Pride and stupidity

Wednesday, August 23rd, 2017

Yosemite National Park

It’s 4:30am and 3 different cell phone alarms are going off. It’s pitch dark outside and we have 30 minutes to get ready for our 5am departure. Today we are attempting Half Dome, a hike which should take around 12-14 hours. I am tired but also very excited. I drag myself out of bed and into my hiking clothes, which are carefully laid out on top of my bag. I shuffle over to our bear box to retrieve toothpaste and deodorant and am off to the bathroom. I say hello to Laura, who is already halfway through her morning routine. We were both surprised to see another hiker in the ladies room – a very perky girl, a few years younger than us. She asks if we are hiking Half Dome and we give some non-committal answer about trying our best. She chirps that she woke up at midnight yesterday and did the whole hike in 10 hours. She says that it’s amazing.

After completing my morning routine, I walk back to our bear box and retrieve "breakfast". I am highly addicted to bulletproof coffee and found a chilled version at Whole Foods a few days ago. I pull out 3 bottles and share with my friends. I am completely ready by 5am.

At 5:05am, we are off. There is a bus to the trail head, but it does not start running until 7am. We walk from Half Dome Village to the official trail head for Mist Trail (the first part of our summit). The distance is about ¾ of a mile and we cover it quickly. The sun is coming up as we officially begin our ascent.

The first part of the trail is very easy to walk. It’s all uphill, but the walkway is paved. Eventually we hit the end of the paved trail, which is also the last stop for potable water. From here we start up a series of endless staircases, situated next to 2 very dramatic waterfalls. The breeze is cool and waves of mist leave us slightly damp.

Around 8am we hit the top of the waterfalls. We stop for a few minutes for a quick snack and marvel at the fact that it is only 8am. Energy levels are high as we continue up the mountain.

The next part of the trail remains a steep incline but instead of steps, we get little, steep, rocky hills interspersed with somewhat level switchbacks. We lose a lot of speed on this section as the sun begins to warm up the trail. I attempt to use my hiking poles, but they are stuck in the collapsed position. Finally, we hit the top, where the Mist Trail joins with the John Muir Trail. The Mist Trail is short and steep, whereas the John Muir Trail is longer but flatter. Later we will choose which trail we want take back down to camp.

It’s about 9:15am and we are entering the part of the hike that runs through a flat, beautiful valley. The trail is wide and the terrain is easy. After about 15 minutes we decide to take a break for lunch. Laura and Sarah eat their PB&J sandwiches and I attempt to tear through as much beef jerky as possible. I am eating as fast as I can but I am still slowing down the group. I also insist on some extra time to figure out how to elongate my hiking poles. It takes a full 5 minutes, but I finally figure it out; clearly I am the weakest link.

By 10am we are off again. We make a quick stop at the entrance of the Little Yosemite Valley Campground. These are the last restrooms before Half Dome. I look around for potable water, but there is none. I knew this was the case, but I had to look anyways.

The next part of the trail is gradual ascent to the Sub Dome. The trees are getting smaller and even though the trail is less steep, walking becomes more difficult. We are all out of breath but continue to push through this section. Eventually we hit the last look out point before the Sub Dome. We can see Half Dome is the distance. It looks pretty terrifying. I know that thinking about it will kill my sense of adventure, so I turn off the logical side of my brain. We also take a few minutes to check in with each other. I am very tired and struggling but want to continue. Laura claims to be tired (though she really doesn’t look like it). Sarah, like me, is also struggling but had decided to sit out for the final ascent (clearly, her logical brain is still working!). 

Laura and I continue to the Sub Dome. This part of the hike is absolutely breathtaking. The Sub Dome is mostly rock with magnificent 360 degree views. Despite the amazing views the hike is difficult. It’s filled with very steep staircases. Also, without tree cover, the sun is punishing. We are passed multiple times on the staircases, but it's okay; neither of us are in a hurry.

Around 12:30pm we reach the base of Half Dome. The last 400 feet require the assistance of metal cables, which we will use to pull ourselves up to the very top. The ascent looks nearly vertical from where we are standing. I continue to ignore the logical part of my brain and convince myself that it’s not as steep as it looks. We are both scared but stash our hiking poles under a rock, put on our gloves and forge ahead.

There are 2 parallel lines of metal cables running from the base of Half Dome to the top. They are “secured” by metal poles, which are placed into holes in the face of the rock. However, if you were to pull one of the metal poles directly up, it would come out of the rock. There are also about 3 sets of parallel metal cables; where the first set dips back down to the rock the second set crisscrosses it, running from the rock to the next pole (I understand the logic here, but I was mentally prepared for one continuous cable). There are also large railway ties connected to the rock every 10 feet or so. The idea is that you pull yourself upwards using both your arms and legs and then rest on the railway ties. Resting in necessary since the incline is very steep (up to 56 degrees at some points). There is a line of people going up and a line of people coming down. Each line is using both cables in between railway ties and then passing each other on the railway ties using the cable on their right. There is a lot of communication about who is going next. 

From my current perspective I can tell there is a steep incline, a very steep incline, another steep incline and then a gradual decreasing incline at the very top. The first few railway ties are scary but manageable. As we approach the very steep part, I am starting to panic. Aside from the intense fear of falling, the heat is getting very bad and I can barely catch my breath. At one point I am milliseconds away from turning back, but I continue ahead, purely out of pride (and perhaps some stupidity). There is a hiker a few places ahead of me who is actually freaking out. I am secretly grateful because this gives me a chance to catch my breath.

After nearly 30 minutes on the cables, we finally reach the top. I basically crawl out of the way of the other hikers to sit for a full five minutes. A combination of fear, heat and physical exertion has me very close to throwing up. After my rest, we take a quick loop around the top. We take a few photos and notice some white fluffy clouds hovering close by. My intense fear of the descent on the cables coupled with the clouds results in a snap decision to head back down.

Once we are back on the cables we decide to walk down backwards. I realize with complete and utter surprise that the descent is easy! It’s easy and it’s fun! I cannot believe how not-scared I am at this moment. We take our time going down the cables. I am all smiles and share encouraging words to the hikers who are heading upwards.

Once we are at the bottom we have a celebratory drink of water, grab our poles and start the walk back through the Sub Dome. We are moving somewhat slowly down the very steep staircases but I am starting get my breath back and am feeling pretty good.

By the time we meet up with Sarah it’s already 1:30pm. The hike back down to Little Yosemite Valley campground is brisk and silent. We stop here for another restroom break. The flatness of the proceeding valley is very welcomed. At one point, we stop by the river as I attempt to filter some water for my dwindling camelback. After about 10 minutes of futile effort coupled with one water snake sighting, I give up. To be fair I started the day with 6 liters, so I am probably not going to get dehydrated.

Once we are back down to the top of the waterfalls we unanimously choose to take the longer, flatter John Muir trail down to our camp. The trail is beautiful and covered in shade. Other hikers are flying past us, but we don’t really care. At one point a group of scantily-clad European men pass us by. They are literally wearing nothing but teeny, tiny shorts and sandals. Sarah calls them the lost boys of summer and I cannot stop giggling.

Eventually we get past the falls and into the deep forest, the descent is gradual and trail is full of bugs. My feet are starting hurt and we have lost the cool breeze of the falls. I forge ahead, fighting off bugs and trying to keep my complaints to myself. We continue in this fashion for what seems like forever. Eventually we get back to the potable water source. We each fill up a liter of water and are verbally grateful that are almost done.

About 45 minutes later we are back at the trail head. We see a shuttle bus but are unable to run to catch it. Out of nowhere comes another hiker who sprints to the bus and stops the driver. We are full of gratitude. Our feet are in extreme pain as we wait patiently for our stop. Around 6:30pm we head back into our camp. We make a quick stop at the tent-cabin where I put on sandals and have a quick snack from the cooler.

It’s just getting dark outside as we head back to the center of camp for beer and dinner. We are a mess of people unable to make decisions. 

First, we all head into the little store to buy some champagne. I don’t really want champagne, but they are selling it and it seems like the right thing to do. There is only one single-serving-sized bottle left. I buy that bottle along with an additional can (yes, a can of champagne). I also snag some little cups from the cashier (after all we have standards!).   

Next Laura decides to order from the grill and Sarah goes for beer; I hold a table for us. When Laura returns to the table I take my place at grill window and am told they are closed for the night. I explain that I am eating with my friends but they don’t really care. I am devastated and sit down to drink my champagne. Both mentally and physically exhausted I wander over to the pizza window. I order a hot dog and finally get settled back at our table with my hot dog and a cold beer. Surprisingly, I am very satisfied by this meal.

Around 8:30pm we head back to our tent-cabin. I am intent on finding a shower and Sarah comes through with multiple shower locations! We head over to a less populated area of camp and walk right into 2 empty showers. It is amazing. After a quick walk back to the tent-cabin, we all negotiate a late wake up time and quickly fall asleep.