As you read this, I am somewhere on the trail to the top of Half
Dome. If you haven’t been to Yosemite, Half Dome is a 4,800
foot-high chunk of granite shaped like half a loaf of Boudin
sourdough at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley.
As you read this, I am somewhere on the trail to the top of Half Dome. If you haven’t been to Yosemite, Half Dome is a 4,800 foot-high chunk of granite shaped like half a loaf of Boudin sourdough at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley.
Care to follow along? Check your watch.
6:30. It’s chilly, but I dress light for a warm day ahead. The hike is 17 miles round trip, starting with a good sprint to the first milestone: the bridge over the Merced River below Vernal Falls. This takes about 20 minutes. From there it’s a thigh-jarring hump up the hewn granite steps of the Mist Trail (not too misty this time of year, when the water is low), culminating in a cliff-hugging railed section to the top of the falls.
7:15. From there it’s 45 minutes to the top of Nevada Falls, about 2,000 feet above the valley and a third of the way to the top. There are some stunning sections of trail here, and in the cool shadow of the cliffs the sun is not yet up. My legs are heavy and my lungs stretch for oxygen, but I’m feeling pretty good.
Finishing that first cup of coffee? Ready to continue?
At the top of a little rise above the falls the sun’s rays hit me for the first time, and it feels good. From here there’s about a mile of level walking toward Little Yosemite Valley. It’s a broad, sandy trail – nice now, though on the way down it will be hot and dusty.
9:00. You are about to start work, and so am I. I’ve reached the base of the mountain behind Half Dome, the halfway point, at the beginning of a long ascent to the ridge below the summit.
The trail is beautiful here, through deep pine forests where you are most likely to see wildlife – less lately, as the trail has become more popular. Lots of people, many noisy first timers probably wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into.
It’s a long slog – about three miles of relentless uphill switchbacks, and an altitude gain of half a mile. But the trail is good, and I’m keeping a good pace. How is your day going?
10:15. I’ve reached the ridge. The view up Tenaya Canyon to Cloud’s Rest, a sloping granite slab peaking at almost 10,000 feet, is stunning. Here the hike turns serious – and the views ever more fabulous.
The trail follows the ridge steadily uphill until it reaches what we call the Devil’s Staircase at the base of the rock. It takes a little nerve here – there is no railing and the steps are narrow and steep. For some this is the most frightening part of the trail.
11:00. I’m at 8,000 feet. My legs are sore and I’m a little winded. I’m standing on a granite saddle that falls away sharply on both sides. In front of me are two parallel steel cables supported on stanchions stretched the last 800 feet up Half Dome’s northern flank to the summit. The angle of the rock is only about 45 degrees, but from this vantage point it looks a lot steeper. A few have lost their nerve. There’s no shame in this. Football players have given up where grandmothers have succeeded.
I put on a pair of work gloves to grip the slippery steel and off we go. This part is truly exhausting. I pull myself up, stopping to rest on the two-by-fours laid every dozen or so feet. Here and there someone freezes with acrophobia. A few abandon the effort and make their way, trembling, back down.
11:30. At the top! You can see the Sierra Crest to the east and the valley stretched out below. I’m going to rest, have a bite of lunch and commune with the spirit of John Muir. If you’ve been here before, close your eyes for a moment and recall the view. Breathtaking.
I hope you enjoyed our hike together. I’ll start down in an hour or so. By 3:30 I’ll be back at the top of Nevada Falls, and by 6:00 we’ll be in the valley rewarding ourselves with beer and pizza.
Everyone should have a pilgrimage, and this is mine. Yosemite is my church, and this is my altar.
John Yewell is the city editor for the Hollister Free Lance.
