Half Dome

Since our last trip to Yosemite in April Kevin and I have been wanting to hike to the top of Half Dome. Due to overcrowding and safety concerns there is now a permit system in place designed to limit the number of people allowed to ascend the cables on a daily basis. There are 400 permits given out a day and a majority of these are available several months in advance but are difficult to obtain. 

An alternative method to obtaining a permit is to show up in person for a wilderness permit the day before you want to start your trip. Kevin and I left early Saturday morning and arrived at the wilderness center at 8am to get in line for the permits that would be available starting at 11am. Our waiting paid off and we were able to get the wilderness permits to stay in Little Yosemite Valley which comes with a permit to the top of Half Dome!

After getting our permits we went to the backpacker's campground in the valley and set up camp for the night. 

Tenaya Creek next to our campsite

We were up late the previous night getting all of our stuff together and ready for a nap after lunch. It was too hot to sleep for long but it was enough to give us the energy to take a short hike near our campsite.

Less than a mile later we arrived at Mirror Lake which provided us with a fantastic view of Half Dome.

Mirror Lake is interesting in the fact that it is disappearing through sedimentation and will eventually become a meadow. You have to love how the geography is constantly changing!

Our first and only bear sighting was that night near the backpacker's campground. Every now and then he would turn and look right at you and it was clear he was aware of us. The ranger's chased him off and reminded us to keep all food and toiletries locked in our bear lockers.

We brought our own wood since you aren't allowed to collect dead and downed wood in the valley but we didn't have a lot of kindling so it took a little while to really get the fire going. 

Our intention was to leave early but we were pretty exhausted and ended up sleeping in a little later. It took awhile to pack up our backpacks with everything we would need for that day and the next but we were finally ready to start our hike by 10am. We started at the Happy Isles trailhead to begin our 5 mile hike for the day. Previously we had taken the Mist Trail to the top of Nevada Fall, but opted for the John Muir Trail for this trip. It is a little longer hike, but a little safer for backpacker's since the Mist Trail is narrow and can be quite slippery from the falls. 

We did get a fantastic view of Yosemite Falls. 

Upper and Lower Yosemite Falls

The John Muir Trail provided another view of Half Dome.

"Oh No!...Scary!"

I have a similar picture of this last time but I love it because there are so many landmarks. Half Dome, Mount Broderick, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Fall. 

Taking a last break before reaching Little Yosemite Valley.

After setting up camp and eating lunch we were ready to wander around. We took a flat hike into Lost Valley. There was a fire at some point and you can see the area still recovering from it. It gave the valley a sort of creepy feel.

After about 2 miles we found what we were looking for. The Bunnell Cascade. We had seen pictures of people swimming and hanging out in the water but there was no way we were getting in. The water was very strong and it would have been dangerous to get in. Besides, the water was freezing cold from all the melting snow.

Bunnell Cascade

We did find a little spot where we were able to sit and stick our feet in the water.

The hike back to our campsite provided a completely different perspective of Half Dome. We started getting very excited!

Exhausted from our day of hiking we went to bed very early. We woke up a little after 5am and by 6am we were ready to start the 3.5 mile hike to Half Dome. It was great leaving early and we didn't even see anyone else on the trail for a really long time. We also were able to beat the heat.

Amazing view from the Half Dome Trail

Just before reaching the Sub Dome we had yet another view of Half Dome.

Starting to get excited!

Here was our first view of the cables leading to the summit. 

From the cables it is only 400 feet to the top but you have to be very careful. (Slipping and falling is likely fatal). We took every precaution by getting there early before the crowds, going when there was no chance for lightening or rain, and not rushing ourselves to the top. I thought it would be terrifying but it really wasn't that bad. There were few people on the cables at 8am so we made it up in only about 15 minutes!

Top of Half Dome! We made it!

The cool rock formation to the left is 'Cloud's Rest'. It is on our list of hikes we would like to do at some point.

A zoomed in picture from 'The Visor'.

On The Visor atop Half Dome

This picture was taken by Kevin from The Visor and that is actually me from where the previous picture was taken. 

We spent some time wandering around the top. Many people got there, took a pictures, then headed back down. We figured since we went to the trouble of getting up there we should enjoy it.

Heading back down was a little more intimidating at first (at least for me) but soon I felt more comfortable and we were down pretty quickly.

Kevin at the Cables

Posing for a shot.

Hiking to the top was incredible and we were so happy that we finally made the trip happen. We have so many other hikes we want to go on in Yosemite now after seeing some of the landmarks from the top.

We hiked back down to our campsite and ate lunch before packing up all of our gear for the return hike to the Valley. It was definitely faster going down but we were pretty happy to get to our car and get our hiking boots off. We were definitely sore the next couple of days but well worth it.