Half Dome

Polly decided to climb Half Dome. She did not climb on the rocks. She climbed in the air.

Half Dome is 1,500 metres of smooth granite. A glacier made it smooth 15,000 years ago.

She started at first light. She flew up in slow circles.

At three hundred metres up, she joined a group of small fast birds called swifts. They moved fast. They screamed at each other. Polly was the slowest bird there.

The wind got stronger. The warm rock heated the air. The warm air went up. It carried Polly up.

Halfway up, she rested on a small ledge. She could see the cable route. People climb on cables up the back of the dome. It was closed for spring.

At the top, the granite was flat. There were small piles of stones. People had left them.

She walked to the edge. She looked down. The valley was far below. The trees looked like green fuzz.

She pushed off the edge in a small dive. Then she opened her wings and glided down.