Yosemite Photography {Half Dome: the journey]

09.27.09

It's 3:45 in the morning. I peak my head out of our tent and the cold breeze whips me in the face. Ugh! I dread waking up this early. Why did I agree to hike up Half Dome with John? What the heck was I thinking?

He's already packed. Typical. I move about slowly as I try to gather what I can. Let's see: water, power bars, climbing shoes, carabiners, climbing harness, sunblock, camera. Okay, ready to go. Bruce, John's long time friend, meets us outside. We drive to Happy Isles. I quickly put on my North Face jacket. Before we begin our trek to the trailhead, I look up at the sky which is pierced with stars that seem to dazzle like diamonds. I'm in awe. We notice a few shooting stars and I make my wish: please let me make it from Half Dome alive!

My flashlight is sweeping from side to side. The guys are slightly annoyed and ask that I keep it facing ahead of us. I comply, for the most part. My fear of bears and mountain lions attacking us is overcoming my judgment at this point.

Official start time: 5:12 a.m.

The first 30 minutes seem to drag on. It's an uphill battle that doesn't seem to give us any breaks. I feel like turning back already. The Mist Trail. So steep and scenic. Not a good combination. Plenty of onlookers have fallen off accidentally. Not gonna be me. We take a break midway and I gaze at Vernal Falls. It's absolutely beautiful. You can feel the power of the falls as it rushes down with such force and magnitude.

8 a.m. We reach Little Yosemite Valley. It's so serene, isolated...and so FLAT! I'm in heaven! I catch my breath and take it in. Shortly after this point, Bruce decides that he's ready to turn back. With a bad knee, he never really had any intentions of hiking up Half Dome. We understand. I was ecstatic to be experiencing this with John.



11:30 a.m. Nothing but steep switchbacks on the last leg of the journey. Now let's not forget I haven't worked out in about 7 months and gave birth to little Gianna just 4 months ago. I was exhausted. No, that's an understatement...I was dying out there. Totally unfit for this strenuous hike. But I made it. I thought of my two little girls and the will to make them proud overpowered any fears or exhaustion that I was experiencing.



12:30 p.m. We're standing at the base of Half Dome looking up. The Dome was staring me in the face and beckoning me to the top. I see cables bolted down along 600 feet of granite rock. We remove our hiking boots and replace them with climbing ones. I leave my backpack behind a big rock. I pull the climbing harness snugly around my waist and clip the carabiners to my rope. I look up again. My thoughts: do NOT fall to your death. Must grip onto cables firmly. Take your time and clip those carabiner clips! Easy does it right?



We walk over to the crevice in the rocks where previous hikers have stashed dozens of used gloves for future cable climbers. For this, I am thankful. I rummage through the stash and find matching worn leather gardening gloves. These should do.

I make my first clip. As people start to ascend, some examine our harnesses and the expressions on their faces reads one of anxiety and a hint of jealousy. "You are smart," several people have said as they pass us by. I am relieved that John went through the trouble of preparing us for this moment. So many people have died on these cables, falling over the cliff and dropping 1800 feet to their death. The thought has plagued my mind for the past week, but I block it out for now.

I try not to look down. My shoes are slightly slipping and my gloves are almost useless. I would be freezing up at this moment if it weren't for the harnesses which provided me with such mental comfort. I'm relying on my arms to do the pulling, but I am having a hard time gripping the cables. Should have gone to the gym. Should have trained. Should have spent the money on those overpriced belay gloves!



This is a rush!

We reach the summit! I want to scream at the top of my lungs, but I'm just too exhausted. We conquered that majestic beast called Half Dome and we did it together!!!

We head back down in style: sliding on our butts. That's right folks, sliding...on the buttocks. I smile on my way down, relieved that the descent is almost effortless compared to what I just faced 30 minutes prior.





The last quarter, I took the advice of another and walked backwards, which was surprisingly easier...and less dorky-looking ;)



When we reached the base, we noticed our hiking boots were missing. I wasn't bothered too much by it, but poor John...his feet were too big for his climbing shoes and he was left to walk bare foot - for a whole 5 hours! It was a major challenge and I am so proud of my husband. He is the most amazing, toughest person! I am incredibly lucky to have someone in my life who encourages me to step out of my comfort zone, allowing me to experience life to the very fullest.

Aside from the unfortunate circumstances, I found it hilarious that his jeans were ripped from sliding on his butt. He couldn't care less :)





This was the scariest and one of the most rewarding journeys that we have ever faced. I would totally recommend this hike to anyone who's willing to challenge themselves physically and emotionally. But please, PLEASE bring a climbing harness and two carabiner clips. It'll save your life!

We spent 5 days in Yosemite, one of my favorite places ever. Here are some images from the rest of our trip.























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- Half Dome Statistics -
elevation: 8,800 ft.
distance: 14-16 mile round trip
time: 10-14 hours
deaths: More than 20 deaths on Half Dome itself. If you count the trail leading up to Half Dome,
the number leaps to more than 60.
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Until next time Yosemite...

Much love,

Daisy