Half Dome Hike
Our group of 8 friends went to Yosemite National Park last weekend to hike the Half Dome. Half Dome is a very challenging day hike with a gain of 5000 feet in elevation and a total distance of around 16 miles. We had driven the previous night and stayed in a hotel just outside the park.
We got up early, got ready and drove to the park in the morning. We were about 30 min away from it. We reached the trail head parking lot at around 645AM. The actual trail head was half a mile away. Taking a deep breath we started the hike. We were at the trail head at 7AM. The initial part of the hike was moderately steep but helped to warm us up. We then reached a bridge over the Merced river giving us a view of Vernal Falls. The fall was looking very beautiful from far away. The trail went towards the falls and later around it. We saw some spectacular views of the falls. There were a series of steps and we were being sprayed by the water from the falls as we were climbing up. It was difficult even to get pictures from the camera. The trail got steeper as we went ahead. The rocks were wet and slippery and we had to go over them. The trail kept going and we reached the top of Vernal Falls. It looked very different from the top. We saw a great view of the valley as well.
The next stop was Nevada Falls. The trail continues through the jungle and we could see Nevada falls from far away. After about a mile , we were climbing over rocks and following a path with many switchbacks. The trail was very steep here and it brought out our best. We finally reached the top of Nevada Falls at around 9AM. We didn't have a nice vista point here to admire the falls. But we would get that chance later in the day on our way back. We took a break here removing our backpacks and having some energy bars and Gatorade. They were going to be our lifeline that day.
The next 2 miles were comparatively simple with us hiking on a level trail through the little Yosemite Valley. It was very scenic and there was also a campground there. This was the only reprieve we would have that day. Later the trail started ascending again through dense forests. We were just trying to take it slow and not give up. Having enough fluids and food was important. It was getting steeper. At one point I saw a deer on the trail ahead of me. It was pretty scared as well so it ran away. We kept motoring along at a slow but steady pace and finally reached the base called as the sub dome. I took another break here. There was a ranger with the NPS who was checking the permits which people had.
After getting the permit checked and recharging ourselves, we started to hike the sub dome. It is a trail of steps mainly over rocks. It goes in a zigzag manner and takes you to the base of half dome. This part is above treeline and you are directly exposed to the sun. It is very steep indeed and I was out of breath by the time I got to the top of the sub dome. We had another break here. The view was definitely worth the climb. We could see the quarter dome, another smaller feature similar to the half dome. There were also snow capped peaks on one side. We could see many granite cliffs.
The fun and most challenging part was just starting. We now had to go up the cables. I had heard about this before but trying it was going to be the challenge. There was a long line of people ahead of me. I just tried the technique the guy ahead of me was trying. To go one step at a time, pull yourself with your arms and go one step at a time. The key was to not look down. As we went higher it got steeper and consequently scarier. We were just waiting for it to end. Finally after 40 min of what seemed like eternity I managed to reached the top of Half Dome. It was a great feeling. I took few minutes again to catch my breath. There was surprisingly full network coverage. I made a few phone calls boasting about my feat and sent a tweet from the summit. That was an ego boost :P
I walked around on the summit and took some amazing pictures. I waited for the rest of the group to get there. We then spent a lot of time walking around and taking pictures. We also went to this particular ledge where I had seen many of my friends take pictures. There was a 5000 feet drop from that ledge and it was very scary to go there. I somehow managed to look down and it was scary.It was a dizzying height. My friend took pictures of me trying different stunts from there. We then walked around and saw the amazing views. We could see the entire Yosemite Valley with the Yosemite falls as well.
After having a bread and jam lunch we decided to head back. Climbing down the cables was the biggest challenge. Its much harder going down. You don't have the choice of not looking down now. I tried the technique of using both hands and placing my feet sideways. That worked for me. I kept my camera inside so that there would be no distractions. It took us about 40 min to get down. When we had done that we let out a sigh of relief . The hard part had been done.
We then started back on the trail making our way back. It felt like a long walk. It had been a long and tiring day and there was still some time left. We had started from the sub dome at around 4PM and reached the Yosemite Valley around 6. After taking a break we started hiking again and reached the Nevada Falls at around 7PM. We decided to take the John Muir trail back instead of the Mist trail as it was less dangerous. It would avoid us going through the slippery rocks and would be easier on the knees as it was less steep. It was getting very difficult now. Our feet, ankles, knees , calves and many other muscles were hurting. It was starting to play on the mind too. We just wanted to get this over with.
Finally 2 of us made it to the parking lot at 830PM. It had been a long 13:45 min hiking day. We were really tired but were very happy that we had accomplished something special.
Most food places had closed. We had stuff like chips and bananas and decided to suck it up and drive back to San Jose. We reached at 2AM. Since it had been a long tiring day with no proper breakfast, lunch or dinner I decided to treat myself at Denny's. One of the best meals I ever had. :)
NPS video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=l_D5zouojSY
Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100392907586903.2725563.6239868
We got up early, got ready and drove to the park in the morning. We were about 30 min away from it. We reached the trail head parking lot at around 645AM. The actual trail head was half a mile away. Taking a deep breath we started the hike. We were at the trail head at 7AM. The initial part of the hike was moderately steep but helped to warm us up. We then reached a bridge over the Merced river giving us a view of Vernal Falls. The fall was looking very beautiful from far away. The trail went towards the falls and later around it. We saw some spectacular views of the falls. There were a series of steps and we were being sprayed by the water from the falls as we were climbing up. It was difficult even to get pictures from the camera. The trail got steeper as we went ahead. The rocks were wet and slippery and we had to go over them. The trail kept going and we reached the top of Vernal Falls. It looked very different from the top. We saw a great view of the valley as well.
The next stop was Nevada Falls. The trail continues through the jungle and we could see Nevada falls from far away. After about a mile , we were climbing over rocks and following a path with many switchbacks. The trail was very steep here and it brought out our best. We finally reached the top of Nevada Falls at around 9AM. We didn't have a nice vista point here to admire the falls. But we would get that chance later in the day on our way back. We took a break here removing our backpacks and having some energy bars and Gatorade. They were going to be our lifeline that day.
The next 2 miles were comparatively simple with us hiking on a level trail through the little Yosemite Valley. It was very scenic and there was also a campground there. This was the only reprieve we would have that day. Later the trail started ascending again through dense forests. We were just trying to take it slow and not give up. Having enough fluids and food was important. It was getting steeper. At one point I saw a deer on the trail ahead of me. It was pretty scared as well so it ran away. We kept motoring along at a slow but steady pace and finally reached the base called as the sub dome. I took another break here. There was a ranger with the NPS who was checking the permits which people had.
After getting the permit checked and recharging ourselves, we started to hike the sub dome. It is a trail of steps mainly over rocks. It goes in a zigzag manner and takes you to the base of half dome. This part is above treeline and you are directly exposed to the sun. It is very steep indeed and I was out of breath by the time I got to the top of the sub dome. We had another break here. The view was definitely worth the climb. We could see the quarter dome, another smaller feature similar to the half dome. There were also snow capped peaks on one side. We could see many granite cliffs.
The fun and most challenging part was just starting. We now had to go up the cables. I had heard about this before but trying it was going to be the challenge. There was a long line of people ahead of me. I just tried the technique the guy ahead of me was trying. To go one step at a time, pull yourself with your arms and go one step at a time. The key was to not look down. As we went higher it got steeper and consequently scarier. We were just waiting for it to end. Finally after 40 min of what seemed like eternity I managed to reached the top of Half Dome. It was a great feeling. I took few minutes again to catch my breath. There was surprisingly full network coverage. I made a few phone calls boasting about my feat and sent a tweet from the summit. That was an ego boost :P
I walked around on the summit and took some amazing pictures. I waited for the rest of the group to get there. We then spent a lot of time walking around and taking pictures. We also went to this particular ledge where I had seen many of my friends take pictures. There was a 5000 feet drop from that ledge and it was very scary to go there. I somehow managed to look down and it was scary.It was a dizzying height. My friend took pictures of me trying different stunts from there. We then walked around and saw the amazing views. We could see the entire Yosemite Valley with the Yosemite falls as well.
After having a bread and jam lunch we decided to head back. Climbing down the cables was the biggest challenge. Its much harder going down. You don't have the choice of not looking down now. I tried the technique of using both hands and placing my feet sideways. That worked for me. I kept my camera inside so that there would be no distractions. It took us about 40 min to get down. When we had done that we let out a sigh of relief . The hard part had been done.
We then started back on the trail making our way back. It felt like a long walk. It had been a long and tiring day and there was still some time left. We had started from the sub dome at around 4PM and reached the Yosemite Valley around 6. After taking a break we started hiking again and reached the Nevada Falls at around 7PM. We decided to take the John Muir trail back instead of the Mist trail as it was less dangerous. It would avoid us going through the slippery rocks and would be easier on the knees as it was less steep. It was getting very difficult now. Our feet, ankles, knees , calves and many other muscles were hurting. It was starting to play on the mind too. We just wanted to get this over with.
Finally 2 of us made it to the parking lot at 830PM. It had been a long 13:45 min hiking day. We were really tired but were very happy that we had accomplished something special.
Most food places had closed. We had stuff like chips and bananas and decided to suck it up and drive back to San Jose. We reached at 2AM. Since it had been a long tiring day with no proper breakfast, lunch or dinner I decided to treat myself at Denny's. One of the best meals I ever had. :)
NPS video: http://www.youtube.com/
Pictures: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100392907586903.2725563.6239868
posted by Ajit at
1:47 AM
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