Two days ago I stood in front of the face of a mountain and climbed it. Half Dome, to be specific, and I'm darn proud of myself. It was a challenge to say the least, but I'm happy to say I handled it. I wouldn't call myself a particularly avid hiker, but I'm no slacker either, so I feel that I'm in somewhat of a regular person, middle ground as far as being able to offer insight. Here's my rundown right after the hike, fresh in my mind and muscles from my average gal perspective.
Our day started pretty early, up at 5:00am to eat a solid breakfast, pack up the car, and head into Yosemite. Our group; my best friend Marta, her dad, her cousin and I were in the park and ready to hike by 7:30am. As far as sustenance I was loaded down with five bottles of water, a sandwich and fruit for lunch, trail mix for snacks and Advil just in case. I had my Bellabeat Leaf, my fitness tracker, to log the journey on my wrist and my hiking boots with ankle support, along with my dad's wide-brimmed outdoorsy hat. A thoroughly stylin' getup.
The hike to Half Dome begins with Vernal Falls, which I would deem the most concentrated portion of toughness on the trail. It's a bit of an unforgiving uphill walk, complete with steep stairs and slippery rocks, but it's nothing the average hiker can't handle. Just be careful when the mist from the falls adds to the slickness on the steps.
The next level is Nevada Falls, a canyon-y walk through wilderness up and over bridges which is absolutely gorgeous. Following that you reach Little Yosemite Village and get a break from the uphill for a while, and you're almost there.
I loved the last little stretch before the actual Half Dome/Sub Dome itself. It sort of winds its way uphill and it's sunny and bright and tree-scattered. You really feel like you're up in a wilderness where you've never been and the mountain stretches up before you. It's exciting.
Reaching the base of Sub Dome, you have a steep and rocky climb ahead of you in which you should exercise caution. It'll be steps at first, then you'll reach a point where it's just rock. I was okay going up just walking, but Marta felt more comfortable climbing with more of a crawl. Going down, she felt more comfortable just walking, whereas I felt the need to sit and hold on as I climbed down. It's really a mental idea of how safe you feel, and you should always listen to your comfort level.
After all that rock, we reached the main attraction, Half Dome itself.
To be quite honest, I didn't know whether I would actually ascend the dome itself until the very last moment of the hike. The whole time I knew that I wanted to, but that my fear of heights might take over and I would respect my own decision not to go up if that were the case. I wasn't planning to be disappointed in myself if I decided going up the cables wasn't for me. Marta decided that she was just fine enjoying the whole hike minus the cables, and that truly is an accomplishment in itself. I figured I might be in the same boat, but as I approached the base of Half Dome I decided to just go for it!
When you're hiking up you can choose to clip yourself in as you go, but it isn't necessary and I don't think most people do. I didn't, and felt safe enough grabbing a pair of gloves from the community pile at the bottom to help me grip the cables. Ascending the cables was tough, but more so mentally than physically for me personally. I was afraid that I would lose my grip and come tumbling down or that I would stumble and misstep, but I never did. The cables are sturdy and the wood planks every few feet will give you enough of a place to reassess your climb and keep your footing. You'll reach the top before you know it.
The views are beautiful of course. Looking down into the valley and realizing that you've finished your trek is truly amazing.
When you head down the cables, you just keep your footing and don't look down if you're scared. Lucky for me I had Marta's dad who was experienced at climbing Half Dome right behind me and ready to help me feel safe and comfortable.
The rest of the hike down was a lot more simple and easy. It's long, another eight miles back, but this time around I knew the trail and it's a lot more straightforward.
When we got done we were exhausted and disgustingly dirty, as to be expected. Marta and I celebrated our accomplishments with a well-earned Denny's stop on the way home. I'm so glad we did the whole hike together, I wouldn't have signed up to go on such an adventure with anyone else.
With all said and done, I'd do it all again and I hope I can someday.
