When I saw this route I knew I wanted to do it, FKT or not. Fun trails high in Yosemite, amazing views, an airy walk to the summit (well, I wasn't as keen on that part, but it worked out OK), and a marvelous view of Half Dome - what's not to love?
It's a semi-popular trail but much less accessible (and less crowded) compared to the Valley options. I was able to push almost as much as I wanted, briefly punctuated with "good morning!" greetings to fellow trekkers. My main mistake (besides not starting the InReach tracking at the start; you'd think I'd know how to do this by now; at least I had Gaia running as a backup) was not eating a snack before starting. I was almost immediately hungry, and I'm not good at eating while climbing + trying to breathe at the same time, so that slowed me down a little.
I had the approach saddle all to myself, gawking at the views in all directions even before reaching the summit trail. There was a slight wildfire haze although happily nothing close to prior years of smoke choke. It diminished the pictures a bit but couldn't dampen my enthusiasm about the experience. Topo lines on the map cannot begin to describe the gigantic drop to the right down toward Tenaya Creek - wow!
The walk up the summit "trail" was a tad angst-inducing. At least it's not a cliff on either side... just big slopes that keep going out of sight. And the path is mostly at least as wide as a sidewalk. Needless to say, I was careful and didn't run a step until I returned to the normal trail.
Since I hadn't been up there before, I had to take a few minutes to look around and appreciate being at that spot. There are so many incredible views all over Yosemite, it's hard to believe it but this one was completely different and incomparable. Thank you to all the trail builders who allow us mortal folks to get up there!
Thank you also for this FKT. It looks like I might post the first women's time for this route variation, which sets a low bar for other ladies to beat. It's worth it - just budget a few minutes to stare at the views along the way.