I managed to do that day hike successfully 3 times.....and you are right, it is hard!! First....you have to be in decent shape....and I mean physically fit! Second....you have to leave early....before the sun is up. You have to have some gloves with you and the ability to push yourself constantly to make it to the top and back before dark. Do NOT FEAR the cables because they are safer than they look....just go slow and take your time. On top of all that you have to hope for good weather. All of my 3 hikes were done in the 80's and 90's before the permit system.....and I believe the permit system causes people to risk summitting on days they really shouldn't because, well ....the permit. All that being said.....if you can make the hike I highly recommend it because you'll never forget it!! The very last time I made the trip I was not in as good a shape as I had been and my knees were almost bone-on-bone....and the trip down after summitting was excruciating! I bypassed the Mist Trail for the donkey trail and by the time I reached Happy Isle I was literally in tears! I knew it was the last time I would make the trip.....but I was satisfied I had done it 3 times. Now, the only time I get to visit this trail is watching videos like yours and thank you for posting it.
I've left Happy Isles at 8am and returned from top of Half Dome by 4 pm, key is being physically fit. Summitted Half Dome and Clouds Rest multiple time, as well as Mount Whitney.
As a former member of Yosemite SAR, I appreciate you taking the time to make this informative video. I can't tell you how many times we got called out for people who were horribly unprepared for what they thought was a nice walk in the park.
I appreciate your comment. I hike fairly often and climb 2000 feet in a couple of the hikes I do but I was not ready. I was smart enough to know when to call it quits though so I didn’t the SAR team.
I used to be a rock climber and I never hiked to Half Dome because I heard so many tales of how brutal it is and particularly how non-climbers who are hikers underestimate how much work it is and get in trouble all the time. I had a friend from Texas who was a gym climber at beginner level. My climbing partner invited him to climb Snake Dyke on Half dome, which shares the walk-off with the Half dome hikers coming back. Snake Dyke is 1000 feet of climbing after a four hour approach. By the time they got to the top of Snake Dyke my Texas friend was so exhausted and freaked by the fact that there's no bolts or protection that he climbed the remaining 2000 feet to the summit on his hands and knees out of terror! Then they had the full walk-off to do. They had started the day at 3am and finally arrived back at Curry at 1am. 22 hours of hell. My Texas friend never climbed again in his life.
Based on the stats, the Half Dome hike is equivalent to hiking up the Grand Canyon, from the bottom, on the South Kaibab trail. To give people a visual.
I have hiked Half Dome 3 times my average is 11 1/2 hours starting from Curry Village and 6 liters of water the most water I carried was 1 1/2 liters of water I carried a water filter after all 6 liters of water is a lot to carry . I climbed the cables bare handed and with gloves I ve came down the cables towards and backwards, it's hard on the toes coming down forwards. I've come back by the midt trail hoping for a little up as it's hard on the knees coming down as the steps carved in the rocks are not your set to your height . The John Muir trail down adds a mile to the hike but is easier on the knees going down I have fone both
I did the hike in 2019 as a pretty experienced hiker, having crossed the Grand Canyon, rim to rim, and doing some other technical hikes. Half Dome was a complete bitch of a hike ( I did it as a Day hike), and the two things I would definitely emphasize to anyone doing it are: take your time on the cables. I can't emphasize this enough. You hike for about 5 hours before you get to them, and then you get this new adrenaline cause you're finally there and it's a combination of anxiety and adrenaline and you want to get up them, but personally, I started out way too fast on them. I probably hadn't eaten as much as I should have prior to getting to them, and then, after a brisk start up the cables, I fatigued and lost my strength in my legs. It's steeper than it's billed as, and it actually takes quite a bit of strength to pull yourself up. Because of my hiking experience, I had enough sense to just literally sit down on the side of that thing and wait to regain strength (& everybody behind me was super patient and cool.) 2nd thing is; it is the only hike I have ever done where you actually need the full 4 L of water that they recommend. I brought 3 instead of four (as did all my friends) and when we started to descend, we all ran out of water. Thank God we ran into some incredibly kind fellow hikers who were able to give us water.
Another tip: don't pull yourself up. I realized halfway that I was expending way too much energy pulling. You would never pull on a banister walking up a staircase, right? Once I stopped pulling, using the cables for safety and balance instead, it became a little more manageable. But still scary. And crowded.
Nice vid, lots of good tips. I did the hike this June and for me the hard part was going down - I'm 58 and my knees are fairly wrecked from tennis. My body is just not used to going down steep stairs/grades and it killed my knees. If you have knee issues be sure to take John Muir down to avoid all the steps around Nevada and Vernal Falls. Going up take the steps cause it's amazingly beautiful (and it doesn't hurt). Goint down take Muir, lol. X2 on bring a water filter so you don't have to lug a bunch of water around. Sawyer Squeeze is only like $30 and works perfectly.
I did this hike in 2009. I had never done it before (my buddy Jeff and I did it together). My tips....Leave early!! If you're leaving later than 6am....you're odds are decreasing. We left at 5AM, spent 1 hour on top and got back at 6PM. So 13 hours. Energy. Yes. Bring bars to snack on. Water. Bring water AND a filter. We both had 2L camelbacks, and ran out before we got to Merced river portion coming back. Fortunately, we found a couple with a filter and they graciously refilled our water. Footwear...Have very good shoes and socks. I actually lost a toe nail on my foot from the hike. Bring advil. The last few miles from Vernal falls back to parking was brutal. Advil helped. Know when to quit. If you aren't there by 1-2 pm...turn around. You WILL be hiking back in the dark if you keep going. It was hot the day we went. We jumped in the Merced to cool off....oh man was that awesome...between that and mist at Vernal falls...wear clothes that dry out fast. This video has really good tips. Water filter is the big one. We missed that...and if not for other hikers, we were in deep doo doo at 3pm without water.
Shoes and socks are something I wish I had talked about. That’s a really good point. I had good shoes but normal socks. I should have definitely wore better socks. And possibly broke my shoes in even more.
I rested my feet in the Merced near Nevada falls while I waited for my wife and son. It was so cold I can’t imagine my whole body in there. Although I bet it revitalizes. It was near 100 in hottest point of the day when we did it
I agree with all the points (especially the mosquito nets/protection!!) but the food part. In my opinion the last thing you want is to get sick on an extended hike like this and have a stomach ache or the runs or just need to drop a 10lb ballast. I would eat as light as you possibly can the night before so you are not carrying food in your digestive tract This is an exhaustive hike that will put stress on your body so you don't want to carry any more weight or food sloshing inside of you than you need to. The altitude and oxygen is going to also be a stresser on more things than just your wind. That said I would take some extremely high calorie, high carb, high energy snacks that are also easily digestible so you can fuel up as needed -- and ONLY when needed. Nuts, bananas, raisins, if you easily digest PB&J then take a sandwich...if you normally eat and digest those things well. If you do not normally eat energy bars and gels stay as far away from them as possible. Dont ever consume anything your body doesnt normally consume as a matter or your normal diet. You dont want ANY surprises on a long hike like this where help or rescue is unlikely in any reasonable timeframe. I hike and run marathons...less really is more. And remember whatever is in your body you have to carry it up that mountain -- spaghetti and meatballs and all. Leave it back at ground zero and be as light and empty as you can without feeling weak, then fuel up as you go with SMALL but powerful snacks. Only once you get back should you feast. Do you want to be tired and hungry or do you want to have explosive diahhrea and nausea in the middle of nowhere with nothing to wipe your butt with but a pine cone? Physical exertion puts a LOT of stress on your body and your digestive tract will start to rebel against you if its full of food. Finally, know some basic First Aid and bring a First Aid kit for yourself or others for addressing minor issues like twisted ankles, cuts, lip balm, abrasions, sunburn, bug spray, ibuprofin, anti-nausea, etc. Also bring an extra pair of socks. Your first pair will likely be soaked from the water or your foot sweat going up. Your dogs will be barking.
I hike to the Dome twice. Once from the Mist Trail and one from the John Muir. For me, the Sub Dome is worse than the Dome itself. I actually fell on the Sub Dome coming down. Let’s just say that loose sand on granite is not a good mix. Lastly, wear appropriate shoes with good tread! This hike is no joke.
There definitely needs to be respect for the mountain. And tracking of weather. Most of the deaths up there are due to those two things. But I even trained by hiking once or twice a week for 4 months beforehand and still struggled
I loved hiking Half Dome in a day. One of the best hikes of my life. Guy is right, it not an easy hike. Get in shape first. No mosquitoes 🦟 when I did it but the sun is intense.
Things I wish I had known before hiking Half Dome. Not realizing how tough a hike it is actually helped me not to stop but keep going. The view from the top is very disappointing. Half Dome looks awesome from Glacier Point but the latter looks boring from Half Dome. To me the most interesting thing is walking south from the top getting steeper and never seeing the bottom of Half Dome. Also realizing how rough the top of Half Dome is. The thousands of feet going downhill was quite a pounding on my back for many hours. It hurt, and I was only 21 years old. Main thing is that I can say I did it, which an accomplishment brag only.
Honestly, it shouldn't take you 5 hours to go 2.5 miles even with 1500 feet of elevation gain. You're likely woefully out of shape if it takes this long. I'm trying not to make this sound like bragging, but just for example, it took me about 1hr 45 minutes to get to the top of Nevada falls and 4 hours to get to the top of half dome from my campsite in the Valley. I'm in my mid 40s.
I actually hiked a lot and had done an 11 mile 1700 foot hike in about 5 hours and that’s including eating lunch at the top, and spending time on the lookout tower not long before I went to Yosemite. I live at an elevation of 400!feet approximately. I think the altitude was one of the main things that got me.
having what is climbing gear can make the actual trip up half dome and down half dome much safer. Could someone make money renting that stuff at the half dome? 10 dollars to rent the safety gear for 2 hours, and then rent a lot of them.
Thanks for the warning about the mosquitoes! Are they throughout the entire route including after the permit check area, or only the mist trail and tree covered portions?
@@w.harrison7277 I guess. I am 64 years old and do a lot of long distance backpacking. For me when I average a mile an hour I know the trial is hard. I really can’t imagine taking over five hours to hike 2.5 miles. I have actually never hiked anything that hard and I have hiked thousands of miles. I think a sun umbrella would be a nice addition to help with the blazing sun.
Yeah it’s about 2000 feet climb in that short distance. I took a lot of breaks. Add to that I live at 400 feet above see level and the valley starts at around 4000 feet.
@@TheTravelersvacationary Well you had a good hike and a fun time it sounds like. You also learned a lot. Each time you go out you will be better prepared for your next adventure. I myself am still learning and I have been doing this for decades. Take care and thanks for sharing your experience.
Advice I've heard on other videos: gloves for cable grabbing (possibly with some gripping action? Don't know. Just me wondering)' wisdom in selecting shoe wear. The surface of HD is polished granite and slippery even when dry! Protocol and wisdom when necessary to navigate safely for all around climbers who stop to rest or whatever reason. Realize that weather gone wrong can be catastrophic. In short, do research!!
I did it in early 80's in late Sept when the weather was cooler and no crowds. The best way up is the trail from Glacier Pt to Little Yos valley, downhill most of the way. The next am it's a short hike to subdome and the cables and you're well rested. Crazy to do it in one day, relax, enjoy the scenery. We took 2 days back to the valley just to enjoy the trail and hike.
There was this chubby guy from California I used to work with to whom I happened to mention Half Dome casually just talking about how scary the final steep assent looked and he claimed it was literally just a walk in the park and he'd done it lots of times. This is someone that would get short of breath walking from his desk to the break room mind you. It is abundantly clear now that there's no way in hell he ever hiked up Half Dome. As for the friendly fellow hikers, I've seen lots of videos with impatient jerks rudely and dangerously leap frogging over others on the chains.
A. Be in very good shape B. Acclimatize at least a day or two C. Back pack to Little Yosemite Valley and stay the night D. Do half dome the next day sans packs, which you can leave in the steel bear proof bins E. Good light weight hiking boots. F. Water, water, water G. the hike down is a calf and knee killer. H. Once back in the Valley, go to the ice cream shop at the Ahwanee for a chocolate Sunday.
Sleeping in a Curry Village tent was not so bad. The greater problem is the noise from campers - it is like frat party central in the Village at night. People yelling, music, car engines. It didn't quite down till after 1am.
Good video. But the title isnt quite right. It should be "Things I wish I HAD known...". Can you see that "had" in the sentence and the past particple "known" ? This is how you correctly talk about something wished for in the past. That form is called the past subjunctive. It seems to confuse a lot of Americans on RU-vid.
I am really surprised my wife didn’t catch that, although I have changed the name a couple times recently. Thanks for pointing that out though. I was a music major I can’t actually write 😂
Good video. Next time don’t take the Mist trail. I’ve done that. Mist trail is harsh and very exhausting. It’s better to stay on john Muir trail all the way. John Muir trail is 1.5 miles longer but you will not be so exhausted. 4L water may not be enough if you take too long or get lost for a while.
I did the hike twice before permits. Once starting from the valley floor and back, and once from Glacier Point. It's probably my favorite hike. I climbed some so the sub dome exposure was not that bad for me. I've also attempted the Snake Dike but bailed because we had route finding issues and got to the base too late in the day.
Two things - you can cool off in the big lodge with a double bourbon and make sure you have a harness to attach at Sub Dome. And take your time to enjoy it!
I hiked half dome and one thing I did not think of was grip strength for the cables. It took about 45 minutes up on the cables due to so many people. All the while my hands are gripping the cables and pulling myself up... my forearms were on fire and my hands felt like frozen claws.
I made the trip in the late 70's and I was in my early twenties. At that age the entire trek seemed long and the elevation gain was impressive, but it wasn't too tough. I guess being young and in decent shape sure made the difference. The older people in our group stopped after the upper falls and waited for our return, I think that was wise on their part. All of the things you mentioned in the video are very important and you did a good job of making people aware of the challenges. If you are older and, more importantly, out of shape don't expect this trek to be doable without some significant pain.
I do wish I had the opportunity when I was younger to do it. My cross country running son had no issues with the physical part of the climb. I think he could have done it twice.
The particular day we hiked Half Dome. The high was 103. We were staying in curry village, but visited my parents in their hotel and it was just such a relief I had to recommend it . I do live in a city. One that is very hot and humid in the summer.
Good tips, thnx. I’ve had to stop short of summiting 2 mountains on account of knee issues on one and poor acclimation to altitude on the other. But have no regrets it was awesome to go as high and long as I did. One was Mount Pisco in Peru the other a mountain in Washington, I think it was Baker.
Thanks, I think the altitude may have been the #1 issue for me. I had just done a hike in April that was 11 miles and 1700 ft elevation climb. And had no issues. Of course that is also. It nearly the elevation change of half dome
Oh my goodness. Your comments describe some things that my team didn’t experience - maybe due to the season that we ascended. We chose to ascend on May 1, so there were no mosquitos, and it wasn’t terribly hot. Yes, the route was strenuous, but we were expecting that (we had ascended Mount Whitney 2 days earlier). I wouldn’t say that we rushed our ascent, in fact, I think I’d say that we took our time compared to my usual pace. I hope that you are able to succeed on your next attempt. Half Dome - May 1, 2024 - Yosemite National Park, California - Using carabiners/slings - cables down ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hh0u_Afvq1M.html
The even worse thing was, you can look up that a 92 year old man made it to the top last summer… we passed him on our way down. 😂 of course he did it over 2 days which is what I would do next time
I’ve seen another video where someone did an overnight. Big bonus for doing that is less competition for the permit lottery (I’m guessing). Beating the hoard to the ascent would surely benefit you as well!
Great tips. I LOVED this hike. We are in shape and did not find it too hard- coming back via the John Muir trail though, after the initial excitement wore off did start to drag. We started out in the dark. We did it in 2019. My wife laughed at me for going to REI and getting harnesses. When we got to the base of it, she requested her harness. The next day a woman died- slipped and fell 500 feet whent the rain set it (sunny day.) It's not joke. It's unfortunate that the NPS discourages the use of harnesses. They save lives. Someone above you could slip and take you off the dome. Yes, I hated sub-dome too. I felt very unsafe. With a harness, I found Half Dome easy. Angels Landing/Zion is awesome too as is Death Valley and the Sand Dunes. Life is an adventure. Oh- and if you have never been to Moab, UT, add it to your list.
I 💯 agree about subdome!!!! I wish there was somewhere to hold on too! Also as a woman, there aren’t a lot of places private to pee, 😅😢😂Seriously it’s very crowded so please think about that! But yes cables you can hold onto which is why I’m surprised thats where the accidents are happening. I did see people recklessly walking around them on the outside. As if it wasn’t a big deal. But to me subdome should’ve had gates on the side or maybe cables.
I don’t understand why people always have to go outside the boundaries everywhere. When I was at glacier point watching the sunset. There were people over the edge dangling their feet over the side. I kept thinking that view is the same view I’m getting
I hiked with someone who has done Half Dome multiple times and he stayed outside the cables holding on with one had the rock inside the cables has been worn smooth form all the hikers he claimed his boots had better grip on the rock outside the cables
@@TheTravelersvacationary The slabs take you to the the base of the face at which point you can either climb the face or take the trail east around the formation to the cables. It's not recommended for tourists but it is, by far the most direct route to the top of Half dome.
Yeah you get a mix of people, some are not fit enough to go fast, some are dealing with anxiety, etc so you just have to deal. One thing I don't get is the ranger gives a speech about how to correctly use the cables (hand over hand, one cable) but 90% of people TOTALLY ignore the instructions and use both cables, creating even more slowdowns (since you have people going up and down). The whole park was a zoo though lol.
@norcalskim1 interesting, the first time I did the hike, there were no permits needed and no rangers around. The second time I did it, we needed permits, and there was a ranger there, but he was only checking permits and not really giving directions.
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4L of water (minimum?!) for a 14 mile hike is ridiculous. I never carried that much water through the entire desert section of the PCT, or any other desert hike except a 2 day dry stretch in Big Bend NP. And Yosemite is anything but dry, even in the driest time of the year. Carry a 1-1.5L bottle and a water filter and you'll be fine.
I did this hike through john Muir trail , and climbed the ropes too, all the way up, just 6 days ago on 7/7/2024. A hot day with 4L water , and believe me , it was not enough water. I ran out of water on the way down.
