Hiking Half Dome
Jane and I have been wanting to hike half dome for years. Ever since we first laid eyes on that beautiful, towering rock, we have wanted to go to the top of it. The problem was, permits for the hike are given out by a lottery system and despite multiple attempts, we never got one. That is, until now!
There are a couple of trails you can take to get up to the cable section. Once you get there, the last 500 yards or so are straight up in single file. More on that in a bit...
We opted for the Mist Trail. At about 17 miles, it is the most direct way to get up and down. It is also the steepest and has 4,800 ft. of elevation gain so it is definitely steep. We only had one day to do the hike so this made the most sense for us. If we had longer, we probably still would have chosen this trail but would have camped halfway up and enjoyed the scenery a little bit more. Along the trail you pass several waterfalls and follow the water past some swimming holes that are very inviting on a hot day.
Up until the last half mile, the hike is pretty standard. There are some steep sections but anyone could do it. After that, things get awesome! 15 minutes of vertical stairs puts you out at the base of the cables.
Once the cables start, you are literally walking straight up. The permits help control the crowds but several hundred people a day still make the climb. As if this section wasn't already hard enough, having to wait behind people in a single file line mid-way up the cables adds an extra level of difficulty.
Going up (and down) is a full body workout. You have to essentially pull yourself up hand over hand while simultaneously bracing your weight with your legs so you don't slip down the smooth rock below you.
Gloves are essential!
We greatly underestimated how much we would use our hands and arms on this section and did not have gloves. Thankfully, some people that had just finished coming down gave us theirs. I'm really not sure how we would have done it without the gloves. Especially coming down, we used our hands to control our bodies because our feet kept slipping down the rock. The angle is so extreme that you simply can not get a good grip on the rock, no matter how good your shoes are.
In addition to the massive adrenaline rush you get scaling this section, you are also rewarded with unbelievable views of the valley below.
The view from the top!
If you look close in the picture above, There is a climber below me who was coming up the face of Half Dome!
Unlike most hikes, our work wasn't done once we got to the top. Getting down the cables was just as difficult as going up. People were slower going down than going up....looking down seemed to be more nerve-wracking than looking up.
Just as we were finishing, we passed a group of kids who had just started up the cables. They weren't wearing gloves so we offered ours as a way to pay it forward but they refused. Something tells me that they all had very sore hands by the end and probably learned a lesson that day.
As we continued down the mountain, our legs started to feel the miles. We took a break and dipped our feet in the cool spring water for some relief. We made it down just before sunset and were able to look back up at Half dome as the last light was hitting it. It was a beautiful end to a beautiful hike in a beautiful place.
