“Just hanging out?”
I watched in amusement as Nick, who was suspended from a rope, swung over Yosemite Valley for the eighth time. In between his own bursts of laughter, he kicked his legs high into the air to propel himself back to the sloped landing area beneath El Capitan.
After hiking up a nearly nonexistent trail, scrambling over boulders and maneuvering between trees, my group and I had arrived at the base of El Capitan, the tallest and most impressive rock face in California’s Yosemite National Park.
Of course, the hike wouldn’t have been nearly as difficult if we had known exactly where to go or what to look for. To a certain extent, we did know what to look for: a climbing rope and an alcove. How hard could it be to find the mythical Alcove Swing?
Though it was more of a challenge than expected, we eventually found our way there.
(Pro tip: Know what you’re signing up for. Sometimes the rope isn’t there, and sometimes the rope isn’t in good enough condition to use.)
One by one, we put on our harnesses, tied into the rope and leapt off the edge. We took turns soaring through the air and clamoring back to the ledge for safety.
As for Nick, he made it back to the ledge after a few more attempts, plopped down beside me and said, “Let me know when it’s my turn again.”
The Details
Yosemite National Park
www.yosemite.com
