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There we were, my friend Lee and I, at 7 o'clock in the morning, at the bottom of Yosemite valley, starting a hike to the top of Half Dome and back. Those 16.4 miles (26 km) would keep us busy for the next 12 hours.
Lee had convinced me to accompany him on this hike, apparently the best one-day hike in Yosemite, the day before we celebrated the 10-year reunion of our graduation from California State University Chico with our 2 former roommates and some friends. (I didn't actually graduate back in 86 because I already was a graduate student, but that' another story.
We had gotten up in the dark, fixed some serious trail food (peanutbutter and jelly sandwiches and Skittles), and set off. On the first few miles the path rose steadily, culminating in the excruciatingly high and uneven steps beside Vernal Falls that really make you feel your thighs. Had I been alone, I would have enjoyed the view of this beautiful waterfall and then called it a day. But we were two and peer pressure got the better of us and prevented both of us from giving in.
As we passed the falls and hiked further into the back country the lightweight hikers in sandals and heels who had just gone up to look at the falls disappeared. Every once in a while we would pass or be passed by some other hikers, compare destinations and part with a "see you there." Although the path has many bends it circles around Half Dome and you can see it from almost every stage of the hike.
The sun got warmer and we started taking off the layers of clothes we had put on in the morning when it was still chilly. Lee documented the stages of the hike with picture of both of us taken with one of those plastic single-use wide angle cameras that you have to break open to get the film developed. Only Lee very carefully reloads the camera and uses it to take pictures of himself without using a tripod. If you take a closer look at his sunglasses you can see the reflection of his hand with the camera in the left lense. (Remember, this was in the days before digital photography.)
At the final stage of the ascent Half Dome looks bizarre. The hill in front of it covers about 50 meters in altitude before you get to climb the actual monolith. It is VERY steep, believe me. Nothing for people who suffer from vertigo.
The path is lined with steel cables to hold on to with steps of wooden boards every few meters. At the beginning of the railings there is a heap of old working gloves. Before you go up you take a pair to protect your hands from the cables. And then up you go. The climb is pretty hard, I would say at a 45 degree angle. We had taken a break after climbing the hill leading up to the Dome to take a look around and catch our breath. That was a good idea. The last part is the hardest because you have to use your whole body, legs and arms to get up, and because you are a little tired from the rest of the hike already.
Going up to the top the view is really impressive if you aren't scared to look down and around. Every few minutes we had to stop to let someone pass who was coming down and had a good chance to take in the scenery. And then, finally, after about 5 hours we were up on top. Yeah, we made it! From up there the view of the surrounding mountains is even more breathtaking.
You can walk around the plateau and see Yosemite valley with the campgound and
the lodges as well as the smoke from several forest fires going on in different parts of the park.
If you dare get close enough to the edge you also have a great view a few hundred meters down. Wow! We took our lunch break watching people take pictures of each other on the overhanging cliff, did it ourselves and relaxed for a couple of hours. We were thinking about the first people who came up here and the workers who had to build the path for the hikers. There are some warning signs that tell you what to do in case of a thunderstorm. Must be a pretty impressive sight if you live to tell people about it.
The way down the cables is even more fun than going up. On this picture you can see better how steep it is. You have the choice of going forward or backward. I went backwards because you can almost jog down wehn nobody comes up.
It almost makes you feel like rappelling down a house like the special units. Of course they take such big leaps that they slide down the rope several feet at a time and almost seem to be flying. That's what you want to avoid here. After all, you are not secured by a rope but only by your arms holding on to the cables. Neverthelss, the experience is impressive enough.
The hike down is less strenuous than up but while the thighs can take a little rest, the calves and knees start working out now. We took a lot more breaks downhill than coming up which is rather fatal because it is harder to move on after each break. Lee's knee started acting up and my big toes were hitting the front of my hiking boots which were a bit too large. I had borrowed them from a friend because I didn't own any myself. We got slower and slower but still made it down somehow. When we got back to the campground at 7 pm we were so exhausted we couldn't even make dinner, much less go out to eat anywhere. We ate some Wheat Thins with healthy spray cheese and hit the old sleeping bag.
Two days later we drove to a view point where you could see Half Dome at a distance. There we could show our friends the route that had made us both walk up- and downstairs like our grandparents the first day of the reunion much to the amusement of the others.
But it was a memorable experience that made the whole Yosemite trip special and will not disappear in the mists of our memories thanks to Lee's pictures.
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