Half Dome: Know Before You Go

My inside look into hiking Half Dome, and advice on what you need to know before you go.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• half
• dome
• yosemite
• hikes
• nature
• cables
• hiking
• hiking half dome
• half dome cables

[aestrada86]

There hasn't been, yet. Typically when a hiker falls they fall down sloping granite away from the cables since the trail is on somewhat of a ridge. There is a picture in the video of a hiker who fell and she ended up on a ledge to the left of the cables. People usually fall to the left.

[humanidt]

who hikes half dome with tennis shoes? even with excellent grip....

[aestrada86]

@humanidt Well I patrolled the trail 4 days a week last summer. About half of all the hikers had tennis shoes.

[dutchman063]

If one falls from the top is there a domino effect when its that crowded?

[galindaf]

See part 1, below.

...stay in Little Yosemite the night before the ascent. At that location, you're only a few miles from the dome, and can get an early start. There are bear boxes and even bathrooms there, and a constant water source for those who filter, light pen, boil, or iodine. Yes, you'd need to pack up food, sleeping bag, etc., but for me, it's always been worth the beauty of a cool, empty trail and empty cables. I carry 4 liters even from LY, as I always run into thirsty hikers.

[galindaf]

I ascended Half Dome for the 18th time this summer. The tips in this video are good. I've never seen another human on the cables when I climb, even recently, unless they are in my group. That's because we arrive at the cables at about 7:30 a.m., long before any day hikers can possibly get there. Not only are the cables clear, but the weather is, too, and you can make your way back down in the cool of the late morning even after spending a few hours at the top. The way to do this is to ...

[jdh501]

I went to the top of Half Dome for the first time in 1983. It used to be possble in the 1980s to go all the way to the top and only see 6 or 7 other people the whole time. One time in June of 1985 I went with a friend and the cables were COMPLETELY EMPTY of people even though it was a beautiful sunny day! We had the whole Dome to ourselves.

I miss those days. It's way too crowded now.

[WulfmanD]

Great info. My brother and I are planning our first ascent for next year.

[itsbigrob]

Great information. I just made my 1st trip up half dome 8/16/10. The best advice I can offer to a 1st timer is water as much as you can carry and or a purification pump. Search my user name for my experience. The 4:04 is better. Good luck it is worth the trip.

[McDaidUSA]

GREAT VIDEO... We've hiked this route many times and learn something new each time. We've been lucky to have good weather on Half Dome, but on our first trip we ran out of water and let me tell you it is no fun being dehydrated, we always carry water purification devices now and reload our supply on the way down. Also... in October, when we hike be sure to have a flash light!! and keep the batteries out of the light to be sure they don't drain during the trip up.... Good luck you will need it!