Frisco
Premium Member
Yesterday I had the opportunity to climb to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite for the first time in my life. My friend that leads the photo trips I go out on did this hike for the first time about a month ago, but I was unable to attend. He proceeded to do it again 2 weeks later, which I was also unable to attend, and returned saying that it was the most remarkable thing he had ever done and would go a third time before the final ascent cables are taken down for the year. I knew that meant it was something very special and made arrangements to go.
We started in Yosemite Valley at the Happy Isles trail head and took the Mist Trail past Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls and eventually up to Half Dome. It is about 17 miles round trip with an approximate 4800 ft elevation increase, and it took us approximately 12 hours. We left the trailhead at 5:30AM and got up to the top around noon, stayed at the top for an hour or so, and then made our way back down. It was a pretty tough hike but it was really worth the effort.
Here is the view about 6 miles in when you get the first good glimpse of Half Dome. From here you hike another couple miles to the final climb which is called the saddle and is a series of very steep switch backs comprised of approximately 1,000 steps in the granite.
Once you reach the top of the saddle, you do the final ascent up the cables. There were hundreds of people climbing yesterday, and it produced a bit of a traffic jam right at the cables. It took a bit longer than expected because there were a couple people that freaked out and kept the flow of people from going, and it ended up taking a bit of my energy unexpectedly because I got stuck on the cables for around 45 mins and had to hold myself in some pretty tough positions. I finally just went to the outside of the cables to pass the offending parties, and thankfully I didn’t fall to my death. Below is the view of the cables from the saddle before I went up:
The view from the top is absolutely the most incredible thing I have ever seen. There are breathtaking views in every direction. After getting stuck on the cables for so long, I spent most of my time eating, drinking and enjoying the view. Below are views from a couple different points.
Amazingly enough, one of the guys from work that came named Adrian was involved in one of the worst hiking accidents in Yosemite 20 years ago. He has been hiking Half Dome for the last 20 years and done the climb about 50 times, and in July of 1985 he and four friends ascended and caught in a lightning storm. They hid in Kings Chair, which is a small rock formation on the top that overhangs the shear face overlooking Yosemite Valley. Then lightning struck, and it hit Half Dome. He was hit in the calf, but two of his friends got hit in the head and chest. He watched as one was ejected over the edge falling over 2,000 feet. Lightning actually struck the rock twice while they were there, and he clawed his way out of the Kings Chair and somehow managed to dodge the second strike. He said that he thinks he would have died if he had not done this, and his legs were paralyzed for 6 hours. The first paramedics arrived by climbing up the face of the mountain, and they were eventually rescued and taken to the hospital by helicopter. If anyone is interested, there is a book written about their ordeal, with a possible National Geographic story to follow.
Amazon Link
We started in Yosemite Valley at the Happy Isles trail head and took the Mist Trail past Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls and eventually up to Half Dome. It is about 17 miles round trip with an approximate 4800 ft elevation increase, and it took us approximately 12 hours. We left the trailhead at 5:30AM and got up to the top around noon, stayed at the top for an hour or so, and then made our way back down. It was a pretty tough hike but it was really worth the effort.
Here is the view about 6 miles in when you get the first good glimpse of Half Dome. From here you hike another couple miles to the final climb which is called the saddle and is a series of very steep switch backs comprised of approximately 1,000 steps in the granite.
Once you reach the top of the saddle, you do the final ascent up the cables. There were hundreds of people climbing yesterday, and it produced a bit of a traffic jam right at the cables. It took a bit longer than expected because there were a couple people that freaked out and kept the flow of people from going, and it ended up taking a bit of my energy unexpectedly because I got stuck on the cables for around 45 mins and had to hold myself in some pretty tough positions. I finally just went to the outside of the cables to pass the offending parties, and thankfully I didn’t fall to my death. Below is the view of the cables from the saddle before I went up:
The view from the top is absolutely the most incredible thing I have ever seen. There are breathtaking views in every direction. After getting stuck on the cables for so long, I spent most of my time eating, drinking and enjoying the view. Below are views from a couple different points.
Amazingly enough, one of the guys from work that came named Adrian was involved in one of the worst hiking accidents in Yosemite 20 years ago. He has been hiking Half Dome for the last 20 years and done the climb about 50 times, and in July of 1985 he and four friends ascended and caught in a lightning storm. They hid in Kings Chair, which is a small rock formation on the top that overhangs the shear face overlooking Yosemite Valley. Then lightning struck, and it hit Half Dome. He was hit in the calf, but two of his friends got hit in the head and chest. He watched as one was ejected over the edge falling over 2,000 feet. Lightning actually struck the rock twice while they were there, and he clawed his way out of the Kings Chair and somehow managed to dodge the second strike. He said that he thinks he would have died if he had not done this, and his legs were paralyzed for 6 hours. The first paramedics arrived by climbing up the face of the mountain, and they were eventually rescued and taken to the hospital by helicopter. If anyone is interested, there is a book written about their ordeal, with a possible National Geographic story to follow.
Amazon Link
