It’s no secret that my favorite hike to date is Half Dome. Waterfalls, woods, and views; you really can’t beat having that type of variety in one hike.

I had my eye on that rock for quite some time. I applied for a permit my first year here, and didn’t get one. I soon found out that it is legal to hike it in the off-season, at your own risk. Being a climber, I immediately looked into the safest way to do this when the cables are down, and I set out with my harness to hike it for the first time in May of 2016.

I did it again in May of 2017. Then again in October 2017. Then again in June 2018. The most recent hike I’m re-capping in this post was in October 2018.

I’ve had the opportunity twice now to take my friends up, and it has been amazing to see them experience it for their first time. I’ve mentioned Haley in my blogs before, and she was the most recent friend who trusted me to take her up!

She is a meteorologist in Palm Springs, and she drove up the Saturday before Halloween. We hung out, had dinner, then decided to show her around Tower.

We only slept for a couple of hours before heading out to Yosemite. We made it to the trailhead when it was still pitch black. I love getting on the trail before anyone else, especially when it’s a popular trail!

Fall in Yosemite

We were the only ones on the Mist Trail steps, and if you’ve hiked Vernal Fall before, you know how crowded it can be. The leaves were changing, the air was crisp, and it was a great start to the hike.

We made it up to the top of Nevada Fall, then continued through Little Yosemite Valley. The longest part of the hike to me is the final 3 miles. Most of it is uphill through the woods, and it always seems to drag.

We saw a few more people as we got close to Sub Dome. We actually ran into someone familiar to Haley! Up we went, then we harnessed up and started up the cables of Half Dome.

Once at the top, we saw very few people. That’s the beauty of hiking it in the off-season – there is a fraction of the amount of people up there.

We chatted a little with a few of them. You never know who you’ll meet up there – we met three women from Hungary!

We had lunch, took some photos (in our Halloween costumes, of course), then headed down the cables. Then down Sub Dome. Then down to Little Yosemite Valley. There’s a lot of down on the way back. Does anyone else feel like the grade is steeper on the way down than it was going up? I find myself thinking, “wow, I hiked up this?” a lot. Maybe it’s because I’m so fatigued on the way down that any uphill now seems impossible.

The sun started setting as we were heading down the Mist Trail steps. Start in the dark, and end in the dark! What a hike, and I’m so glad I got to do it with a friend.

We left the park around 8 PM, and got back to Fresno around 10 PM. Not too bad, right? Oh, wait. It was Sunday and I wake up at 2 AM for work. 🙂

I’m a terrible sleeper. I don’t fall asleep quickly, I don’t stay asleep, and I toss and turn when I try to nap. Let me tell you the trick to napping well. Have a few drinks, sleep 6 hours over the course of 2.5 days, throw in a strenuous 17 mile hike at high elevation, then work a full shift. I napped for 3 hours after work that Monday, then easily fell asleep again at bedtime. Worth it!

As I’m writing this, I’m thinking about the next time I’ll hike Half Dome. I’m at the nice number of 5, but I’m not so sure I’ll stay there for long. 🙂