Frank and Kevin's Half Dome Hike
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Kevin and I hiked up Half Dome at Yosemite National Park on Monday, June 21, 2004. It was a great, but rather taxing experience!!

We arrived at Yosemite Valley at 6:45 PM on Sunday June 20 to scout things out. After parking in the 'Day Use' parking, we caught the shuttle bus to see how close we could get to the trailhead. Shortly after the start of our tour, we crossed a bridge which gave us a gorgeous view of our 'victim' ! We discovered that there was a 'Trailhead' parking lot just half a mile from where we intended to start! Just beyond the start of the trail, the bus driver pointed out a bear . We were quite excited to have been there so short a time and to have seen a bear!

We returned to our hotel (nearly an hour drive from Yosemite Valley), had dinner and hit the hay - knowing that Monday would be a long and arduous day (the hike is 17 miles, rises nearly 5000 feet above the valley floor and was reported to take 10 to 12 hours)!

On Monday morning, we arose at 5:20, and, armed with our 'to go' breakfasts, headed back to the park. We were on the trail (our route is noted in red) by 7:20.

The climb started almost immediately, although initially it was fairly shallow. It steepened quickly, and our first 'view' was Vernal Falls . After a refreshing shower, we continued our climb to Nevada Falls . A short climb brought us to Little Yosemite Valley where things leveled out nicely - for which we were very thankful!

We crossed the valley and continued our climb, seeing a couple of fawns - one within 5-10 feet. We reached the foot of the final ascent by about 11:30. We stopped and had a bit to eat before tackling the last 900 foot/50 degree climb . Kevin scampered right on up; I, on the other hand, was beginning to feel a bit weary, so it took me nearly half an hour to slowly work my way to the top! However, once there it was well worth the effort!

The views from the top were spectatular - to say the least -      . I was somewhat surprised by the amount of real estate on the top .

I was also interested by the fact that there were no guard rails - and there are some pretty serious drop offs!!      .

We were also surprised that we got cell phone service on the peak (not very good, but service nonetheless). I called Fay and told her where we were and that I thought I could make it down - however, I wasn't ready for any more UP!!

The descent down the cables was a piece of cake - taking even me only 5-10 minutes! The hike down started uneventfully, however, a couple of miles down the trail, we heard a commotion ahead and someone indicated there was a bear in the area. Sure enough, before long we were able to see bear number two

The rest of the trip down to Nevada Falls was uneventful. However, from there down it was really a chore; I was one tired puppy (well, maybe not a puppy, but certainly tired - exhausted!). I certainly lived up to the fact that there was no more 'UP' left!! Even a minor bump in the trail was laborious! As we approached the end, I did begin to feel a bit better, however, I was still DRAGGING! We finally made it back to the car by 4:45 - taking only about 9 hours of hiking time!

So, after all of that I must be stronger - I'm still alive (aren't I????).

For another perspective and some addtional information see the following link.