Mammoth 2024
Mammoth Trip, 2024
September 08
North Dome
15.2 km and 560 m elevation gain in 5:45 hours.
We were torn between the desire to do something ambitious today, which seemed to be Bill's preferred plan, and my more cautious approach of not wearing ourselves out too much and minimizing the risk of injury prior to our Crystal Crag climb. It was hard for us to gauge just how much energy Crystal would require of us.
I had secured an entry ticket to Yosemite for the day (a Sunday - tickets were only needed on weekends and holidays), and it was too late to return it for someone else to benefit from, so we felt it a bit of a duty to drive into Yosemite.
Bill made the case for North Dome, even if he would have preferred something more ambitious, which meant a somewhat lengthy drive, but a hike on established well trafficked trails, and a distance and elevation gain we should easily be able to manage.
And really, it should have been no problem. Perhaps for lack of sleep - I was able to sleep very little the whole week - or for insufficient acclimatization, I surprisingly found myself extremely fatigued at the end of the hike, and needed to sit and rest on a log 200 m from the parking lot.
