Half Dome hiking, Yosemite National Park
Half Dome turned out to be an incredible adventure. We stayed at a dispersed campsite not far from the park entrance, and by 6 AM we were already driving into the park.
Our group had around 20 people, and almost immediately everyone spread out depending on their pace. The start was brutal — it felt like the elevation gain started instantly and never stopped. I hated those stairs almost immediately.
My wife and I decided to hike at our own pace. We agreed not to rush and to stop whenever our heart rates got too high (which happened constantly during the first couple of hours).
Once we got past the endless stairs and reached the flatter sections, the hike became way more enjoyable. The scenery was unreal. Seeing all that massive wilderness around you made you want to laugh and just say “wow” at the same time. There’s this crazy energy out there that’s hard to describe.
Around hour four, we stopped seeing the rest of our group and picked up the pace, averaging around a 15 min/km pace. After a few hours of pushing harder, a couple from our group caught up to us and were shocked — everyone thought we had fallen behind because we had said we weren’t planning to rush. Turns out the group had stopped for waterfall photos while we accidentally stayed ahead the entire time. They radioed back that we had been “found,” and after that we slowed back down.
Sub Dome was another serious challenge. Definitely not easy.
By the time we reached Half Dome, the cables were already up. We brought climbing gear with us. My wife stayed clipped in on the cables, while I only used gloves. Honestly, we didn’t have any major issues.
Total time was about 12 hours from start to finish.
Hike rating: 10/10.
Difficulty for me: around 8/10.
I still had a little left in the tank at the end.
You can only refill water near the start. We carried about 3 liters per person plus electrolytes. We also packed a couple bananas and carb/nut bars, which ended up being more than enough.