I don’t usually consider myself a serious hiker.
It’s more of a mental block than a physical one. I’m not a speed hiker, but I’ve climbed mountains in Alaska, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and California – so I’m not a beginner either.
After I hiked Half Dome in Yosemite, an intense 17-mile, 13-hour trek with 5,500 feet of elevation gain, I couldn’t deny it any longer: I’m a hiker.
Hiking Half Dome was one of the most demanding things I’ve ever done, but in the weird way of the universe, I was also the most mentally prepared to suffer, which in turn, lessened the suffering (slightly.) From the 3:45 am wake-up alarm to trudging at sunrise and the petrifying ascent to the summit and the endless grueling descent to my van, I found myself fully (and surprisingly) capable of rising to the challenge.
So if you’re curious about what possessed someone to do this hike, how I did it, and how I trained for it, let’s go.
What Possess Someone to Hike Half Dome?
To be honest with you, I didn’t think I was going to get to hike Half Dome.
Yosemite is in the top 10 most visited national parks in the country, bringing nearly 4 million visitors a year. Half Dome is a strenuous, technically challenging hike and there is no way the Park Service could allow everyone who visits to try the hike; it wouldn’t be any kind of land stewardship. So to get the chance to hike Half Dome, you have to apply in a lottery.
The lottery works like this: in March, Recreation.gov opens applications for the lottery. You can apply for a specific date for up to six people in a party. It’s advised that everyone in your party apply for the best chances. They announce winners sometime between 6 – 8 weeks later.
If you don’t win the lottery, you can hike as far as the base of Sub Dome or onto Sub Dome, depending on where the National Parks Ranger is posted that day, checking for permits. (You don’t have to apply for a lottery to hike Half Dome during the six and a half months of the year that the cables are not up, from October – late May. Godspeed to you if you decide to try that.)
When my husband asked me if I’d hike Half Dome with him and my sister-in-law during family vacation, I laughed and said sure, thinking we’d never win. They both applied (I did not.) My husband did not win, but his sister did – and then it hit me.
I was really going to hike Half Dome.
How Do You Train to Hike Half Dome?
Plan to train for distance and elevation gain. You need to be comfortable on your feet for 10+ hours of moving as well as steep climbs and rocky terrain.
It took me and my family 13 hours to complete the climb. The elevation gain starts from the moment you get on the Mist Trail, this short paved section winding up above your head for seemingly endless miles. There is no easing into this hike – it’s hard right away.
The Mist Trail is open to the public and climbs to Vernal Falls and farther up to Nevada Falls. It’s paved, but it’s incredibly steep and once you reach the foot of Vernal Falls, the stairs start – and don’t stop for a mile. They’re slick, smooth, and crowded in the afternoons.
After the falls, the climb keeps going but the grade evens out (for a bit.) Half Dome looms over you for much of this hike: it’s a trick of the eyes how it continues to grow the closer you get.
Once you get to Sub Dome, 7 miles in, the fun really starts. Here there are more stairs, carved into the smooth rock face and twisting in switchbacks for a half mile that goes straight up. After the stairs come the smooth face of the dome itself, a steep grade that requires concentration to summit. You have to go down slightly after Sub Dome to get to the base of Half Dome.
And then you’ve got the cables. There’s really no training for these. You can hike all the mountains or canyons or Stair Masters you want – there’s nothing that will really prepare you for the cables.
Bring gloves, breathe deeply, and hold on. The best training I can recommend for climbing the cables is meditation – breath control is important here. It’s important because when you’ve made it here, you’ve already been hiking for 8.5 miles and several hours, and this section is physically trying. It’s also important because this section is terrifying.
I’ve never held my body at the angle I did during this climb. My trusty hiking boots slid on the smooth rock face and my entire upper body was working just to hold on. I couldn’t help but look around (don’t recommend that) and although my mind was focused, fear rose up from a primal center and overwhelmed me for a moment. My breath was ragged and sharp and it took my years of meditation practice to hold onto it and slow down again.
When you research Half Dome, most resources will tell you this: some people simply cannot complete this climb. Fear takes over and they have to turn around, only halfway or a quarter of the way into the climb. I was determined not to be one of those people, but I nearly was.
You may not think meditation is training for hiking, but I assure you it is.
Driving to this hike, I felt physically undertrained. I had done several long hikes in preparation (23 miles in a weekend between Arches and Canyonland National Parks and a 10-mile hike in the San Bernadino Mountains) but it didn’t feel like enough.
And it might not have been, if my baseline hadn’t been the highest it’s ever been. I was in better shape physically before moving into the van, but I have been hiking for going on six years now, and there’s an important compounding effect. My legs have more miles logged now than ever before in my life, and while I could have trained harder, what I did was enough.
How Do I Hike Half Dome?
One foot at a time, baby.
Okay, yes, I know that’s cheesy. But it’s also true.
Every hard, no matter how long or how hard, is completed one step at a time. And when you’re six hours into a 13-hour hike and your legs are already turning to Jell-O, focusing on one step at a time is the only manageable thing to do.
Be prepared to suffer, mentally and physically. That may not sound like a ringing endorsement of this hike, but I don’t care. It’s hard and there’s no sugarcoating it. Being mentally prepared to suffer in a situation is one of the best ways to mitigate it. If you’re determined to accept what is, no matter what it is, you can get through it.
The first big mountain I ever climbed was a 46-er in the Adirondacks called Sawtooth. It was around 10 miles to the summit and about 3,300 feet of elevation. I started it late in the day and came down unprepared in the dark and rain. It was long, steep, dark, and hard – really hard. I had never been in a situation like that: exhausted and shaky, with no choice but to keep moving through the dark woods back to camp. That hike took a harder hit on me mentally than physically, because I wasn’t ready.
This hike of Half Dome was the opposite. It’s been five years since then and I’ve done a good amount of summiting since then so I knew what I was getting into. It didn’t make the hike fly by nor did it change how much I dragged my feet in the last mile, but it gave me enough to keep going. This hike took me down for a few days after: I was walking like an arthritic old lady for at least 48 hours.
If you too feel possessed enough to climb Half Dome, train, meditate, and get mentally prepared for a long, hard day.
Half Dome: The Dirty Deets
- Route: Mist Trail to Summit ascending, John Muir Trail to Mist Trail descending
- Start time: 5:15 am
- Summit time: 11:30 am
- End time: 6:30 pm
- Total distance: around 17 miles, give or take a half-mile (my Garmin watch died on the way down)
- Elevation: around 5,500 ft gained
Where did you park to hike Half Dome?
Curry Village Parking Lot
Did you need a reservation for Yosemite to Hike Half Dome?
I did not, because I drove in before 5 am on a Monday in June. You will need a reservation if you arrive at 5 am or late from April 13 – August 13, and on weekends until October.
Does It Rain Often On Half Dome in the Summer?
Yes, afternoon showers can be a daily occurrence in summer in Yosemite. The prevalence of rain storms and how quickly they can come on is a major reason the NPS recommends starting this hike as early as possible. No one is allowed to summit Half Dome in the rain, and getting down from the top can be incredibly dangerous in wet conditions. It rained during my hike, thankfully after I had begun my descent.
