Wanted to nab the ascent record based on the strava segment, and establish an out-n-back/up-and-down time for the route. First couple of miles on the paved trails felt hard -- was carrying one of my soft flasks in my hands which was annoying, but figured out how to stash it in my vest after two miles and also ditched my gloves. Was generally feeling the altitude, but got a boost when I got to the flats of Little Yosemite Valley and ran past a few backpacking groups that cheered me on. The switchbacks up to the Half Dome trail head felt particularly brutal, but once I passed it and hit the fork for Cloud's Rest I was pretty sure I could get the ascent record. Honestly found the stone stairs to the summit pretty tricky and used my hands quite a bit! Some kind hikers took my photo at the top, and then I started the descent. Getting back down the stone steps was hard, but a lot of the descent felt pretty cruisy -- not too technical overall. Had one slightly confused moment where I missed a trail switchback for Nevada falls but only went about 10 yards before I realized it was definitely wrong and backtracked to the -- in hindsight -- very obvious trail. Definitely more traffic on the way down (makes sense, since I think I started around 7am and was heading back down around 10-1130am). Super gorgeous and didn't take nearly enough pics!! Had 3 spring gels on the way up and 3 down and drank all 1.5L of water/nuun that I carried. Fall is a *great* time to do this route!