Half Dome mountaineers :)

To this day, half dome is the most exciting and beautiful day hike I've done. The pictures don't really do it justice, but give an idea of the scale of this hiking adventure.

Our day started early, hitting the trail before sunrise around 5am. The steep path leads along a river for the first few hours with 2 high waterfalls on the way. Although the water levels were low, the falls in this scenery are still breathtaking.

Since we had been unlucky and didn't win the permit lottery four days in a row (you need a permit to do the last bit of the hike), we decided to just go and try to find groups with extra permits on the way. In hindsight, this was such a good way to do it! Not because you shouldn't get the permits in advance, but because it was another beautiful adventure on its own. We got to meet and speak with fellow hikers from all around the world and with all kinds of wonderful stories of their half dome experience. Meeting adventurers who have done other amazing trails was especially inspiring. One conversation lead me to plan a Himalaya trekking tour in the fall :)

12 hours later, filled with images of Yosemite's incomparable beauty, we made it back, thankful we got to experience this special place on earth.Read more