to the top of Half Dome! And wow...what a hike! This is my first of several posts about the Shopoff vacation to Yosemite last week, but I thought I'd start out by telling you about one of the most physically challenging things I've ever done.
On Friday, August 7th, at 5 a.m., nine of the Shopoff clan set out to hike to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. Patrick's dad, his three uncles, three of his cousins, and the two of us loaded up our backpacks with all of our hiking supplies and drove out to the trailhead in the valley. This is where our hike began. Now I could write a huge description of the hike, but I don't know that it would paint a proper picture of what we did that day. Instead, let me start with some facts that help you understand the Half Dome hike:
Half Dome elevation: 8800 feet
Elevation gain from valley to peak: 4,800 feet(yes, as in almost a mile)
Distance from valley to peak: 8.2 miles
Total distance to complete hike: 16.4 miles
Numbers of hours to complete hike: 10-12 hours
Number of people who make it to the top each year: 50,000
Best description: "Half Dome is the ultimate Yosemite day hike - the one you can't die without doing, and the one you're most likely to die while doing"(yosemitehikes.com).
If that isn't enough to get your attention, check out this picture of the final 400 feet of the ascent to the peak of Half Dome:
Yes, you actually climb to the peak of Half Dome by holding on to two cables mounted to the face of the granite.
Now that you know that the hike is like, let me tell you about our experience. It was a beautiful morning with fantastic cool weather. We set out on our hike from the trailhead in the valley at around 6 a.m. and immediately, we began to climb. The beginning of the trail consisted of very large granite steps, beautiful waterfalls, and stunning views of the sun rising on Half Dome.
The next part of the hike consisted of very sandy trail and less climb. We saw some beautiful mule deer and reached the halfway point to the top during this period.
Mile 4 - halfway up!
The final part of the hike was the climb up quarter dome, a mixture of granite steps and rocky trail, and then the final ascent up the cables on to the peak of Half Dome. This was by far the hardest part of the hike, both physically and mentally. You are left very exposed on the face of the granite as you climb and it can be very scary!
And at last...........WE MADE IT!!! We were awarded with some beautiful views of the valley.
How awesome is it that these guys are still climbing
After spending a little time on top of Half Dome, it was time to head back down. We ate our lunch on quarter dome before beginning the trip back down to the valley. Due to a small miscommunication, it took us 1 1/2 hours longer than expected to get back to the trailhead. However, we still made it to the car only 11 hours after starting our hike, which totaled around 18 miles round-trip with the added trek to and from the parking lot. I was very proud, very exhausted, and very sore. Overall, it was well worth the climb. It was a day of fun, physical challenge, and celebration...just another day with the Shopoffs, I guess.
"...and I must go." ~ John Muir
Patrick and I have been talking about going camping for months but we just haven't found the time. We spontaneously decided late this week that this weekend was the perfect chance for us to go camping. We made a last-minute decision on Friday to go to Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Arkansas.
It was a beautiful drive and the views from the campground were just gorgeous! We had a great time hiking, playing Skip-Bo(which of course...I won), and enjoying the scenery. Kaiko was quite a trooper and put up with the long hikes and car ride. She even made up for last time when she wasn't such a guard dog(see A Camping We Will Go) by catching herself a chipmunk. Poor little guy! Here are some pics of our adventures...
Enjoying the view...
Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite times of year. I mean, of course it is...it's all of my favorite things in one place...family, food, and football. This year we spent the holiday with the Shopoff family in Austin. We had an excellent Thanksgiving dinner(thanks to all of the awesome Shopoff cooks) followed by an even-better beating of the Aggies(sorry, Jeanie...but not really...ha!) Hook 'em horns! Here are some pictures from the trip!
Yes, the band did march off the field and leave their shoes
I love you!
I know...I know...it's late to still be talking about Independence Day but late is better than never, right? I've been meaning to get these pictures up but I just haven't done it.
Patrick and I had a great 4th of July this year because we got to spend the holiday with Patrick's brother and sister-in-law and our beautiful niece, Courtney. What a wonderful time! On Friday, we spent the day relaxing and catching up before we went to a BBQ at our friends' house. We had a yummy dinner and lots of fun chatting with everybody.
We then headed off to watch the Frisco fireworks show at Pizza Hut Park. What a show it was! Courtney had previously been very scared of fireworks, but this time she really seemed to enjoy them. She was very excited when she saw the pink ones because "pink is my paborite color"(she hasn't quite mastered the 'f' sound. Too cute!) The"pireworks" were gorgeous. Here's a few pictures of the night.
On Saturday, we enjoyed a nice brunch and then headed to the park. Even though it was still fairly early in the afternoon, it was already blazing hot. We enjoyed some time at the playground before heading home for some rest and cold water. After resting a while, we decided to take Courtney to the Dallas World Aquarium(if you haven't been, you should go...love that place!). She was so excited and kept saying that she wanted to find a "pink pish because pink is her paborite color". How adorable is that! Here are some pictures of our adventures at the park and the aquarium. Thanks for coming to visit us Michael, Christie, and Courtney!
