93-Year-Old Man Hiked Up Yosemite’s Half Dome
Proving the old adage that age is just a number, a 93-year-old man recently reached the 8,800-foot summit of Half Dome at Yosemite National Park.
Everett Kalin, a retired theology professor from Oakland, California, finished the difficult hike on Tuesday, July 18, ABC News reports. He reached the top with the help of his 57-year-old son, Jon, and his 19-year-old granddaughter, Sidney.
They carried supplies so that Kalin only had to tote his water bladder.
“I guess I was pleasantly surprised when I got up there. I did not feel that I was huffing and puffing so much as we went up,” Everett Kalin told ABC News. “It felt pretty good.”
In the months leading up to the climb, Kalin trained by walking up the stairs in his 17-story Oakland apartment building, and by taking regular walks around Lake Merritt, SFGate reports.
“He’s stubborn as a mule. When he sets his mind to something, he’s going to do it,” Jon Kalin told SFGate. “He kept proving me wrong every step of the way.”
A video that Sidney posted of her grandfather reaching the summit has more than 15 million views on TikTok. In the 12-second clip, the 93-year-old pauses for a moment to steady his footing. Then, he and his son take a few triumphant steps to the top. The hikers behind him clap and cheer as he celebrates his accomplishment.