Half Dome - Yosemite National Park

DISTANCE: 15 miles
TIME: 9 hours
ELEVATION: 8,836 Feet
DIFFICULTY: Challenging

Finally I can cross something off my list of the 100 things I want to do before I die. For several years now, my brother and I had serious discussions about planning a trip to hike Half Dome, the signature hike of Yosemite National Park. After some research, planning, and reserving a campsite (a feat in and of itself), our day finally came.

We woke up at 4:45 a.m. After about 45 minutes of gearing up and breakfast, we hopped on our bikes and rode to the trailhead at Happy Isles. We started the hike at 5:45 a.m. Not too many hikers on the trail. The air was cool and crisp and felt great.

We hit our first fork at the bottom of Vernal Falls. Our original intention was to take the John Muir Trail through the woods and come back the Mist Trail when it was hot and we were tired (figured that would feel refreshing). However, a ranger had told us the day before to do the opposite to avoid traffic and having to come down steep slippery stairs after a full day's worth of hiking. So we took her advice and headed up the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls. This is a relatively steep climb up hundreds of steps but the mist from the falls is on you much of the time, so it feels great.

At about mile 2.5 we reached Nevada Falls. I believe this one is taller than Vernal Falls, but not as wide. By this time we had probably climbed about 1,500 feet. After that point the hike levels off considerably for quite some time. We wandered through lush forests along the Merced River, passing an occasional hiker every now and then.

Soon we saw the back side of Half Dome, probably the least photographed angle (because you are looking at the round face rather than the straight vertical face). Nevertheless, it is truly a sight to behold and got us excited to think we would soon be at the top.

A few miles later, we emerged out of the woods on the ridge of the Valley, and were soon ascending the first part of monolith. This first part is a steep climb up hundreds of steps, just like the Mist Trail, only about twice as long. We had to stop and rest a few times. There was one steep spot with no railing where a few hikers ahead of us started to feel the fear of heights and were afraid to move on.

Eventually we made it to the famed "cables." It's just like everyone says - you say to yourself, "I have to go up that?!" Pictures can't really capture that first view, which literally looks straight up (once you get closer it's more like a 100 degree angle rather than 90). At the bottom is a huge pile of worn out gloves. We had brought our own, but found no harm in digging for a pair with a better grip. The best ones have rubber grip, like fishing or gardening gloves. So we started the ascent, step by step, stopping on 2' X 4's that are bolted to the poles against the rock. It's really more arms than legs at this point, as you are pulling yourself up to the next step, and your feet slip every now and then. It's like climbing a huge ladder. We are not generally afraid of heights but heard stories of people "freezing" with fear midway on the cables. So I decided to looks straight ahead and up and keep my eye on the goal rather than the sheer dropoff to the right. The cables took about 15 minutes, and we didn't have much traffic going up. At about 10:15, 4.5 hours into the hike and 7.4 miles later, we reached the top.

At the top there is an outcropping which has been dubbed the "diving board," which hangs right over the edge of the valley. It's not as narrow as it looks though, so as long as you tell yourself there's not a 3,000 ft drop a few steps further, it's not that scary, and makes for a great picture (a few others got much closer to the edge than I did in this picture).

After enjoying lunch, the view, and a few photos, we started our descent via the cables. Going up was one thing, but going down was a whole different story. I decided to go down backwards, like a ladder, but there were a few hikers that attempted it frontwards. This was really the most fun part of the hike. Not so much because of the thrill, but it's cool to think you are climbing down such a steep rock - it's a lot like rappelling; in fact when we got to the bottom, we had thoughts of turning around and climbing up again just so we could go back down. However, by this point the cables were crowded- it actually took us about 1/2 hour going down because a fearful group was coming up very slowly; after they were about 1/3 of the way up, they simultaneously decided it was too much for them and then they turned around.

Somwhere around mile 12 or so my legs started feeling tired (by this time we had covered over 4,000 vertical feet). We considered going back via the longer but less steep John Muir Trail, but the prospect of the mist from Vernal Falls was too tempting, and we reasoned that our legs could take it. So we went down the same way we came up. And yes, it was much more crowded, and we were in the waiting line on several spots while slower hikers took their time.

At about 3:00 pm, we arrived back at the trailhead. Truly the greatest hike I have ever done, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Here's what the GPS read: