A VERY SCARY day on the HALF DOME cables! | Yosemite National Park hiking and camping
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มิ.ย. 2024
- Yosemite's Half Dome hike, with its infamous, intimidating cable section, has been on my bucket list for many years. Getting there is tricky, you have to win a lottery for a cable section permit, as only a limited amount of people are allowed up each day. After years of failed tries, we finally won the lottery, and set out on one of the biggest adventures and longest hikes of our lives so far.
We decided to split the hike up over 2 days, camping at little Yosemite Valley on night 1, and finishing the hike on day 2.
An overcast day with intermittent rain meant that the dome could be very slick and possibly dangerous. Things got scary and we didn't know if we would be able to climb the cable section of the hike. Come along for this epic journey in Yosemite.
#yosemite #halfdome #halfdomecables
Lucas, the physical reaction I had watching you creep out to the edge, I almost couldn't watch. I have such a terror of heights, I couldn't do this. Thank you for taking me along virtually! Terra, smart move choosing not to continue on. A profound real-world example of why women live longer than men 🙂
While I did get relatively close the edge, the 360 camera does sort of make it look more dramatic.
@@lucasterradostuff good stuff Lucas, keep up the great work! 👍🏼
@@lucasterradostuffexcuse me,how many miles from NEVADA FALLS TO HALF DOME?.???
Thanks I appreciate it 🙏
I did the climb up Half Dome in 1984 and enjoyed it. Back then there were no climb permits required or offered. You just showed up and started climbing the cables (without gloves in my case but it was okay) and nobody had harnesses to hook onto the cables. You just held on. I spent about a half hour on top and watched a couple of guys tossing a football around and a just-married couple had spent two days climbing up the sheer side for their honeymoon and had reached the top while I was there! Suddenly storm clouds moved in and we were all told to evacuate and get down the cables as quick as we could because the granite top of Half Dome attracted lightning. There were about 100 people scampering down the cables, several on the outside of the cables very quickly. We all got down okay and watched the storm pass. Since I'm much older now I won't do it again (I'm physically able though) but it is a wonderful memory and I have some terrific photos.
I can only imagine how scary it would be up there with lightning. Glad everything worked out for you that day! Thanks for sharing!
@@lucasterradostuff I recognized several areas from your video. Really liked it.
My first time up Half Dome was in 1985 the weekend before the group of young men got hit by lightning in the cave and 1 walked off the edge. We waited on sub dome for some clouds to leave. There is no way I would have climbed the day you went. I'm glad your wife didn't go even though nothing happened it was the right choice not going up that lightning rod.
My trip was in 79, I was young and the trip to the top was completely unplanned. I look back at it now and at the time it seemed so easy. The miles covered and the elevation change was impressive for a 10 hour trip, but the cable part didn't even seem to be a challenge. If you made it to the top of the sub-dome, why wouldn't you make the final push? Looking at all of the videos lately, I really wonder if I would be as casual as I was back then?
It Seems that it was made much more dramatic than it actually is - TH-cam Drama. When I went, people were on the outside and the inside of the cables, I don't remember anyone whatsoever with a harness and carabiners . I hiked with a family from the UK which included a 10 year old and a 12 year old. It was exciting and breathtaking but not dangerous. On my second trip we were stopped and turned around because someone had committed suicide earlier in the day. 🙁 @@michaelbisnett4845
Smart of Terra to know her limits and not go beyond. I lived in CA for 20 years, and Half Dome is something many friends have done (using climbing harness), not something I could bring myself to do though. High Peaks trail in Pinnacles was bad enuf for me!
Thank you! Just getting to the base of the cables was quite an accomplishment.
We really enjoyed High Peaks in Pinnacles. We have a video of that hike as well (we saw several Condors!!!). 😀
You two are very relatable and real great video. A good lifelong friend of mine lost his beautiful daughter off the cables on half dome. Not sure what all happened but it was so sad and tragic. Every bit of caution is well spent attempting this.
Thank you. I'm so sorry for your friend's loss.
My hat is off to you two brave souls....what tenacity and grit. Thank you so much for sharing this....God Bless
Thanks for watching!
Knowing and respecting your limitations is a good thing. Way back in the early 90's, before permits and the double cables were installed, I faced the single cable and I nixed going any further. It is okay to stop.
Words of wisdom.
Definitely okay to stop and smart. :0)
Wow! Great job to both of you! It's challenging just getting to the cables so great job Terra. I had to hold my breath when you got near the edge Lucas, I've been on top two times but never near the edge so now I know what it looks like. You guys both did awesome, thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much!!
Thank you for sharing your adventure! 🍁🌲⛰️🐿️
Thanks for watching!
Love the honest and detailed video. Spectacular views and a real honest account of what it is like for 'ordinary people'. I too am terrified of heights so I totally admire your bravery and well done
Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing, scary, and beautiful! You both are great 👍🏻
Thank you so much!
Just scary to me… But yes I admire those who aren’t afraid
Heavy packs with no hip belts, no trekking poles, no water bladders, and wearing heavy jeans to hike all day?? You two were asking for a challenging! Lol
Both of our packs had hip belts. In our experience, trekking poles would have been more of a hinderance than an asset. We had plenty of water and a filter to use at the river. The jeans I wear are not "heavy," at least not in my opinion and they have elastic woven into the fabric that makes them very stretchy. Maybe not the way you would choose to hike this, but it worked for us.
WOW, that's all I can say, YOU DID IT !!!!!
Thank you!
Beautiful views
Just incredible, right?!
Good job!! Have been to Yosemite twice but never made it to half-dome. This is a very insightful video, and motivating. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice video! Thanks.
Thank you too!
So beautiful! I’m with Terra on that one, but good for you, Luke for making it to the top.
I have to admit, she was wise to skip the cable section, but I don't regret doing it. 🙂
Good for you for making it to the bottom.
Dude... that 360 shot on the edge... my sphincter was puckered the whole time!
😂
tmi
Can confirm the sphincter puckering
Congratulations 🎉🎉👏👏
Thank you!!
I’ve watched countless half dome videos and the cables look intimidating every single time. Congrats for making it to the top! Maybe one day I’ll have the courage to do it.
Best advice I can give is look straight down at the rock as you're ascending and just focus on taking one step at a time. You can do it!
You’re awesome 👏🏼
Thank you so much!
Congratulations!
Thank you!
It's always great getting into the nights stop when it's dark and not being able to see anything and then daylight comes
😄 Yeah we definitely should have set out earlier. Lessons were learned.
GAHHHH I remember doing this for the time and boy was it tiring. I did the same route you guys took. This is giving me major nostalgic vibes. I miss Yosemite.
Thanks for sharing your story!
So cool! I wanna do it someday. Looks fun
Go for it!
Unless a summit climb is so long that it is impossible to do it in a day, you are almost NEVER doing yourself any favors by staying overnight along the way. The only exception may be altitude acclimation. But this isn’t an issue on a low altitude summit like Half Dome. Now if you want to break up your climb because you enjoy the experience of spending a night on the way up, that changes things completely. But if you are looking to make your climb easier, doing it in a day is MUCH easier than lugging that heavy pack up the Mist Trail.
You nailed it. Our experience definitely aligned with your advice. If we do it again, we will do it in 1 day.
@@lucasterradostuffThe other thing that people forget is that the exhaustion of carrying a heavy pack part of the way is often something that carries over to the next day. You often don’t just sleep this away in one night. ESPECIALLY if that night was a very brief one (as often happens when doing an overnight up a summit).
Great video man! I did it about 8 years ago, up and back from Curry Village, all in one day. My only problem besides having never hiked, was carrying too much water. I probably had a gallon in my bladder, which is like 10lbs. I didn't drink 1/5th of it. I thought the cables were the easiest part. I had gloves with a nitrile coating on the palms. Those were like glue on the cables. I never once felt unsafe or even worried. I would love to do the hike again. Besides the gloves, what helped me the most were hiking poles. No joke, I sort of jogged the way down, and the poles saved me from rolling my ankles a couple times. I think it was like 13 hours roundtrip for me. Long day but well worth it.
Thanks for sharing your awesome story!
Good job. I give you a lot of credit.
Thank you!
Have done Half Dome three time never with a harness. One time in the fall when the poles had been removed and the cables were resting on the rocks, myself and two friends trekked to the top. We were the only there for quite some time. Great memories.
Ow, wow! Thanks for sharing your story!
WAY TO GO YOU TWO THUMBS WAY UP
Thank you!
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it
I too have done this hike in the early part of November a few years ago... Went to Little Yosemite Campground for 1 night, it was a long day for us.. It's no joke, those stairs are a killer, yet I don't regret doing it and would do it again if I had the opportunity..
It is an epic undertaking, but so worth it. I look forward to doing it again someday also, especially with the lessons learned from this first experience.
Amazing trails. I'd hugely recommend walking poles for those big gradients and heavy packs. Saves on the knee wear....
Thanks for the advice
@@lucasterradostuff walking poles absolutely ! and were you wearing jeans ? heavy, not flexible, get cold when wet etc. .....
I loved you and your lady's energy . Well done brother and dont pay any attention to the negative comments .
Thank you so much!
Half Dome is definitely worth the planning and physical exhaustion. I was up there in September as well. Though it was my second time it was just as amazing. If you sit around thinking about climbing Half Dome I say go get your permit and actually do it. Forever memories.
Totally agree!
GOOD FOR YOU BROTHER!!! I HAVE BEEN UP THERE AMAZING, I GOT TO GO WHEN I WAS A KID. I DONT REALLY KNOW ABOUT NOW. LOL
Thanks. As a kid were you scared at all?
I just did this in one day, back and forth all the way up and down. "Thought" I was in good shape. I made it, but I was lucky to have friends that did it before and prepared me properly (hike accomplished 5/29/24 about 10.5 hours). There was way more water than this video! I thought I would never consider doing this again, but here I am, sore AF, watching this video haha.
That's awesome!
Visited Half Dome back in 89, but it was closed. It is still on my bucket list.
Very cool. Hope you can get out there and do it!
As a certified Sierra mountain guide and trip leader, and also a wilderness first responder, I’d like you to know that what you did was extremely dangerous. What’s you’re not aware of is the speed and ferocity of a storm that moves in at that area. The situation was such that you didn’t have any radar, which was showing you what was coming in over the horizon go ahead, and Google people who have died on the top of that climb and some people who survived it, but went through a period of 36 hours of extreme terror and near death, your wife was a lot smarter than you should give her a big hug and apologize you almost ended 🎉yourself there
Another beginners mistake is moving up to the very edge of the precipice on rocks that are not stable. Just because they’re there this moment doesn’t mean they will be there two minutes later those rocks continually scale off that’s what granite does it’s called exfoliation that’s why it’s a half dome for example The fact that as a man you have a lot of upbringing which leads you to not understand the nature of risk and the probability of risk even a low probability outcome overtime is 100%. You do enough of these things and that’s gonna be it how come your wife knew better but you didn’t think about thatgood luck in the future seem like a nice guy and a nice couple
Hi Evan,
I can't disagree with most of what you said.
Both decisions, 1) to go up the cables on a day when it had rained, and 2) to approach the precipice, were both made with the risk completely understood. I researched this hike for years. I understand that several people have died falling off the cables, particularly on days when it has rained. I agree that both decisions I made were highly inadvisable, extremely risky and quite foolish, but again, I did understand the risk.
Just because I made it back safely, doesn't mean that I would suggest anyone else take those risks, and those who chose to turn around and head back down made the "right" choice.
In my defense, I will say that several people were checking the weather forecast before they chose to start going up, and it was only after I watched several groups go up safely that I even realistically considered going up. It never rained again that day, the granite was dry when I ascended and descended, and most of our down hike was in bright sunshine, but you are correct, a fast-moving storm could have swept through and we could have been stuck up there, or worse.
I appreciate that you are giving wise advice, and to some degree I had mixed feelings about sharing this video, but ultimately, people will make their own decisions about the risks they are willing to take.
Well said @evanshaw17
Very well said.
Evan is 100% right. We did it in 2019- next day a fit young women slipped 500 feet and died. A freak rain came in...on an otherwise sunny day. ALWAYS have a harness on the cable...at all times. 2 clips. One is to be Always on.
He had a harness, the risk of falling from the cables was practically 0 even if it rained.
That’s frickin awesome! You guys are bad ass! Did you leave your main gear back down where you had your tent set up? The hike up to the domes looks brutal in itself!
Thank you so much! Yes, we left our big packs down with the tent at Little Yosemite Campground before ascending the cables and then broke down camp and hauled everything back down.
Yeah, mountain weather is no joke,climbed Grays Peak from Stevens Gulch,sunny til it wasn't,a storm formed over McClellen and I ran for the tree line and none too soon,storm was down in Keystone,hail,graupal,rain,sleet and lots of lightning.
We had dinner at the Goat and the back parking lot was flooded.
Lots of lightning.
Be cautious and some more.
Wow, glad you made it back okay
my hands got sweaty watching this!
😆
Being clipped on and using gloves is a very sensible move! I would not want to do this without those two items!
And surprisingly, most don't use a harness and some even do it without gloves
@@lucasterradostuff Those people don't take into account the possibility of bad weather or the possibility that someone above them might fall on them knocking them off. I saw people climbing huge ladders on cliffs in France without using the available harness points or any securing rope. Crazy.
i did the half dome hike in 1974 when I was 8 without any safety equipment. They were closing the trail when I was coming down to replace the cables and poles for the new third set. I'm sure that they have replaced those cables many times since then. We didn't have to have a permit or anything at all after we paid to be in the park. We could do anything we wanted to with no restrictions.
What a wild story. Thanks for sharing!
I think the safest is to not spend time at the top. The least amount of time in an area were many people have been hit by lightning. The harness is great. But one of those prescott things? It’s a clip that slides up but wont slide back. I think people have no idea how dangerous that really is. I think it is like standing in an open field with a golf club in your hand during a lightning storm. Congrats. You took it serious and didn’t try to talk your wife into going against her decision.
Lightning was definitely on my mind while I was up there. We never saw any or heard any thunder that day, but it's absolutely a potential hazard to be cautious of.
Got a permit! Great video!
Nice!! Thank you
Time to lighten up those packs. 40-50lbs for an overnight is nuts.
Correct. It was our first time backpacking. Needless to say, we learned a lot.
years ago I went backpacking in Colorado with two friends, a male friend and his GF. This story is very funny but some might I am making fun of women. I am just am telling the story. When we got to the trailhead and got ready to put are packs on hers was like unbelievable heavy. We were like what did you bring??? She had a hair dryer, a ton of makeup she numerous hair spray cans a really heavy bottle of perfume and then like minimal amount of essential gear. Haha…right? Not really it ruined our trip. In later years I took my wife camping (she has trauma from camping as a kid) in California. I remember that she saw the bathroom and freaked out. One of those just a hole in a concrete thrown. The first time she did her business in the woods was a huge breakthrough. I will other people have had that same experience. Just sharing some memories.
Things have changed apparently. Back in the 80s we climbed Half Dome three times, spending the night on top, no permits required. The last time we got to the cables at 8:45 p.m. to a full moon! For anyone planning to go, it is much easier to go up using the Muir Trail and coming down using the Mist Trail. It is longer going up but much easier. Save your thighs for when you have to climb the stairs on the Shoulder before getting to the cables. My first time I was so nervous I got about 20 yards up the cables and turned around. A woman saw me as she was coming down and handed me her gloves. Very nice, but, after I put them on I went up again and couldn’t even feel the cables and immediately came down and handed them to someone else. I managed to pull myself together and up we went. If you have a strong fear of heights the key is to just look straight down at the rock as you take each step. Pay no attention to that view, lol. It took us about twenty minutes. More scary for me was how many people were on the cables going both up and down. You quickly figure it out when passing people to just stop and hang on to your side of the cable. Know this - the rock is very slippery because it is worn and you just need to take one step at a time and pay attention. No one was using a harness back then but it might not be a bad idea. Never ever go up the cables if it has been raining and the rock is wet, unless you are looking for a Darwin Award. There are multiple signs regarding lightning. It is real. My husband on a trip with his friends held off and camped in the forest below the Shoulder due to rain. The group in front of him went ahead and the next morning they were recovering a body using helicopters! In this video they show them coming back down the cables face forward. We tried that the first time but it very quickly gets steep. It is a hundred times easier to back down!! To make this point, about half way up or down the cables it is as steep as being on a ladder. No one comes down a ladder facing forward. If coming down the Mist Trail it is narrow, steep and often wet and slippery. Definitely not for people with knee issues. It is beautiful and worth doing if you pay attention. Great video and views. I respect the wife taking a pass. No one should be pressured if they don’t feel comfortable and confident in their own abilities. A fun fact, a 93 year old man made it to the top in 2023. So go do this if it is on your bucket list. I will always feel fortunate to have seen three sunsets and three sunrises up on top! 😊
Wow, 3 times?! And spending a night up there?! That's impressive!
Things have certainly changed. These days, camping is explicitly forbidden on the summit of Half Dome.
@@matthewstorm5188 I have heard that. Probably because they don’t want all those people up there doing their business!! 😮
@@barnowlwatcher I’m sure that’s a part of it. Think of how well people comply with the ‘pack it out’ requirements on Mount Whitney. I’m sure they wouldn’t be any better on Half Dome. But there are other issues. Think of how crowded with tents it would be up there if they allowed camping. That would certainly take away from the experience. There are also issues with safety, including the dangers of electrical storms and people climbing the cables with large overnight packs. Plus, permits are only for one day.
@@matthewstorm5188 Not a single tent I can remember on any of the three times I spent the night up there. There are low rock walls people put together a very long time ago so when you are laying flat it helps protect against the wind. It is much larger than you might think. I don’t remember any trash either! But, of course we did have to do our “business” and bury it, lol. But times have changed and it doesn’t matter where you are, they carelessly leave their trash behind, fishing line, crap all over the beach, etc. The lighting warnings are for real. There are well posted signs to not be on the cables when raining or even if you see thunder cells way off in the distance. My X and his friends went on a trip and it started raining. They held back but another group kept going. One guy was struck at the top (where the rock cave is) and plunged off the face! They got to watch the helicopter come in for the retrieval. I suppose you get a Darwin Award when you are warned and do it anyway!
Not sure why anyone would climb that pitch in bad weather, much less without a harness and a couple of tethers with carabiners. Cost maybe $100, and would make the climb very safe, even in wet weather. Proper climbing shoes would help too. If it’s that difficult to get a permit, you might as well be properly equipped for the route. Glad no one got hurt.
Not sure if you saw, but I wore a harness.
Oh my gosh if I made it that far I would definitely be going up there
My thoughts too. Glad it didn't rain again that day.
Heck of a place to be if it starts raining and lightning while you are at the top or coming down cables!! Yikes!!!😮😮
It's a risk for sure. Several people had satellite weather forecasts at the base of the cables that showed the weather clearing up. Had it shown any chance of more rain, I definitely would have turned around and not attempted the cables.
I did that hike one afternoon in the mid 1990's. It was not all that bad except I forgot to bring a flashlight along. I to "half foot shuffled, in the dark from the top of the water falls on the way down like a blind man. So yea I was happy to get back to the parking lot at around 2 a.m.
Wow, crazy story. Glad you made it back safely. Thanks for sharing!
The 360 degree video shots are great. I was wondering if your were using a drone close above you. I do like the 360 shots.
I have been up half dome 2 times in about 30 years and never have used a harness, with a clip on for the cables.
One big rule on the half dome cables. Always have one hand on the cable and never let go.
Leather gloves really help holding onto the cables.
No drone. Drones are illegal in National Parks. All that footage that looks like a drone is from the 360 camera. It's on a 6' extendable pole.
Thanks for the good advice for the cables.
Why is there a U-Haul in Yosemite ? lol . Also happy for yall doing half dome , I have a huge fear of heights and was able to conquer clouds rest last year. Maybe one day I’ll do half dome !
You can do it!
Good job. I'd like to do this someday
Go for it!
@lucasterradostuff First, I got to plan 📝, obtain permit, and maybe plan an overnight 🏕 and 🚶♂️.
Thanks for the video. That's definitely too much for me. No one should do it without a harness. And Terra was right not to do it if she didn't feel up to it. Not worth dying over a climb.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching. Believe it or not the vast majority of people do it without a harness.
When backpacking to Little Yosemite Valley is MUCH easier to take the John Muir Trail instead of the Mists Trail stairmaster. Oh and be nice to your knees and use trekking poles.
Thanks for the info!
The hardest part of HD is getting the permit(s). One thing, never climb it wet or if there’s lightning.
Yeah, getting the permit took us several years of trying
From my experience, there seems to be only about a one in three to one in four chance of winning a preseason permit. And that’s for a weekday permit. You can always try daily lotteries. These naturally give you better odds since you have FAR more opportunities over the course of the season. There also seems to be about a one in three to one in four chance of winning a permit, which means you are pretty much guaranteed to be able to climb in any given season. But each application costs about $6 (in addition to the permit fee, should you win). And this naturally doesn’t work so well for folks who can’t just go somewhat on a whim.
If this hike is too much for anyone check out Sentinal Dome in the Park which just might be the sweetest little 2 mile round tripper anywhere.
Great advice
My friends and I did do Whitney which could also be treacherous when storms hit. Once my friend hiked it when there was still snow near the switchbacks. Two guys were coming down and had no crampons. They decided to slide down and one of them died in the process. So...yeah...bad idea.
I would not have wanted to be on this Half Dome hike...glad you got off the Mt ok.
Yeah, we've been looking into doing Whitney sometime in the not-too-distant future. Have heard and read many scary stories. Definitely intend be as safe and prepared for that hike as possible. Glad you and your friends were able to do it okay.
@@lucasterradostuff I think you'd like it. Overall very doable as long as you're prepared. I can't believe how many people don't train. Got caught in GC with one such person and it was a nightmare.
Happy hiking. I'm gonna follow u guys and see what you're up to. I'm 73 now and after a deer hit me and my hubs on a motorcycle i have just been doing light stuff.
But never get sick of the tales.
Glad you made it down safe. Now I don't have to go and do it.
Happy to help provide the experience without the danger and exhaustion.
wise you are!
I got one third of the way up and my boots were slipping on the rock face. It's no shame to turn around. Personally, I found the climb up Quarter Dome to the base of Half Dome, with no cables at all, way more intimidating.
Yeah, that granite is slick from years of shoes polishing it. Agree, there's no shame in turning around. Better to be safe. Yeah, it's kinda amazing that few people talk about how intimidating Sub-Dome is.
1. Not suggested to go up if rain is possible. 2. Standing at the edge of the rock filming at the top was not smart. Gloves and harness great idea. Fantastic video, thanks!
Thanks for the tips!
@12:48 my favorite shot
We tried getting into the permit system for three years in a row neeeevvverr had any luck, so me and my bf just did it during off season when cables are down. We did ours all in one day though, started super early at 3am and got back to the car at 9pm.
Cables down intimidates me, but that's awesome for you! Congrats
Here’s the thing. You will ALMOST NEVER score a preseason permit. In seven years, I have only scored a permit twice (but I couldn’t climb one of those two times due to a fire). And those were for weekday climb dates.
Daily lotteries are similarly hard to score, although these give you more opportunities to score permits over the course of the season. Just keep in mind that it costs you money ($6, if I remember correctly) each time you apply whether you win or lose. When I won a permit by daily lotteries, it usually took about 3-4 tries (again for weekday permits).
I did Half Dome in Nike Tennis shoes in 1986 22 miles in one day. I punk up Budweiser beers to the top of Half Dome I believe it’s calm my body down . Got back to camp in total darkness with no flash lights. The greatest achievement in my life.
Awesome story. Thanks for sharing!
You really shouldn’t keep going up when the weather isn’t optimal. Storms can come in very quickly and lightning is a very real threat. Many have lost their lives on that mountain due to weather.
It's a risk for sure. Several people had satellite weather forecasts at the base of the cables that showed the weather clearing up. Had it shown any chance of more rain, I definitely would have turned around and not attempted the cables.
It seems like this trail up half dome is getting slicker and slicker,thru many yrs ,as millions of shoes polish the granite surface..
It's interesting that you mention this, because it was my experience on the cable section that the granite did seem slicker than the granite in less trafficked areas. I feel like you are right.
@@lucasterradostuff and I haven’t even been there,just by looking at it in videos/pictures ..it’s shinier than the surrounding granite ..
always the case in such places and to be expected
@@beneleonhard7915 which makes it more hazardous on half dome..
This ended better than I thought it would, thank goodness. I was curious how long you and Terra trained for this challenging climb. I feel some poor choices made regarding the denim pants, no harness gear of your own, rainstorm reports, preoccupation with video taping, getting so close to the edge up there... Thought only cats had 9 lives. I truly wish you both continued adventure and safe travels, always.
We're sure glad it ended well also. We began hiking more often in 2020, with Half Dome high on a long list of many challenging hikes we're aiming to complete. 🤞 The denim pants are super stretchy, and I've worn them on tons of long, demanding hikes without issue. I did have a harness on. There were several people checking satellite weather forecasts at the base of the cables. Yes I did film a bit on the cables, and I'm not going to argue that that is a wise decision, but at no point was I "preoccupied" with filming above safety. Yes, I did get pretty close to the edge at the top, but I was still at least 3 feet from the edge at all times (the 360 camera makes it look more dramatic). I've witnessed hundreds of people do far more risky things in national parks than that (not saying what I did was safe or wise, just that it was a calculated risk and I trusted myself not to fall).
Thanks for the well wishes and for watching and taking the time to comment!
We used to skate down there
😆
I was going to try but when I got to Yosemite the cables were not up yet, stayed for 4 days but the day I was leaving they put the cables up,maybe next time
Hope you get to do it one day
i have done this a couple times without the permit system and it was face to butt the whole way up and down. Some people would be frozen with fear and causing long waits. The only solution would be to go on the outside of the cables which was fine in dry conditions. Wet conditions is a whole other story and in a thunder storm you would be in serious danger.
This is the only reason I'm glad they instituted the permit lottery. It took us years to get a permit, but I felt far safer than I would have with a horde of people creating a traffic jam up there.
@lucasterradostuff On the other hand, you personally witnessed one of the downfalls of the permit system. Because the permit system has generated a ‘scarcity of opportunity’, people are not as willing to turn around and come back later when the weather turns ugly. The problem is that, because of the permit system, you can’t simply just come back in a couple of days or a week. So people get a ‘summit fever’ that drives them to climb when they probably shouldn’t. This is reflected in the fact that, although the cables are less crowded, the permit system has not actually decreased deaths on the cables (FACT!).
Goof points
Terra is the only one with good sense!
😆
best to live another day.
It's much easier to walk down backwards. One you can use your hands to control your speed and you're not staring down the steep decline the whole time.
Appreciate the advice, but I very much enjoyed going down facing forwards. Backwards would probably be easier, sure. To each their own.
Trekking in jeans! Any damages to those iron balls?
HaHa! Yeah, they're stretchy jeans with elastic built in, so I've never had any issues hiking in them.
have been up this 3 times, never used the cables? Always have been down. Are they required now?
Are you saying you've gone to the top of Half Dome 3 times without the cables?
and yes@@lucasterradostuff
Should have taken the other trail up and the Mist trail down with your packs. It's all in the planning an not underestimating the difficulty. Personally, I preferred Cloud's Rest - look down on Half Dome.
Thanks for the advice
Please step back off that ledge😳😳😳😳
😆
I don’t understand the desire to do such a dangerous climb God forbid if it started raining
I understand your sentiment, but I do feel it's relevant to point out that roughly a million people have successfully completed the hike over the decades and fewer than 10 have died on the cable section. It's far less dangerous than many people seem to believe. That being said, it is imperative to take the risks seriously and be focused and careful if one chooses to attempt it.
Hiking poles, dude
Personally feel like trekking poles would have been more of a hassle than an asset on this particular hike. We saw a few people using them, but the vast majority were not. Appreciate the advice.
My fear of heights prohibits this. Oh ya, plus I'm 66. If you go to the top of the Mammoth mountain gondola, you can see halfdome. Or maybe drive Tioga Pass.
We'll have to check out those views. Thanks for the recommendations!
The Ritter Range blocks views of Half Dome from Mammoth Mountain.
One day very doable I've done clouds rest in 6 hours and 36 minutes that's up and down
In retrospect, we'd definitely do it in one day next time
6:36 is REALLY fast for Clouds Rest. I’ve summited Clouds Rest in 4:00-4:35. But unless I spent no time at the top and ran down, I don’t think I could manage that. And I’m just not that surefooted coming downhill. Regardless, 10-11 hours is perfectly doable for anyone in decent hiking shape.
@matthewstorm5188 yeah
I stop my time when I get to the top so I can enjoy the view the 6 h 36m is hiking
Started hike at 4:57Am vernal bridge at 511 am to vernal Falls at 532am made it to the top of Nevada falls at 611 am
1hr 14min
641am took brake
started at 650am made it to the clouds rest turn off 4.3 mile mark at 720 am. Made it to the 3.8 miles mark at 733am.
Took a brake at 851am.
2hr 1min
Started again at 9 am. Made it to 0.6 mile mark at 916am. Made it to the peak of clouds rest at 941am total up time
41min.
Total time up 3hr 56min up
Started down at 1050am finished trail at 130pm
Total time down 2hr 40 minutes
Hike total time 6hr 36min
Seems like the cables cause people who aren't fit for such a climb to think they can ascend, and it's crisis after crisis.
She said she didn't want to go, she shouldn't go.
People should have their head set to turn around at any moment they feel unsafe, like any mountaineer. The goal is to get back safe, not to summit.
The cables are a bad idea, they invite inexperienced people to climb a dangerous mountain.
I found this list of deaths involving the half dome hike: theworldtravelguy.com/half-dome-deaths/#Half_Dome_Deaths_List_2023
If you read through it, you will note that about half of the deaths didn't even involve the cables (several of natural causes, falls along other sections of the trail and multiple involving lightning), and the ones that did involve the cables have almost always involved inclement weather or hikers attempting to ascend while the cables are down in the winter months.
I definitely agree with you that hikers "should have their head set to turn around at any moment they feel unsafe." That being said, while fully understanding the risks involved, I felt confident that more rain was highly unlikely according to folks with satellite forecasts at the base of the cables, and I watched several groups successfully ascend before I considered going up. I also had a harness (not that I would count on it to save my life, but it was there as an extra layer of potential protection) which fortunately was just a precaution. I never proceeded forward without feeling confident that I would get back down safely, and I would have turned around if I had.
To my knowledge, everyone who was there that day got back safe, fortunately.
As to your comment that the cables are a "bad idea," I couldn't disagree more. The vast majority of people who attempt it (from children to elderly folks) complete it successfully and without incident. It's a minute fraction of those who attempt, that need rescue or die.
Also, It's a rock formation at the end of a hiking path. I wouldn't call it a mountain. I think equating the half dome hike with mountain climbing does mountain climbers an injustice. Mountain climbing involves far more strenuous, dangerous and skilled activities. This is a hike, not a mountain climb.
The funny part is that with those harnesses and the static line connections. The impact forces you would be applying on your body in a fall would be immense, strong enough to kill or incapacitate you. You need to add a shock absorbing device into the system if you want it to work.
It wasn't the right way to do it, but in those circumstances the peak force wouldn't be that bad. It would be a tumbling or sliding fall down a slope going no further than the distance between two poles, so the speed would be low, and the transverse loading would get some flex from the pole. Its what he had, and he was definitely better off using it than not.
First off, I don't have a background in physics nor am I an experienced rock climber. Having said that, I doubt the impact forces would have been enough to kill or incapacitate.
That all being said, at no point did I count on the harness to save my life. I never needed it, fortunately, and most people don't use one. In fact a large amount of people find them to be more of a distraction and potential danger than they are worth.
I hadn't intended to use a harness and didn't bring one. The only reason I used one was because it was gifted to me by someone who chose not to go up. I set my mind as if I didn't have a harness on at all, that way never relying on it for protection.
The harness may have failed if I had slipped. The force of it stopping me may have caused serious or severe injury. Fortunately, I didn't have to find out.
I'm just curious Terra is that a pentagram tattoo on ur arm???
They are! For me, it means the 5 elements and a symbol of protection, also I got them on my 25th birthday and everything is multiples of 5 to honor that.
How do you hike in jeans?!
They are super stretchy with elastic woven in.
My wife and I climbed that several years ago and absolutely loved it!
The BEST part was almost running down the cables on the outside of the steps and then after we walked down the steps we decided to run the rest of the way. It felt like flying ❤️👍. Was such an amazing day and those memories will last till I’m done here on earth. Blessings,Carlos ✝️🙏❤️😊🇺🇸
We also got to witness a couple get married on the top. ❤❤❤❤❤
Awesome story Carlos! Thanks for sharing!
You know, these cables would be a lot safer if they just added one more cable and row of poles... then people going up go between right 2 cables, and people going down go between left 2 cables.
I see what you mean and it's probably true. Doubt the park service would do that though and there are probably lots of people who would be angry if they did.
Awesome video. Music is hideous mess.
Your opinion is noted and respectfully disagreed with. Thanks though.
How can you climb on jeans bro....???!!
They are super stretchy. They have elastic woven into the fabric.
ok..@@lucasterradostuff
Keep a weather eye out shipwreck.
👁
How many people have fallen off the cables at Half Dome?
Over 20 deaths have been documented on Half Dome. There have been 9 deaths on the infamous cable section of the Half Dome trail since it was installed in 1919, five of which occurred due to slipping in wet weather. If deaths on the trail leading to Half Dome are included, the number of fatalities jumps to 60.
Yeah, that's similar to the numbers I've seen when I looked it up. If you consider how many people have safely completed the hike (before the permit system ~50,000 were hiking it per year), 9 deaths, while tragic, is a relatively tiny fraction. Certainly not trying to minimize the pain that those families have endured, but rather pointing out that this hike is, by and large, far safer than many may believe, especially if you are prepared and cautious.
sure fire recipe for disaster. egging someone on into doing something they are scared of doing.
When we reached the cable section and Terra didn't feel comfortable continuing up, no one pressured her to. I went up and she stayed behind.
No way I would do this....not even for Elon musks money
Understandable
That clip doesn’t look strong. Plys you take it off for a second. So one slip. Yur fd.
So, by and large, I agree with you that the harness certainly is by no means a guarantee of safety. I will say that it is strong enough that if I had slipped, it would have stopped my fall. That being said, I kept both hands on the cables except when I pulled out the camera a handful of times. I certainly wouldn't recommend taking your hand off the cables to film, and any criticism of me doing that is reasonable.
I understood the risk involved and chose to accept that risk.
No Way Jose! I experienced Bigfoot in Yosemite
😂
I'll never understand why people insist to go up the cable when bad weather is evident
I agree that it's wise to turn back when rain is forecast, but according to several forecasts that day, the rain was supposed to be brief and over by the early afternoon. Those forecasts were correct, and we had nothing but sunshine the rest of the day. Fortunately, everyone who went up that day returned home alive.
I wouldn't even attempt it if it is a cloudy day.
I feel like the permit system is at least somewhat to blame. By making it hard to secure a permit and making the permits a ‘use it or lose it’ affair, people will take risks to summit that they wouldn’t otherwise. There’s a reason why, despite the fact that fewer people are on the cables, deaths haven’t decreased.
@@matthewstorm5188 of course they say come and "disconnect" yet you're a slave to an electronic device trying to get a permit or having to show a permit
i think you should not do this, unless dying is an "ok" option for you.
Good to know, thanks
Super over dramatized for views😅
I suppose that's your opinion, but several of the folks that were stranded up on the cables came down crying and hysterical. I suspect they would disagree with you.
*I can't stand when people do those 360 shot's. You can't actually see anything or tell anything about what you're seeing. They are pointless and dumb. AND A WAISTE OF TIME. When I come across a video that thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, I move on and don't care about even trying to watch the video.*
*It's like the growing trend of the ever annoying "Bro". It didn't use to sound bad because it wasn't overly used, but you can't even get through a thread without at least one saying it. It's as immature as kid's saying, "tell me blah blah without telling me you are blah blah.* 😬
*And the overly immature use of saying, "I'm just saying ".* 😬
*And they are starting these other lazy trends like, "protect this person at all cost " and so many more. It's getting so annoying to read the comments because a lot of people DON'T HAVE AN ORIGINAL THOUGHT IN THEIR BRAIN.*
*And those 360° shot's are right up there with them. They are pointless because you can't tell anything about what you are trying to share with people.* 😬
Bro, tell me you don't like 360 shots without telling me you don't like 360 shots. I'm just saying. 😂
The music is annoying
Thank you 🙂