Half Dome

I think it's fair to say that government agencies and departments generally like to play it safe. Liability is a dirty word, and "risk management" can often rule the day. After hiking - and surviving - Half Dome, I'm happy to say that Yosemite National Park is the exception to the rule. As Cyd and I stood at the bottom of the cables on Half Dome, I couldn't help but say, "I can't f***ing believe they let people do this!"

Half Dome is certainly the most well known feature of Yosemite Valley and one of the most iconic challenges in the climbing world. It's shape adorns several outdoor equipment manufacturers' logos, and you have almost certainly seen it numerous times in photos by Ansel Adams and many others. At 8800', it rises about 4800' above the valley floor with 3000' of that being a sheer rock cliff. And if you're a nobody from the Yukon with absolutely no climbing experience, but enough luck to win a permit lottery and the legs and lungs to do it, you too can stand on the top of Half Dome.

We hadn't even considered hiking Half Dome during our trip planning. Permits were really difficult to come by and the dogs weren't allowed on trails in the park. Aunt Joanne told us they hold back some permits for last minute lotteries held two days before each permit date, and offered to look after the dogs if we were lucky enough to get one. A serious forest fire in Little Yosemite Valley two days before we arrived led to the helicopter evacuation of some Half Dome hikers and closed the trail for a couple of days. The fire was still smouldering and smoke was wafting around the valley. Perhaps this led to fewer lottery applications than normal, or maybe we were just lucky, but we were ecstatic to snag a permit.

Okay, the Half Dome trail is easy at the start.

And the stairs are a big help.

Have you ever seen a nicer outhouse on a trail?

Vernal Falls usually have a little more water.

For the most part, hiking to the top of Half Dome requires nothing more than serious hard work. The trail from the valley floor avoids almost all of the difficult sections by circumnavigating three quarters of the way around the dome in about 13 kms while it rises most of the 4800'. You pass beautiful waterfalls and open meadows on a well constructed trail that makes the crazy elevation gain seem almost reasonable. As you get closer to the top, the switchbacks on Sub Dome make that steep section manageable. Then you stand at the bottom of the cables and decide if you really want to go up the last 400'.

Our first good view of Half Dome from the trail.

Just in case you have second thoughts.

Now I have absolutely no problem with heights. My dad does though, and when I was 12 he started sending me up the 40' TV tower to fix the antenna rather than risk it himself. I still stood at the bottom of the cables for a couple of seconds and wondered how important it was to go to the top. I looked at Cyd and asked, "are we doing this?" She didn't even hesitate.

The cables.

They say the final ascent up the cables is about 45 degrees. It seems much steeper. Holes have been drilled in the rock in pairs about 8' apart and 3' posts inserted into the holes. The wire cables that run through the tops of the posts are used to haul your body up the steep incline. People are coming down between the cables at the same time you are going up, so you have to manage the two way traffic as you climb.

There was a ranger checking permits just below the start of the cables. He told us that if we fell, it was 1000' straight down on the left side, and 3000' straight down on the right. I made a mental note to roll left if I fell.

Made it.

 

Just 3 feet from a 3000' drop.

We made it to the top with no issues and spent an hour up there having lunch and marvelling at the views. Then we had to go back down those damn cables. Then all the way down to the valley floor. In total it took us 8 solid hours of hiking to go 26 kms with a 4800' ascent and then a 4800' descent. The last hour of hiking I was dead tired and all I could think about was the pizza and beer at Curry Village when we were done.

Cyd coming down.

I can't even imagine how it must feel to actually climb the 3000' face of Half Dome. But for a couple of exhausted hikers wolfing down pizza and beer, just hiking to the top and back felt like an accomplishment.