After packing quickly, I went to see if Buzz and G-Man were still around. They were getting ready and invited me to hike with them.
It was cold sleeping without the tent’s rain fly. Temperature dipped below 40°F (4.5°C). The sleeping bag kept my body warm but my face was freezing.
Right after leaving camp, the trial begins to climb up Sunrise Mountain. Going up what seemed to be an endless series of switchbacks.
I set the alarm for 5am but didn’t get up until 6:30. I slept pretty well for being the first night of the hike. The Thermarest NeoAir mattress was very comfortable and I woke up rested and with no aches.
The plan was to hike about 6.5 miles to the Clouds Rest Junction, camp there for the night and climb Half Dome early next morning.