After those first few days on the wall fixing lines and looking at possible cracks and face features, we decided that the rumors were true, but that the route wasn’t going to be easy. It would require a ton of work. Anchor bolts would have to be hand drilled in the impeccable Yosemite granite, pins would have to be hammered into faint seams and cracks where regular climbing protection wouldn’t fit, cracks would have to be wire brushed to clear off lichen and moss and loose rocks would have to be tossed all while not injuring ourselves or others.

It took six days of arduous and dehydrating work. Our bodies were destroyed and the rapid pace of hand drilling, jugging, and cleaning tested our motivation and energy levels. Knowing that this ascent would probably be a piece of climbing history in of itself, we asked a photographer to photo the climb. Unfortunately, this is usually done during the first free ascent, but since his schedule was tight as was ours, we chose to shoot some of the more beautiful and inspiring pitches before we had actually completed the climb in its entirety.

This leads us to my current state. With little time to practice the moves on the more difficult pitches, we were on call to take photos where we knew the climbing would be spectacular and challenging. Mike had attempted four pitches for the camera on the first day and on our third day on the wall, it was my turn.

We woke up after eating turkey and blueberry cheesecake out of a bag from our camp and were all feeling severe fatigue. We had walked to the top of Half Dome five or six times and jugged and rapped the wall at least that much in the last few days and the toll of the heat and exhaustion was adding up. We arrived at the summit passing many first timers on the way and rested at the top of the fixed lines for a few minutes. I couldn’t stop yawning. We had just hiked up over 2500 hundred feet and I still wasn’t truly awake. The routine of the walk and work had set in.