The line of ants behind me are people. A surprising number of folks hike hard for 5 hours to arrive at this point, then refuse to go any further.
At first glimpse, the cables look gnarly & intimidating. But the longer you sit & stare at them, the gnarlier & more intimidating they get. =) .. which is why it's best to not sit here very long - at least not your first time up.
All vacation long, I told Brendan (his 1st time), "When you get to the top of Quarter Dome, & you see the cables up close, you want to sit there for a good long while, noticing particularly, how *steep* they are." =D
I got 50-feet up the cables my 1st time, & my sneaker started slipping bad. The granite is slippery from so many people making the hike. Had zero traction. Had to rely on my arms, which began to tire. Said to myself, "I can't climb up these cables, cuz I can't get any footing." (notice: this year -> no sneakers - nice Teva hiking boots) But I kept going anyway - didn't want to hear any crap from the kids about wimping out. =D
Next -> Gang at the cables