I wonder how many people get no farther than the cables due to fears?
That's what happened to me the first time I tried Half Dome... I think it was in 1999. I totally froze when I saw those cables... it looked like they were going straight up! I waited at the base of the cables while my friend went up to the top.
The following year we tried it again, and this time he promised that he would stay right behind me, and that he'd make sure I was OK. It worked.... what a THRILL to get to the top! I've got kind of a "fear of heights" issue, and I didn't think I'd make it. I was also worried about the descent, but (amazingly) I wasn't afraid at all going down...I think I was still on an adrenaline high!
I've been up four more times since then, and I still feel a bit of "nerve" going up those cables, but it's always worth it when I get to the top.
