Half Dome and Clouds Rest, Yosemite October 3, 2015

Half Dome and Clouds Rest, Yosemite

Descending the cables from Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

We wanted to do this one for years, and we had to burn both ends of the candle to make this one happen in this end of the season dash.  This example of crazy exhausting behavior in the name of outdoor adventure (see Irresistible Grace Post) was crammed into a four day weekend.  We drove a total of 24 hours (over 1500 miles), set up camp in the rain, backpacked 10 miles with 2000 feet of elevation gain/loss, and day hiked 17 additional miles and 7000 feet elevation in a single day.  All in the name of God knows what. 

Half Dome is a granite peak in the middle of Yosemite that offers a cable route up an extremely steep granite pitch.  It is one of the most vertical and exposed climbs one can complete without having actual rock climbing gear or skills. Couple that with it's location, which is in the center of one of the world's most popular national parks in one of the nation's most populated states, and you get an extremely popular hike. The trip is so popular, that in peak season the odds of getting a permit are as low as 1 in 10.  

Anyway, we go the permits about six months ago. We picked the latest part of the year because it is the least popular (less competition for permits).  The gamble is that if early snow falls, the cables come down, and on a day with rain or lightning, it is not safe (yes, many people have died, mostly related to lighting and/or rain/ice on the rock). We also did it as a backpack trip which makes permits easier to get and affords you the opportunity to reach the cables after just two miles of hiking rather than six or eight from the trailhead. This means you can get up and down before the stampede of Californians and other yahoos.

Coyote, hunting squirrel at the Merced River, near Little Yosemite Valley backcountry camp

So, we worked Wednesday, woke up Thursday at 2:30, drove 12 hours from Tucson to Yosemite, picked up our permits from a moron in the permit office.  When we went over the eastern pass into the park, it started snowing. We have now officially been snowed on July, August, September, and October of 2015. We had a little break, but then it started to pour again just as we parked our car to hike in to the backpackers campground in Yosemite Valley (day 1). The park service set up a campsite about 1/2 mile from parking, but still surrounded by cars and people for backpackers (one night only rule). We got to sleep pretty early. The next morning, we packed up, and hiked the 5 miles/2000 feet into Little Yosemite Valley, at the foot of Half Dome. We hung out by the now low flow Merced River (day 2). This was actually a low key, kind of lazy day. We watched a coyote hunt down and effectively bag a squirrel. 

Our original plan was to day hike out of this location to Half Dome on day 3 (8 miles, 3000 feet) , then to Clouds Rest (12 miles, 4000 feet) on day 4. With rain and snow in the forecast for Sunday, we decided to do both in one epic 17 mile 7000 feet deathmarch (day 3). We camped a second night in Little Yosemite Valley, and backpacked the 4 miles out via the Mist Trail (shorter, steeper route to Yosemite Valley), then drove out the western side of the park all  12 highway hours home to Tucson in one monster-long day (day 4). 

Camp, in Little Yosemite Valley, half dome visible in the background

Little Yosemite Valley was a bit crowded with some loud, annoying large groups. It felt a bit like car camping (not that there is anything wrong with that, but when you haul everything you need to live up a canyon on your back, the reward is usually at least a little peace and quiet. Not so in one of the world's most popular outdoor destinations I suppose...) There were really nice composting toilets there.

View of Half Dome from our tent site in Little Yosemite Valley

Half dome, viewed from the saddle to the east

We awoke before dawn in the freezing wet cold (it had just rained 24 hours prior). We packed two jackets each and seven liters of water for our trip. It was our goal to be up and down the final 400 feet of cable supported ascent and decent to/from Half Dome before the stampede of day hikers. If you want to get an idea of what this area can look like full of people, google "half dome cables". No, thank you.

Cables, below half dome

Cables on Half Dome, no people

Half Dome Cables

Climbing the cables in the steepest part (the middle third) was about 80% arms. I wished I weighed less. I felt the six liters of water.

View southeast, from Half Dome

View of Yosemite Valley, from Half Dome

Us, on Half Dome, Yosemite Valley below

Views of granite domes and cliffs, from Half Dome

Clouds Rest, from Half Dome. 

You can see destination 2 (Clouds Rest) in the above picture from destination 1 (Half Dome). On the route between, you lose and then regain most of the elevation, plus the additional 1000 feet of higher vantage that Clouds Rest has over Half Dome. 

Big Trees, on the way to Cloud's Rest.

The hike from Half Dome to Clouds rest follows the JMT for a while, then branches off. From the junction, it was actually very quiet. We saw deer, and felt mostly alone. This is a hard feeling to find in Yosemite. 

When these trees fall into the trail, maintenence workers apparently clear them by cutting out a mid section and rolling it off the trail.  This leaves both halves of the tree on either side of the trail. The widest diameter was about 5 1/2 feet or so. 

Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

    in the place where it falls, there it will lie. -Ecclesiastes 11:3

Half Dome and Yosemite Valley, from Clouds Rest. 

Clouds Rest is actually about 1000 feet higher than Half Dome, making it a better vantage point. From here, there are panoramic views of the majority of the park and beyond. 

There might have been 100 people at the summit of Clouds Rest. Apparently, there is a way to day hike in from above which is less miles and less elevation. 

Along the trail below Cloud's Rest, heading back towards little Yosemite Valley

Big tree, evidently struck by lightning this season. Lori is standing in the distance, at the top of the highest limb, Zoom in if you need to to see how far these trees fall. 

Between Half Dome and Cloud's Rest. 

The camera does no justice to the immensity of these trees. 

Day 4: pack up, hike out, drive home

We took the shorter, steeper Mist trail back to the car. Doing this as a loop gave us more variety and shortened our last day.  This trail is shorter and steeper. Many Half Dome day hikers take this route to cut off miles.

Nevada Fall, from the Mist Trail

Vernal Fall, from the Mist Trail

The falls were about as low flow as they get on this end of the season trip after a dry winter. Still, amazing by Arizona standards.