Half Dome – Yosemite Musing

When caught shortcutting their own advice, we often hear experts advise: “Do as I say, not as I do”.   Today I say Do as I do. I am writing this as I sit on a cruise ship approaching St. Maarten Island in the beautiful Caribbean Sea. This is Hurricane Alley and I would not venture here in the fall. Some of these resort burgs (like Belize and Cayman) get hammed every 5 years or so  - then they rebuild. But I digress. I get inquires from prospective Half Dome hikers on how to best get in shape. Walking the dog a mile a night is not going to cut it. You gotta do hills. The bigger the better. One reader from Canton, Ohio  (hi Marie!) told me there are no hills there. I suggested going up and down the fires escape staircase at a high rise hotel. She found a suitable place and did that – it worked and she successfully summited HD. So I am in the same boat (pun intended). There are no hills available on a cruise. I plan to hike Half Dome twice in June (a week apart) and although my years on Krypton have made life on your planet easy, I still find the need to be ready. Today I went up/down the aft staircase for about an hour. Check out the photo – it’s a 13 story behemoth. I used Alice Cooper’s Greatest Hits to pace myself. At least inside it is air-conditioned and I didn’t have to swelter in the humid air on deck. So anyway, think about this solution to keeping your fitness up. I will sleep soundly tonight!

Unrelated thought worth quoting: “No more Mr. Nice Guy; no more Mr. Clean.” – Alice Cooper

*Mr. Half Dome -Rick Deutsch - www.HikeHalfDome.com*