Half Dome

I've been able to travel so frequently this year that I haven't had much time to post more than an overview of each trip. One activity that definitely warrants a closer look is the Half Dome hike I completed on my Sierra Nevadas trip in September. Almost twenty miles in length and requiring a climb of nearly 5,000 feet, trailhead to summit, it was undeniably the most difficult hike I've ever undertaken. The views of Yosemite National Park from the summit made it one of the most rewarding.

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Luckily in planning my trip, I was able to reserve a Camp Curry tent cabin not far from the Happy Isles trailhead in Yosemite Valley. My first morning in the park, I woke up in time to be out the door by 5:00 AM. It was still pitch dark. By themselves, the swath of stars, visible through the conifer canopy, were worth the early start. A few hundred yards from the camp, I got anxious being alone in the woods and seriously contemplated returning to the cabin until sunrise. Another hiker passed and I siphoned comfort while following him at a slowly expanding distance.

The main trail hosted more, but not too many more, hikers. I hiked this path as far as Vernal Fall in 2008, though not in the dark. I that waterfall about first light, conversed with another hiker for much of the steep segment up to the top of Nevada Fall, and had covered five miles in two hours before the first rays of the sun bounced off Liberty Cap, which rose over on the trail's left side.

Nevada Fall

Trail to Half Dome

A steady ascent ensued after a short level span along the north bank of the Merced River. Four hours and nine miles in to the hike, I reached the 8,000 foot benchmark, a long shoulder on the northeast flank of Half Dome. I had another 800 feet to climb in about a half mile. Put another way, 17 percent of the climb came in the last 5 percent of the distance. That first 95 percent wasn't a cakewalk either. Not long after starting up this portion, I stopped from my first extended rest.

Half Dome from Saddle

Steel Cables assist hikers the last 400 feet up the dome. Being among the early arrivals, I set a comfortable pace interrupted by a handful of breathers to the top. Reaching the summit just after 10:00AM, I first had my picture taken at the requisite spot (Yosemite Valley serving as the backdrop) before finding a quiet place on a cliff-edge to finish my breakfast. I further explored the top a bit prior to descending the now hiker-clogged cables.

Yosemite Valley from Half Dome

Tenaya Canyon from Half Dome

Top of Half Dome

After following the same trail back as far as Nevada Fall, I explored the crest of those falls before finishing the hike along a slightly different route. Around 4:00 PM, I arrived back at cabin #663--there is no #666, I checked--and collapsed on the bed for a well earned nap.

Half Dome Cables

Camp Curry Cabin

Trip Statistics
Length: 19.2 miles
Time: 11 hours 1 minute
Elev. Change: 4,801 ft.
Max Elev.: 8,836 ft.

Elevation Profile