That beast is steep

Second time doing this beast and combined it with nearby El Capitan on the occasion of my birthday. It was plenty warm already and there is no shade, so I was glad to get this one out of the way before it gets any hotter. Not my favorite trail: it is just not well-engineered. Too steep means hard work on the way up, but also having to brace yourself every step on the way down. You never get into a hiking rhythm. But it’s is a lot nicer than sitting in one more zoom-meeting!