Sunrise at Hockenalp. It snowed heavily over Christmas, so I was able to enjoy a few days of fantastic powder snow before flying to San Francisco.

 

We were just early enough that we didn’t need a permit for Half Dome. This beautiful sun star appeared as we walked through the mist of Vernal Falls toward Half Dome. A wonderful first day in Yosemite.

 

The cables on Half Dome were still down, which made the climb to the summit a little more challenging. But there were relatively few people on the trail. A very exciting hike with waterfalls, chipmunks, a little scrambling, and beautiful views.

 

Climbing in Yosemite and crack climbing outdoors for the first time. Climbing in Yosemite is quite special and cannot be compared to sport climbing in Switzerland. Many routes are trad.

 

Jeannine on the summit of Cathedral Peak. We may have been the first people to reach the summit this year. We drove up on the very morning that the road to Tuolumne opened and walked through deep snow toward Cathedral Peak. It was a little bizarre to see ski tourers still out and about in the area from higher up. The climb was beautiful, but also very cold. We were completely alone on the mountain.

 

Frühmorgens am Mount Whitney, dem Start des John Muir Trails. Ich war zu schnell im Aufstieg und musste so fest frieren, bis die Sonne endlich kam. Man kann die Silhouetten derjenigen erkennen, die auch schon so früh oben waren. Die meisten hatten Schlafsäcke und Kocher mitgebracht um sich vor dem Sonnenaufgang zu wärmen.

 

Early morning on Mount Whitney, the start of the John Muir Trail. I climbed too quickly and had to freeze until the sun finally came up. You can see the silhouettes of those who were also up there so early. Most of them had brought sleeping bags and stoves to keep warm before sunrise.

 

Jeannine went swimming almost every day on the John Muir Trail. This is a lake north of Muir Pass, where ice floes from winter were still floating.

 

A beautiful crisp morning on the John Muir Trail. It had frozen overnight, so we stayed in our tents a little longer than usual. Perhaps one of the most beautiful spots on the trail.

 

After a wonderful day of climbing, Jeannine went swimming in Blue Lake, northwest of Lake Tahoe.

 

The Golden Gate Bridge on a beautiful autumn evening with San Francisco in the background.

 

The day after I arrived in Switzerland, Jeannine and I went climbing in Orvin. At first, we were worried that the fog would be too thick, but we were lucky. It was a beautiful day above the sea of fog with a clear view of the main Alpine ridge.