JusMoney

went to yosemite for the first time in may of 2001. my intention was to climb the cable route to the top of half dome. that was it, half dome, the iconic symbol of yosemite. got a wilderness permit for two nights at little yosemite (cable route permits were not yet required) and i was set. oh yeah, see some cool waterfalls. the hike up from happy isles was sensational; 80 F, not a cloud in the sky, vernal fall was lovely and nevada was in full flow. both were unexpectedly astonishing. the mist, the sound, the dropoff standing at the precipices; i was not prepared for how stunning these two falls are. and little yosemite is among the finest campgrounds in all the national parks. large, sheltered, spread out, good source of water (filter). the weather was superb. i slept with just a ground cloth and thermarest in a summer bag. no tent though i brought one. oh, i climbed half dome. the cables were still down from the winter but i climbed it anyway even though a docent at the visitor center told me i couldn't and got pissed off when i told him i was gonna! the hike up from little yosemite is beautiful, classic sierra high country. when i got to the saddle the site of the cable route scared the hell out of me and i really considered not doing it out of fear. then a party of four arrived at the saddle, two boys and two girls, and they just scampered up the cables like goats. with that i had to do it. two girls?? come on. it was not nearly as difficult as i feared and after 50 yards or so i had a pretty good rhythm going so it was just a matter of one foot in front of the other. plus it flattens out nicely near the top. the top is cool, much larger than i expected and the view from the brow 4000+ feet straight down to the valley is extraordinary. climbing down the cables seemed a little dicier to me than the trip up but was doable with caution. plus it was 80F, clear, dry, and still and this was the first week of may. it wasn't until we all got down from the top that i learned that the two girls in the other party had just gotten back from everest base camp!! true story, my hand to god. but as great as the cable route is, the real highlight of the hike is the two falls. wasn't expecting waterfalls to be so riveting. all and all one of the finest hikes in the parks, right up there with angel's landing for excitement and spectacular views. be prepared but do it.