READERS COMMENTS

So amazed that I've done three of the hikes listed! This one was by far my favorite. Main advice start early, the first time we got a late start and hit the backside of half dome around noon and roasted, it was unbelievably hot that day. Also bring gloves, like biking gloves, the cables get hot in the sun and it is tough on your hands. Made it about halfway up the first time when I watched someones water bottle fall out of their pocket and tumble down, chickened out and turned around.

The second time we did this we decided to start from the panoramic trail and went down the mist trail in order to bypass going up the mist trail, I would recommend this to anyone worried about their fitness level that really wants to get to the top of half dome and doesn't care about the route because you start at a higher elevation than vernal and nevada falls so you actually descend the first five miles. we actually backpacked it this time and headed out really early the next day and made it to the top before sunrise! this is an amazing hike good luck!

p.s. try electric peak in yellowstone for another crazy adventure!

Posted: Oct 27, 2009 Kara

This was our 2nd time going up to Half Dome and now I realize how dangerous it can be when it is crowded. There was a one hour wait to get on the cables and to get up to the top people were holding on for about 2 HOURS as they waited to take a step! (It is very difficult to hold on that long if your feet are slipping on the rock if you don't get to rest your feet on the wood plank (every 13 ft).) We were up one third of the way when a girl decided to move from inside the cable area to the outside since it was crowded. She lost her footing and slipped. She tumbled about 10 feet when 2 guys heroically stopped her falling by grabbing on to her shirt/hair and sliding their foot in her way. She was able to stop from tumbling and was still conscious. Those 2 guys risked their lives otherwise she would have been dead and could have taken them out also. People were being so impatient and climbing on the outside of the cables and having the nerve to tell the hikers who were on the inside (and waited their turn) to move over. We got down after we saw the girl fall and the rain clouds were coming in.
This time we had caribiners and harness we made out of a rope. Definitely use a harness (store bought) and have 2 caribiners to clip on and off , this way you will always be hooked up to the cable. People may think using this is the sissy way but believe me after seeing people slipping and sliding, wearing Vans tennis shoes (insane)and pushing people out of the way, the danger increases. When it is crowded if one person falls it will be like a domino affect and you will get knocked off with them if they tumble on to you. Please read a good article: 10 survival tips for Half Dome. Bring at least 2 liters of water (camel back), head lamp, food, good hiking shoes, rubber gloves (garden gloves are slippery), and a caribiner with a harness. Don't climb with water bottles and stuff falling out of your pockets. Better to stay overnight at the campsite or leave at 5am on a weekday. I will NEVER do it again on a weekend. People were acting like animals and getting up to the top at all costs. It was really sad to see and no one seem to care about the girl who fell afterwards to make sure she was okay. In addition, everyone ignored the rainclouds coming. Once your up on the cable for 2 hours the weather could have gotten worse and then people would have been panicking to get down and slip for sure. Please do your homework before you go to Half Dome and don't risk your life unnecessarily.












Posted: Aug 26, 2009 Steve

I did this hike on a Thursday in September `06. Started late, 7am, but got to the top at 11:50, with no line at the bottom of the cables. But the danger is real. There is a staircase cut into the granite before the cables, and it's easy to slip here. And both of my legs cramped up twice on the cables. The first cramp, I made the mistake of looking to the right . . . and saw Tenaya Canyon, obscured by a 48-degree wall of granite . . . and said to myself, "Okay, this is real, not the movies, not practice." So: Don't push yourself, pace yourself. Hiking for several miles nonstop on a hilly trail is good training (e.g., the upper trail at the Lafayette Reservoir, if you're near San Francisco). Wear gloves on the cables, they give more traction and protect your hands. Wear two socks per foot. And more water than you think you'll need (I didn't have enough). But it's doable; I did it for the first time at age 40, and I got back at 4:45 - 9-3/4 hours - including an hour's lunch at the top. It's a fantastic trail. Just know what you're getting into.
Posted: May 15, 2009 Ron

If you want true adventure you must leave behind the well established trails. I like hiking the Sierra High Route which is 200 miles and runs east of the JMT. You wont see anyone for the month long trip. No trails, no crowds, no problems.and also enjoy Tenaya Canyon which is dicey but fun!! Also if summiting Mt. Whitney go the Mountaineers Route which is class 3 scramble. No crowds just beautiful scenery and wide open places.

Posted: Jan 13, 2009 Justin, Ohio

That's Half Dome and Tenaya Canyon seen from Glacier Point in the pic...I have pic from Valley Floor with that Pink Sky in back of Half Dome...could be same day! Mist Trail is out of sight to right where Nevada and Vernal Falls can be seen...pic is miss captioned, I'd say!!
Posted: Dec 23, 2008 DavidDavid

Been up there several times in Fall. The NPS needs a permit system. And a video about safety. It is almost 45 degrees and slick granite even when dry. Bring a sturdy pair of leather work gloves to better grip the cables. I may not even do this agian unless I bring a rock climbing harness so I can stay clipped to the cable. Why ? Too many people. Imagine 50 people above you. One slips and it's like a bowling alley below and you are the pin. Saw a 6 year old girl unattended waliking over the crest. I've escorted groups back every trip including the first where we passed on the final climb due to storm clouds. Better to live another day. It can be hit any month of the year.
Once you are off the rocks so to speak, you have a long hike. Best to cross the Nevada falls and skip the return up via Must trail. Take the Muir bypass. The rocks will be wet from afternoon winds, the steps down are monsters after a long day. Bring a flashlight. Each time the groups escorted (30-40) no one else had a light. Headlamp preferred as you need your hand free. Bring a water filter. It gets very hot even in Oct. I fill up after Nevada falls. Drink 2 quarters before the hike and refill at the last restroom on the way up. AVOID wading in the pools farther up. It's slock granite and people have been swept away in ankle deep water. Tougher hike ? Zion needs to be on the list. Far scarier on the side of a cliff with 1000 ft drops and a 8 inch toe hold.
Posted: Nov 28, 2008 The Gorbs

The mis-information many people have about Mr. Nohara’s fatal fall in June of 2007 is understandable. The only available source was SF Gate and the comments from people who “saw” it. In quotes because MANY different versions were presented. Since Half Dome is my passion I tried to dig deeper into this but NO follow up stories ever appeared. So I read the NPS investigation report. Near the top of the cables a man (going down) above Nohara (going up) said Nohara stepped over the cable and to the outside. He said the cable was drooping. His legs slipped out from under him and he hit on his chest. He flipped to his back but picked up speed and slid away from the cables. He tumbled and stopped on the ledge almost even with the start of the cables. 2 hikers (on the saddle) went down this extremely steep slope to provide aid, but it did not help. No conclusive statement was made as to the cause of the fall, but his party of 5 left from Sunnyvale at 1:45 am on a Friday after working all day and packing for the trip. They drove up 5 hours and began the hike with no sleep and since they carried their water, I suspect fatigue and dehydration contributed. I’ve not heard of any lawsuits against the park and don’t know what the statute of limitations is.
My website has an ACCIDENTS page describing all the recent incidents, including Scott Clancy’s near death slide http://www.hikehalfdome.com/.

Posted: Nov 25, 2008 Rick Deutsch

My son and I climbed out of Yosemite Valley passing the turn off to half dome while starting the John Muir trail. In hindsight our packs were overweighted (probably 36-38 lbs for me), so it felt harder than necessary. Still, it was not an easy climb up from the valley. On the way up, we saw several dayhikers coming down from half dome with little water and appearing dazed. They couldn't even muster the customary "hi" or nod given between passing hikers. There is probably a lot of unreported problems with this hike (e.g., dehydration, other heat issues). I wouldn't mind the park system requiring a mandatory permit (even for dayhikers) with mandatory requirements (e.g., min. age limits, min. amt. of water, food, daypacks etc.). I know that sounds paternalistic and drastic, but at 300 incidents a year and from what I saw on that trail, we need a more effective way of educating or weeding out these impulse/newbie hikers from doing a 14 mile rigorous dayhike.
Posted: Nov 19, 2008 Charles, Los Angeles CA

Nohara did cartwheel about 300 feet down to the ledge, but not off the face of Half Dome as the story above indicates. The cables go up the rounded eastern (or NE) side, not the face and not the side in the picture at the top of this article, which appears to be a view of the west/sw side. One news report indicated Nohara fell first to the ledge, then bounced over the edge of the adjacent cliff parallel to the face and part way down the main canyon wall, where search and rescue had to rappel to claim his body. Nohara was first to die from a fall while using cables in dry conditions. One guy reportedly lost his grip in damp conditions in recent years and luckily his pants (don't ask me how) caught on one of the poles and saved him. Others have slipped trying to climb with the poles down and then gotten caught in wet conditions (an impossible situation). The main thing is to go prepared. You see people in sandals, people carrying water bottles, often the same ones who then throw them on the ground in the back country, people without gloves (usually recommended for grip (other comment notwithstanding) on a hot sweaty day (unfortunately, the mindless leave them in a back country junk pile at the bottom of the hill when they're done, thinking they're doing people a favor, but instead creating rodent infested piles of trash that have to be hauled out by someone on foot). Keys: Don't do it on a whim. Wear good footwear (hiking boots have better grip on granite), it's a long hike. Take water (filter if you have one so you carry less weight). Take gloves. Enjoy, it's a great hike, but not really a back country adventure because of the crowds, most of which have little knowledge of back country etiquette and many who don't treat the conditions with enough respect out of ignorance.
Posted: Nov 18, 2008 Jon, San Francisco

Last July my 10 year-old son and I backpacked from Tenaya Lake to Happy Isles over Clouds Rest and made a side trip to Half Dome (about 20 miles all told). We camped near the junction of the Clouds Rest trail and John Muir Trail to make the 2.5 mile jaunt to the top of HD, sans packs, in the cool of the day. It was a glorious morning and at 7am we were the only hikers on the cables. My son started out with a pair of leather gloves that I brought along for him that proved to be too slippery for the steel cables. Once he switched to bare hands his confidence increased and that was that. On the down-climb at 8am we ran into about 10 people -- this was on a Thursday. Our return to Yosemite Valley on the short, steep, crowded but beautiful Mist Trail was uneventful. Later I asked my son what he thought of the Half Dome climb. He said it was a little difficult but the ascent to Clouds Rest actually scared him. On the eastern approach to Clouds Rest you make a short traverse of a very narrow ridgeline with enormous exposure on both sides. My bottom line is that Half Dome is only dangerous if you make it so through bad judgement and poor preparation.


Posted: Nov 16, 2008 SRJ

Great hike but the older you are I would recommend camping at Little Yosemite Valley. My wife and I did this in September on an unusually hot day and we did the 17 mile hike in one day. It becomes the Bataan Death March on the way back. You want to enjoy yourself in so much beauty. I saw idiots up there with no water and no water purification tabs or filters. I think the one kid had to die of heat stroke. He had a tiny bottle of water with him. Have some sense folks this isn't a simple day hike. Also watch for the people who freak out on the cables. An Asian lady almost took me out on the way up. Not a place to realize you have a fear of heights. And yes do it on a weekday and start early!
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 Greg M

Thanks for this writeup. The lightning strike may have been 23 years ago, but a surprising number of people still don't understand how dangerous Half Dome can be, if you don't know what you are doing. Don't attempt it on a summer weekend. It is simply too crowded. Do it on a weekday, and leave well before dawn, so you can hit the rock long before afternoon weather moves in.
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 David V

Rick in San Jose said NO ONE saw Mr Nohara fall, then he give an account of the fall, if NO ONE saw him how do you know htese details???
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 k

Rick in San Jose said NO ONE saw Mr Nohara fall, then he give an account of the fall, if NO ONE saw him how do you know htese details???
Posted: Nov 14, 2008 k

Rick,

Being that you feel the need to not only count, but state how many times you've done half dome tells us one thing: you're no mountaineer.

Try spending some time in and with nature, stripping yourself of all that nonsense. Training, hiking poles, gear this, gear that, etc., e' tal...are all distractions from the beauty of life, of what appreciation for bio-ecology means, the massive amounts of studies and hard work being put in by people who are changing the way humans should be sustaining themselves. Yet, here you are like some schmuck from the city who comes and pounds his chest (and none of your advice is better than the people who live here,) while making sure to give a call out to yourself at the end. The trick is not to train. The trick is to live ones life in a way that enables them to do it whenever they want.

There are many more places in Yosemite which offer greater views of a sunrise/sunset then Half Dome. You're simply one of the many huddling around the path with their boom boxes, iPods, cell phones to tell their friends what crazy little air you have and how the struggle is almost unbearable.

get out of the way if you're not going to enjoy it for what it's worth.
Posted: Nov 13, 2008 from the valley

Half Dome is a great hike. I did it this summer in June. One alternative to doing the whole thing in a day is to get a permit for Little Yosemite Valley (sometimes tough to get) and hike up the mist trail to LYV and stay overnight. Get an early headstart the next day and be on top of HalfDome within 3 hours. You are guaranteed to avoid the crowds on the way up (not always on the way down though). Another spectacular trip with just as stunning views, but without the crowds is Cloud's Rest. I just did this hike for Backpacker last month and it was great. http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=283162

Enjoy
Dave, Newark, Ca
www.baoutdoors.com
Posted: Nov 13, 2008 Dave Miller

While Yosemite is a great place I'd think that Fitz-Roy in Patagonia was the most challenging climb in the Americas. When I was there a Frenchman had just fallen to his death after he'd made the summit....often clouded...and very high!


Posted: Nov 13, 2008 Pete Kroner

Kelly,
Have you actually done this hike? First off the cables are not "generally installed" They are always installed. They are either up, (safe) or down (not safe). I can't believe, you are still bringing up the lighting strike from 1985. Do you realize that's 23 YEARS ago?
Have you actually read the account of that strike? The group that climbed that day went up the cables in an active thunder and lighting storm. They were warned numerous times to stop.
More people get struck by lighting every year on golf courses.

I am a subscriber to Backpacker, I've always trusted the information I have read about. Hopefully this little hit piece is not an indication of validity of the rest of the publication.


Posted: Nov 02, 2008 Andy

If you are interested in climbing Half Dome, I highly recommend doing it at night. Leave by 1am and summit before dawn. Bring a headlamp and enjoy the crisp night air as you hike a vacant, well-marked trail. You will climb the cables, turn around, and see the most glorious sunrise of your life. All to yourself. Without the masses to interrupt. Just a disclaimer- I wouldn't attempt a night ascent unless you've done the hike before...it would be safer that way. Thank you Backpacker magazine for the suggestion in an issue back in 2006.
Posted: Nov 02, 2008 Brian

I beg to differ with your "facts." Mr Nohara did not ”fall 1200 feet into a granite ravine below after trying to squeeze past hikers ahead of him on the cables.” He was about 300 feet up the 425 vertical rise of the cables when he fell. NO ONE saw him actually fall. A witness heard a thud and looked to find him outside the cables and sliding feet first on his back. He tumbled and stopped on a ledge below the beginning of the cable route. He was not squeezing past other hikers. There was no one in front of him when he fell. He and his friends drove from Santa Clara leaving at 1:30 am. They arrived at 6:30 am and began their hike. Thye arrived at the cables at 2 pm – a good pace would have seen them there at 11:30. There has been no conclusive cause of his death. I suspect fatigue, dehydration (he carried his water)contributed. He was the only person to fall from the cables when they are up for summer use since they were erected in 1919. The only one – and 50,000 people do it each summer.

The Half Dome hike is a superb adventure. I've done it 23 times. The views and sense of accomplishment are worth it. Folks need to prepare though...it's not a walk-in-the-park. Water, boots, hiking poles and gloves for the cables - and be in top shape!

I've written the only hiking guide to Half Dome and suggest it for your readers. It is called "One Best Hike: Yosemite's Half Dome" published by Wilderness Press. See my website. The trick is to train, leave early (5:30 am) and be at the cables before 11 am. They are clogged after that.

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day!!
Rick, San Jose, CA
http://www.HikeHalfDome.com


Posted: Nov 01, 2008 Rick Deutsch

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