Half Dome Success

Half Dome Climbed for Single Mother with only half of her kidneys!

Elleni is happy to be celebrating her daughter's 2 and a half year birthday — Elleni is happy to be celebrating her daughter’s 2 and a half year birthday

Read about Elleni’s Story and Our Goal

Half Dome Sept 21 from Yosemite Valley. Hard to believe tomorrow we may be on the summit

Elevation of Yosemite Valley. Only about 5000 feet to climb! One for each person diagnosed with Kidney Cancer in the US this month!

We got up at 5 am to eat a quick bite and get on the trail by 6. Lots of hiking and only so much sunlight.

After hiking at a good clip mostly up hill we reached the top of Nevada Falls, 2000 feet climbed!

We had to refill our water from the Merced River. It was a little murky and we used iodine to kill off the germs.

We left the main trail, headed to the base of the west side of the dome. Everything is big including the pine cones! About the size of a large kidney tumor.

Another 1000 feet over rock, scree and a little bushwhacking and we arrive at the base of the Snake Dike Route

Looking up our course to the top.

Friction traverse on pitch 3

That little ledge is about the width of a dime.

Starting up the Snake Dike!

Don't look at this one if you are a mother! — Don’t look at this one if you are a mother!

Lots of beautiful granite!

Looking back from where we started the climbing

Climb 4 Kidney Cancer Colors on the Summit!

Standing on the famous Half Dome Visor. Looking down 5000 to our campsite and remembering the 5000 people whose lives will be changed this month by Kidney cancer

Visor with the valley floor far below. The air is clean, the wind cool, there is no noise! The battle against gravity was hard, but the view is worth it.

My altimeter is a little off, actual summit is 8840. — My altimeter is a little off, actual summit is 8840 and my focus was a little blurry but we didn’t have the energy to run back up for a retake!

One of the many hanging belays on the way up.

On the way down, we descended the famous cables on the Eastern side of the Dome

The next morning from Glacier Point, we watched the sun rise over that incomparable rock. We took around 30,000 steps to get up and down that dome. It is sobering to think that for each one, a new diagnosis of kidney cancer will be delivered around the world just in the month of September!

Please help by spreading the word. Telling the stories of those with kidney cancer. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @climb4kc