Hiking

“The foot of the trail is actually pretty covered, consisting largely of woodland and straightforward paths underfoot. It initially felt more like a stroll through the Forest of Dean than it did an ascent to a vista point in Yosemite. Gradually leaving the freezing, misty valley floor behind, we began to follow the path through the woodland with a ton of enthusiasm, desperate to see what this trail had in store for us. After around 20–30 minutes, we started to emerge from the cover of the trees just as the sun crept out from behind the park’s imperious Half Dome. [...] This route took us across the right-hand face of Yosemite Falls, meaning we had an ever-changing view of the valley to keep us busy as we went. That first hour vanished in no time, such was our excitement - most of the walking either of us had done to this point had been in England, so we’d never come close to seeing anything on Yosemite’s scale before. Every glimpse we got of the valley outdid the last, as we climbed higher and higher.”

“We were having a fantastic day… we had some laughs, interesting conversations learning about each other, good interactions with hikers who stayed at Mizpah Spring Hut, and even fed Gray Jays. We stopped by the Mizpah Hut, to grab water, take a bio break, and have some chocolate cake! We then headed up the trail for the short .08 mi trek to summit Mt. Pierce… and that’s when things became interesting. I am a consistent 1.0 / 1.3 mph hiker, but I began to realize that I was becoming fatigued… having to stop for rest breaks, and quickly becoming exhausted. I knew something was wrong… for the next hour plus, I continued to try to “shake it off” … maybe it was dehydration or low calories…. Nothing was working.”