Welcome to Jarrett Arbogast's Pictures / Yosemite 09

Welcome to Jarrett Arbogast's Pictures

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Welcome to Jarrett Arbogast's Pictures

Welcome to Jarrett Arbogast's Pictures

Ken Bihn came all the way from OH to hike Yosemite's Half Dome. Great Challenge! 17 mi RT, and almost a mile up...we made it to the top in just over 4 hrs!

Trail Head check in the day before 1/2 Dome. Looking toward Glacier Point

Trail Head chec

Ken @ the mileage marker (4093' above sea level)

Ken @ the milea

Looking down on the Merced River, below Vernal Falls

Looking down on

Vernal Fall from a distance

Vernal Fall fro

Ken below Vernal Fall, wondering if he might just be Master of the Mist Trail - approx 6 am. Over 700 steps on this part of the trail!

Ken below Verna

Top of Vernal Falls. 5062', 1.6 mi from trail head

Top of Vernal F

Ken looking to Nevada Fall - Granite Steps between Liberty Cap, and Nevada Fall.

Nevada Falls via the Mist Trail

Nevada Falls vi

Almost there - the Dome beckons!

Looking North toward Quarter Domes

Looking North t

There she is! Ken points toward his impending doom!

All smiles for now...it's do or die!

Rattler! As if it weren't enough that Ken gets to face his fear of heights...

Rattlers fatten up on the well fed, chip-munks on sub dome. Adam, a Yosemite guide, blocked the trail above while we stayed below so that the reptile would slither off the trail. Worked! And Ken wasted no time in blazing a new path!

Rattlers fatten

Ken crests Sub-Dome.

Ken crests Sub-

Cresting Sub Dome to see what lies ahead. INTIMIDATING to say the least. Video and pictures don't do the cables' shear, steep grade justice at all.

Cresting Sub Do

Stoked, and terrified all at the same time!

Stoked, and ter

All smiles, and stalling...

All smiles, and

Ken decided if he'd wait any longer, he won't go. So he descends to the base of the cables...crying like a little girl :) 8402', 7.1 mi, and just over 4 hrs. We crushed this trail!

Top of the world! Well, not exactly but sure feels like it. Standing on the Visor, or the "Diving Board." (Whichever you prefer) Apex of Half Dome: 8836', 7.2 mi and approx 4.5 hrs.

Top of the worl

Still not too happy up here...

Still not too h

Ken! Getting just a little more brave as he steps toward the edge!

Now that's life on the edge!

Now that's life

Looking down from the Visor to the Valley below, just a mere 4,473' below!

Looking down fr

Great way to top off a great month! 3.5 mil for Tay-Sachs Research, Crush Half Dome...what's next?

Great way to to

Looking out on Yosemite Valley, Glacier Pt, and El Capitan.

Notice the puff of smoke beyond El Capitan. This was the start of a so called, "Controlled" burn in Foresta, near the west entrance (120) to the park. Maybe a prescribed burn in +90* weather should be put on hold...hmmm.

Notice the puff

Looking South from the top of Half Dome.

Looking South f

They say you can fit 7 football fields up here...does that mean there's room for the Browns?

They say you ca

Ken...pondering his descent!

Ken...pondering

Ken got so stressed coming down that he used my legitimate, 1st name, saying, "Jarrett, hurry up - keep moving!" And then he called me Jason!

Ken got so stre

He can breathe again! "But wait, there's more!" Still have to go down Sub-Dome and there's no cables there...

Sorry, but my camera's old, and apparently not that smart on the upload. Turn your monitor side-ways!

Sorry, but my c

Odly enough, I thought the going down was less frightening than the going up.

Happy to be off the cables! But we still have Sub-Dome.

Happy to be off

Ken on the start home...

Ken on the star

Looking back...

Looking back...

Looking back, and wondering why...

Looking back, a

Cooor - kha....Coor - kha..."Luke, I'm your father."

Cooor - kha....

Back side of Half Dome/Cables, the Saddle, and Sub Dome.

Back side of Ha

Long way down from the top of Nevada Fall. Great swimming just before the bridge! 5977' at about 11.9 mi hiked.

Long way down f

Nevada Fall. Went back via the John Muir Trail to bipass the many steps of the Mist Trail. Longer route, but easier on the knees.

Liberty Cap, Mt Broderick, and Half Dome's southern exposure.

Liberty Cap, Mt

POTASSIUM! Great for long term energy, and preventing cramps...too bad I left my bananas in the hotel room! Ken was kind enough to score me one from the Happy Isles Consession Stand. Thanks Ken!

Hard to believe we were just looking down from there. That little pointed part is where my feet were!

Hard to believe

Back at Yosemite Lodge on Hwy 140, the "Controlled Foresta" burn is now out of "Controll."

Back at Yosemit

CDF Air Tankers!

CDF Air Tankers

Watching the CDF Choppers fight the blaze from the hot tub.

Watching the CD

Route 120 is CLOSED!

Route 120 is CL

Yosemite Valley

Yosemite Valley

Day 2 of the "Controlled" burn. Locals say that many homes are being lost.

Day 2 of the "C

Look closely in the middle, just above the tree line and you can see a chopper dropping water they sucked up from the Merced River.

Look closely in

Much 3rd class rock scrambling, and wrong turns, but we found the cover shoot swimming hole! Thanks for your perserverance Ken, you olympic pamel horse athlete you!

POT # 3 Along Chilnualna Fall Falls Trail, Wawona (S end of Yosemite).

POT # 3 Along C

COLD, but beautiful, deep hole...probably 8' or more.

COLD, but beaut

Sorry Ken, No America's Funniest Home Video! I'm really not that white...it's just an illusion caused by my crappy, old camera. Seriously.

Sorry Ken, No A

Maybe I am that white.

Maybe I am that

We've got BEAR!!!

We've got BEAR!

That's a BIG TREE.

That's a BIG TR

Mariposa Grove - Giant Sequoias.

THE GRISLY GIANT

THE GRISLY GIAN

THE REAL GRIZZLY GIANT

THE REAL GRIZZL

The Root of all evil?

The Root of all

That's just awesome.

That's just awe

Living for a "Promise."

Living for a "P