California Adventure: Day 4
The day had finally arrived. At 3:00 a.m. the alarm beeped. We wanted an early start so we could see the sunrise from Half Dome and so we could beat the crowds to the cables. I had a moment of weakness where I almost rolled over in my sleeping bag and tried to convince myself that neither of those were good reasons to get up at 3:00 a.m. Chris gave me a nudge and it was all I needed. When we stepped outside the tent, I expected it to be much colder, but it was quite mild. We hiked in what you see picture above: light pants, a t-shirt, and a long sleeve wool shirt. The gloves only came on for the cables. I carried a beanie and my zip-up sweater in my bag, along with an extra t-shirt and a pair socks (always carry extra socks). I have read about people becoming hypothermic when they reach the top, especially in the cold, early morning hours. They are sweaty, stop moving, and the temperatures are cooler. Given the mild temperatures this morning, it didn't feel like it would be much colder on Half Dome, but I had those items packed and taking them out wouldn't make the hike much easier. Better to have them and not need them.
After dressing, we quietly pulled the bear box open and set our Jet Boil, oatmeal, and coffee mugs on top. We boiled water for coffee and oatmeal. We each had an oatmeal and split a cup of coffee. We were moving by 3:30 a.m.
It was dark and quiet. As far as I could tell, we were the only people on the trail. It was nearly new moon, so we didn't have a lot of light. I mostly looked down so I could shine my headlamp at the ground in front of me and not trip. Chris suddenly stopped, turned off his headlamp, and asked me to turn off my mine. Then he told me to look up. Just when I was cursing myself for not planning the hike during a full moon so we could see better, I looked up. We were standing in the Sierras in almost complete darkness, with on one else around and we could see the Milky Way. A moment like that will give you this feeling in your chest that you can't quite place. Your eyes will burn and your throat will feel like it's closing. Then it will dawn on you what that feeling is. It's awe. True awe because what you are seeing is so beautiful and you will feel so small.
We knew we could never capture that moment with a camera. We hiked for a while more and then decided to try our luck at a picture of the moon and stars. We stopped to set up the tripod. That's when I realized how quiet the trail was. I had been hearing the shuffling of my feet and my breath the entire morning. Once my breathing slowed, it was eerily silent. We tried to do justice to the scene around us, but the pictures don't accurately capture what we saw. The almanac states we had a waning crescent moon at 15% visibility. The long exposure makes it look like we had more light.
After our unsuccessful foray into night photography, we packed up the gear and got down to business. If we were going to get to Half Dome before sunrise, we needed to move.
When we reached sub dome, it was still pitch black. I knew from my research that, physically, this was the hardest part of the hike. It's so steep at some points that you have to scramble up the rocks. At one point, we lost the trail. Thankfully, it was a short detour. You can literally walk off of sub dome in the dark if you aren't careful. As we climbed, we could see the cables in the distance. We saw the glow of two headlights ascending. At least two people had beat us to the top. As we neared the top of sub dome, first light made its appearance. We had a lot of light now, so we were able to move faster and see the trail. There was no sign of the sun just yet, but I was starting to doubt that we would make it to the top before sunrise.
When we reached the top of sub dome, we saw one hiker sitting on a rock and there were two people on the cables. We chatted with the hiker on the rock for a little bit while we caught our breath. She and her husband and another couple were on a multi-day backpacking trip with a guide. Their husbands had stayed back at camp. Her friend was on the cables with their guide. She had decided not to make the ascent. I felt for her. It's a grueling hike. She'd done the physically challenging part, but in the end, she said she didn't feel brave enough to go up the cables. She was kind enough to take our picture and it resulted in my favorite picture of the day (first picture at the top of the page).
At this point, I didn't think we'd make sunrise, but I knew if I sat and waited too much longer I would be joining the other hiker on the rock. I had come a long way for this and the weather conditions were good. It was time to grab the cables and make the climb.
I went first, closely followed by Chris. The first part of the climb isn't very steep and it looks more terrifying than it actually is. I concentrated on going slow and having three points of contact at all times. I would hold the cables with both hands, one on each side. Then I would inch up the granite, sliding both hands up the cable as I took baby steps up. You have to pick your hands up when you get to the poles that are attached to the granite. I just made sure to move them one at a time, always having three points of contact. Three points of contact was the name of the game. There are horizontal wooden planks every 15 or so feet. That's where I would plant my feet and take breaks. About three-quarters of the way up, the angle is so steep that when I would plant my feet on the planks, my calves would stretch and I felt like I was in a ski jump position.
Thankfully, no one was behind us, so I didn't feel rushed. The cables were positioned near shoulder level for me, so my deltoids started to burn on the way up. Nothing too bad, but you definitely don't want to take too long or you forearms and delts will burn out. I also concentrated on long, deep breaths to stay calm and before I knew it, we were at the end of the cables. We made it shortly before sunrise. We found a good spot to sit and watched as the sun crested over the mountains. It was a sight to behold.
We refueled with the Epic bars and Rx bars and spent some time enjoying the view. We took pictures with our son's Flat Stanley, who made the trek up with us. We also took the iconic picture of each of us on this outcropping. I love that you can see the shadow of Half Dome in the background.
I descended backwards and stuck to my three points of contact rule while taking baby steps so as not to slip. I broke a record for the slowest cable descent in the history of Half Dome. The way down seemed to take forever and since people were coming up, we had to communicate to work on a strategy to pass one another. Everyone was very courteous, but I passed one ascending hiker who sat down to take a break. It made me extra grateful that we had such an early start. Not only did I not feel pressure from faster hikers behind me, I didn't have to worry about going around slower hikers or those who decided to sit half way up the cables.
About two-thirds of the way down, I was able to turn around and descend at a faster pace. Once we reached the bottom, a sizable crowd had gathered. Many were resting up and/or eating before taking on the cables, but you could see there were a couple of others contemplating whether they would do it or not. There aren't any stats on how many people get to the cables and decide not to do it. I'd seen at least one that day and I'm sure she wasn't the only one.
At this point, several other hikers had joined us at the top and a small crowd was probably starting to form at the base of the cables. It was time to descend. From everything I'd read, I knew the descent would be scarier than the ascent. On the way up, I turned my head once and saw the way down. I didn't do it again. Chris went first this time and headed down going forward. No fear whatsoever. He was chatting with other hikers and taking videos the entire time.
Even though we'd tackled the cables both up and down, our journey wasn't over. In fact, we weren't even halfway through what we'd do for the day. It is 7 miles from Little Yosemite Valley to Half Dome and back. We still had to make it back to camp, pack up our gear, and descend the nearly 4 miles back down to the shuttle bus.
We made decent time to camp. We headed to the river to collect and treat more water for the remaining trek. We also took off our boots and soaked our feet in the cold river. It felt like heaven. Both of our feet held up well the entire hike and for that, I am grateful. I had one little hot spot and it seemed a cold dip in the river was enough to keep it from forming into a blister because it didn't bother me for the remainder of the trip. Then we walked back to our campsite, packed everything up, including the trash we'd left in the bear box. As I mentioned in my previous post, Little Yosemite Valley has no services except the pit toilets. You must pack out all your trash.
At this point, the sun was out and in full force. We were down to our t-shirts. The Park video and all the guides for the hike tell you that Yosemite Search and Rescue responds to more emergencies on this section of the trail than any other. The lower portion of the trail is a popular day hike which attracts many inexperienced hikers who are unprepared for its rigors and people doing stupid things, like climbing over rails to get a better selfie next to the waterfalls. If you have a Half Dome permit, you are probably a pretty experienced hiker, but still every summer Search and Rescue responds to numerous calls from hikers who are on the last leg of the Half Dome hike.
A lot of people run out of water during this part of the hike. The Park service recommends carrying four liters of water for the duration of the hike. This is an accurate estimate. I consumed a liter and a half on the first day between Happy Isles and Little Yosemite Valley. I drank one full liter on the round trip from Little Yosemite Valley to Half Dome and another liter from Little Yosemite Valley back down to Happy Isles. We broke up our hike and filled up at the Merced River, so the most I ever carried was two and a half liters on the first day. If you aren't inclined to make the detour at the Merced River or don't want to treat water, carry at least four liters. People also don't eat enough. We ate before we started the hike, at the top of Half Dome, and again at Little Yosemite Valley. Fat and carbs are your friend. We had oatmeal, Epic bars (which have a lot of fat), Rx bars and Lara bars (both are carb bombs). While it didn't feel like much food, it was all calorie dense.
As for fatigue, I'll be honest, I was exhausted on the last portion of the trail. We thought we would move a lot faster because we were headed downhill, but the terrain is uneven and it is steep, so you have to slow yourself down or you'll trip. While I was tired, I didn't really start suffering until the last mile. The very last part of the trail is paved and steep. It was murder on the knees. Since Chris carried the majority of our gear, I knew his knees were also taking a pounding. While the pavement is hard on the knees, it's also a sign that the hike is almost over. We made it to the shuttle bus stop in the early afternoon.
The first thing I did when we got back to the car was change out of my boots and put on my sandals. Then we headed over the grocery store for two cold beers. We drove around looking for the perfect place to enjoy our beers. We parked at a small picnic area and walked down to the river. We decided the view was better on the other side and waded across. We sat on the river bank and cracked open our beers. There is no sweeter sound than the "pop" of a beer opening after a grueling hike. These moments are pure bliss.
Amanda is the owner of Travel Adventures by Amanda, powered by Dream Vacations, specializing in cruises, tours, treks, and custom independent travel adventures for individuals, families, and groups. For help planning your next adventure, contact Amanda at (901) 901-800-6091 or abiggerstaff@dreamvacations.com.
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