2. 2006

Yosemite, CA

We paid our visit to Climbing's Mecca.
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Kelsey check out the view from a belay ledge on <i>Nutcracker 5.8</i>.
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Kelsey check out the view from a belay ledge on Nutcracker 5.8.

CaliforniaYosemiteRock ClimbingKelsey Gray2006

  • Yosemite is perhaps the top destination for climbers worldwide, with its incredibly massive granite walls, reasonable climate, and easy access. Kelsey takes his shot of Yosemite Falls from the valley floor.
  • Yosemite Falls, at 2,420 feet of vertical drop, is the sixth or seventh highest waterfall in the world.
  • Half Dome, seen from the valley floor as a cloud front moves in. We climbed it a couple days later.
  • Kelsey tries the slackline rigged in Camp 4, the climbers' campground made famous in a controversy in 2003 which resulted in its placement on the national registry of historic places. Climbing as we know it today was hugely influenced and developed by climbers living out of this campground.
  • The dominant feature of Yosemite is El Capitan, a 3,000 foot hunk of granite that has become home for hundreds of climbers several days of the year.
  • Kelsey and El Capitan.
  • Yosemite's "Tunnel View" is undoubtedly one of the most photographed vistas in the entire world, with hundreds of thousands of awe-struck visitors parking their cars to capture it every year. Kelsey and I rode our bikes several miles against a slow stream of automobile traffic to get here and shoot it ourselves.
  • Kelsey stands on the edge of Vernal Falls during our hike to a high camp behind Half Dome.
  • Waiting for daylight to fade, we rigged a slackline and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a while.
  • It's a rough life.
  • Half Dome stands reflected in a lake on our hike in to climb.
  • Kelsey takes his own shot from our stable photography platfom.
  • Kelsey leads past his first piece on a pitch of <i>Snake Dike 5.7</i> only protected by one bolt.
  • We topped out on Half Dome's summit in midday, with hordes of tourists who took the easy way all around. After being in climbing shoes for hours on end, Kelsey's feet enjoyed the snow.
  • This rock on Half Dome's summit hangs out over a 2000 foot drop, which of course makes it an enticing location for portraits.
  • Kelsey enjoys the view.
  • The regular tourist trail up Half Dome is the cable route, a pair of cable railings secured to the rock with large posts. We hiked back along this route.
  • When we pulled in and parked in Yosemite, the jeep wouldn't start again. Unperturbed, we commenced climbing and dealt with the car troubles later. Kelsey changed out the fuel pump in the parking lot at Curry Village.
  • Yosemite Falls seen from the valley floor on a bright sunny day.
  • Kelsey check out the view from a belay ledge on <i>Nutcracker 5.8</i>.
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