Half Dome Again

 U.S. Road Trip 2013

Part Ten

(A letter to my kids on how to get to the top of Half Dome)

Dear A, E, and J, 

Dad and I just hiked Half Dome again. We did this seven years ago with Uncle Jonny and it was really hard. My teenage self had done it twice before, but as an adult it was even harder. It was Uncle Ronny who went with us this time. 

This letter is to coach you to the top, just like my brothers coached me up. We didn't take you this time because we want you to be older--you have to be able to carry your own water, about a gallon of it. Make sure you have a buddy who can help you do hard things. There will come a point when this hike seems really scary, but a buddy can help you through those parts.

Start early. (This time we didn't start early.) You'll start at the Happy Isles trailhead and hike about a mile to the footbridge of Vernal Falls. This part is fun because you can chat while you go. It's all uphill, but you're not too tired yet and you can enjoy Yosemite.

Glance back at the trail and Yosemite will look like this. Beautiful, right?

Grab your buddy for a shot on the footbridge. I love it when Dad's my buddy because I can hug him in every photo and no one cares. When when I was fourteen I always threw my arm around the shoulder of my hiking partner and asked someone to snap a picture. It's a good spot even though on this day it was too hazy to see the falls back there.

Keep going. Eventually you'll get to the section of the trail known as the Mist Trail. This time of year the Merced River is really low, so the Mist doesn't make the trail as slippery as normal. Vernal Falls is spectacular here.

This section of stairs is the first really hard part. Your heart will pound and your lungs will burn, so stop when you need to for a breather. Focus on whatever helps--your hiking buddy's footsteps, the number of stairs you're counting as you ascend, the song you're singing to the beat of your own footsteps.

When you get to the top of the falls, look down at where you've been and admire Yosemite again for its beauty. You've made it two miles.

Next stop is the top of Nevada Falls. When you get there you'll be about 3 miles up. Start looking up for Half Dome--it will peak out from behind the other granite domes.

Don't forget to take photos on the way up. When you're coming down you'll be totally focused on finishing. On the way up you need to stop and take breaks anyway.

I forgot to take photos for the next four miles through the Little Yosemite Valley and up onto the mountain switchbacks. This feels like the longest part. But the hardest part is the section of granite steps on the back side of the subdome. I snapped a photo coming down, but on the way up I was counting steps to keep myself going. 421!

When you make it to the top of the sub dome this is what you'll see and you'll be scared. Everyone is scared. The granite drops off in every direction and you will need to sit and get your sense of balance back. These are the cables, a set of two thick wire ropes that run through anchored pairs of iron rods all the way up. Watch how the hikers maneuver up the cables and commit to trying to do what they do, scrambling from one board to the next. There are about forty-five of those boards and you only have to go one board at a time like you would climb the rungs of a ladder.

Stick with your buddy. Ask the people who are coming down for advice. Everyone is extremely kind up there--everyone understands you. 

This hard work will be worth it. When Dad and I were up there this last time there was a guy whose legs were cramping so badly he was having a hard time walking. Even he was saying over and over "this is the coolest thing I've ever done in my life. This is so awesome."

If you're like me, you'll want to crab walk across the top, holding onto the rock with your hands and feet, but you're safe on top of that giant rock. Look out over Yosemite and take some photos. But be smart. This photo looks like we're not smart. It was a wind-less day. I'm not sure that makes us seem less stupid.

If you look closely you'll see that I'm gripping Dad's pants. Dad was relaxed. I was not.

Find a place to relax--the top of Half Dome is as big as two football fields. Look out over more exposed granite than you'll find anywhere else on the planet. I love this place.

Sitting on top of Half Dome you'll realize why we wanted you to do this. We want you to know that you can do hard things. No place on earth looks like this, and we want you to appreciate the variety of beauty on this Earth. We want you to see farther than you've seen before.  When you think of California, we hope that one of the first things you think of is the beautiful granite in Yosemite. 

Eventually you'll want to come back down and you'll be just as friendly to the people on their way up as others were to you. You need to head down by 3:30 p.m. to be safe. You have eight miles to go. Encourage the people you pass. Tell them when they're about to reach an important spot. Enjoy the view as often as possible on the way back to Yosemite Valley and tell your buddy what you'll do differently next time because you'll want to come up again at this point.

We love you.
We hope you'll love Yosemite like we do.
Mom and Dad