Hiking Half Dome – A Lesson in Hiking Your Own Hike

“Half Dome!”  A name that has been the source of most of my stress, anxiety, excitement, and thoughts of the unknown for the last several months.  When the “adventure” stage of my life began over a year ago, I was constantly researching natural wonders and “must-do” hikes. I joined every hiking page/group I could find on Facebook, started following fellow adventurers on Instagram, and researched endlessly on Pinterest.  Then one day a video of people climbing the cables up Half Dome popped up on my Facebook page. This obviously was unlike any other hike I’d ever seen.

The title of this post references “hiking your own hike” because we all had different experiences on our Half Dome Hike and we felt like it was important to talk about those.  It’s important to know your body and limits. I’m not saying one shouldn’t push themselves, I do all the time, but you don’t want to be the next headline for having to be rescued off a mountain or worse.  

Being scared of heights, my initial reaction to the video was “Hell No!”  But my curiosity got the best of me and I started to research. The more I researched, the more I thought to myself, “Where’s your sense of Adventure?!  You can suck it up and do it!” So more research was done!

In order to hike Half Dome you must have a permit with the date you are going up.  The National Park Service only gives out 300 permits per day (225 of which are for day hikers).  In order to get a permit, one must enter the lottery on the NPS site between March 1st-31st and then cross your fingers.  In mid-April you will receive word whether you got one or not.

I’d read that Half Dome is one of the most coveted permits for adventurers, thus thousands of people apply.  When applying you have to put in specific dates which you want to be considered for a permit. Obviously, more people put in for weekends rather than weekdays.  You can also put in a range of dates. Since Caroline and I are fortunate enough to have our summers off, I put in a date range between mid June and late July. You can request up to 6 permits, which I did, figuring if we got lucky enough to get permits, we would have others who would want to climb with us.

In mid-April I got the email that I had both been excitedly anticipating…and dreading!  We got permits!!! On June 18th I would have to face my fear and climb Half Dome! The thought of it immediately made my stomach cramp, but it didn’t quell my excitement.  I immediately texted Caroline, telling her “I don’t know what I just got ourselves into.” And the planning began…

Knowing I needed to get back in better physical shape, I started going back to Crossfit more consistently and started hiking longer, tougher hikes in the area.  Unfortunately, the elevation gains just don’t compare to Yosemite around here. But I did the best I could.

A few things I considered for my Half Dome Hike:

1. Altitude Sickness
2. Amount of Food and Water
3. Clothing
4. Shoes!
5. Other Equipment
6. Teammates

As I already mentioned, the elevation in Missouri just does not compare to mountains in California.  The only way I knew to ward off any altitude sickness was to stay hydrated and get to Yosemite early and spend several days in the park, hiking smaller hikes, and just try to get acclimated to the elevation.  (If you’re interested in how we spent the rest of our time in Yosemite, read that post here soon!)

As far as food and water, I just brought along a couple bags of jerky, some cliff bars, an apple, and some nut mixes.  For water, I had my 2 liter bladder and two, one liter bottles. Plus I packed a couple small gatorades (White of course!  Can’t have gatorade stains on my teeth for pictures!)

In regards to clothing, I read all about bringing layers because of the temperature changes throughout the day, the mist from the falls, and the possibility of afternoon storms.  So I just wore a pair of wicking spandex pants and a tank top. I brought along a packable rain jacket that I ended up not needing.

Besides water, probably the most important item is your choice of footwear!  I’d recently gotten a pair of Merrell Chameleon 7s and had fallen in love! Even though I had only used them on a handful of hikes, they were already more comfortable than the shoes I had been wearing.  So I took a chance and wore them. For socks, I’m a fan of Injinji toe socks. You can get both a thin liner toe sock or a thicker toe sock. For this trip, since it was so hot, I decided to wear just my thicker toe socks.  If I wear my thin toe socks, I always put a pair of Darn Tough wool socks over the top. Of course I brought plenty of extra socks. One luxury item I brought that many people probably shook their heads at (especially those who are super concerned about their pack weight) were my Chacos!  Most summer months I do all my hiking in my Chacos, but didn’t think it would be a good idea for this particular trail. That being said, I still wanted them in case I had any discomfort from my newer shoes. I especially wanted my Chacos for any steep declines. Just in case my toes needed a rest.

Several other items I packed for the hike were my trekking poles, a mountain climbing harness, and garden gloves.  The poles and harness were more luxury items, but for me they were a must. I always hikes with my trekking poles because it just seems easier.  The mountain climbing harness were for the cables going up Half Dome. Many people don’t use them, but I felt like due to my fear of heights, I would be more comfortable if I latched on to the cables.  The garden gloves were to protect my hands while on the cables. I just bought a simple pair of garden gloves from the local hardware store. From research, I heard that it was important to get gloves with plastic nubs or all plastic covering the fingers and palms.

Finally, if hiking Half Dome, it’s important to have a good team (unless you chose to go solo).  For this trip, Caroline and I were joined by my mom, my sister Lindsey, and our friend Crystal.  Whoever’s name is on the permits must be present at the permit checkpoint along with all the people in your party who are going up the cables with you.  So it’s important that you pick people of a similar fitness level, otherwise you may find yourself waiting at the checkpoint for the rest of your party to get there.  Or if you go on up without everybody in your party, those slower hikers won’t be allowed up since you already went pass the checkpoint.

Now time for the good stuff!!  Hiking Half Dome!!

Like many others before us, we knew we needed to start early in the morning.  Especially since we are slower hikers. We agreed that we wanted to be on the trail at 5:00 a.m.  A little after five, we were pulling into the parking lot for the Mist Trail, which is where we decided to start our hike to Half Dome.  Please note, it’s at least a good half mile hike to the actual trailhead from the parking lot.

Once you get onto the Mist Trail, you will be greeted with a nice paved UPHILL path.  (Imagine that… it’s uphill) The paved path continues its ascent until you get to a bridge crossing the river at the bottom of Vernal Falls.  Like everything else in Yosemite, it’s breathtaking. Many people will stop here, but if you’re hiking Half Dome you have to continue on to face probably one of the toughest parts of the hike…the steps of Vernal Falls.  Along the side of the falls, one must climb over 600, steep, granite steps for a half mile to the top of the falls. Not only are the steps, steep, but also slick! The trail is called the Mist Trail because of the mist that comes off of the falling waters of Vernal.  That is one reason people suggest bringing a rain jacket. Even as early as it was, the mist felt good. And I was concentrating on those crazy steps so much so that I didn’t even notice how wet I was getting. This was by far one of the most difficult parts of the trail. Keep in mind that these steps are carved out of the granite rocks along the falls, so they are not perfect.  They were various heights, some being more steep than others. Thank goodness for trekking poles!!

Once you get to the top of Vernal Falls you are greeted with your first amazing view!  It’s absolutely stunning to see the waterfall from the top. I especially liked watching those still climbing up the side of the falls.  

At this point, all five of our “team” was still together.  But Mom and I struggled getting up that first set of stairs and the day was just beginning.  There’s a reason for that.  Mom and I had a few setbacks during one of our first days at Yosemite.  As I mentioned in my other post (coming soon), Mom was suffering from a pretty severe chest cold and I aggravated my knee on an earlier hike.  So before we even got started, Mom and I had already made the decision that we probably weren’t going up the cables. As heartbroken as that made me, I just didn’t think the risk was worth the reward with my knee in its current condition.  So at the top of Vernal Falls, we decided to let the others go on without us.  We weren’t sure how far we would make it, but we knew that we weren’t going to make them wait for us at the cables.  We took one last selfie and watched Lindsey, Caroline, and Crystal march on.

I’m not sure how mom was feeling, but after I caught my breath, I told her that we had to at least get to the top of Nevada Falls, our next big obstacle.  Otherwise, we were going to have to walk back down all those steps, instead of catching the John Muir Trail at the top of Nevada Falls which bypasses the steps down.  So we pushed on.

Nevada Falls is equally as breathtaking as Vernal Falls, without the slick steps.  Instead you get to climb up the side of the falls on a switchback trail of uneven rocks and “cobblestone” quality stairs!!  It was very reminiscent of the path that had done Mom and I in a few days earlier. But we made it to the top!

Once we got to the top, we had to make a decision, carry on towards Half Dome or call it a day.  From my research I knew that we were in for much easier hiking for a while, and it was still very early in the morning.  So I convinced Mom to keep pushing on. We decided that we would just watch the clock and turn around halfway at a time when it would be close to dark upon return or if we met the rest of the girls coming back.

After Nevada Falls you descend into Little Yosemite Valley.  It’s a beautiful valley with the river along the trail on one side and the backside of Half Dome on the other.  It’s very flat and a nice walk amongst the trees. And it was a different angle of Half Dome that we hadn’t seen yet.  Note: With a backcountry permit, one can actually stay overnight at the Little Yosemite Valley Campground.

Mom and I enjoyed the easy walk and stopped to snack on some jerky and fruit.  Just as we were getting ready to continue our hike, a park ranger who seemed to be hiking towards Half Dome stopped us and asked if we’d seen any wildlife, particularly bears.  We hadn’t, but up to this point, I really hadn’t thought about seeing any bears. I asked him if they were common in that area and he said, they’ve had several bear sightings already that day!  It was then I thought about the jerky in my pack and now the scent on my fingers!! So we hustled our little butts on up the trail, out of the valley.

The next part of the trail you will face a steady stream of switchbacks, gradually inclining, back towards Half Dome, just from the other side of it.  As much as I abhor switchbacks, these weren’t too bad. The trail did not have as many rocks to dodge and climb. It was mostly a nice, beaten down dirt path.  

At this point, Mom was slowing down a little more, while I had new found energy.  By now, even though I knew that I wasn’t going to climb the cables, I at least wanted to get to the base of Half Dome, or as far as they would let me go without a permit.  I know Mom kept going just because she knew I wasn’t throwing in the towel yet. It wasn’t until we just about made it out of the switchbacks that mom decided she was going to probably call it.  We were just so close that I knew I couldn’t stop, so we made the decision to leave her. (Keep in mind there were all kinds of people going and coming on the path so I wasn’t that concerned about her really being alone).

As I headed on up towards Half Dome solo, I turned a corner and saw one long hill that I was going to have to climb, not steep, but long.  But I knew as soon as I got to the top of the hill, Half Dome just had to be in sight. So I marched on. When I got to the top of the hill, I stopped to catch my breath.  When I looked behind me, there was Mom about a quarter of the way up! I just knew she wasn’t a quitter!!!

We made it to the top of that last hill, rounded a few more corners, got up to a bald knob, and there was the sight that I had been wanting to see:  Half Dome! We were close enough that I could see  all the hikers (about the size of large ants) climbing up and down the cables. You could also see people zig zagging up and down Subdome.

So let’s talk about Subdome for a minute.  Everybody always talks about Half Dome, but Subdome looked almost more intense than Half Dome!!  Basically you were climbing up a barren dome of granite, but without the aid of cables!! Subdome was not what I had expected at all.  Through my research I had read a few personal accounts that made me a little frightened of Subdome, but it was still even more terrifying in person.  We had not reached the permit checkpoint yet, and I wasn’t for sure whether it was at the bottom or top of Subdome.  This is when Mom and I decided our journey had ended.  I figured if I wasn’t going to climb Half Dome (we had no idea where the rest of the girls were at that point, only that they had to be a few hours ahead of us), I wasn’t going to worry about Subdome either.

We knew that there was only one way off that rock and we were standing in the path, so we took a chance that we would be able to keep up with the rest of the girls going downhill and propped up on some rocks and waited for the others to come down.  I gotta say, I felt like I had the “best seat in the house.” The were several smooth rocks to lay against, the ground wasn’t too hard, and it was a great opportunity to slip my boots off and let my feet get some air.

We probably waited well over an hour before we saw Caroline and Crystal making their way towards us off Half Dome.  Apparently they had just been waiting right over the hill for Lindsey! They had made it past the permit checkpoint (which turns out was at the bottom of Half Dome), but about half way up subdome, they decided they had gone as far as they wished to go (more details of their journey below)!

So that just left our Little Mountain Goat, Lindsey!  Since Caroline and Crystal stopped, all they knew was that Lindsey had pushed on towards the cables with another group (a couple were actually using permits that Mom and I had given up).  The four of us then made ourselves comfortable waiting for Lindsey…

At this point I think I’m going to leave you in a little bit of suspense and let Caroline tell you her and Crystal’s experience Hiking Half Dome.

Last summer when Katie and I were really getting into hiking and were working on Lagom, she posted a video of people climbing Half Dome and we were laughing about how people who do that are crazy and there was no way we would do it.  Fast forward to March when it comes time to put your name in for the Half Dome lottery I knew the date was coming up and that in theory I should put my name in but I didn’t because I was actually afraid that it may get drawn and would then feel obligated to attempt it.  But that’s what Katie did and that’s what happened. So come April we are officially selected to be one of the 300 daily hikers who are permitted to hike past the Subdome and up the cables.

I am usually a fairly calm, collective, and stable person.  That wasn’t the case after Katie text me the news early that morning.  Good news that got to me. Like mentally got to me. I’m afraid of heights and have vertigo.  And I had been given an opportunity to hike one of the most challenging hikes out there and the thought of it made me nauseous -physically sick to my stomach.  Brooke, my co-worker laughed, for two days because she had never seen me so rattled. I couldn’t talk about it without getting emotional – unnerved and a little erratic.  Yeah me – not in control of my emotions. It’s a rare occurrence.

I was rattled on several fronts.  First being the obvious fear of heights and vertigo.  This hike is not meant for those who deal with this. From the start, I never actually thought I would get up those cables.  My goal was to get to the top of the Subdome and see the cables. I am a competitive person. I don’t like to fail. And by agreeing to do this hike, I was more or less setting myself up for failure from the  beginning. I was agreeing to start something that I didn’t believe I could finish from the start. I am realist. I wasn’t being negative or pessimistic but real. I didn’t hide this thought.

Anyone who asked me  those first few days what I thought, this was exactly what I would tell them – “I am going to try but don’t have the expectations of making it to the top.”  Was I psyching myself out before I even started? Some may think yes, but I don’t think so. Again I was going with reality. I wasn’t going to pump up or inflate my expectations to my friends and family only to fail when the time came.  I wanted them to be well aware that there was a good chance that I wouldn’t be sitting on top of Half Dome. I didn’t want to build the idea up and then disappoint myself, family, and friends when I didn’t succeed. Maybe it comes back to not liking to fail or just analyzing all the information and knowing the odds were not in my favor. But from the beginning, I didn’t think I would be eating my lunch on Half Dome.

That being said  the hike before the permitted section is nothing to blow off.  It may “only be six miles” up to the permit entry, but it’s not your normal Missouri six miles.  So I knew I needed to do a little preparation for this portion of the trail. The entire length of the trail is listed between 15-17 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation gain that includes about 800 steps.  Which was longer than anything I had hiked up to that point. We had done 10 miles with a little elevation gain, but nothing that compared to that. Although I doubted the actual cables, I was confident I could do the rest of the trail.  (On a side note – I will say that others were not so confident about our success. Katie and I both went separately to a popular outfitting store in St. Louis and when we mentioned we were hiking Half Dome received some hesitant looks and reminders of how difficult a trail this was.  Thank you for your judgment but just sell me what I am looking for.)

I am a planner and like to be informed, so one of the first things I did was buy the book  – One Best Hike – Yosemite the Half Dome – I wanted to know exactly what I was up against and how to prepare. The altitude gain and the elevations itself was a bit of a concern, but figured I could do it. (Taum Sauk elevation is roughly 1,700 feet and the biggest gain we had done was about 1,000.  We were going to be up against a 5,000 feet gain over six miles while starting at around 3,000 feet and ending at 8,000.) There wasn’t a lot we could to do prepare for this, but we did pick some of the steepest gains around and do those although they still didn’t compare to what lie ahead.  I hiked early in the morning; I hiked mid-afternoon; I hiked late in the evening. This was going to be a 12 hour hike and I needed to practice at different points. I went to the 1,000 Step Trail at Washington State Park and went up the steps 3 to 4 times in a row in preparation for the steps along the waterfall. And at the last minute, I entered the 13 mile Taum-a-Hawk Race two weeks before the big day. I wasn’t just going to show up and wish for the best.

After the shock wore off and I came to terms with the fact that this was actually happening, I finally settled in and accepted it.  I began planning the rest of our trip because my hiking trip turned into a senior trip for Hunter. Then it was just time to wait. About six weeks of waiting.  Within that time, I began adding to my hiking gear and supplies. I had been hiking with either a pair of trail shoes or a pair of hiking boots that I bought years ago at Walmart.  They had been working for me, but I didn’t want to die on Half Dome because I was in Walmart boots. (And yes people die on Half Dome, as in two weeks before our hiking date.) So I began researching boots within in my price range and found a nice pair of Keen boots and bought a color that was discounted at a lower price.  After reading about how water was scarce on the hike and we needed to take plenty, I bought a water filtration system that I could use for backpacking as well. (I ended up not taking this because I had enough water between my bladder and bottles.) Next I ordered a hiking/climbing harness because it was suggested to clip in on the cables for the added mental support.  (I didn’t even pack mine in my backpack for the actual hike because subconsciously I figured I wouldn’t need it.) My last purchase was a new backpack. I liked the day pack I had been using but it just wasn’t big enough for this hike, so I went with the REI 60 with an internal framing system that I can eventually use on overnights. At this point, I felt like I was properly outfitted.  It was back to more waiting.

Fast forward to the day before. We were already three days into our grand road trip and had spent that afternoon driving through Yosemite and taking in the sights. We pulled over and checked out Half Dome from the Valley to see what I was actually up against. It was intimidating to say the least. I was also worried about sleep or lack of. There wasn’t going to be much sleeping time allowed because I was being picked up at about 4:30 am and then there was the actual concern of sleeping because of nerves. I readied myself for bed before the rest of my crew and had everything in my backpack ready to go. Katie and the others had to pass by my hotel so they were just going to pick me up on the way through.

I awoke and dressed by flashlight not to awake the others then headed out to the parking lot to wait for my ride. I attempted to eat a Clifbar, some strawberries and juice for breakfast. The nerves were getting to me but I managed to get it down. I waited longer than I expected because the camping crew was a bit late which is a whole different story.

I’m not going to recount the entire 18 miles and 13 hours of our hike (you’re welcome), but I will hit a few highlights. The first mile of the hike or so is a paved trail to the bottom of Vernal Falls that a large amount of visitors to the park use. I was appreciative of the paved trail although it did start right off with a few small inclines. It wasted no time gaining that 5,000 feet of elevation.

We arrived at the footbridge at the base of the falls and did a quick photo op then moved onward and upward. Next is the choice between the 800 some odd stairs or a longer side trail which our plans was the stairs going up to experience both sets of falls. Now the term stairs is a little misleading. It’s really just varying heights of rocks that climb along the falls. Some of them were knee high and then add in the mist coming off the falls and it’s not an easy climb of stairs. Two sets of stairs for two sets of falls.

This is also the area where we sort of split off into our own hikes – HYOH. Lindsey and Crystal took off a little faster. Katie and Darlene a little slower because of a cold and bad knee. That left me in the middle on my own. Which was fine, I don’t mind hiking alone.  Lindsey and Crystal would hike for about a half hour and then stop and wait for me. I would sit and take about a 5 minute break then we were off again. Katie had already said she probably wouldn’t be able to make it to the top, so if we gained distance from her it was ok.  We would eventually catch up with her and Darlene.

After the waterfalls, the next section of the trail was to be flat but a little sunny.  I was looking forward to this. I didn’t realize that it was flat but also sandy, so not as easy as I was hoping.  The sun felt nice after the cool mist from the falls. It was along this section that we got our first look at Half Dome while on the trail.  I had caught up to Crystal and Lindsey and I do believe I said, “How in the hell am I going to get to the top of that?” after seeing it. My doubt level was continuing to increase and it wasn’t just the cables.  We had been hiking a couple hours and were still a good ways away from the dome. But again we pressed on.

Pressed on to the next section of switchbacks.  Now we were beginning to make the climb again along the nice path and cover of trees.  I would hike and stop when necessary for a little break. I wasn’t “dying” yet but was making sure to pace myself.  I don’t think I was huffing and puffing any more than I might normally do on a challenging trail. At least I wasn’t being defeated by the actual hiking portion.  I am not the fastest hiker but slow and steady was working for me.

About this time, we started meeting people who were already heading down after completing the cables.  One couple had started at 2:00 am to see the sunrise, so at 10:00 they were already descending. Those coming down were offering words of encouragement and helpful hints for those on our way up.  My nerves were to starting to kick in a little bit.

We reached the permit area at Subdome around 11:00 am which was a little before our expected time.  Anyone can hike to this point, so there were several people resting, watching, and hoping  here. Hoping that someone would have an extra permit or two to tag along on.  We happened to have three because Lindsey and I made the executive decision that we were not waiting for Katie and Darlene.

I knew the Subdome was going to be a rocky climb but I was expecting something  more like an extreme Elephant Rocks.  This wasn’t anything close. It was more vertical, steeper, and more intimidating. My strategy was to pull my hat down low and keep my eyes on my feet and the steps ahead of me.  Which I did because otherwise you were just looking out into the sky and clouds. I felt a little like the yodeling mountain climber on The Price is Right. And if I wasn’t careful I would go falling over the edge of that cliff.

I wasn’t always able to keep my head down though because as we were going up others were coming down.  We had to share this steep narrow trail. I would just stop and turn my body inward to the mountain, so I wasn’t looking out into the big blue sky.  About 100 yards into the Subdome, I began asking, “How in the hell am I getting down this thing” To which Crystal didn’t have much of an answer. (We were doing the Subdome together.)  We kept going with our doubts growing as well. At one point Crystal wanted to stop, but I urged her on a bit further. (I know hard to believe considering she isn’t bothered by heights.)  But not long after that, we reached the end for us. We had to stop for some people coming down. We decided to sit down for a minute because the Subdome was hard, as expressed by one of the guys passing us, “This is hard.”  We sat there above the tree line now. The “path” had ended and it was a rock scramble up the rest of the section to get to the cables. And we decided this was it for us.  I would have liked to get to have gotten to the actual cables but it wasn’t happening and I was ok with that. I had done my best and pushed myself further than I thought possible – height wise.

Now began the daunting task of getting down.  I now understand the term “weak-kneed” because that was me the entire half hour it took us to get down.  I used my poles to brace myself and kept my head down. Only once did I almost walk off the side of the dome because the trail wasn’t clear.  “Oh look, I’m about to walk off the side of this. The trail is over there.” At one point, Crystal had a moment of insanity where she thought she may turn around  and try again. I quickly told her she would be attempting that alone. She decided just to continue down with me.

Once we reached the “waiting area” we found a nice place to have our lunch and wait on Lindsey.  Which we did for the next hour and a half. It got to the point where we knew we needed to head back because we wanted to get off the trail before dark. Crystal and I debated among ourselves to leave her and start back because she is a faster hiker than me and we knew she would catch up.  Finally around 2:00, I made the final decision to leave her and after trying to call both her and Katie. (Cell service was spotty in places.) We left word with another hiker waiting that when Lindsey came down to let her know we started back.

Here are a couple videos while we waited

About 200 yards into our return trip, we met Katie and Darlene who had been waiting and watching hikers climb Subdome and Half Dome for the last hour and half! We had been about five minutes apart the entire time. LOL  So we did a little catching up and started to head down, and guess who appeared? Lindsey!!!  She had conquered the cables!! She made it to the top and did the cables with the two hikers who used our permits. She filled us in on her last hour and half then we were all ready to go.  Reunited again and ready to make our way down.

Well said, Caroline!  Katie Here!!

As you read, Lindsey made it!!  I won’t lie, I’m a little shocked.  Not because of her physical abilities, she’s in amazing shape, but due to her mental fears.  I mentioned that I was afraid of heights, but Lindsey has always been scared of heights x10!!  I figured she would be the first one to say, “Nope!”  But, she proved me wrong and she did it!

She made a couple friends at the checkpoint (gave them our extra permits) and decided to attempt the cables with them.  A woman named Lynda, is what got Lindsey to the top she said.  “I will remember Lynda’s shoes for the rest of my life because that is all I stared at!”

Lindsey said that the harness was the perfect accessory for the cables and her garden gloves worked exquisitely.  Once at the top, Lindsey’s fears kicked in a little more.  She found a nice safe rock somewhere in the middle of Half Dome and that was where she stayed perched.  You’re not going to find pictures of Lindsey sitting perilously on a rock ledge up there!!

I’m so proud of her!

Caroline Here:  For most of the hike down, we hiked as a group until we reached a divide in the path.  Go back down the 800 steps or take a portion of the John Muir Trail that is easier but about a mile and a half longer.  Katie and Darlene opted for the stairs. Lindsey, Crystal, and I went the other way. Going down stairs is harder than going up, so we were OK with a little extra mileage and different views.  (Sidenote from Katie:  As expected, the hike down those stairs was tough, tough, tough!  But I was just so ready to be done, I took a deep breath and flew down those things as fast as I safely could.  Mom took a little, no a lot, more time!)

Along the different trail, we passed along the top of Nevada Falls and then a nice shaded hike winding down to the bottom of Vernal Falls.  We met Katie and Darlene about the same time. And then only one little section left to complete. The nice paved footpath back to the trailhead.  Nice on the way up but not on the way down. Walking on concrete after 17 miles of hiking isn’t enjoyable. And it was going downhill. Probably the worst part of the entire hike.  Or maybe the half mile walk back to the car across more pavement. Katie had a few choice words through this last portion.

But at about 7:00 pm, 13 hours after we started, we finished with about 18 miles behind us and 5,000 feet of elevation gain.  There were moans and groans and cussing while trying to get into the car but we all managed – barely.

Caroline says:  “Did I make to the top of Half Dome? No, but I am content with my accomplishment.  A year ago, I was laughing at the possibility of this hike and then I find myself in Yosemite with Half Dome standing before me and made it just a bit short.  I did the best that I could do and that’s good enough for me.”

“No, I didn’t make it to the cables or even up to the top.  But honestly, under the conditions that Mom and I were up against, I’m glad we got as far as we did.  I honestly didn’t think we had 18 miles in us that day.  That being said, I’m going to to be back!  There’s a few things I think I will change, but I’m going to check Half Dome off my Bucketlist one of these days!” Responded Katie

Crystal:  “I was offered an opportunity of a lifetime and I took it (kinda).  I was able to to attempt to hike Half Dome at Yosemite.  18+ miles, 5,000 ft elevation gain, 2 Magnificent waterfalls, a day full of Magestic views, and one Sketchy trip up to the top of Subdome…#noregrets”

This isn’t a normal “lagom” adventure, but sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zones to find out what we are truly capable of.  And sometimes go farther than we expected of ourselves.

If you have any Half Dome experiences, please share!  We’d love to hear from you.  And just in case your wondering, what Mom’s thoughts were, she ended up writing her own little piece, not only about her hike up Half Dome, but what it meant to her in the grand scheme of “things.”  You can find that HERE!