second pitch of Western Country (5.7). John on lead. ...
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John on lead again.
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Rachel, self-portrait, having her picture taken...
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Rachel and Tenaya Lake.
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John at the top of pitch 2 of Western Country, Tenaya...
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Rachel, finding her way up pitch 3 of Western Country.
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We could not have asked for a more beautiful, albeit a...
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Rachel at the top of Stately Pleasure Dome. The poetic...
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Hiking off the dome.
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Tenaya Lake on the hike down -- Half Dome faintly...
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Careful, don't slip!
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On flat ground again. Rachel and the conquered Stately...
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Detail of the climbing route. Need to get Photoshop to...
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11,000 ft. Cathedral Peak looming over Tuolumne, with alpenglow.
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John with Cathedral Lake (and maybe Mariolumne Dome?) in...
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John with Eichorn's Pinnacle (right) and Cathedral Peak...
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Eichorn's Pinnacle. Note snow on northern facing (near) flank.
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Cathedral Lake, Mariolumne DOme, and snow.
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Trees, so very small looking from up here.
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Tuolumne high country. Somewhere in there amongst all...
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John & Eichorn's Pinnacle.
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John with Rachel reflected in the sunglasses.
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Hmm, starting to get a little snowy.
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Rachel, nearly at the top.
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Snow starting to get a bit deeper.
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Time to start using a rope.
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Rachel and Cathedral Peak (left-most block is actually the top).
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Self-portrait #1.
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Self-portrait #2.
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Climbing down hard work. Rappelling much more fun.
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Goodnight, Eichorn's Pinnacle. *Shaking fist*: "I'll be...
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Alpenglow on Eichorn's and Cathedral. October days are short.
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Tenaya Canyon on the approach to Cloud's Rest.
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Half dome, from the top of Cloud's Rest.
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Half dome, from the top of Cloud's Rest.
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Looking northeast from Cloud's Rest.
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6,000 ft down to the valley floor
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Polished white granite of Tenaya Canyon.
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Half dome and haze moving across the valley.
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Yosemite valley.
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Northwest wall of Tenaya Canyon. Indian Rock somewhere...
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Knobby featured rock along Cloud's Rest.
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Cathedral Peak, which I climbed with Colin in July, is...
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Little Yosemite Valley with very tall spired mountain in...
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Tenaya Canyon once again
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A baby cloud, a few thousand feet below, rubbing up...
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Watering hole along the hike.
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Quaking Aspen turning yellow, in the sunlight.
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Mt. Hoffmann in the background.
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Dome with a big boulder on top of it.
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Lake of the Domes, between Medlicott and Mariolumne...
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From left to right, Cathedral Peak, Eichorn's Pinnacle,...
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Greg at the anchor at the top of the first pitch of...
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This was probably my favorite climbing route on this...
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Greg, belaying me for the second pitch of Water Streak.
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Top of water streak.
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Holy Cathedral Peak, silhouetted against the sun.
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Walking off to the top of Lembert Dome.
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Top of Lembert Dome, looking north.
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Tom, walking beside Saddlebag Lake.
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One of the many (nameless to me) alpine lakes and carns...
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Mighty North Peak. There are 3 couloirs. We ascended...
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Looking east at the many alpine lakes and Owen's Valley...
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Tom nearing the terminus of the glacier.
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Tom at the terminus of the glacier.
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John, standing on the glacier below the North Couloir of...
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Tom about to second the first pitch; photo taken from...
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Tom, removing an ice screw.
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John, about to ascend the Bergschrund at the beginning...
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Having ascended the Bergschrund, John on lead. Placing...
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Tom seconding the second pitch.
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Tom, on the sharp end of the rope, 3rd pitch.
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Tom, leading the 3rd pitch, with a rainbow over his head.
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This is perhaps the only time I have seen two...
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John, pausing for a moment to smile for the camera. ...
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Same as before, but with a bit more backgroud.
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Tom seconding the 4th pitch. We ran out the 60 meter...
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Tom, nearing one of the last ice screws on the 4th...
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Tom leading the 5th and final pitch.
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Almost there! (Sequence shot #1.)
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Almost there! (Sequence shot #2.)
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Almost there! (Sequence shot #3.)
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Victory.
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Tom, a bit tired, but at the col.
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Looking southwest to the ridge of Conness.
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At the col.
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I am always forgetting how beautiful the treeless High...
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Mt. Conness, 12,550 ft. Perhaps for another adventure.
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Tom, at the col.
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Due to the flash and the fact that you can't see my...
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Tom, with flash. Luckily, I included his feet, so the...
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Moutaineering still life :). Yes, that is a lake in the...
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Almost 5pm and still far to hike (our cars are at the...
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Some exceptionally clear water at the lake I stopped by...
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Lembert Dome by morning light.
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Greg on lead, putting up the new route R2D2 about 100...
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Hammering away with the hand drill: Greg putting in one...
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It takes about 15 minutes to hand drill a bolt, if you...
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Cool dried lake bed in Olmsted Canyon.
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Completely evil overhung slanted finger crack in Olmsted...
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Monica, at the sign telling hikers "WARNING This is...
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John, standing in front of the "Abandon all hope, ye who...
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Descending into the first rock bowl.
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Climbing over some boulders near the top of the Pywiack Cascades.
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Lots of scree and talus above the steep slabs that drop...
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Descending the steep rock slabs. Yay for sticky rubber...
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Monica, carefully working her way down the slabs.
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View of Half Dome from our camp site.
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John and his new JetBoil. This thing will boil a cup of...
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Note the time stamp: 30 seconds later, water is boiling...
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Monica, waiting for dinner to be served.
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Waiting for dinner to cook #1.
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Waiting for dinner to cook #2.
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The next morning: a bit colder.
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After camping in Lost Valley, we had maybe a mile of...
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At 8:30 in the morning, the sun still was nowhere near...
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This photo looks like could have been taken deep in the...
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Boulder hopping in Lost Valley. Lost Valley is named...
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View into the inner gorge, just above Initial Ledge.
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Monica, the photographer.
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Blurry shot, but I like the composition and color. ...
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Having rappelled into the gorge, we are now even further...
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Even in the Inner Gorge, Half Dome is still nearly...
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This guy actually did the rappel barefoot. Seemed like...
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Barefoot. What could possibly go wrong? Sheesh.
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We constructed a rudimentary zip line, anchored at the...
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John ready to go through the waterfall (hmm, probably...
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For once in my life, could there be a rappel without an...
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John rappelling through the waterfall.
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Monica, at the bottom of her first waterfall rappel. ...
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10:30a.m. in a cold, dark canyon is the perfect time and...
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Monica, at the edge of the pool after the Le Conte...
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A little wet, but ready to go hiking again.
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Walking through the inner gorge.
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Finally, sunshine!
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Monica the mountaineer.
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Careful stepping
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Walking along a narrow ledge.
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Monica, descending the ledges to the third rappel.
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Monica, on the 3rd rappel in the Inner Gorge. I think...
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Monica, smiling for the camera.
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A beautiful, but freezing pool at the bottom of the...
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Monica, starting the fourth rappel.
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Monica, on the fourth rappel next to the water slide,...
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So, this camera I bought (the Olympus Stylus 1030-SW) is...
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Monica in front of the water slide.
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Downside of using waterproof camera for underwater...
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Monica, enjoying a short rest at the top of a miniature...
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A sad, however necessary shot to tell the whole story of...
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No fatal accidents for us this time. Victory!
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Here is what my campsite at Parker Pass (11,100 feet)...
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There was a surprising amount of frost on everything I...
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The morning's hike took me through some particularly...
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This was pleasant enough that I sat on the bank here for...
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Below me somewhere in the haze to the east was Mono Lake...
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A few glaciers resting on the slopes of Parker Peak.
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As I climbed the trail to Koip Pass (about 12,100 feet)...
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A view back into Yosemite from the east from Koip Pass...
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Koip Peak at 12,972 feet was one of the tallest peaks I...
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Dandelion! No wonder these things are called a weed. ...
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Looking down a couloir to the top of a small glacier. ...
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Dandelions weren't the weirdest thing up here. Lots and...
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Trail leading up to Koip Pass. Koip Peak on the right.
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Aerodynamic wind-resistant cairns found in these parts. ...
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My lunch spot. From the summit of Koip Pass I could...
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Walking down from Koip Pass toward Parker Lake.
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Parker Lake from the trail.
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A picturesque rock and stump near Parker Lake.
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A little spit of land that stuck out into Parker Lake.
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Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Awww...
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This was the outlet from Parker Lake which went down...
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This was the best way to spend the two hottest hours of...
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Here's the view from my book reading perch. Not bad! ...
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Another alpine lake much smaller than Parker, but...
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The trail ahead: next pass would be Gem Pass, eventually...
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Another beautiful lake with a sandy bottom, which made...
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Very clear water.
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Just some beautiful scenery to the northwest. Hopefully...
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Looking east into Owen's Valley.
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Crazy volcanic rock: it was sharp as a knife; you really...
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Looked like some good rock climbing might be had on what...
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Here I start to get my first glimpses of the Ritter...
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Banner Peak. 12,936 feet. I believe there is some good...
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Ok, talk about ruining my wilderness experience. So on...
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Imagine my suprise when climbing as high as the dam I...
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Waugh "Lake" (I put lake in scare quotes because I think...
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Well, the trail meandered up and down around the "lake",...
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It was a surprisingly long walk, but it was flat and the...
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If you really use your imagination you might be able to...
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They sort of blend in in a lot of the photographs, but...
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Big tree stumps everywhere. I wonder how big some of...
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If you looked really hard, even this barren lake bed was...
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Back among the living: I finally make it to the first...
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And apparently I stopped taking pictures for a while. ...
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Here's how badly I misjudged. Looking to the west, Mt....
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Again, looking south toward the Ritter Range, the...
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All of the Marie Lakes in one shot, I think. There are...
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So, having eaten lunch on the summit, or rather the...
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So remember that little lake and glacier with the...
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Having made it to the other side of the glacier, I was...
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What a beautiful lake! Crunchy jagged icebergs...
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I wonder how many years of snow accumulation are shown...
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A beautiful section of glacier which has pulled away but...
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Looking back at the crag I had mistaken for Mt. Lyell...
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Now I decided to sit down, take my pack off, rub some...
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I'd love to study a good topo in this area (I'm still...
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Wow! Glaciers really do look like rivers. They are...
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Cra - cra - cracck ... groan... kablooosh!! A piece of...
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I frantically grabbed my sunscreen, snack bars, water...
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The aftermath: a whole lot of baby icebergs and water...
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A shot from a few paces from farther ashore. This is...
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Wow. This looks way different than it did 10 minutes...
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Somehow this moment seemed poignant. Having just...
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Well, I sat around for another 15 minutes or so, but...
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One more shot: I couldn't resist. I love the way the...
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Who wouldn't want to drink glacier water straight from...
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The next of the Marie Lakes. I apparently need a wider...
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The other half of the lake pictured in the last shot. ...
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Here is the exit of the Marie Lake just pictured. The...
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Well, lookie here. This is pretty interesting. A short...
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Looks exciting! Will have to come back sometime with a...
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Flow of the river looked barely manageable if you could...
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I decided to get a few steps closer for a better shot.
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One more shot looking into the icy thundering abyss.
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Looks like a fun adventure.
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The slot, looking back up-canyon.
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Where's Waldo backpacking edition: a few backpackers...
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One more shot of the stupid Waugh Lake dam around...
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The YARTS bus service runs from Mammoth to Yosemite...
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A view back at the high sierra peaks I had been hiking...
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After passing the dam of Gem Lake, I came upon Agnew...
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Agnew Lake with Carson Peak in the background by morning light.
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Believe it or not, there's a silly little cable car...
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The Agnew Lake dam, complete with a control house, power...
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Great, I really feel like I'm in the wilderness now.
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This sign was especially enigmatic. Exactly what type...
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Choo choo!
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Mt Carson and the first direct rays of morning light.
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Looks like this could make a fun roller coaster ride.
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This looks like it could be a fun half-day canyoneer...
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Silver Lake and the adjacent trailer park with a few...
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Made it to the trailhead with almost half an hour to spare!
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Well, here's the story behind Waugh Lake. No sign on...
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Nice spot for a trailer park, I guess.
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Here's my bus stop! After waiting here for a few...
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One more shot of Carson Peak and Rush Creek coming down...
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Alger Creek, behind the Silver Lake trailhead, coming in...
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Monica and I hatched a plan to climb Half Dome on Friday...
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Monica stands by the mighty Merced River as it races by....
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Monica climbs the steps cut into the cliff band of Vernal Falls.
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After climbing to the top of Vernal Falls, we pushed on...
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Monica and I hiked on a small climbers' trail marked...
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Before long, our hard work was rewarded with a view...
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As we climbed higher the scenery became more dramatic...
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We finally reached a final ledge where the uninterrupted...
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The ASCA campsite abounded with expensive climbing gear...
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More ASCA gear hanging from trees.
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That's a lot of bolts!
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Monica and I wandering through the ASCA base camp....
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Improbable as it seems, this narrow ledge is our path,...
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Monica tiptoeing carefully across the exposed ledge.
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Fun! And we haven't even gotten the rope out yet!
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Monica climbing up to a higher ledge as we traverse the...
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Very cute and colorful lizards up here. I can't remember...
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View back to the east and south.
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Monica climbing the sandy switchbacks to the base of the climb.
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Our planned route up half dome. The route is called...
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Monica scrambling up to the base of the climb.
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When we arrived at the base of the climb, we found a...
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Monica, following up the first pitch of Snake Dike (5.7R).
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Monica nearing the top of pitch 1 on Snake Dike, with...
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Monica at the top of pitch 1, with Yosemite falls in the...
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At the top of pitch 3: Monica is working her way up the...
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John at the top of pitch 4 or 5.
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John at the top of pitch 4 (or maybe 5) with Yosemite...
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Monica making her way up to the top of pitch 4 or 5....
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Monica climbing Snake Dike, with Illilouette Falls in...
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Monica climbing up pitch 6. The climbing and the pitch...
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Monica, almost at the top of pitch 6.
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John, belaying from the top of pitch 6 with Yosemite...
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This was actually my least favorite pitch of the climb....
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Monica actually standing on pitch 7 of Snake Dike.
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After the eight roped pitches (and a mini 9th pitch...
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As scary as this rather exposed 3rd class "dike hiking"...
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The heavily featured granite on half dome was incredibly...
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The way the granite was pitted and eroded in different...
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Monica taking a breather. We have climbed to about 9,000...
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Thousands of years of rain coursing down half dome has...
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Monica on our endless third class slab hike.
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Taking another breather. Monica did a really great job...
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Often in mountain climbing, reaching the summit comes as...
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And sure enough like clockwork, we came over a rise in...
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John and Monica on the summit of Half Dome. Because of...
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Another reason the crowds were absent is that this year...
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Monica standing on the edge of the northern face of Half Dome.
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Looking northeast to Tenaya Canyon, where I have...
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Monica glad to be at the summit.
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Goofy diving board pose.
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Regular pose
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John and Monica, with Tenaya Canyon in the background.
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This sort or reminded me of taking pictures of Lone Peak...
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Since we had our harnesses on with daisy chains, we...
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The cables are seriously steep! Without the wooden...
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Monica working her way down the cables....
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Almost at the bottom of the cables.
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Monica scurries down the last few stanchions on the...
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At the bottom.
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Monica doing a Captain Morgan pose. I thought the...
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Sunlight colors a tree, and Tenaya Canyon in the...
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We definitely didn't want to be on Half Dome if it had...
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On Sunday morning, the group traveled up to Tuolumne...
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Eating flowers.
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Mr. Bear
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Climbing at the Western Front climbing wall near Daff...
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John taking pictures of Sonia Climbing "New Tricks for...
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Rob at the top of "Touch of Grey" (5.9 R)
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Another bear sighting on the way back to camp!
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Eating more flowers.
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The pictures are a bit grainy because it was dusk....
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Ellery Lake in the morning.
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Having fun with reflections.
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Mount Dana, I think?
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Another view from Ellery Lake.
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What's wrong with this photo? Looks like a glitch in the matrix.
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Entrance to the park on the Big Oak Flats road. Quite a...
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Drove up to the Tunnel View ... this is the first view I...
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Zooming in on Half Dome from the same spot.
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Bridal Veil Falls. One of Dad's pictures (you can tell...
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So this is Dad as well. Bridal Veil Falls.
-
El Capitan by PFH. Have to agree the foreground really...
-
Love all the granite in the Park.
-
A beautiful day and the Merced was just gurgling along. ...
-
The straightness of the trunk, and the regularity of the...
-
Yosemite Falls ... as close as we got. We were ready to...
-
A field of wild flowers along Evergreen Road. No way...
-
A close up, with some purple lupine amidst an...
-
Another shot of the wildflowers ... the fuschia way in...
-
Hetch Hetchy Valley is a glacial valley in Yosemite...
-
And a zoomed in view of Wapama Falls.
-
This is looking down fiver from the dam. The water...
-
Not sure how anyone gets out to that boat to use it. ...
-
The south face of the dam, with the mild overflow...
-
A shot looking south that clearly shows the overflow...
-
Sorry this isn't readable. Essentially a 68 mile rail...
-
Dad liked this view of the road across the dam...
-
Another unreadable plaque ... but a clear view of how...
-
The overflow area on the east side of the dam.
-
This "Mather Camp" is owned and run by the San Francisco...
-
Just south of Hetch Hetchy is the Evergreen Lodge, which...
-
Don't even try to guess how much stuff is in there that...
-
Heading down the hill to the tent.
-
After hauling this stuff down hill, and an empty cart...
-
But first we got clothes etc into the tent.
-
I really did do some work before plunking myself down...
-
And I did find the bottle opener, and a glass and some...
-
... which I shared with him.
-
And addicted as he is to staying in touch, Dad checks...
-
The view from the back deck dining area where we had dinner.
-
After dinner, walking back to the ten by the light of a...
-
There's probably a way to take a picture of the moon...
-
Early morning in the campsite. Our tent is just right...
-
Here comes some one up the path with the last of our...
-
I really had carried my share earlier. The bear boxes...
-
An off-the-road waterfall, unnamed as far as we know.
-
The air was great, the sounds were sublime. Beautiful...
-
The waterfall fed a creek which coursed under the highway bridge.
-
... which wasn't looking in the best of shape. How are...
-
Looking up the falls.
-
... and down.
-
Guess it's time to climb back up to the car.
-
Maybe we should try climbing this?
-
There goes Dad. Right shoes anyway.
-
Could I convince you this is dad at the top?
-
Afraid it looks too much like Olmsted Point.
-
The view of Half Dome from Olmsted. Tenaya Canyon to the left.
-
And the view of Tenaya Lake from Olmsted Point. All the...
-
Another shot of Half Dome
-
On the shores of Tenaya Lake. The sun on the granite...
-
Just hanging out at Tenaya Lake. Very peaceful spot. ...
-
I guess we are showing the clarity of the water?
-
Dad enjoying the view.
-
Climbers on a nearby rock. Not sure which one.
-
Has a very distinctive shape ... on the south side of Tioga Road.
-
Not sure what creek this is, but we followed it quite...
-
The water appeared crystal clear.
-
And again, this is not snow.
-
Going through the Tioga Pass Entry station.
-
What's wrong with this map? (I know, just looking for...
-
Not sure how I got Dad's hat in this picture. Just a...
-
and a portion of it as built. This is snow ... we are...
-
And the few east down towards Lee Vining, showing how...
-
Repairs on one of the bridges. Quite a work platform...
-
And at the Mobil station where the Tioga Pass Road meets...
-
On Saturday, after having breakfast in Mammoth Lakes...
-
I had told Monica the hike would be, despite the high...
-
After countless years and countless countries, Monica...
-
Looking down into Tenaya Canyon from near the top of...
-
So, the whole time we were climbing, we watched the...
-
John and Monica near the top of Cloud's Rest. Half Dome...
-
Monica and Half Dome.
-
Monica and Half Dome, showing Yosemite Valley a bit better.
-
Monica and Tenaya Canyon, 5,000 feet down.
-
John, goofing off.
-
Unfortunately, Monica wouldn't let me take it home.
-
We got someone to take our picture, with Half Dome in...
-
USGS reference mark, placed in 1956.
-
Stormy weather! Glad I'm not on the top of Cathedral...
-
Doing my best impression of a lightning rod.
-
Monica wearing Half Dome as a hat.
-
Yosemite Valley and Half Dome.
-
Can you see the line of ants going up the dome? Actually...
-
John and Half Dome.
-
Weather still stormy with lots of virga (rain that never...
-
Improbably enough the weather actually seemed to be...
-
Tenaya Canyon, 5,000 feet below.
-
Monica and Tenaya Canyon.
-
Back under the protection of the forest, we passed many...
-
On the 8 mile hike out.
-
The dark sky at least prevented sunburn and looked very surreal,
-
And then the rain started coming down!
-
Hiking in the rain.
-
And then the hail started! Ouch!
-
Glad we brought rain gear.
-
Hiking down the steep section.
-
Looking out at Mt. Hoffmann.
-
The rain collected all the pollen in the air, so most...
-
Looking out at a pretty waterfall coming down between...
-
Then the sun came out and it got hot again.
-
Monica in the sunshine.
-
And this is about when the going got extremely...
-
So, I stopped taking photos (except for this one to...
-
After eating dinner at the Tioga Pass Resort (which has...
-
End of the world! Not a forest fire... just virga and...
-
It felt like a forest fire though.
-
On Monday, Monica and I decided we'd drive back through...
-
Monica belaying as I climb the second pitch of Left Water Crack.
-
Getting a bit higher. The weather had been off-and-on...
-
The strategy was to climb fast and confidently, and get...
-
The second pitch is probably my favorite pitch in...
-
Another view of the size of the water crack (which just...
-
Enjoying the view as I climb. Cathedral Peak features...
-
I think this was taken from just above the last bolt....
-
At the final belay ledge (Monica now out of sight). And...
-
After a bit of struggling on the wet rock, Monica...
-
At the top of the technical section of the climb, after...
-
From here, the angle eases significantly, and it's a 3rd...
-
Moving higher and higher up.
-
Strangely, the heat of the rock from earlier in the day...
-
Monica moves past a Charlie Brown Christmas tree propped...
-
Monica takes a rest. A few other things about this climb...
-
We reached a nice flat ledge with a view. Tuolumne...
-
Monica works a 5th class section closer to the summit of...
-
Enjoying the view of Tuolumne Meadows from midway up...
-
The top of Lembert Dome seems constantly out of reach,...
-
Monica, climbing on some fun 5.0-ish chicken heads below...
-
Finally at the top!
-
What a view!
-
We even found a father and son who had hiked to the top...
-
Finding a way down off the other side of the dome.
-
Hiking down the tourist trail, by way of Dog Lake, back...
-
We passed a small lake with what looked to be a really...
-
Better view of the crack.
-
Hanging out by this small lake and enjoying the...
-
We took a half-mile detour to check out the...
-
Hiking back to the car through Tuolumne Meadows. The...
-
After a restful evening ditch-camped in Andy's secret...
-
First up was some lead experience for Joel (I had been...
-
Joel, starting up Northwest Books. The route roughly...
-
Joel in the shadows, near the top of pitch one.
-
Joel sorting out the difficult move at the beginning of...
-
Joel, cruising up pitch 2 of Northwest Books.
-
Nearing the top of pitch two. Another beautiful...
-
Joel, anchored at the top of pitch two. We decided to...
-
John and Joel packing up at the top of Northwest Books....
-
The shorter rappel option involved some exposed but...
-
Joel, posing with Tuolumne Meadows in the background.
-
Joel, rigging our rappel from the anchor at the top of...
-
Beautiful afternoon / evening!
-
Joel checking in with Turtle about something or other. I...
-
Ah, right. Joel actually decided to take this call...
-
Trying to get this all in one shot with my 35mm Canon...
-
So, it was about this time that we decided damn the...
-
The rest of the climb went without incident and here is...
-
Back to the car in the dark. What a surprise!
-
Beautiful view of Medlicott Dome from the hiking trail...
-
Jay and John headed to go climb Holdless Horror (5.6)
-
Jay, ready to start the first pitch of Holdless Horror...
-
Jay, following the second pitch of Holdless Horror...
-
Jay on Holdless Horror.
-
Jay, finishing pitch two.
-
Jay, finishing pitch three.
-
Jay, looking stoked on pitch 3 of Holdless Horror.
-
Jay, finishing pitch 4 of Holdless Horror.
-
Jay, topping out the final pitch of Holdless Horror (5.6).
-
Just about there.
-
On top of Dozier Dome, looking out at mightly Medlicott...
-
John at the top of Holdless Horror, with his helmet at a...
-
Jay was pretty spent.
-
Cathedral Peak! John Muir claims that climbing this...
-
Jay, on the descent from Lembert Dome.
-
Eating lunch on the southern toe of Lamb Dome, looking...
-
Drug Dome has an impressive route called OZ (5.10d)...
-
Since the Gram Traverse travels more-or-less...
-
Closeup of climbers on OZ.
-
Jay, showing off his crack-scarred hands. Looks like...
-
Still some snow in the woods in mid-August.
-
Much closer view of the OZ and Gram Traverse on Drug Dome.
-
One more shot, with another climbing party (Where's...
-
Jay, comparing the guidebook topo of OZ to the actual thing.
-
Jay belaying me on Roof Rat (5.7) which was a fun new...
-
Jay starting up Roof Rat.
-
Jay working his way up the dihedral.
-
My gear placements along the roof. Created a bit of drag...
-
Jay, starting up the roof section.
-
Jay, cleaning some gear.
-
Jay, smiling for the camera.
-
Jay climbing roof rat.
-
Moving on up.
-
Moving out onto the face for a few moves.
-
Getting a hand hold.
-
Lamb Dome in the background.
-
Jay, cranking on Roof Rat (5.7).
-
Jay smiling for the camera.
-
I like this one.
-
Lie-backing away.
-
Up up up.
-
Higher and higher.
-
Moving on top the roof.
-
Jay high-stepping on Roof Rat.
-
Moving across the roof.
-
Checking that foot placement.
-
Getting a cam out.
-
Handhold below the crack.
-
Found a solid right foot.
-
Removing the final piece.
-
Almost there.
-
Looking for a hand.
-
Cool looking buck on Thursday morning in the meadows.
-
Friday morning at 7:30am Jay and I hit the trail hoping...
-
Our travels took us from Tuolumne Meadows up Rafferty...
-
Hiking towards Tuolumne Pass. Mt Dana barely visible in...
-
At Tuolumne Pass.
-
Jay, with what we thought was Fletcher Peak.
-
Jay with actual Fletcher Peak.
-
Fletcher Peak.
-
Looks like a fun climbing route on Fletcher Peak.
-
Another nearby peak.
-
Into a meadow along Fletcher Creek. I particularly liked...
-
Jay and John 6 miles or so into our journey.
-
Looking around.
-
Jay named this Turtle Dome.
-
Pile of broken rocks at the base of Turtle Dome.
-
Also looks like some fun climbing could be had.
-
Close-up
-
The southeast flank of Turtle Dome. Looks like a very...
-
The mighty Fletcher rushing down past Turtle Dome.
-
Jay at a lookout near what we named Fletcher Dome.
-
Some wild looking crags and spires in the Clark Range in...
-
Hiking down along Fletcher Creek.
-
Jay named this one on the left Hamburglar Dome.
-
"None shall pass"
-
Lewis Creek, before joining with the mighty Fletcher.
-
Bridges of Yosemite. Catherine, I thought you'd...
-
Looking upstream on Lewis Creek.
-
Merced Lake, and Half Dome, barely visible in the forest...
-
Zoomed in on Half Dome.
-
Jay, Merced Lake, and Hazy Half Dome (barely visible)
-
Observing the view. We planned to camp near Half Dome so...
-
Jay and Hamburglar Dome.
-
Some tall mountains in the east.
-
Lizard! We saw lots of these.
-
The Fletcher before joining the with the Merced.
-
Jay looking at big trees. Many had to be over 200 feet tall.
-
Weird oil slicks in Merced Lake.
-
There is a trout somewhere in here. The Merced River.
-
The Merced, rushing down from Merced Lake.
-
The Merced is the river that makes up Nevada and Vernal...
-
View of more domes.
-
We've gone 17 miles already. Actually more like 19. At...
-
New growth pine forest in a swamp.
-
The Merced, starting to slot up around Moraine Dome
-
Jay, crossing the Merced in Echo Valley. I was...
-
Looking upstream at the calm Merced before it enters...
-
Jay, hiking near a dome that must be Echo Dome or...
-
A place where stopped to rest and considered camping. I...
-
Looking at the trail ahead in a lower and less exposed valley.
-
20+ miles down and still hiking.
-
Looking a little tired? Never.
-
The mighty Merced.
-
View of Moraine Dome and a contrail.
-
One more shot of the Merced, still running high for mid-August.
-
The next few hours were spent hiking furiously fast and...
-
The freezing river water actually felt pretty good.
-
Sleepytime! Our ultralight camping setup: lightweight...
-
Waking up the next morning.
-
Getting ready to go. On the trail by 7:30 or so, once again.
-
Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Falls.
-
Jay hiking the John Muir trail down to the Valley.
-
Jay and Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap.
-
Posing for the camera.
-
Vernal Falls.
-
View of Vernal Falls from a great lookout on a connector...
-
317 feet down. And the bulk of the water hits a huge...
-
Snake Dike on Half Dome, where Monica and I climbed last...
-
Another shot of Half Dome, and Snake Dike, visible at...
-
Mist Trail from as viewed from the top of Vernal Falls....
-
Vernal Falls from the Mist Trail.
-
SIngle Rainbow all the way!
-
Hiking the Mist Trail, very close to where Jay's old...
-
In Yosemite Valley! Lost Arrow Tip Spire. There is a...
-
An attempt to take a photo through a telescope of a team...
-
Pretty neat program. I had never heard of it before.
-
Generally a view of the Zodiac route. There are at least...
-
Zoomed in shot of a rope-soloist very close to the top.
-
Sign on the trail to the base of El Capitan.
-
Some climbers, starting up the Nose of El Capitan.
-
El Capitan, from the base.
-
Jay, and El Capitan.
-
I spent the last hour before our bus left to take us...
-
Setting sun on Lembert Dome, Saturday night, our last...
-
John leading the first pitch of Northwest Books (5.6) on...
-
Top of Northwest Books just before sunset.
-
On the hike off Lembert Dome from Northwest Books with...
-
Sunset over Tuolumne Meadows.
-
Walking off on 3rd class slabs.
-
Cathedral Peak with the moon.
-
Mel and Monica surveying the view ahead.
-
Mel, Monica and Jasper survey the road ahead. The Grand...
-
Mel, crossing to the south side of the Tuolumne River.
-
Crossing the Tuolumne River on a footbridge.
-
Monica, observing a cascading section of the Tuolumne River.
-
View upstream.
-
One of the first waterfalls on our trip.
-
Stopping for lunch near Glen Aulin, about 6 miles in.
-
A large granite formation on the north side of the canyon.
-
Up close. Looks like difficult climbing.
-
Ox bow bend in the river.
-
Hiking deeper into the canyon, the walls on both sides...
-
More tall walls, and a surprising number of fluffy white clouds.
-
A wildflower explosion!
-
Monica and a gnarled dead tree.
-
Mel, approaching an overlook for Waterwheel Falls.
-
Monica and the Gran Canyon of the Tuolumne ahead.
-
Looking at Water Wheel Falls.
-
Monica and John.
-
The whole gang, taken by a friendly hiker we met at the...
-
The scenery ahead. More domes and forest and canyon.
-
Monica in her color-coordinated hiking outfit.
-
Mel looking back on Waterwheel Falls as we continued down trail.
-
Hiking through manzanita.
-
Mel, pulling up the rear.
-
Jasper, who was always willing to pump water for the...
-
Monica, relaxing on the bridge over Return Creek.
-
Passing over Return Creek, and stopping to take a photo.
-
Following the mighty Tuolumne down canyon.
-
Another field of wildflowers.
-
Beautiful emerald pools dotted the river as we worked...
-
The bugs come out but Monica is prepared.
-
We passed through a large section of forest that had...
-
Hark! A waterfall. We found our campsite, with a view of...
-
Monica unpacks our bivy and starts to set it up.
-
View of our campsite: Mel sets up Jasper and Mel's tent...
-
Cathedral Creek, as viewed from our campsite. The moon...
-
Jasper doing some stretches in camp, and the setting sun...
-
Monica, and a better view of our sleeping area, complete...
-
The sun sets behind our campsite.
-
Jasper and Mel, as we start to prepare dinner.
-
Heating up some water for the first course of our five...
-
Moon, setting behind the south wall of the canyon, above...
-
Bye-bye, moon!
-
Finishing dinner in the dark.
-
Morning light in the canyon.
-
Monica doesn't want to get out of bed.
-
After countless unsuccessful attempts, Monica becomes...
-
Ta-da!
-
Everyone brought a different color Nalgene, except for...
-
Jasper, our tireless waterboy pumps from a precarious...
-
Around 9:30 we were finally on the road and by virtue of...
-
The road ahead.
-
Marching down through some boulders.
-
View of a towering wall to the south.
-
Marching through the woods, where there are these...
-
Beautiful stretch of the Tuolumne, with Jasper, Mel and Monica.
-
River stones.
-
Bright forest greens as we descend lower and lower....
-
The crew surveying the surrounding hills.
-
Mel and Jasper looking ahead. As we dropped lower and...
-
Monica, at the top of a bypass around the Muir Gorge, a...
-
The crew just before descending a steep section of...
-
Waterfall at the junction of Rodgers Creek, I think.
-
Rejoining the mighty Tuolumne, now at < 5000 ft elevation.
-
Jasper goes on a water slide.
-
Getting ready for the plunge.
-
Go Jasper!
-
Caterpillar on the rock after I got out of the river.
-
Cruising along.
-
From our swimming hole, the trail gained some elevation...
-
Headed into the hot afternoon. Hiking around 5,000 feet at 1pm.
-
Cascades and the view back up canyon
-
More wildflowers.
-
Mel in a field of wildflowers.
-
Mel in a field of wildflowers, again.
-
After a long, uphill slog, Hetch Hetchy comes into view.
-
Monica, Jasper and Mel. There was actually someone...
-
As we climbed higher, the day wore on and the shadows got long.
-
Finally, after much reconnoitering, we found what we...
-
While the fire really got going, Mel reported that she...
-
... which had basically this view.
-
So we put out our first fire, packed up our stuff and...
-
Everyone waves from our aviary-esque pint-size campsite...
-
The camera's timer function barely gave me enough time...
-
While we cook dinner, sun sets over the Hetch Hetchy.
-
Monica cooking dinner.
-
Hanging out by the fire after dark.
-
Morning comes to the best campsite ever. This was the...
-
Sunlight to the east.
-
Sunlight to the east.
-
Hetch Hetchy now fully bathed in sunlight.
-
Morning calisthenics before our last 8 miles back out to...
-
Zoomed in view of where river meets reservoir.
-
View from where we slept.
-
A little less angled.
-
Jasper and Monica, saying good-bye to our raptor's nest campsite.
-
Packing up to get on the trail.
-
Zoomed in view of Hetch Hetchy from the campsite.
-
With our shadows.
-
Sign showing how far we had come: 26.1 miles in two days...
-
Same sign with the hikers.
-
Someone found a bird's nest and had a snack.
-
Very zoomed in shot of the Sawtooth Mountain Range,...
-
Back up at 7,500 feet, Monica hiking through the forest...
-
A field of wildflowers.
-
We were treated to miles of wildflowers on the last...
-
Lots of different colors. After this, we hiked by Lukens...
-
Monica climbs The Boltway (5.8) on Stately Pleasure Dome...
-
Pulling through on The Boltway on Stately Pleasure Dome.
-
Looking for the next move.
-
The day was clear as a bell, but also windy and a bit cold.
-
At the top of the last pitch on The Boltway. The Boltway...
-
Almost to the anchor.
-
From here on the angle dropped off and we could walk off...
-
Can you spot Half Dome in the background?
-
After lunch, Monica and I headed over to Lembert Dome...
-
Looking down Northwest Books (5.6). Monica led the...
-
Storms roll in over the high country in the background....
-
View to the south.
-
Walking off in the sunset.
-
John and Monica racking up at the base of Holdless...
-
John and Monica Tying in and sorting gear.
-
John seconding the first pitch after Monica's lead.
-
Rope still life. This was the rope I was trailing to...
-
John and Monica sorting gear at the top of the first...
-
Holdless Horror: Take 2. Alex, Monica and I climb as a...
-
Alex having fun on the cheekily-named Holdless Horror,...
-
A little less exposure.
-
John, racked up to lead pitch 3.
-
Alex at the third second or third belay ledge.
-
John seconding the crux second pitch after Monica's lead.
-
The monster off-width at the start of pitch 2.
-
Alex airing his aching feet at the top of pitch 2.
-
Alex, racked up to lead pitch 4 of Holdless Horror (5.6).
-
Monica, walking to the top of Dozier Dome for a late,...
-
Lunch time: Monica and Alex with (from left to right)...
-
Group photo at the top of Dozier Dome.
-
John at the top of Holdless Horror on Dozier Dome.
-
Monica, ready for a late, late lunch.
-
John, hiking in on the approach to West Crack (5.9) on...
-
Monica, on the hike in to West Crack (5.9) on Sunday morning.
-
Alex, self portrait on the approach to DAFF Dome's West...
-
The imposing west face of DAFF Dome, stretching 700 feet...
-
Monica, moving past the slick 5.9 move at the base of...
-
Belay ledge at the start of the climb.
-
Our (bolted) hanging belay at the top of pitch 1.
-
John consulting the guide book before starting pitch 2,...
-
View to the west from the top of pitch 1.
-
John belaying Monica, leading the fourth pitch of West...
-
Monica placing some gear on the fourth pitch of West...
-
View of Tioga Road and Lamb Dome, and behind it Drug...
-
View to the northwest: Cathedral Creek drainage. Our...
-
Monica at a good resting spot on lead, fourth pitch of...
-
Monica on lead on the fourth pitch of DAFF Dome.
-
Alex, at the top of pitch 2, as another climbing party...
-
Monica and I resting our weary feet on a comfy ledge...
-
Zoomed in shot of our car: We were pretty sure we saw...
-
Alex, triumphantly perched atop DAFF Dome, anchored to...
-
Alex, belaying Monica up the final pitch of West Crack (5.9)
-
The massive north face of Fairview Dome, finally getting...
-
Alex, belaying Monica up the last 50 feet.
-
Height of this route was about 700 feet.
-
Moving up some easy fifth class terrain.
-
Natural bridge rock cairn at the top of DAFF Dome....
-
View to the north off the top of Daff Dome.
-
Alex and Monica sorting gear and cleaning up after the climb.
-
Monica with Fairview Dome in the background. Monica is...
-
Alex packs up gear. Evidence of the recent massive...
-
Portrait, with the camera balanced on a rock (visible in...
-
Monica finds the rappel anchors. Her head is sticking...
-
DAFF Dome casts its shadow to the east. Tuolumne Meadows...
-
Monica, hanging free on rappel off the east side of DAFF Dome.
-
Monica helps make Alex a rope backpack on our way back...
-
Our team back on terra firma looking happy and content...
-
Group shot that could use some photoshop love.
-
North side of Fairview, basking in late afternoon sun....
-
Hiking back to the car.
-
John, on the summit of DAFF Dome.
-
View to the north from the summit of DAFF Dome.
-
East Cottage Dome, I think. There were some climbers...
-
Fairview Dome.
-
Blurry shot of breakfast in the dark at 6:30 am before...
-
Monica, still in the shade around 8:30am at the top of...
-
Looking down from the start of pitch 5.
-
Yosemite Valley in the fall.
-
Sun creeping up above Half Dome. Now it's hot out!
-
John, taking a self portrait at the top of pitch 6 (I...
-
Another party above us at the top of pitch 7.
-
Monica, arriving at the belay ledge at top of pitch 6,...
-
Blurry shot with Monica at the top of pitch 6 and the...
-
View from the top of pitch 8: The party above us (Jesse...
-
Monica, starting pitch 9, a.k.a. the pendulum pitch. I...
-
Monica, clipping in to the fixed rope swing (the white...
-
Getting ready to swing.
-
First attempt.
-
Trying to get purchase.
-
Trying to hold on.
-
Grabbing for a hold.
-
About to make it?
-
D'oh.
-
Attempt #2.
-
Getting purchase again.
-
Hmm...
-
Ok, third time is the charm.
-
Going for it.
-
Moving feet up on tiny micro-nubs.
-
A little bit closer now...
-
Bingo!
-
Two hands.
-
Wait, one hand?
-
Why are you looking that way?
-
Grabbing for it.
-
Two hands again.
-
Here we go.
-
Getting feet up higher. At this point Monica wanted me...
-
Elevensies snack at the base of pitch 11.
-
View of Happy Isles / Illilouette Falls and the Glacier...
-
Rope mess.
-
Nipping at the heels of the party in front of us on...
-
Beach working his way up a lieback on pitch 12.
-
Monica finishing up pitch 13.
-
After this point the climbing eased up considerably as...
-
Trying to manage the ropes while belaying Monica at the...
-
Monica, tying in to the anchor at the top of pitch 15...
-
Monica, performing the pyschological crux of the route:...
-
Almost out of the woods, or rather almost into the woods.
-
Getting a bit closer.
-
Down-climbing the last ten feet of Royal Arches to...
-
Removing the last cam, at around 1:45. So, about 6 hours...
-
Lunchtime at the bivy ledge at the top of Royal Arches....
-
Monica eating lunch.
-
Scrambling up the last several hundred yards to the valley rim.
-
Since we had finished before our cut-off time of 2pm, I...
-
So instead we were treated to great views of the Valley...
-
The open granite slabs were a welcome change from the...
-
The views kept getting better and better.
-
Half Dome, just coming into view from behind the slabs...
-
Up up up we go.
-
Higher and higher.
-
Navigating past a tricky spot.
-
North Dome and Half Dome (and Monica). There is a...
-
So, I sort of messed up in estimating exactly which...
-
Regaining the park service trail at around 5pm, after...
-
Stopping at a scenic overlook to look over some scenery.
-
Monica and Half Dome.
-
John doing his best to recreate the photo Mom has framed...
-
Non-zoomed in shot of Half Dome.
-
Somewhat zoomed in.
-
Very zoomed in.
-
A very steep drainage into the valley.
-
Looking down from Yosemite Point.
-
Half Dome and most of Yosemite Village, including a very...
-
I might have messed up the first time, but this second...
-
More views off the edge of Yosemite Point. Certainly a...
-
Yikes, that's pretty steep. Lower Yosemite Falls / Creek...
-
Funny looking rock.
-
Monica wants to know what this is. Some sort of chestnut?
-
Sentinel Rock?
-
Sunset and alpenglow on Half Dome.
-
Alpenglow starts to fade and then the sky really lights up!
-
Yosemite Falls just before dark.
-
On Sunday morning Monica and I headed over to Manure...
-
Here Monica works her way through the crux 5.8 first...
-
The first pitch was an awesome splitter hand crack that...
-
Monica climbing first pitch of After Seven.
-
Monica stacking hands on the wider second half of the...
-
Past the hardest part.
-
Blurry picture of Monica climbing the third pitch of...
-
Monica, following the final relatively straightforward...
-
Monica making a crux traverse on the sixth and final...
-
Getting a leg out.
-
Monica flaking the rope at the top of Manure Pile Buttress.
-
Monica at the top of Manure Pile Buttress.
-
Marlin, following at our heels, almost at the top of After Six.
-
View to the east from the top of Manure Pile Buttress.
-
Monica and Yosemite Valley with Half Dome and Sentinel...
-
John at the top of Manure Pile Buttress, relaxing his feet.
-
John and Sentinel Rock / Half Dome / Royal Arches.
-
Pretty good view of Royal Arches where we climbed yesterday
-
Royal arches, Tenaya Canyon / Clouds Rest, Half Dome.
-
I photographed Royal Arches from our vantage point atop...
-
Royal Arches without the markup.
-
Monica, Marlin and Dong eating lunch at the top of...
-
View of our climb from back at the bottom.
-
Monica, packing up to go climbing Saturday morning.
-
The great part about camping at Lower Pines is we don't...
-
Alex needs some practice pitching a tent. Check out the...
-
Fall colors come to Yosemite Valley.
-
Sun rises above the shoulder of Half Dome during the...
-
Crossing the Merced River.
-
5.8 offwidth at the start of Super Slide. I forget the...
-
Monica, ready to start Super Slide.
-
John, ready to start up Super Slide. Did I mention it was hot?
-
John, climbing the 5.2 first pitch of Super Slide (5.9).
-
Monica, seconding Pitch 2 of Super Slide (5.9).
-
Pitch 3 of Super Slide, at the upper right of the photo...
-
Alex on lead on pitch 4 of Super Slide (5.9)
-
John, pulling up rope at the hanging belay at the top of...
-
John, baking in the sun at the top of pitch 3 of Super...
-
Jeff on lead while Jen belays on pitch 4 of Super Slide (5.9).
-
Jeff, pulling the 5.8 crux on pitch 4 of Super Slide.
-
Jen following on pitch 4 of Super Slide (5.9) I was able...
-
Jen, looking below.
-
Jen working her way up pitch 4 of Super Slide.
-
Jen smiling for the camera.
-
Marlin having fun leading pitch 3 of Super Slide (5.9).
-
Marlin throwing in a hand jam on pitch 3 of Super Slide (5.9).
-
Marlin moving up pitch 3.
-
Reaching for another jam on pitch 3 of Super Slide.
-
Monica arriving at belay station 3.
-
Alex, at belay station 3, waiting to rappel on Super Slide (5.9)
-
View from Pitch 3 on Super Slide. Not a bad backdrop for...
-
Monica climbing pitch 5 of Super Slide.
-
Half Dome, on the walk from the climb back to our campsite.
-
View of Church Bowl and Bishop's Terrace (5.8) which we...
-
Royal Arches, Washington Column and Half Dome in the...
-
Our campsite at Lower Pines in Yosemite Valley, right...
-
Deciding the weather was just too hot in the Valley, on...
-
Alex and Monica standing by a sign that says that a...
-
Eating lunch under the SE buttress of Cathedral Peak.
-
View of the climb.
-
Alex leading the first pitch of Cathedral Peak (5.6)
-
John hanging out at the base, not leading for once.
-
Going to church at Cathedral Peak on Sunday morning.
-
View to the southeast. There have already been a few...
-
Alex, leading pitch 1 of Cathedral Peak.
-
John at the base of Cathedral Peak.
-
John following on pitch 1.
-
Suiting up to climb.
-
Monica getting out the sunscreen (good idea).
-
The base of the climb.
-
Monica following the first pitch.
-
The color of the sky was so dark blue. Is this because...
-
John belaying at the top of pitch 3 on Cathedral Peak.
-
Alex climbing pitch 3 on Cathedral Peak. On pitch 3 we...
-
Alex, finishing up pitch 3.
-
John at the top of pitch 4, back in the sunshine.
-
Alex looking down from the top of pitch 4. Cathedral...
-
John at the top of pitch 4.
-
Monica seconding the second or third pitch.
-
Into the shade at the top of pitch 3.
-
John climbing pitch 5.
-
John entering the chimney (darn backpack) at the start...
-
Saying hi for the camera.
-
Monica belaying John up the chimney.
-
We got cold very quickly in the shade.
-
John moving up out of the chimney and back onto more...
-
J
-
View from pitch 4
-
Some new snow on the echo ridge.
-
Budd Lake.
-
Beautiful scenery for our climb.
-
Alex, finishing up pitch 5 on Cathedral Peak
-
John, consulting the beta, trying to figure out which...
-
Huh, right or left.
-
John, belaying Alex the last 30 feet to the walk off.
-
Hanging out on the top of Cathedral Peak in the late...
-
Shadow cast by Cathedral Peak on Tuolumne Meadows. That...
-
Alex and John, hanging out on the summit of Cathedral...
-
Zoomed out a bit.
-
Monica, back in the sunshine, somewhat.
-
Eichorn's Pinnacle with a guy on top of it and Cathedral...
-
Monica climbing the last pitch.
-
John at the summit of Cathedral Peak, as the sun sets.
-
Looking northwest from the summit of Cathedral.
-
John and Monica sort out the second rope.
-
Sunset over Eichorn's Pinnacle. That guy up there must...
-
One of the better Sierra sunsets I've seen in a while.
-
We enjoy the beginning of the evening hiking down the...
-
Alex pitches his tent much better on the second go.
-
Trying Generator Crack (5.10c) on toprope on Monday...
-
We all gave a valiant effort and Monica got the farthest...
-
There were brief moments during which we weren't...
-
Belaying from the grandstands...
-
Monica, actually not using the tree, who got the...
-
Monica climbing Generator Crack (5.10c).
-
Monica cranking on Generator Crack (5.10c).
-
Alex, on a somewhat misguided 5.9 that ended up being a...
-
Alex, shut down on the first crux.
-
Alex sweating it out on New Diversions wall. I think the...
-
John, taking a stab at Conductor Crack (5.10d) across...
-
The book describes Conductor as a hard and technical...
-
Raaaawwwrr.
-
Rats. The crux involved finger locks and a strenuous and...
-
Hooking a finger lock and starting to transition to a lieback.
-
Trying to balance the lieback.
-
Yes! Past the crux.
-
Monica, trying her hand, or fingers on Conductor Crack (5.10d).
-
Monica climbing Conductor (5.10d)
-
Comparing hands after climbing Conductor crack that afternoon.
-
On Saturday morning, the temperature in Upper Pines...
-
We ran into our friends Dong and Marlin, whom we have...
-
The first pitch was an awesome finger crack that widened...
-
And then at the top of pitch 2 we converged on the...
-
Three way high five. I think we'll submit the first one.
-
Philip and Heather and the cluster - of climbers above...
-
Monica, and two old-school climbers from Santa Cruz...
-
Marlin, after winning the coin toss, heads up pitch 3...
-
Marlin, jamming in a really comfortable hand crack.
-
Moving on up. Royal Arches, Washington Column and Clouds...
-
Marlin jamming away.
-
Marlin on the sharp end of the rope.
-
Dong, belaying Marlin. Nice pedicure by the way!
-
Monica, also hanging out sans-climbing shoes on our big ledge.
-
Dong and Monica.
-
Marlin, maybe half way up pitch 3 of Nutcracker (5.8).
-
I gave the camera to Dong and she snapped a few photos...
-
John moving up pitch 3 to the anchor at Marlin's waist.
-
Trying for another high-five photo. Not bad, though...
-
Dong, leading pitch 4 of Nutcracker (5.8).
-
Monica following pitch 3 as the climbers from Santa Cruz wait.
-
Monica hand-jamming up pitch 3. The climbers from Santa...
-
Monica, climbing pitch 3 of Nutcracker (5.8).
-
Monica, getting near the top of pitch 3.
-
Monica hangs out a few feet shy of the belay ledge as...
-
Just hanging out.
-
Dong, pulling a roof on pitch 4 of Nutcracker (5.8).
-
Monica, climbing pitch 4 of Nutcracker.
-
Monica on the final stretch of pitch 4 of Nutcracker...
-
Dong, pulling the 5.8 crux of the route: a dead-vertical...
-
Chris, hand jamming his way up pitch 4.
-
Just couldn't resist taking a few photos since he seemed...
-
Monica hanging (literally) at the belay at the top of pitch 4.
-
Chris, climbing pitch 4, again.
-
Marlin, at the top of Nutcracker (5.8). A fun day, and a...
-
Monica, approaching the top of the climb.
-
Making the last couple of moves.
-
Annnnd.... done.
-
On the hike back down.
-
Walking back down to the bottom.
-
East Buttress of El Cap silhouetted against the main wall.
-
Stopping to take in the view on the way back to our camp...
-
On Sunday morning, Monica and I got out early to get in...
-
I recommended left side in.
-
Smiling for the camera.
-
Getting inside the off-width.
-
Making the difficult first couple of moves.
-
And through the worst of it.
-
At the anchor.
-
Pitch 2 of Bishop's Terrace was the real business....
-
Moving up the double-crack system.
-
Monica hugging the refrigerator.
-
Getting some hand jams in.
-
Monica jamming away.
-
Moving a hand up.
-
Jamming up the final headwall.
-
Getting a full hand two hand jam.
-
Basically at the top.
-
Monica, looking a bit tired.
-
Monica didn't like my compliment on her new hairdo.
-
John the horse at the base of El Cap.
-
Looking up at the Salathe Wall. Can horses climb?
-
John, on the first pitch of Salathe Wall on El Capitan.
-
Climbing up the first pitch of Salathe Wall (5.10c).
-
Up up up.
-
Still near the bottom.
-
Much higher up on the first pitch of Salathe Wall (5.10c).
-
John, hugging the double-crack system on the first pitch...
-
Joe, starting up Salathe Wall.
-
Ian, also on Salathe Wall, pitch 1. If you zoom in, you...
-
Great note, pinned to a rock on the approach trail to El Cap.
-
Last weekend Jeff and I took a trip to Yosemite Valley...
-
When aid climbing, using gear and ropes to make upward...
-
Next step: haul the pigs. We named this big one Babe and...
-
Anchor setup for hauling at the top of pitch 2. There...
-
View from our vertical camp site of part of the Salathe Wall.
-
Middle and Upper (or Lower) Cathedral Spires.
-
Self portrait at top of pitch 2 of the Muir Wall.
-
Jeff aiding up the second pitch.
-
Jeff approaching the belay.
-
Spot the climbers. I think there are at least 3.
-
Sun setting on Cathedral Rocks.
-
Jeff taking in the view from our camp.
-
Jeff aiding La Escuela (5.11b free, not sure what the...
-
Jeff posing for a photo.
-
Looking for a piece to place.
-
Making progress.
-
John on his first aid lead: first pitch of La Escuela.
-
A little closer.
-
And with El Cap looming above.
-
Quite the surprise when we returned to base of Muir Wall...
-
But was actually dropped food from the portaledge 350+...
-
Spaghetti-o grenades. We got some schrapnel on the haul...
-
Monica climbing pitch 2 of Direct Northwest Face of...
-
John on lead on pitch 3 of Direct Northwest Face of...
-
Back to business.
-
View of the Meadows, center of my universe.
-
Alex climbing up to the .10a crux.
-
Getting a solid jam.
-
Reaching for it.
-
Scoping out the road ahead.
-
The crux finger crack pitch.
-
Getting ready to fire it.
-
Starting to lead the crux pitch.
-
Getting a ringlock and tiptoeing around.
-
Ready to fire it.
-
Doing my best not to fall on my trusty belayers.
-
Monica stoked to be climbing Direct Northwest Face!
-
Up up and away.
-
Staying on my toes.
-
Monica belaying.
-
Monica and John at Top of Direct Northwest Face of Lembert.
-
At the top!
-
My helmet is always crooked.
-
Coming down off the slabs from Lembert Dome.
-
Can you spot Alex Honnold?
-
4am found us up and at 'em packing up camp and headed to...
-
Sun rising in Yosemite Valley.
-
We weren't the only ones to show up.
-
Relaxing. Central Pillar of Frenzy (a climbing route)...
-
El Capitan! The Nose goes basically straight up the...
-
Alex (shirtless, bottom left) about to take the first...
-
John and Alex
-
Hans leading after the pendulums, standing on a chockstone.
-
Alex, gripping what looks like an enormous chockstone...
-
Alex on Dolt Tower, Hans leading on toward El Cap Tower....
-
Alex managing the rope while Hans climbs.
-
Hans on Texas Flake.
-
Hans Florine on the top of Texas Flake (does it look...
-
Hans leading the bolt ladder up to Boot Flake while Alex...
-
Hans leading boot flake to set up the king swing.
-
Alex Honnold belays Hans up the intimidating leaning...
-
Almost to the top.
-
From the top of the Boot Flake, Hans is lowered and can...
-
Hans swinging across to Eagle Ledge on the king swing.
-
Alex now takes the lead. The transition was very...
-
Hans following Alex on the Lynn Hill traverse.
-
I see maybe one piece of protection between the...
-
Alex passes a NIAD (Nose-In-A-Day) party that had...
-
Alex, leading the great roof approach in cruise mode,...
-
Almost out of frame...
-
Monica and Alex, ready to go get breakfast at the Yosemite Lodge.
-
Alex approaches the great roof. His technique was...
-
45 seconds later, almost across.
-
And 3 minutes later finds Alex leading Pancake Flake.
-
Awkward 5.11c stemming finish to Pancake Flake. With...
-
Hans almost catches up to Alex. Alex has mostly been...
-
Alex, somewhere around Changing Corners (the hardest...
-
A photographer hanging from an identical green rope...
-
Hans jugging up the hardest pitch of the route. NB: it...
-
Alex rehydrates from a pre-stashed (?) water container.
-
Alex pulling some serious moves towards the top of the climb.
-
Standing victorious on top. 2900 feet in 2 hours and 23 minutes.
-
After breakfast we headed back to El Cap to do some...
-
Getting my balance.
-
Throwing in a nut.
-
Found an OK rest.
-
Moving on up.
-
My face barely kissing the El Cap headwall (Salathe...
-
Monica breezing through the wide crux of Moby Dick (5.10a).
-
With the sky.
-
We ran into Yosemite Hardman Jim, who has climbed El Cap...
-
Looks fun right? Jim says you can buy these knee pads at...
-
Getting an upside-down chicken wing to allow a rest....
-
Nothing says raptor closure like comic sans.
-
Tourists taking photos of El Capitan.
-
Monica on her first real outdoor aid climb. Jugging and...
-
Higher up, almost done cleaning the first pitch.
-
While I was leading the second pitch, Allan and April...
-
Monica and April on La Escuela. Allan belaying from the...
-
The famous heart ledge. Took a picture for Monica since...
-
I think this is what in the military would be called a...
-
Monica, climbing over the lip of Crescent Arch (5.10b),...
-
At least my rope and knee is in laser-sharp focus.
-
You can see the folks at the previous belay (over at the...
-
The next party leading pitch 4 of Crescent Arch.
-
John and Monica on the top of DAFF Dome, with Fairview...
-
The enormous crescent arch on DAFF Dome. The climb...
-
DAFF Dome and Crescent Arch from the car.
-
On Sunday, Marlin, Dong, Monica and myself set out to...
-
Our trail left from Tuolumne Meadows and meandered north...
-
At a fork in the road.
-
The high Sierra country was in prime season: glowing...
-
As we neared Young Lakes we passed by Ragged Peak, and...
-
Closeup.
-
And farther away.
-
Looming in the distance is Mt. Conness. We really didn't...
-
Finally a somewhat clear view of the southwest face of...
-
Monica crossing a tiny stream on our cross-country...
-
Marlin, indicating the way forward.
-
Dong hiking (Monica and Marlin in the distance). Getting...
-
Conness seems to be getting a bit closer. Our climb...
-
Once out of the woods, we proceeded across easy terrain...
-
Dong, cooking dinner at camp as the clouds roll in over Conness.
-
And almost as soon as the clouds rolled in they were gone.
-
Eating dinner in camp on Sunday night.
-
Sunset over the Sierra Nevada. Looking south from our camp.
-
Alpenglow on Conness at sunset.
-
Monica gets ready to go to sleep in preparation for our...
-
Going to sleep early.
-
As it turned out, the evening was not so restful. Strong...
-
It was a windy morning so we bundled up in our...
-
Up the alpine slopes to the west ridge of Conness.
-
Alpine streams are my favorite.
-
Marlin, taking up the lead.
-
The West Ridge, looming above.
-
Monica.
-
Climbing up the talus at the base of the climb.
-
Pointing out a plant that smelled very strongly of mint.
-
Scrambling the last couple hundred yards. Marlin and...
-
View from the base of the climb. Half Dome is plainly...
-
Slightly zoomed in on (from left to right) Cathedral...
-
Dong, overlapping on the second pitch of West Ridge of...
-
Monica, making a delicate traverse on the second pitch...
-
At the end of the "hard" section. At this point, we kept...
-
Monica, stoked on the knife-edge west Ridge of Mt....
-
Climbing along the knife edge ridge.
-
A view of the exposure off to the left.
-
Climbing on an easier section.
-
Monica's got a lot of necklaces on.
-
Monica, climbing on a huge block.
-
I think that's about
-
Getting close to the top on easy terrain.
-
You can even see Tenaya Lake (near Half Dome in the background).
-
Relaxing near the summit.
-
Believe it or not there were marmots up here on this...
-
View to the west.
-
South
-
And East.
-
Climbing the last bit to the summit.
-
Monica near the summit.
-
Marlin, finding the summit register.
-
Marlin, with the summit register.
-
Looking off to the north.
-
Marlin, pointing out the Sawtooth Range to Dong.
-
Relaxing on the summit.
-
Signing the guest book.
-
Enjoying the cramped space on the summit.
-
Here we are!
-
View back towards camp.
-
... and zoomed in.
-
... and zoomed in even more. I swear our camp is just to...
-
Conness glacier.
-
Walking off the summit.
-
There's actually a pretty good trail along the east ridge.
-
Hiking along the east ridge to a plateau in the distance.
-
There was a trail going down this chute; to where I do not know.
-
Downclimbing a tricky part.
-
Back on (mostly) level ground for a while.
-
John
-
Apparently I did not do a very good job of coiling the rope.
-
Traversing a narrow ridge over to the plateau.
-
Southwest face of Mt. Conness, viewed from the side.
-
Stone wind rings on the plateau.
-
About to cross a small snowfield.
-
I found a USGS marker.
-
Another view of the southwest face.
-
Another view of the southwest face.
-
Crossing a small snowfield.
-
And now the fun part of the descent... a long and steep...
-
View of the West Ridge in profile.
-
The scree/talus/bush field we just descended.
-
Back on somewhat more friendly terrain.
-
Almost back to the valley.
-
Mt. Conness, nearly back at camp again.
-
Walking the last quarter mile or so.
-
And the fog rolls in for the second afternoon in a row.
-
View to the south.
-
Marlin and Dong's ultralight tube tent, i.e. a large...
-
Monica collecting mosquitos as usual.
-
Relaxing in camp.
-
With the mountain in the background.
-
More fog.
-
Going on a water run on Tuesday morning before we hike out.
-
Camp's packed up and we're ready to hit the trail.
-
Headed back for civilization.
-
Crossing a small stream.
-
I love alpine streams and meadows.
-
Back at Young Lake, where we pick up the NPS trail that...
-
Snack break on the trail.
-
Headed back to the meadows. Large gray dome at left...
-
Hiking along. Clark Range barely visible (dark colored...
-
Cathedral, Matthes, Mariolumne, Tenaya, Fairview and all...
-
Back side of Lembert directly ahead, I think.
-
Another resting spot.
-
Crossing a river on tricky rocks.
-
Dong balancing.
-
Monica plotting a plan of action.
-
Arriving back in the meadows we're greeted by a few deer grazing.
-
Crying Time Again (5.10a) the 6-pitch climb on Lembert...
-
Monica made a friend in camp. (Tuolumne Meadows...
-
Our potentially psychotic and or drugged out neighbor...
-
As luck would have it, Jay was able to transform part of...
-
Jay quickly convinced the entire group (Monica, John,...
-
At which point the ladies unfolded their camp chairs and...
-
The climb, named - appropriately enough - Bad Ass Momma,...
-
This steep, overhanging crack required any number of...
-
Looks fun, right?
-
Jay, nearly at the top.
-
Victorious, after 30 feet of progress on unlikely terrain.
-
Soaked from all the work
-
I've never seen one of these! On the hike back to the car...
-
Sunday's task was far more reasonable. Though it had...
-
Hanging around. Jay and Monica from the second belay....
-
Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne in the background. A...
-
Looking down at the sublime 3rd pitch... 150 feet of...
-
One more shot.
-
Monica on the sharp end of the rope on pitch 4.
-
Hanging out at the very comfortable belay ledge at the...
-
Jay coming up pitch 4, on relatively moderate terrain.
-
Jay working on his Tuolumne edging skills. Next time...
-
Jay and Monica coming up the final and 5th pitch to the...
-
Monica on pitch 5 of West Crack, just feet from the top.
-
Monica and John somehow ended up with nearly matching...
-
John, Monica, and the rock that was my anchor for the last pitch.
-
Jay, taking a rest on top. Mt. Conness visible next to...
-
Mariolumne Dome, Lamb Dome, and in between them in the...
-
Jay walking off the back side of DAFF Dome to the rappel route.
-
Monica headed down first, with the north face of...
-
Jay, ditto.
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As we hiked our way along the southwest toe of DAFF dome...
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Finger crack leading to low angle, gold-colored very...
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Monica belaying Jay.
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Jay backed down near the top of the route, since he...
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Placing the smallest nut I had in the thin vein of a...
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Well, here goes.
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Careful foot placements.
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Got to the first bolt and clipped a draw.
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Moving past it.
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Trying a high step.
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Resting. Need to work out calf muscles at gym more.
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From farther away.
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Ok, enough resting. It was so desperately thin...
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On the move.
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Got to the second bolt.
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Looking for the anchor.
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And at the anchor.
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Monica, always the patient belayer.
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Monica, giving it a whirl on top rope.
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The moon rising over Fairview Dome.
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Monica, making a move.
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Delicate feet. Monica cruised up this in probably less...
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Just about to the top.
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Monica, cleaning the anchor and getting ready to rappel.
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Rappelling back to the base while Jay gives a belay. In...
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Monica, racking up in the parking lot at the east end of...
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Some guy who was having a picnic offered to take our photo.
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Mountaineers Dome Our climbing route starts in the...
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On Saturday Alex, Monica and I decided to tackle a 5...
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Monica making it up the first 5.9 pitch.
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Working hard to get a cam out. John's hands belaying.
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Pitch 1 from the bottom. John is at the top belaying.
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Alex at the base of our climb, Pywiack dome in the background.
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Monica, sorting some rope on the enormous first belay...
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View across the valley of the penny royal arches.
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John's lead ropes on pitch 2.
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John, belaying at the the top of pitch 2. It was a warm day.
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View from top of the 2nd pitch, including (from left to...
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John belaying from a perch at the top of pitch 2 where I...
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Monica coming up the 5.10a fingers section on pitch 2.
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Monica at the belay.
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On the fun traversing pitch 4. 5.7 traverse without much...
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Monica belaying while John climbs the 5.10b crux pitch 3.
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From the top of the slick corner. Pywiack again and...
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Monica at the top of pitch 4.
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Alex rounding the top of pitch 4.
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With Cathedral Peak in the background.
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John, at the top of pitch 4.
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Monica on the 5.7 no-pro traverse on pitch 4.
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Monica on the 4th class descent.
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Beautiful Tenaya Lake.
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Alex on the descent.
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Finding our way through the slabs.
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Cathedral Peak catching the evening light.
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On the hike back down.
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Hiking back to the car.
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Alex and Tenaya Lake in the background.
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Taking a breather and switching back to approach shoes...
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We climbed to the top of that! Coming down the last of...
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Quaking aspen wearing its fall colors.
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Sunday morning saw the real adventure: a line on...
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The climb is called Lucky Streaks: 6 pitches, closer to...
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Sunday, in the parking lot before heading to Lucky...
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Monica, at the base of Lucky Streaks on Sunday morning.
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Our climbing route.
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I am at the top of the second pitch (5.10a) and Monica...
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Monica, coming up the top of pitch 1.
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Alex, on the 3rd pitch, taking a break after trying a...
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At the top of the climb, just after sunset. Headlamp on...
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Sans-headlamp.
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Moonrise on the descent down 3rd and 2nd class slabs....
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Sierra sunset from the top of Fairview Dome.
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Eating the last of our food and drinking the last of our...
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Alex.
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On the way to our climb at Five Open Books (near Lower...
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Monica climbing the second pitch of The Surprise (5.10a)...
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Monica, having fun on the sustained second pitch.
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View of Sentinel Rock from the top of Five Open Books.
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Not a bad backdrop to an afternoon of climbing. Royal...
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Tying in at the base of Middle Cathedral Rock.
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John climbing up pitch 3 through a beautiful section of...
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Pulling through the roof on pitch 3.
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An oldie but a goodie... Monica climbing a pitch 4 or 5...
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John peeking around to see what's up there.
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After the roof the crack widens significantly to about...
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Small chimney on pitch 5.
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John and Dong at the 5th and final belay ledge of...
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5:47 PM... on the rappel down.
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Monica on the epic 0.8 mile 1500 feet of elevation gain...
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Lower Cathedral Spire on the approach!
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The epic approach did have a nice view. Note Yosemite...
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Nice looking chockstone at the beginning of the 4th...
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Looking up at the money pitches (4 & 5) of South By Southwest.
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Monica gets ready to follow the 4th pitch.
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Monica past the tricky 5.10d crux on pitch 4.
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Pitch 5, a.k.a. the money pitch: 5.10 steep hands...
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Monica coming through the cave to the summit of the tower.
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View from the top of Lower Cathedral Spire: El Capitan.
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Yosemite Valley including roaring Yosemite Falls at the left.
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Self portrait on the summit.
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Monica on the summit.
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Monica and El Cap.
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Pondering the yonder.
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Great view of El Capitan.
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On rappel on the way back down. This route was steep! I...
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Monica, fixing a rappel on the way back down. "Pitch 4"...
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Back at the base of the spire. Monica after our 5th and...
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Monica on the hike back down the endless boulder field.
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Sentinel Rock
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El Cap at sunset.
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View from the trail.
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Yosemite Falls was raging and the Merced river was brimming.
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Dogwood trees were in bloom.
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After 3+ years of waiting, Jeff finally got his custom...
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Merced River Sunday morning near Cookie Cliff on Highway 140.
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Me at the top of pitch 1 of Outer Limits at Cookie...
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Ringneck snake at the base of the climbing routes.
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Joe gives a spot while Dong tries Crack-a-Go-Go (5.11c)...
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Merced River and Bridal Veil falls in the background. If...