Yosemite's Half Dome

Some people celebrate 40 with an "over the hill" party theme. Not my buddy Mike. He wanted to climb the hill, specifically 8,800-foot Half Dome in Yosemite. And take a dozen dudes with him. Yeah, it was an ambitious 40th-birthday plan, but that's Mike.

So his dad, two brothers, a nephew and assorted friends converged on Santa Clarita from Arizona and Mike's native Texas. We packed into two vans and a motorhome and headed north.

By mid-day we stood at Glacier Point and stared across Yosemite Valley at our objective. The 10 of us scheduled to make the hike were either further filled with added inspiration, or in one case, a growing sense of dread. Mike's brother Brett is not a fan of heights.

He had good reason to be worried. Although the hike up Half Dome gains 4,000 vertical feet, it is not a technical climb requiring ropes and harnesses. But the last 400 feet are made by hanging onto parallel steel cables strung through stanchions and using your arms to pull yourself up the seemingly 45-degree slope.

We started hiking after 6 a.m., choosing the longer Panorama Trail from Glacier Point. It's generally downhill to Nevada Falls, and then a switch-backing climb up the flank of a mountain before making the ridgeline that leads to Half Dome and the unnerving cables.

The varied training, or lack thereof, everyone had undertaken in the prior months quickly showed itself. I found myself near the back of the pack with Rich, and given our respective girths, I think some of the group had secretly voted us Least Likely to Summit.

The group of 10 is ready to hit the trail before sunrise in its quest to reach the summit of Half Dome. The birthday boy, Mike, is kneeling on the left.

No matter. We pressed on at a plodding pace and soon found ourselves at the foot of a granite knob below Half Dome. That's where I began to doubt whether I'd finish the climb. Everyone makes such a fuss over the cables, but nowhere did I read about what awaited us before the cables. Standing at the base of the subdome, I looked for the path that went around it. Instead, I saw tiny figures zig-zagging up the face of the dome on an irregular granite stair case.

I proceeded slowly, keeping my gaze fixed downward. About half way up we found Matt and Brett, Mike's two brothers, and Dan, another member of our group. They had reached their limit and paused to gain their composure before picking their way back down.

Rich and I continued up, and finally found ourselves at the base of the cables. We drank the last of our water, pulled on our gloves and started the last push.

Finally, just before 1 p.m., we made it to the top. Mike was already there. Eric and Jeremy, two other gazelles, had managed to match his pace and all three were taking in the views that make the hike so rewarding.

After nearly seven hours of walking, I stayed on top of Half Dome for maybe 30 minutes. Just long enough to call home and take some pictures. Rich and I were both out of water and we had a long way to go before we could refill our Camelbaks. While descending the cables, we saw Eric and Scott, who were bringing up the rear. Scott had cramped up early in the day, but he pressed on and made the summit.

It was nearly 10 p.m. by the time we all reunited at the Pizza Deck in Curry Village. We reveled in our collective accomplishment, satisfied that we came, we hiked, and that we made it over the hill.

Eric Harnish will have to hike Half Dome again. His wife really wants to go.

Take a Hike
Permits are required to hike Half Dome. To get yours, or more information, visit http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm.