Hiking Half Dome in Yosemite National Park

Half Dome, Liberty Cap, and Nevada Fall, shot from the John Muir Trail

Two years ago today, I attempted to summit Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.
The thing that stopped me wasn't the cables.

Half Dome had been on my bucket list for years, but I never expected the biggest challenge wouldn't be the cables – mainly because I didn’t make it QUITE that far! The biggest challenge was actually my own dumb ass forgetting something VERY important in the car, but more on that later.

My plan was simple: hike past Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall, work my way through Little Yosemite Valley, climb Sub Dome, and finally tackle the famous Half Dome cables.

I hit the trailhead at 5am, and enjoyed the quick walk in the (almost) dark on a flat paved road to the trailhead. It was good for getting the legs warmed up, because the elevation hits quickly on the JMT! I was feeling strong as I crossed over the Vernal Fall footbridge, which is the first real attraction on the trail. Soon afterwards, I was at the junction for the Mist Trail, and was ready to get absolutely drenched by Vernal Fall!

The wind was quite calm as I climbed the seemingly infinite number of steps past Vernal Fall, so I barely even got a drop of mist on me. Made it easy to take good photos without having to worry about my camera lens getting wet! I took a quick snack break at the top of Vernal Fall, then continued climbing up past Nevada Fall. What I didn't know yet was that I had forgotten the one thing that would end up changing the entire day.

I reached the top of Nevada Fall, where I took a quick break to photograph some of the local wildlife – a squirrel, a lizard, and a jay who seemed to be enjoying some hiker treats. I too enjoyed some hiker treats – I deserved them after that relentless uphill!

The next part of the hike was the easy part. Little Yosemite Valley is relatively flat, so it was a nice break for the legs and the lungs, both of which were still feeling strong. The sun was cresting the granite peaks by this point, so I figured I should probably put on some sunscreen. Put down my daypack, start sifting through it, and….. uh oh, it’s not in the bag. This is REALLY not good.

Thankfully, by the time I hit the junction for the Half Dome Trail, I knew the next section of the hike would be forested, so I wasn’t too concerned about not having sun protection. The flat section was over, now we’re really climbing again. And on that trail is where Half Dome starts to look a little scary!

At the base of Sub Dome, a ranger is stationed to check permits and go over hiker safety on Sub Dome and the cables. Even with the permit system in place, the ranger said it would be about three hours on VERY exposed granite. On a hot sunny day, that would be an absolute hell no without sun protection. At that point, I decided that I would simply ascend Sub Dome until things got sketchy, and then I would turn around. And let me tell you, Sub Dome IS sketchy!

I turned around about half way up, before reaching the cables.

Standing on Sub Dome, I knew I could probably keep going physically.

My legs felt great.

My lungs felt great.

But I also knew I had several more hours on exposed granite with no sun protection.

As much as I wanted to reach the cables, I knew turning around was the smart decision.

Slightly sunburned and only somewhat bummed out, I headed back down Sub Dome, then back down the Half Dome trail through the forest. Then one of the most random trail exchanges of my life happened. A hiker asked if I'd seen a pair of spare gloves at the bottom of the cables, which I read was quite common.

I hadn't.

But I did have a pair of gloves I was no longer going to need.

He had sunscreen.

Seconds later, we made the easiest trade in Yosemite history.

I worked my way back down through Little Yosemite Valley, where another hiker told me he just saw a bear with two cubs down the trail, so be careful. Never saw them!

Chilled at the top of Nevada Fall for a little while, snapped some more photos, then descended down the John Muir Trail. It is longer than the Mist Trail, but way easier on the knees. Before I knew it, I was back down at the bottom, and ready for my post-hike pizza and beer.

Looking back, Half Dome taught me something I didn't expect.

I never stood on the summit.

I never made it to the cables.

But I still spent the day climbing past two of Yosemite's most spectacular waterfalls, photographing wildlife, testing months of training, and experiencing one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever done.

Not every adventure needs a summit to be a success.