July 26^th
Packing Day:
To climb Half Dome one must be prepared to sleep on the wall. Twenty-three hundred feet of climbing can only be done in a day by very fast teams with extensive knowledge of the wall. Most people climb it in 3 days. Climbing a wall is likened to vertical backpacking with a lot more work. One must haul, not carry, all the gear, food, and water the team will need for the entire trip. Unlike backpacking, climbing requires ropes, cams, carabiners and a plethora of extra gear that tips the scales at 50lbs. Add the 12 lbs. of food, 9 lbs for sleeping bags and extra clothes, and the six gallons (84lbs) of water we would need, and the pack (haul bag) was going to be extremely heavy.

In the morning, Ed and I began sorting the climbing gear, taking exactly what we needed and not one ounce more. The climbing was a little more than expected, but seemed manageable. Next we packed the food. As we packed, smoke began to roll into the valley. Soon it was difficult to see across the valley floor. The valley is only about ¼ mile wide but the smoke was getting thicker. The power went out, but some of the stores were still functioning on generators. We rested that afternoon to prepare for the hike in.