Our Hike to Half Dome
Happy Isles Trail Head to Half Dome Summit and Back [Pictures]
Distance: 16.4 Miles
Elevation Changes: 4,035 - 8,836 - 4,035
Half Dome is perhaps Yosemite National Park's most famous landmark. It is a granite dome that rises a shy under 5,000 feet from the valley floor. Half Dome appears as a complete dome that has been cut in half, but it is technically a whole dome; the half that is "missing" is just a steeper side that was, in part, made even steeper by glacial activity. Here is a picture of Half Dome from Little Yosemite Valley, which is about four miles and 2,000 feet up from floor of the Yosemite Valley. This is a view of the south face, which is less steep than the north face.
Half Dome is a favorite climbing site in Yosemite and has an assortment of routes that range in difficulty and duration - most routes take two to three days and involve camping while en route! Thankfully the summit is accessible to day hikers. A series of poles and steel cables have been installed for about a quarter mile up the least steep slope. You can see the route day hikers take in the picture above. We come in from the right side of the picture, moving left, first up the granite slope on the far right, then down into that notch, and finally up the final slope to the top.
We were slated to summit Half Dome during our 2007 bid of the John Muir Trail. Our plan was to hike from the Happy Isles trail head (the start of the JMT) to our Day 1 campsite (about 2.5 miles from the Half Dome summit), setup camp, and then meander up to the top of Half Dome and back. However, by the time we reached our campsite we were so pooped. It was hot out and, this being our first day on the trail, we were not in trail shape. Therefore, we passed on going up to Half Dome, and I'm glad we did because the last mile to the summit of Half Dome is steep and difficult and we would have likely been too tired to make the top anyhow.
In any event, having missed out on Half Dome during our JMT attempt, we were itching to summit the famous Yosemite landmark. In mid-October we learned that the cables were scheduled to come down for the season on October 15th, so we thought it might be fun to drive up to Yosemite and knock out Half Dome while we still had the chance this season. We left on Saturday morning and stayed overnight in the tent cabins at Curry Village. While Half Dome is a popular destination for tourists at Yosemite, it is not an easy destination to reach. From the Valley floor it's 8.2 miles and 4,700 feet up to the top. Needless to say, you need to start early in order to make it up to the top and back down before it gets too late. We started our hike at 5:30 AM and were back in the parking lot by 4:30 PM.
Here's another view of Half Dome that clearly shows both its north and south faces. At this point we've come about 7.5 miles and have maneuvered around to the east side of the dome; the north face is on the right, the south face on the left. All that remains is the hardest half mile of the day: the half mile up the granite slope and then the ascent via the steel cables.
When reading or talking to people about Half Dome, everyone mentions the steel cables. And, sure, that part is hard and can be a bit scary, but you never hear mention of the granite staircase that precedes the cables. And you should, because it is long, steep, and hard. In the picture above, the granite staircase is what leads you up about 80% of the way to the top. The stairs feel (and look) like the go up forever.
Then, as you near the top, you get your first glimpse of the cables and the ant-like figures inching up the side of the dome.
As the following picture shows, the climb is up a pretty steep cliff. Thankfully there are wooden planks to stop and rest at every 10-20 vertical feet, or so.
Going up is tiring, but other than that, it's not so bad. The cliff face is about three feet in front of your nose and it's easy to get good footing on the wooden planks. Of course, that confidence can quickly be lost if you turn around and look back down.
After about 30 minutes of trudging up the side of Half Dome, we reached the summit, which is broad and boasts spectacular views of the valley and other High Sierra scenery.
After spending a little over an hour at the top, we climbed back down, hiked back to our car, and drove back home. Mission accomplished! Hiking to the summit of Half Dome made for a long, hard day, but the scenery atop Half Dome is definitely worth the effort. Plus, it was late enough in the season that the weather was perfect - not too hot, not too cold, although it was a tad chilly in the early morning hours).
If you plan on hiking Half Dome in one day, I would recommend starting
early, no later than, say 7:00 AM. This will save you from the hottest
parts of the day and will ensure that you return to civilization before
sunset. On the way up and back from Half Dome you pass a lot of day hikers - the Half Dome trail is a popular route. On our way up we passed or were passed by hikers who clearly knew what they were doing. They were in good shape and were carrying good equipment and water and food supplies. Later in the day, on our way down, there were still plenty of day hikers heading up, but they were clearly less experienced and more out of shape, and I doubt many made it up to Half Dome, let alone made it back to the trail head before dark.