Climbing Half Dome in Yosemite with TCC

As a person who doesn’t like heights, I was facing the possibility of an extremely frightening experience – as well as one of profound beauty. Both opposites are often found in life experiences: birth, death and even marriage can seem frightening.

A Daughter On The Mountaintop Experience, By T & J S, Minneapolis, MN

My husband wanted to climb Half Dome during our trip to Yosemite. Because I love him, I wanted to give him this experience. While we trained our bodies, I trained my mind and spirit to tame the fear and be open to the beauty. I visualized staying grounded in earth energy and opening to heavenly beauty. This is exactly what I experience in Cosmic Consciousness pose.

When the day arrived, we huffed and puffed for eight hours until we reached the start of the climb. Waterfalls along the way were spectacular and some of the ascents treacherous, but at every pause, I remained calm and took in the beauty. I only swore once, which was in itself amazing considering the magnitude of the feat.

The base of Half Dome presented the hardest aspect of the climb, with frequent close encounters with sheer drops. Then came the final, cable-assisted ascent. This was harder than expected, but I stayed calm and rested when needed. The calm, grace-filled voice of a park ranger behind me offered encouraging words to climbers.

When we reached the summit, it felt very much like the top of the world. Panoramas were breathtakingly beautiful. Every mountain exuded power while reaching heavenward. Moving with “Daughter on the Mountaintop” I was one with the mountain.

Reprinted with permission from the August 2016 issue of TCC journal, The Vital Force.