Conquering Half Dome
The morning rainbow.
At 4:30 A.M. on our final full day in Yosemite, the alarm on my phone began to ring and break the silence in the tent, my partner and I sluggishly slid out of our blankets and attempted to wipe the sleep from our eyes. I set to work brewing coffee and warming up breakfast while my partner began preparing our packs for the day ahead, I reminded him to double and triple-check our first aid kits and grab snack bags I had made the night before out of the ice chest. Within an hour we had the breakfast mess cleaned up, the car loaded, and the remaining coffee tucked away in a travel mug. It was important to be in Yosemite Valley before the sun rose because we needed as much light as we could get, this was the day we would attempt to hike Half Dome.
The river as we crossed the footbridge on the way to Vernal Fall.
Taking on the Half Dome hike has a goal that I have dreamed of doing since I was in high school, but was doubtful that I would ever get lucky enough to attempt. The whole thing seemed like a fantasy when the lottery opened up to applications and I filled out the online form, the $10 entry felt more like a donation, and I reminded myself that winning my permits would be a long shot. During the months that passed the weather conditions in Yosemite National Park forced my partner and me to plan a backup camping trip in case the roads and hiking trails were still largely closed, making the majority of our itinerary impossible. Admittedly, I was very upset at the idea of abandoning a trip that I had been planning for nearly two years especially with the drawing for the Hald Dome cable permits drawing near.
The top of Vernal Fall.
The morning the winners were announced I checked my email as soon as I woke up, and I was stunned that not only had I managed to snag two permits, but they were for my highest priority day. No matter how excited my partner and I were at this news, there was still a problem, Half Dome was still covered in snow and there was no official date when the cables would go up for the 2019 season. We sat down and made the decision that we would purchase our permits, but if the cables wouldn’t be up by our June 26th reservation we would go ahead with our backup plans. As I prepared for finals I tried to ignore my disappointment that past years with similar winter conditions kept the cables down and roads closed well into the early summer but on June 6th the cables opened for the season. This news was the deciding factor that we needed to pick a campground outside of the park and proceed with our itinerary adjusted to accommodate the closure of Tioga Road, there is no telling if we will be lucky enough to win the opportunity to ascend the cables again.
On top of Vernal Fall.
We arrived at the parking lot in the grey light of the approaching sunrise, our breath still visible in the cool air while we prepared for our journey. Once we had applied our first layers of sunscreen and bug spray for the day set off in the direction of the Mist Trail. On our Four Mile Trail hike, we had completed our return to the valley by hiking down the Mist Trail and found it very difficult because of the spray from Vernal Fall, this was not the experience while heading the opposite direction. The river was still raging beneath our feet when we crossed the footbridge, but the falls were not quite as angry as they had been a few days prior during our climb down the granite staircase. At the foot of the stairs, we donned ponchos to ensure we were thoroughly protected from the icy spray prior to beginning our ascent, then we made short work of the stairs, conquering the first hurdle of the day. We spent a short time atop Vernal Fall to rest and appreciate the scenery that we had largely ignored the last time we stood at the crest of the waterfall. As the sunlight kissed the tops of the trees above us, we moved on towards the next checkpoint just upriver, Nevada Fall.
Good morning from Nevada Fall.
Once Vernal Fall was behind us, we looked up to see Nevada Fall bathed in the light of the rising sun above the trees beckoning to us as we headed towards the switchbacks that would lead us to the next leg of our journey. While we climbed the switchbacks, a rainbow created by the mist of the falls briefly became visible and we decided to take it as a sign that the rest of the day would be fun and safe. We completed the rest of the climb in the shade of ancient trees and quite literally took time to smell the late-season flowers alongside the trail. At the top of Nevada Fall, we took a snack break at the small rest area and basked in the morning sunlight that we had finally reached us.
Trail sign atop Nevada Fall.
When we departed the rest point we were officially on the Half Dome Trail headed towards Little Yosemite Valley, and we were once again sheltered from in the trees. The trail was fairly moderate as we headed deeper into the wilderness catching glimpses of Half Dome above the trees as we walked. Reaching the valley was fairly uneventful, but the hike was pleasant and we still had plenty of energy to head off in the direction of the sub dome.
We ate lunch beneath the trees just before we reached the top of the hill where we would have our permits checked and begin to climb the steep switchbacks carved into the sub dome. I genuinely thought that the sub dome would be the easiest part of the actual climb to the top of Half Dome, but I was mistaken. Nowhere in my research was it mentioned that at the top of the sub dome the switchbacks end and hikers must bear crawl over the granite crest in order to stare across the saddle at the infamous cables. At this point in the hike, I was battling with the strong desire to scurry back down the sub dome and back to the safety of the valley below, but my partner looked into my eyes and convinced me that I could complete this journey and conquer my fear.
The cables.
He was right.
After convincing myself that I was capable of attempting the cables, we began our climb. The journey upwards was slow and required a lot of work from the upper arms, but we made friends with the hikers ahead of us and kept putting one foot in front of the other. The wind was gusting over the granite, and at one point I looked over at a small plane that seemed to be hovering at my eye level, I was terrified. But, despite my own desire to return back to the forest below and forget my moment of insanity where I believed that climbing the cables was a good idea, I did manage to pull myself up and over the crest of Half Dome.
View of the horizon from the top of Half Dome.
Standing on top of one of the most iconic features in Yosemite is a surreal experience, and it was mind-blowing turning a circle and gazing out at snow-capped mountains in all directions. As I walked around Half Dome tears crawled down my face while I attempted to process the emotions that stirred within me. I felt guilty that my dearly departed brother would never stand in that spot with me, I felt amazement that I had actually made it to the top, and I felt amazement as I looked down at the Yosemite Valley far below. I took some time to stand at the snow patch that still remained and whispered a few words to the single tree that stood in defiance of the harsh conditions atop the granite dome.
The view of the valley.
Heading back down the cables was easier than the climb to the top since it was mostly just holding on while sliding from support to support, but I was glad to finally reach the bottom. It was here that I met back up with my partner and we realized that we still had to make it back to the other side of the sub dome to return to the trail. At the time of writing this, I do not know how my partner managed to talk me back over the crest of the sub dome and keep me from crying at the sight of the sheer drop on either side of us. Without my partner, the journey would not have been possible and words cannot express how grateful I am that I got to share this adventure with him.
The only selfie I took on top of Half Dome.
Once we returned to the trees and left the barren granite behind, we headed back the way from whence we had come and headed back towards Yosemite Valley. The trail was entirely backtracking until we returned to the top of Nevada Fall where we turned towards the John Muir Trail and settled into the last four miles of our hike. As the sun began to sink, we found our way back to civilization and celebrated the impending conclusion of our trip with some ice cream and much-needed rest before we climbed back into the car and returned to camp for our final night in the Sierras.
