Just Nine (extra) Miles
The iconic Yosemite Valley was one of the first natural wonders in the United States to be protected by the federal government. President Abraham Lincoln passed the Yosemite Grant Act in 1864. Decades later in May of 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt visited naturalist and author John Muir. During his trip to Yosemite the pair encountered a late season snow storm that blanketed them in over 5 inches of snow. This trip and the beauty of Yosemite stuck with President Roosevelt , "There can be nothing in the world more beautiful than the Yosemite, the groves of the giant sequoias...our people should see to it that they are preserved for their children and their Children's children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred”.
Today tens of thousands of people travel from all corners of the world to see the valley with towering waterfalls and massive granite monoliths. One of the most iconic of the stone giants is Half Dome rising up almost 5,000 feet above the valley floor and topping out at over 8,800 feet there are very few places in the valley that don't have a view of half dome. These make it a magnet for both rock climbers and hikers alike. Gravity defying climbers challenge themselves to sheer 2000 foot northwest face while hikers flock to the cables which lead up the 400 foot tall 60 degree eastern shoulder of Half Dome.
Glacier Point with Half Dome in the background
Growing up my parents had a travel trailer and every summer we would go on a 1-2 week camping trip to Yosemite. We would split our time between the Valley and the high country of Tuolumne Meadows. On our first trip in the valley we hiked the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls, the next year we hiked the same trail but continued on for another mile and a half to reach Nevada falls; which ended up being a 7 mile hike. At 8 years old those trails felt like I had just completed the PCT. Beyond Nevada falls the trail follows the Merced river through Little Yosemite Valley to before eventually turning upwards to the base of Half Dome.
Vernal Falls
The following summer we decided to hike Nevada Falls again. We left camp at 6:30 in the morning to beat the heat and crowds. It was a relatively cool morning and we breezed through a flatter portion of the Mist Trail to the bottom of Vernal Falls where the spray off the bottom of the waterfall fills the canyon with a heavy mist giving the trail its name. We quickly climbed the wet stone stairs to the top of Vernal Falls, here we took a break to eat a quick granola bar snack before continuing on. It was about this time that I said we should do Half Dome today (this was well before the permit system that is in place today). Of course my parents gave the response that most 9 year olds get when they spout off some wild idea, with a “we’ll see”.
We continued on to Nevada Falls, at it’s top the Mist Trail joins the John Muir trail. We stopped here for another snack break and to dip our feet in the ice cold water of the Merced River.
The Mist Trail
Up to this point in the hike I had continued to bug my parents to do half dome today, and they finally conceded that we would go on past Nevada falls a little bit. My parents figured that we would hike just a little further because I would eventually get tired and want to turn around.
As we continued on the trail we began to run low on water, after all we had only planned on a 6-7 miles hike. Fortunately we came across a family from Texas who had a water purifier and stopped and pumped water from the river to top off our water bottles. We hiked with them for quite a while, but they didn't have a 9 year old in their group and eventually pulled ahead of us. After about an hour of following the Merced, the Little Yosemite Valley trail turned up hill for the first significant climb since Nevada falls. We hiked up a seemingly endless amount of switchbacks, and as we neared the top a large granite slab started to become visible through the trees. Almost instantly the trees ended and we were at the base of the lower shoulder of Half Dome. At this point my parents asked me if I really wanted to do it and of course I enthusiastically said yes.
Half Dome from the granite steps side
Then before us was a steep staircase of over 400 steps, carved right into the granite shoulder of Half Dome. After reaching the top of the stairs the trail drops into a small saddle and the beginning of the cables. The cables consist of 2 steel cables supported every 30 or so feet with posts and a wooden board; they offer support to hikers for the final 60 degree incline that logs at 400 vertical feet up polished granite.
The cables provide the only route to the top that doesn’t require specialized gear and technical rock climbing. At the bottom of the cables there is a stache of leather gloves that people have left for others to use on the cables. This is where we stopped for a final break and dug through the horde of gloves to find a pair that would fit. After we all found a pair for ourselves, and found the necessary courage….it was time to head up the cables.
A short ways up the cables I got scared, and wanted nothing more than to head down. Reluctantly my parents lead me back down to the base of the cables. Back at the base I decided to give it another go, and then repeated the half hike up and retreat about two more times. My dad then decided that he would leave my mom and I at the bottom and make the climb by himself so that he could get a few pictures at the top. After watching my dad head up the cables, and waiting at the bottom for about half an hour I said to mom “you know what, we didn't come all this way to not go to the top '' so I got back up again and headed up the cables.
The Cables
Through our many ups and downs we met several groups on the cables and they all encouraged me, all of them stoked that a 9 year old had made it this far. It was the occasional “ Go Matthew” from the other hikers on their way down that kept me going when I would get scared.. Towards the end of the cables the slope began to mellow out and the ground began to round out at the top of the dome. It was then that I realized that we had actually made it. I started running to the top and as I came over the crest there was my dad who was starting to come down. I will never forget the look of surprise on his face when he saw that I had made it. I was beyond excited, in my mind I was on top of Everest for all I cared. I had made it to the top of half dome! This feeling was made even more special by the fact that at this time every person on top had got to know my name, Matthew- the nine year old who conquered Half Dome.
The Brow
Almost equally as scary as going up the cables was going back down them, the key is to go down backwards clinging to the cables, and not looking down any lower than your feet. Once at the bottom of the cables we still had an 8.5 mile hike down to camp. The first few miles were uneventful, we stopped again at the top of Nevada Falls to rest and dip our tired feet in the icy Merced River.
On the trail between Nevada and Vernal Falls, after hiking over 12 miles with another 4 miles to go, I was done. I was telling my parents to leave me there on the trail and to come back for me in the morning. Obviously they wouldn’t leave me there and told me that we were almost done. As we got to the top of Vernal falls and the Mist trail we started running down the stairs. The mist along this portion of the trail felt so good, but more importantly we knew that trail was now changing and that it was just a relatively flat 2 miles back to camp. When we finally arrived back at camp we all crashed hard in our camp chairs, I don't remember what we ate for dinner that night but I do remember it went down quick.
Since my ascent to the top to Half Dome, I have done multiple week long 50 plus mile backpacking trips, rock climbed, hiked, and mountain biked in multiple states. But that 17 miles was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. I can't wait to be able to do it again and to take my wife Ashlyn who has only seen Half Dome from across the valley. To face that hike again is at the top of my bucket list.
