This summer my family and I took a trip to California to see some places we had never been. I was particularly focused on Yosemite National Park, since it seemed like such a surreal place to visit.
I immediately set my sights on summiting Half Dome, one of the most challenging hikes within the park boundaries. Months in advance we were planning to go, and even though we didn’t originally get permits for summiting the dome, we decided to go anyways and ask some people along the way if we could possibly join their group.
After thirty minutes of straight hill ascending, we reached a bridge going over the Merced River, which seemed utterly deadly from above. Soon after we reached the “misty” part of the trail. Moreover, it was not just misting, but practically spraying, gallons of cold water, wetting the steep steps above and blinding you as you climbed up, with a deadly drop just on your left. At some points the mist got so thick that when you turned around you couldn’t see feet behind you.
Finally, after what felt like hours of trudging through the terrifying mist, we passed the point of the falls and began drying off. A lot of hikers get hypothermia on the way forwards from the Mist Trail due to the cold water, but after a couple minutes of shivering I began drying off in the sun.
After a couple more hours we passed Nevada Falls, which was relaxing and less stressful than Vernal Falls behind us. Once we summited Nevada Falls, we asked a group of hikers if they had any extra permits and they said that they, in fact, did.
After this, the hike was pretty much a cruise of scenic meadows and fir trees up until the sub dome. At the sub dome you ascend so quickly in such a tight space that many hikers find it hard to grip the height. We summited with a group of friendly hikers who had come down for the weekend and prepared ourselves for the climb.
From the top, the views were amazing, with the surrounding domes and mountains jutting from the earth in the distance, and you were so high that you couldn’t even see the valley floors.
The reason why I tell you this is because the outdoors is one of the things that makes me very happy, it makes me feel at home and makes me feel a rush of exhilaration whenever I’m out and about.
In a world where we are constantly staring at our devices or simply wasting time, it’s always very good to do things you never could have imagined that you would be able to do.
So, I implore you to find somewhere near you, it could be in the great outdoors, it may not, that is somewhere that you truly enjoy being, and to simply enjoy being there.
Thank you for reading.
—Owen, 9th grade student
