We got up at 6 a.m. sharp, and headed straight for Yosemite Falls.

We first came close to the waterfall for some pictures, and walked through Lower Yosemite Falls.

Then we searched for Upper Yosemite Falls.

We found the trail, and the sign that said 3.5 miles.

We didn't think much about it, and started the journey.

We did not know what we were in for.

We started at exactly 8:47 a.m. and we got to the top at noon.

As someone who's only hiked a couple times, this was challenging to say the least.

The trail was 95% of just going up, and flat 5% of the time.

Hiking this trail, you'll feel like you're halfway, but you're barely hitting 30%.

You'll feel like you're almost there, but there's an hour of incline more to go on rocks, with no green in sight.

I remember my legs just screaming in pain, being out of breath, feeling nauseous and almost passing out at one point.

The feeling when you get to the top, is one of the best feelings ever.

You get to say, "I climbed this mountain! See that point, I was there!"

I was so drained of energy.

I packed a half loaf of bread, and I have never tasted better bread than when I had it at the top.

I did like the fact that the hikers going up and down went on the same trail.

When we were going up, we would ask hikers coming down how much further to go, which serves as an encouragement to keep going.

And when you finish the hike yourself, you become that person giving encouragement to others.

It felt like we were all in this together.

The hike down was unpleasant.

I slipped countless times and my knees were on fire.

This hike was rated 8/10 in difficulty.

I'm proud of myself for achieving this.

I hope the next time I hike in Yosemite, it's again with a group of awesome friends and strangers.