Yosemite climbing death

  Not really climbing but extreme walking, for sure.  I'm surprised this doesn't happen more often.  One  mis-step and you are gone down the slope.

   Park officials say about 50K people a year climb the cables.  Its a 17 mile round trip hike to the top of Half Dome.

  No water on the last six or seven miles to the top.  The last water you get may have guardia from beaver, so you have to filter.  It's a hump to get up.

  Here's a video of the cable climb.  It gets pretty crazy in the summer when the crowds build up.  

  Yosemite webcams.

  Sorry to hear the news and sympathy to the guys family and friends.

El Cap in Yosemite.

  A new record for speed-climbing The Nose, a famous rock climbing route on El Capitan.  If you love Yosemite, this is news.  

  This is crossword-puzzle type info if you ever use any 5.11 gear.  5.11 is an offshoot of Royal Robbins outdoor gear.  Robbins is a famous rock climber who climbed in Yosemite often.  He was best friends with Yvon Chouinard, who decided to try and make a living selling climbing gear through his company, Great Pacific Iron Works.  Chouinard made and sold gear that was hard to find back in the 60s.  One of Yvon's items were Billy Goat Pants- a double-seated short or pants to rock climb in.  Chouinard's clothing line took off and became Patagonia.   Robbins say his buddy getting rich and formed Royal Robbins outdoor gear.  Police started wearing Robbins 5.11 pants and he expanded that line into the 5.11 Tactical company and is making a mint.  

  Not bad for a couple of rock climbing bums.

  I wear RR and Patagonia stuff.  Great gear.  I shoot out of 5.11 pants and even have a very early pair that were made by RR.  Everyone wears this stuff.  There was a box of free, black 5.11 hats at the match on Saturday.  I had a Patagonia catalog in the mail when I got home with photos of extreme climbing and clothes.

  5.11, by the way, is a designation of difficulty for a rock climbing route.  There's your 37 across.

  Photo is from a trip the redhead and I took in 2004 during the winter.  We were in a wonderful snowstorm in the Valley.  The redhead had black ravens flocking in through the snowflakes in to eat whatever she offered.

  I just set a personal record for links.