Kirk Keeler, a nature photographer and former Sonoma County resident who is battling cancer, is celebrating after summitting Half Dome at Yosemite National Park. The 54-year-old completed the climb on Saturday, along with Kevin Jorgeson, a well-known climber from Santa Rosa. Keeler spent two years training for the five-and-a-half-hour climb up the Snake Dike route. Keeler was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer two-and-a-half years ago and vowed to climb Half Dome to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer screening. Keeler says his doctor gave him a year or less to live after he stopped chemotherapy treatments in February.
