At 91, Everett Kalin went skydiving for the first time. Two years later, he decided to aim for another high.
"When you hit your 90s, you think, 'What would be some things I’d like to do?'" he said to SFGATE. "I guess Half Dome was the thing that most popped into my mind."
Accompanied by his 57-year-old son Jon and 19-year-old granddaughter Sidney, the 93-year-old Kalin became the oldest known person to climb Yosemite's Half Dome, proving you can achieve your goals at any stage of life
While the pair carried all of the supplies, Kalin carried just a water bladder on his back. The Oakland man took 13 hours to complete the climb.
Of course, the American trained for months beforehand. The retired theology professor would do a near-daily walk around Lake Merritt as well as walking up the stairs in his 17-story building.
Rising nearly 5,000 feet above Yosemite Valley and 8,800 feet above sea level, Half Dome is a Yosemite National Park icon and a great challenge to many hikers. Despite an 1865 report declaring that it was “perfectly inaccessible, being probably the only one of the prominent points about the Yosemite which never has been, and never will be, trodden by human foot,” George Anderson reached the summit in 1875.
"Everyone was kind of looking at my dad in awe, saying, 'Wow, amazing you’re doing this. You’re such an inspiration. Can I take a photo with you? You’re making me think of my dad,’” Jon Kalin told the local news outlet.
Today, thousands of people reach the summit. For most, it is an exciting, arduous hike; for a few, it becomes more of an adventure than they wanted. For Everett Kalin, it’s a crowning achievement on a life well lived.
Rangers along the journey told them they’d heard of a few who’d completed it in their 80s, but not anyone in their 90s.
Parts of the dome have cables to allow hikers to pull themselves up, but for Kalin, one of the toughest sections was the sub dome which is steep and without cables.
Jon added: “He’s stubborn as a mule. When he sets his mind to something, he’s going to do it, he kept proving me wrong every step of the way.”
SFGATE reported that Everett wasn't even sore the next day.
"I just feel so very grateful to the people that made it possible," Everett told the outlet. "I’m actually feeling great."
