Almost exactly a year later we were scheduled to return to
Yosemite. The morning of July 7th I
called and put my name in the daily lottery for cable permits for a July 9th
hike. The daily lottery is for 50
permits which brings the total number of hikers climbing Half Dome to 300 a
day. The morning of the 8th I
got the news that I had been granted a lottery spot. The only way I can describe it is that I was
like an 8 year old at Christmas. I immediately began planning out the
hike. I packed my backpack that
afternoon: 7 cliff bars, one gallon of water (camel bak / bottles) head lamp,
whistle, pocket knife, bear spray, bear bell, fire starter and a compass. Wanting to get a good night sleep, I turned in
at nine. Christy finished off my pack
with banana chips, pbj and a note.
I woke early too excited to sleep any longer. I got on the mountain bike and headed for the
trail head at Happy Isle. I arrived at
5:15am in the dark and found Mark getting his gear together. After finding out that he was going solo as
well I suggested we go together, so we did.
We started out at 5:20 am. I had
read online that the first 3 miles was steep and exhausting. They did not
disappoint. We hiked up the Mist Trail
to Vernal Falls and on up to Nevada Fall.
This 3 mile section took just over 4 hours and was an elevation change
of 2000’. Mark and I missed a trail
marker sending us back down the John Muir trail heading for home. We turned around after finding out from other
hikers that we had missed the trail. The
next mile and a half was an easier hike through the meadow gaining 150’ in
elevation. Then another 3.5 miles that
was mostly shaded switch back trails leading up to the granite staircase. The change in elevation along this portion
is almost 2000’ and took another 3 plus hours.
After grabbing a bit to eat Mark and I checked in with the Ranger and
started up the toughest part of the trail, the Granite staircase. This ¼ mile section took 25 minutes to
hike. The altitude made the hike tough
as I was frequently gasping for air after just a few steps. Once on top of the staircase you get a great
view of the cables and I remember having goose bumps. Still early in the day the cables were
relatively empty. The cables are two way
single file up and down and you rub shoulders with the people going the
opposite direction. Mark and I made our
way to the cables and started up. It
took about 20 minutes to make our way up the last 400’ of the hike. The cables were not as tough as I thought
they would be. Everyone in front and
back of us were super friendly. Imagine
that, near vertical, clinging to a cable and everyone is polite as could
be. Mark and I summited Half Dome at
about 1:30pm. I ate my pbj that Christy
made, posed for some pictures, took pictures for other hikers, walked around
taking in every possible view. Not
wanting to get stuck on the cables by the crowd of hikers behind us Mark and I
headed back to them. Too late! We were stranding on the near vertical
section of the cables for 10 minutes waiting for 2 young ladies, about 20
people in front of us, which were frozen with fear. The amazing thing was no
one was rude or impatient. Imagine how
upset we all get waiting in lines at the grocery. Not so much when one slip and you meet Jesus,
literally! After finally descending the
cables Mark and I didn’t waste any time heading for home, still 8 miles in
front of us. The return trip was more
pleasant than the hike up and only because it was almost all downhill. However, after 8 miles of downhill hiking my
calves and the middle toe on my right foot had paid a big price.
Just before Nevada Falls Mark and I stopped to fill his
water bladder and a couple water bottles for me. We did so in the river using the water filter
he purchased for the trip. We also
discovered that the trail at that point becomes congested with hikers who aren’t
going to Half Dome. At the top of the
falls there are signs warning people that going over the falls will result in
death...Duh! That didn’t stop a half
dozen “adults” from swimming in the pool just before the falls. Not wanting to witness someone falling to
their death we quickly moved on. I think
we were both starting to feel the effects of the previous 15 or so miles as we
navigated our way down the busy trail filled with families of all ages. We must of looked as exhausted as we felt
because many people were just giving way as we headed down the last 3 miles of
the hike. Now the average person hikes
to Half Dome and back in 12 hours. Being
the above average person that I am (LOL) and having a good partner, Mark and I
completed our quest in 11 hours 20 minutes.
