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Enjoying my first coffee in a week. What a great feeling! The hair on the back of my neck is standing. I can think again. The world makes sense again. Had a touch of an intestinal bug yesterday, which sapped my energy. One of the worst feelings I know is that of having no energy. Really suks. I hate it. I've always had an abundance of energy .. often too much so, especially when I was young(er) .. needing to find constructive outlets to channel it (which didn't always happen). Lately I've come to associate lack-of-energy (after seeing what happened to my folks) with disease and death .. and associate things like climbing Half Dome with fullness of life. No sickly person is going to climb Half Dome (8 miles up, 8 miles down). I remember the feeling of accomplishment I felt after arriving at the top. It seem to confirm the fact that I was still very much alive, and dispel any doubt. To this day, it's still one of the coolest things I've done (twice). ••• continued ••• Thought I was one of the few who felt this way. But then I saw an episode of Huell Howser's California's Gold, where he filmed a trip to the top of Half Dome (which you can buy), where I heard many climbers echo similar sentiments. In church last week, the guest speaker asked how many people had climbed Half Dome. I raised my hand high. Only a few hands were raised. The degree of difficulty is what makes it so cool. Yes, it's gnarly. Many climb all day, then see the cables, and refuse to go any further. I know that feeling (but went up anyway.) Was I scared? You betcha. Nearly pee'd my pants .. especially when I dropped a water bottle, and it fell a looong time before hitting anything. It got very small, very fast. I would *love* to climb Half Dome with the little guy someday (Rad Jr.) .. when he gets big enough. Hope he enjoys it much as I do. Maybe you've heard the saying: "You meet the nicest people in the mountains." It's true. Proverbs says: Doth not wisdom cry? and understanding put forth her voice? She standeth in the top of high places, by the way in the places of the paths. Didn't intend to talk about Half Dome today. What a rambling post. Man, this coffee tastes good. =) Off to church. Hallelujah! Woohoo! good ditty on hiking Half Dome is here. For more along these lines, here's a Google search pre-configured for the query: half dome climb hike yosemite national park |
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