93-Year-Old Summits Half Dome

'He’s stubborn as a mule': 93-year-old summits Yosemite's Half Dome
Tessa McLean, SFGATE
July 22, 2023

When Everett Kalin was 91 years old, he decided to try skydiving. This year, Kalin, now 93, thought he’d climb Half Dome in Yosemite.

Kalin wouldn’t call himself an extreme outdoorsman or thrill-seeker. “When you hit your 90s, you think, ‘What would be some things I’d like to do?’” he said. “... I guess Half Dome was the thing that most popped into my mind.”

This week, Kalin summited the landmark, becoming one of the oldest people — if not the oldest person — ever to do so. He completed the trek with the help of his 57-year-old son, Jon, and his 19-year-old granddaughter, Sidney, who secured the needed permit and planned the journey. They also carried all the supplies so that Kalin could hike with just a water bladder on his back.

Kalin, a retired theology professor, knew it would be no small feat. He trained for months leading up to the climb, walking up the stairs in his 17-story Oakland building in preparation, in addition to his near-daily walks around Lake Merritt. He also knew he had to work on his upper-body strength, since much of the work comes from using the cables to work your way up the dome.


https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks/article/93-year-old-summited-yosemite-half-dome-18240293.php?IPID=SFGate-HP-CP-Spotlight

Wow! I should be so lucky. Thanks for the link

Good for him. That's impressive.

When I was a teenager, I hiked Half Dome with a family friend who at the time seemed very old to me (he was maybe 45). He commented you know you're old when everyone keeps telling you good job on the trail.

Well, years later I hiked HD when I was 40 myself. It was a hard climb for me and I struggled near the top. There was a group of middle school kids hiking near us. They kept telling me good job, good job. :-)