In Yosemite, after the sunset, you could see the lights of the climbers on El Capitan. This was shot around the full moon. The dots on the rock wall (I count 17) are climbers at night. It usually takes climbers 3-5 days to make it to the top which is 3,000 feet high. So, yep, they have to sleep on the wall. To sleep, climbers are in sleeping bags and wearing harnesses and are attached to the wall with a rope and anchor. Some sleep on a "portaledge" (short for "portable ledge"), a collapsible metal cot that attaches to an anchor. You can see Half Dome to the right. I shot this and enjoyed the night for a while and then went to sleep in my bed in the lodge for the night :) Thanks to Yosemite Conservancy for the information about climbers sleeping details.
Last night's full moon provided a very brief and rare occurrence at Lower Yosemite Falls - a moonbow! - and with the Big Dipper in the sky right above. Moonbows only occur when the moon is bright enough, it's in the proper position, there are no clouds, and the waterfall in question has enough water flowing and is generating enough mist. Road trip day 22. I’m on a 40+ day, 5,000+ mile #roadtrip of the western United States.
