Preparations

I can't believe that I'm awake at 3:40 am. I can't believe that I'm awake at 3:40 am and coherent! Duane and I have been adjusting our sleep schedules to wake up progressively earlier and earlier this past week. We started at 5:30 am and we're now up to 3:40 am. Tomorrow we will arise at 3:00 am, quickly dress, and hopefully be at the Panorama trailhead by 4:00 am.

Tomorrow is the big day! We will attempt to summit Half Dome. We're not going to take the usual trail from Happy Isles. We're leaving from the Panorama trail - we're trading an extra mile and a half for 2000 feet of elevation gain. And of course, much more beautiful vistas!

One of the most important preparations I made was to get my annual physical completed yesterday morning. I am healthier now on nearly all counts than I was a year ago. My HDLs are betters, my triglycerides and blood pressure are down and my weight is lower by about ten pounds. The only cause of concern is a bit of anemia, likely the result of a hormonal imbalance causing too lengthy menstrual bleeding. While that hormonal imbalance had already been addressed, I'm still a bit anemic. Red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen through the body, take a week or longer to form. This may have an effect at higher altitude, but I can't be sure what stresses my body will be able to withstand until I get there.

I packed my backpack before going to bed last night. I made a trip to REI yesterday to stock up on some electrolyte beans, trail bars and a better trail map of the Half Dome hike. We also have some extra gear with us this time. We each have a climbing harness, a runner, and two carabiners for clipping on to the cable during the last section of the hike. And an extra pair of sticky gloves for gripping the cable.

The last loads of laundry are running now. Now all I need to pack are a change of clothes, some toiletries and a swimsuit. (The swimsuit is for when we get back to Tenaya Lodge and the hot tub!)

Unfortunately, none of the people that we asked to go with us were able to make it, so we will have to take both of our cars and drive separately. We'll park one car at Curry Village the night before, using the other car to take us to Glacier Point the next morning. We'll pick up a deli sandwich for tomorrow on the way to the Lodge. The radios are charging for inter-car communications.

We had dinner last night at a friend's restaurant with mentor Deb for some last minute coaching. As it turns out, our friend, the owner of the restaurant, had also hiked Half Dome with his wife last weekend. So he treated us to photos of his hike. Wow!

I think we're ready. We're as ready as we'll ever be this season. Our coach thinks we're ready.

It's Half Dome or bust!