Half Dome at last!!

It is finally going to happen!

After years of talking about climbing this great rock in Yosemite, reading about others climbing this rock, dreaming about climbing this rock…I am finally setting a date and making a team!

My ticket has been purchased (for super cheap I might add!) and come June i’m headed west. Isn’t there a song about going West young man? Does it still apply if you are a WOman? Maybe the singer slurred his speech and he was really trying to say woman. That’s what I am going to think anyway 🙂

My plane arrives in Cali the last day of May, luckily not the first of May cause you know i would be in the airport yelling MAY DAY, MAY DAY! Security might not be too happy with me if this were to happen so the end of May it is. I know my limits.

Speaking of limits…have you seen the size of Half Dome? I really enjoy that God put a little extra crazy in when He designed me 🙂 This will be the longest climb I have ever done and I have a feeling it is going to stir something in me to desire the need for a portaledge on my next big climb aka finding a climb to sleep on next! Either that or I will never want to climb again. That would, well, it would suck. So in order to be ready and not hate climbing  once this endevore is conquered…

IT IS TIME TO GET SERIOUS ABOUT TRAINING!

Here in the part of TX where I live it is hard to find many big walls to practice multi pitch, so I am starting with building my endurance. Austin basically breaths building endurance so I’m definitely in the right place for now.

The rock gyms in the past have not been my favorite thing.  Ok so i kinda hated them, with their overpriced fees and their stinking air and questioned their very existence.   It took some time to break the stigma but I’m learning even gyms have a place in training.  As I pulled and pushed my way up the plastic wall the other night I adorned a small pack and climbed up and climbed down, up and down, up and down. The training has commenced! After doing about maybe 12 climbs i was a bit what one might called tired. People kept asking me how much my pack weighed and i just shrugged and said ahh not much. When I got home I weighed my pack and to my surprise it was just over 15 lbs! Now to gradually increase the weight and the number of climbs.

Half Dome I may not be completely ready when I get to you but I am going to work on getting as close to ready as I can!!!

Oh and for the first time ever i set a new personal high of  three pull ups in a row on my hang board! I have finally moved on from saying “Ooonne, we’re gooing foor Oone”. Big wall I’m on my way!