LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 35 The first four miles climb directly along the flanks of some of the West Coast's most impressive water- falls, including Nevada Falls, the largest in Yosemite. Along with the epic cascading water display, hikers face three consecutive miles of granite slab staircase climbing, with ledges taller than the average person's knees. With a day pack, this stretch is exhausting; with a backpack, it's almost cruel. Together, Marc and I climbed at a steady pace weav- ing through the crowds of tourists. Eventually we sep- arated at the junction for Half Dome and I ventured towards the base of the subdome with the open view of the high granite mountains all around. Ascending to bigger-than-life panoramic vistas at the top and a knee-knocking, hand-clamming cable ascent that test- ed my courage and the tread on my trail runners, Half Dome was an incredible experience. That first night, I camped alone. Ahead was Tu- olumne Meadows, Cathedral Lakes, and Lyell Canyon— peaks, canyons, cliffs, domes, rivers, immense water- falls, lush green meadows, and vast wildlife forest. My feet began to find their rhythm as my eyes fell into serenity My personal awe was disturbed by a loud, "Aw crap" emerging from the side of the trail in Lyell Canyon. There I saw two guys in blue long sleeve Patagonia shirts setting up camp. I went over and said hello to Micheal and Mac- the two that I would spend everyday with for the rest of the thru-hike. Childhood friends, college roommates at the University of Kentucky, and now in their ear- ly 30s doing adult life. I called them "The Kentucky Boys." Michael had recently purchased a hammock compa- ny and wanted to test his new products in the noto- riously rocky Sierra Nevada mountains. To his credit, Michael creatively made his hammock work all but one night. The "aw crap"? Mac lost a hammock strap on the second night of the trip. He earned the trail name "Searcher" that night, solidifying the trail name by los- ing his base layer bottoms two days later. I introduced myself to them as "Sexy Legs", a trail name that has followed me around since an older woman dubbed me the name on The Long Trail (V T) in 2020. The Kentucky Boys quickly reminded me how much I appreciate the relationships developed along the trail. There is a sense of community and kindness in the backpacking world that I have yet to find in any other space in my life. In other outdoor pursuits, I have always found it difficult to connect with others, especially as a new community member in the Adiron- dacks. The trail has a way of forcing you to open up the people around you. No matter who you are, where you come from, what you look like, you all share the same goal.

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