Quest to the Top

This past summer, I fell in love with hiking. I love to explore. Not knowing what terrain, animals, or views you will stumble upon excites me. So, it was natural that I got together with my sister and some friends, and set a goal to do the “big hike” by summer’s end. We were set to take on Yosemite’s Half Dome on September 26, 2009…

Elevation: 8,842 feet
Starting Elevation: 4,042 feet
Elevation Gain: 4,800 feet from Yosemite Valley
Distance: 16.4 miles

There were 9 of us that hit the road that Friday evening from Vallejo to Yosemite. Being that the trip was about 3-4 hrs long, many of us caught some zzz’s in the bus while Pete drove (thanks Pete!). We arrived at our hotel 5 minutes before midnight and immediately hit the sack. With only 3 hours of sleep, we found ourselves at the Happy Isles trailhead just before 5:00 a.m. This began our hike to Vernal Falls, Nevada Falls, and ultimately, Half Dome.

The ascent begins immediately. Slippery stone stairs galore. I’m talking about 500 steps dusted with tiny rocks, and many which were a foot or more in height. It was still dark when we crossed the Vernal Falls Bridge (0.8 miles), and when we passed Vernal Falls. Unfortunately we were unable to enjoy the beauty of the falls, but we definitely heard it. Since we hiked later in the year, the falls were not in full flow. I’ve read that the Mist Trail lives up to its name during the springtime, because these falls get you soaked!

We continued on the rocky hike and found ourselves alongside the Nevada Falls (2.5 miles) right after dawn. The falls were a bit sparse, but we took pictures anyway. The granite Cliffside provided a spectacular view.

Further on, we stopped over at the toilets where the Mist Trail intersects with the John Muir Trail. At this point, my calves had been cramping up for the last quarter mile. We make this pit stop to load up on some snacks, stretch, and catch our breath. We’re 4.5 miles away from Half Dome!

We continued on our trek, through the partially shaded woods. Surprisingly, the terrain was pretty flat and sandy. But this only meant that there was an even steeper incline to come. Being the novice hikers that we were, we grew pretty envious of passing hikers with trekking poles. So, Mike took out his Rambo knife, and together with Junior, carved out hiking sticks for our leg relief. Shortly after traveling with the sticks, I decided to ditch the sticks as they turned out to be more of a hindrance than help. Those light little graphite sticks didn’t sound so bad at the time.

We continued on the trail along Little Yosemite Valley where we caught our first glimpse of our destination…the back of Half Dome. When viewed through binoculars, we were able to see the human ant trail crawling up the rock. It was pretty intimidating seeing that the dome was that far away, and that high up. Back to trekking…

…or shall I say, back to climbing. The ascent to the base of Half Dome was pretty grueling. We stopped pretty frequently to acclimate the lungs, stretch the legs, and refill on H20 and snacks. The sun was out, and we definitely felt the forecasted 98 degree weather beating on our backs. Sunscreen application was needed.

Just shy of the Half Dome base, we stopped over to have lunch at the Valley Overlook. While enjoying our sandwiches, we were visited by starving squirrels. The vista was awesome. To our left, we saw the East side of the Dome, and to the right, the Yosemite Valley. Here we had a clear view of our goal. We were getting closer...

There was a lightening warning once we reached the base of Sub-Dome. Apparently, lightening can strike at any day of the year, and we were to not proceed if weather didn’t permit. There was not a cloud in sight, so we trekked on. (Notice the bear warning below).

Sub-dome was pretty treacherous. We climbed up another endless stone staircase. The steps were narrow, steep, and full of slippery gravel. There were also super experienced hikers that had passed us up on the trail hours ago, and were already on their descent. Giving way to traffic was a good excuse for us to “pull over” on the trail, and take a breather. At this point, we had already gained 4000 feet in elevation, and all we could see below us was white stone. Seriously…this was grueling.
Once we made it over the Sub-Dome, we were welcomed by a 2-3 hour wait for the cables. As many as 1,000 hikers climb the dome on a summer weekend, and about 50,000 hikers climb it every year. So we rested, waited in line, and overheard people’s stories of past hikers falling to their deaths. This was great. But we were determined to make it up those cables. We didn't hike all that way for nothing. Surprisingly, people "chickened out" and turned around.

Here are a few shots of the anticipated cables.

















There was one last sign warning us that "lightening has struck Half Dome every month of the year..." and right next to the sign, was a pile of gloves. You definitely need a good pair of gloves with good grip if you plan to climb the cables. If you forget, no worries…you can pick up a pair from the community pile.
And on to the final ascent...

















Once we got to the top, we were rewarded with phenomenal views. Yosemite Valley, Glacier Point, Little Yosemite Valley, and tons of other points of interest which I was unable to identify, were in sight. It was beautiful.

The top of the dome was vast and completely barren.











Here's a shot of all of us.

(Back-Front, L-R): Michelle, Mike, Tessa, Chris, Pete, Leah, Junior, Rochelle, and Me

Check out these two guys at the bottom right! Whoa.

Me, doing my "I made it" pose; My sis and I

"I MADE IT!"

Thumbs up!

My sis and I :o)
After taking fantastic pictures and appreciating the views, we headed back down the cables. We took the same trail back down to the Valley, but with only 2 hours of sunlight. Venturing through the woods, we hooked up with 3 (sometimes 4) other hiking groups. This was important, not only because we had to share our beams of "flashlight" light, but we also had to make enough noise collectively, so not to startle any bears. Oh yea...the bears.

Anyway, we finally made it back to the trailhead a little after 11PM. YES! It took us that long--remember, there was a 2-3 hr wait for the cables! ;o)

Although it was a definate test of the mind and body, it was extremely worth it. It took my calves about a week to feel normal again, and a day for my stomach to be full again (BIG steak the next day). I would do it again. But next time around, I'll put more hours into training. Wanna join me?

LOOK GUYS! No hands! (Thank God for insurance!)