Half Dome

or, How I Spent My 45th Birthday

July 2005

I was a good boy. Once I had committed to a date, I began taking walks & bicycling to work semi-regularly to get ready. Two weeks previous I did the Skyline Loop at Mt Rainier (5 1/2 miles, 1500' elevation gain); then, working up, the following week it was Mount Si (8 mi/3400'). Okay, a little sore after that one but not too bad, tho' my quads had me worried; they're my weak point & I wondered how they would handle the 18 miles/4800 feet (!) of Yosemite's Half Dome. Oy, what was I thinking when I agreed to let Mark drag me up here??? ... So my birthday last week began in Seattle and ended at a campsite in Tamarack Flat, Yosemite National Park. Beginning at four the next morning ...

The dome as seen from the parking lot. 7 a.m. See the pointy bit at the upper-left corner there? That little bit of rock sticking out like a finger? That's the destination.

I don't know why me taking off my pants legs is news ... (Photo: MLG)

After a mile or so of easy climb, we turned up the Mist trail (you can see how that got its name), where you get hit with the first tough section: Taking what is essentially a pair of stone staircases up hundreds of feet past two waterfalls - Vernal Falls, above, and ...

... Nevada Falls. The top of the falls is about 1/3 of the way to Half Dome.

Fortunately, after climbing the falls there follows a long easy section along the Merced River. About 4 miles in (half way) we got our first view of the dome since the trailhead. Over the next couple of hours we would circle around to the right, scale the edge of that lower dome, down into that notch, and then ...

... Well, here's another view from further along - and no, those are NOT ants. Those are hikers on the notorious cables. That's the final ascent to the dome. We'll be getting a much better view of that shortly.

Mark gets a glimpse of the Sentinal dome.

About 8 miles in now (and getting really sick of Cliff bars and Gatorade). Somewhere around here I finally pulled a couple of pounds of unnecessary gear from my overpacked pack & stashed it under a log. A pointless gesture, perhaps, but it made me feel better.

An hour later we broke out of the woods & got this look at the goal. Next: Up the lower dome.

The stone staircase built into the side of the lower dome was the toughest part of the hike. (Photo: MLG)

Mark awaits my arrival atop the lower dome. In the distance ...

The dreaded cables! Some folks, after trekking 10 miles to get to this point, turn right around at the sight. Like lots of hikers who continue on, I shed my pack & left it behind.

If you need gloves for the way up, there are plenty to borrow (I brought my own, but here's a tip: Don't wear fingerless gloves for this one.) The plaque warns climbers to get their tails off the dome if dark clouds approach; apparently, lighting strikes claim more hikers than any other cause.

Mark begins the final ascent.

Looking back, about half way up.

Made it! (Photo: MLG)

First view at the top!

An elite club.

A well-deserved rest.

Mark.

Me. (Photo: MLG)

A raven perches on the edge; that's nearly a full mile straight down to the valley floor. Somehow, looking at this picture is freakier than actually standing at that ledge looking down ...

Ledge.

After an hour on top, time to go back down the cables & head for home.

A FEW HOURS LATER. Fortunately, the trip down consumed far less energy than going up (but did test different muscles). When we got to the top of Nevada Falls we chose the alternate trail down - the Muir trail - which is a little longer but avoided that nasty staircase. Of course, we just traded stairs for switchbacks ... Here's an evening view of Nevada Falls and Liberty Cap from the Muir trail.