Hiking Half Dome
This was the last hike of our trip and we made it count.
Due to driving we didn’t get started until about 1 in the afternoon. Our plan originally was to head up the trail towards the top of Half Dome and then turn around somewhere along the way. It is a 17+ mile round trip to the summit with a decent amount of elevation gain, so we didn’t expect to reach the top starting so late. We passed two amazing waterfalls that would certainly be destinations in themselves, and indeed the crowds we encountered at the bottom disappeared after the 2nd one.
After a while we passed a sign for Half Dome in 4.5 miles. There was still a decent amount of daylight when we passed the “Half Dome: 2 miles” sign. I think it was right about there that we decided to just go for it.
We reached the top via a steep cable-assisted ascent at about 7 or so. It was excellent, there was no one else to be seen and the sun was setting all around us. We hung out, avoided mauling by the local creatures, ate a sammie, and decided it was time to descend. The downhill was fairly pleasant. Although we were in the dark for the last 2 or 3 hours, we had headlamps so it wasn’t a big deal. I did see quite a few scorpions on the trail coming down, which was a little disconcerning for someone in Chacos.
All in all it was a fitting ending to a great trip.
