[Leica] Scaling Half Dome on the cables

[wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (Doug Herr)]

Adam Bridge wrote:

>No, I'm not insane, I didn't do that. My knee would explode and I just 
>don't think climbing a 45 degree slope sounds like a lot of fun to me. And 
>besides a hand-full of people have fallen this year. None survived.
>
>However, we were parked at Olmsted Point looking across at Half Dome. I had 
>hoped to get there a little earlier in the morning but I got engrossed in 
>documenting Tioga Pass so the sun was a bit high and there was a touch of 
>haze in the air.
>
>I mounted the 560 tele I bought from Doug Herr on an industrial-strength 
>fluid-head tripod, locked it down and photographed Half Dome. As I was 
>packing up a cluster of about a dozen Porches drove up and I heard one of 
>the drives saying that the cables that run up to the top of Half Dome are 
>on the left face as viewed from this perspective.
>
>Cool, I thought to myself, I should look when I get home. Which I did.
>
><http://adam-bridge.smugmug.com/gallery/19446304_NvM63K#1524435664_gDBQqpH>
>

The climb to the top isn't hazardous for those who stay within the cables, 
and if you take your time it's not all that strenuous.  What's hazardous is 
climbing Half Dome while stupid.  The top of the dome is quite spacious so 
there's no reason anyone needs to be near enough to the edge that they'd 
fall off, other than the aforementioned hazardous mental state.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com