The day started with a short climb over Cathedral Pass. From there we had a nice hike down the valley towards Sunrise Campsite.

Cathedral Peak, from Cathedral Pass
Cathedral Peak, from Cathedral Pass

I waited for Idan and Yair there, and was attacked by a ton of mosquitoes. It was the worst spot yet. From there we got off the JMT to start climb up towards Clouds Rest. I put on my audio book and hiked all the way up to the summit.

The view from Clouds Rest was quite amazing. I could see all around, including a view down on Half Dome not too far away. The weather was great, with no winds, and I just rested there until Idan and Yair came along.

Posing on Clouds Rest, with Half Dome in the background
Posing on Clouds Rest, with Half Dome in the background

At one point a pretty big airplane flew along the valley, below us. It was a really cool thing to see. When Idan and Yair arrived, they came with Ido and Maya, an Israeli couple they’ve met along the way. They are touring around the US, hiking around in different parks and areas. It was fun meeting some more Israelis.

And a close up on Half Dome. Seems scary.
And a close up on Half Dome. Seems scary.

The climb down from the summit of Clouds Rest started pretty steep, but later became quite nice and graded. It was not a long hike back to the JMT, but I ran or of water, so I was hiking fast towards the next water source. I was very happy to see a great little spring about half way there, and I filled up there and drank half a litter on the spot.

A great little spring on the way down from Clouds Rest. Right on time.
A great little spring on the way down from Clouds Rest. Right on time.

When I got back to the JMT I filled out more water and waited for Idan and Yair to catch up. It wasn’t too late, so we could have walked up another 1.5 miles up towards Half Dome to save us some of the climb tomorrow, but at the end we camped down before the start of the climb.