93-year-old man summits Yosemite's Half Dome with a little help from his son and granddaughter

Everett Kalin does not call himself a thrill-seeker, but at 91, he decided to try skydiving and at 93, he completed the Half Dome hike at Yosemite National Park in California. The retired professor from Oakland, California, is not letting age stop him from anything. The Half Dome trail is 14 to 16 miles, with the rock formation rising 8,800 feet above sea level and is described as an "exciting, arduous hike," according to the National Park Service's website. "Most hikers take 10 to 12 hours to hike to Half Dome and back; some take longer," the site added. The steep trail is an extremely difficult hike, but Kalin did not let anything stop him.

The 93-year-old was determined to conquer the feat and trained in advance by climbing the stairs at the 17-floor senior living community where he resides. He would also take daily walks around Lake Merritt. The hard work paid off, as he managed to complete the strenuous hike in three days last week. His son Jon, 57, and granddaughter Sidney, 19, helped support him through the hike. "I didn't fully realize how tricky it would be, especially at my age," Kalin told SFGate. "When you hit your 90s, you think, 'What would be some things I'd like to do?'" added the nonagenarian. "I guess Half Dome was the thing that most popped into my mind."

The hike started with a difficult sub-dome ascent without cables, but the retired theology professor kept pushing forward. "He's stubborn as a mule. When he sets his mind to something, he's going to do it," his son Jon, a backpacker and climber, told the newspaper. "He kept proving me wrong every step of the way." When Kalin got to the cables, he figured out how to go about it. "I walked and pulled the best I could. It's a matter of balance and leaning forward to try and get the power," he explained. "If you stand up, you can't move your arms forward."

According to KFSN, after 13 hours of total hiking, the family managed to reach the summit and came back down to their campground on the second day. The family members reached the Half Dome peak on July 18. "I was pleasantly surprised that when I got up there, I did not feel like I was huffing and puffing so much. As we went up, it felt pretty good," Everett shared. "I just feel so very grateful to the people that made it possible. I'm actually feeling great." What was most special was that it was "spectacular for the three generations of us to be together enjoying it all at once," said Jon. What an inspiration, indeed!