Half Dome (Yosemite National Park, California)

In coming to Yosemite this weekend, our number one target was the mighty Half Dome. To accomplish our objective, we rise at 4:30AM and begin to break camp. Amazing how cold it is this time of morning when you crawl out of the sleeping bag. We pack up, grab a bite, and begin the thirty minute drive to the Yosemite Valley.

By 7:00AM, we are underway on what would become one of the most challenging things I had ever done. We use some stones to make our way across a small stream and to the main trail. With water and rations packed, we begin the long trail which circles around and then ascends the back side of Half Dome.

After a couple of miles of relatively easy hiking, we reach Vernal Falls, which comes jutting out of a sheer cliff like a spear from the hand of the mighty Achilles. At this point the torture begins. A set of steps, hundreds and hundreds of them, have been carved into the adjacent granite face. And so, we begin to climb. My left knee has been weak since a high school soccer injury, and these steps put it to the test.

Finally, we reach an area where the trail seems to level out again, but the damage is done. My knee is already starting to ache and with only four miles traversed. I convince myself to ignore it. A short time later we reach the Nevada Fall, similar in appearance to Vernal, but no less spectacular. We stop to take a short break.

At about seven miles in, we begin to gain elevation at an exhausting rate. My view of the Eastern shoulder of Half Dome is somewhat worrisome, because I can see many more stone steps. I fortify my resolve and push onward, telling myself that I will reach the top at all costs.

My knee continues to be a source of great pain as we reach the cables. At about 55 degrees, the ascent up the side of Half Dome would be impossible without the 800 or so foot span of steel cables to sue as hand grips. A pile of gloves reminds Jason and me to pull ours out of our packs. I believe that each one of the hundred or so people climbing the cables realizes that one false move would surely lead to their death, as the drop-off on either side would prove fatal.

After about 45 minutes of cable-climbing, we reach the top. I head for the edge where I can look down 4,000 feet, nearly a mile, to Yosemite Valley and our starting point. I truly feel as though I have accomplished something by climbing this peak, named for its geometric shape. From the highest point, I look over the edge of a sheer cliff into the valley, a mile below. Even after skydiving, this sends shivers down my spine.

We spend an hour or so at the top, reveling in our accomplishment and then begin the trip back. Coming down the cables is far more frightening than going up them, but we eventually make it. My need progressively gets worse until I decide to tie a ripped t-shirt around it. Jason fashions a walking stick for me along the way, but by the time we reach my truck, I can barely move my leg. I look back up and have no doubt that the pain only makes the experience mean that much more. In total, we hiked 18 miles with an elevation gain of 4,800 feet. This hike is not for the faint of heart, but has reminded me that willpower can overcome any obstacle.