Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Cables at Half Dome: Is anyone else scared?

Thanks to everyone for your input. You guys are awesome. I will try Half Dome again in early October and will really try to make it this time. I've done Shasta, Rainier, Hood and the Mtn. route on Whitney many times and never had a fear of heights. But those cables -- wow! They really scare me. Thanks again.

has anybody heard about that guy who snowboarded down the east side of half dome? (the side with the cables)

a lot of people wonder what happens to the cables after the tourist season comes and goes. some think the cables are taken out or removed but actually the supports are just removed so that the cables lie down on the rock. then after the first snow they get covered and iced over eventually. me and a friend have actually went up the flacid cables in november. a warm patch of weather had come through and the cables were basically ice free. with the aid of in-steps and a biner and a few runners we were able to top out. everything on top near the edges was heavily corniced so we avoided that. coming down was like sliding down a frozen angled fire pole

o.k. don't laugh but when I did Half Dome with my husband and I refused to do the cables, I came to the conclusion that Half Dome is definitely about the journey, not the destination.
My husband sumitted and said he was glad I didn't! I don't feel like I missed out on anything by not going up the cables.

I've never attempted Half Dome, but I've heard about the "Infamous" cables many times. Half of me thinks it must be pretty tough, because a lot of veteran Whitney Hikers have balked at going up. The other half of me is saying - "If Huell Howser could make it up to the top, so can I"

I think a little different preparation might help before the attempt. Most hikers work on their legs and their lungs to be able to carry them up their destination.

I believe that the successful summit of Half Dome - the dreaded cable section - also requires some work on the forearms, and the ability to pull yourself up a cable for approx 20 to 30 minutes.

There are many exercises that could help build up the forearms - some as basic as stretching out a long rope with a really heavy weight attatched to it, and pulling it hand over hand towards you.

I'm convinced that if someone was confident in their ability to pull themselves up the cable - using upper body strength - they would have courage to make the attempt, even if they are afraid of heights...

P.S. Yeah, I know, easier said than done..

Just walk up.You do not need to pull yourself up. The cables just give you something to balance yourself with.

Is it a joke that Huell Howser made it up the cables? Man, if that guy did it, I have no excuse left over! Really, can someone confirm Howser did it, including the cables? I will use this as motivation because if he can do it, anyone can.

I don't understand how anyone can "walk" up the cable section, the angle has to be 50 degrees, how can you do it without falling over backwards to your certain death? This blows me away. To me, it looks straight up and I have been up 35-40% of the way before bailing out in terror. To anyone who can do it on the outside (or inside), my hats off to you in genuine awe.

http://www.calgold.com/calgold/Default.asp?Series=Specials&Show=558

"Huell recently had the adventure of a lifetime when he climbed Yosemite's formidable Half Dome. Join him in this one-hour special documenting his 17 mile round trip trek, along with other avid hikers, to conquer this 4800-foot high landmark."

i think they mixed up elevation gain with actual elevation, no?

I'm with you, Grand Canyon - I watched the program - and while I don't think they actually showed him 1/2 way up the cables, his camera man was right behind him, and I still don't remember him showing Huell struggling up the cables.

But in Huell's defense - He went up the cables with a female park ranger, he interviewed her at the top, and I can't believe he would have a helicopter or something like that take him up to the top to do the show.

Like I said - If Huell can do it, maybe more people can do it than think they can..

That's it, a done deal. I have seen Huell Howser twice in person and if he can do the cables, there is no earthly excuse for me not to. The humilation of knowing he can do it and I chicken out will be thew greatest motivation of them all. And Louis, his "camerman" (uh hum)... made it too? Sheesh, no excuses now. Thanks for the URL.

The point of my earlier post was that the cables are not needed to ascend that section of the Half Dome trail. With a good pair of shoes, some practice, and calm nerves, I think most people will find it easier to climb the cables section of the trail if they are using them primarily for balance. Because I had spent much of the summer doing other climbs in the valley and the crowds on the cables were pretty thick, we opted to ascend this section following a route that was about 5 to 10 feet to the right of the cables. In places where there are big steps in the exfoliating granite we would work back towards the cables and use them for balance as we stepped up. One of the guys in our group did the ascent and descent completely without use of the cables.

As to the other route up the backside called Snake ****, it is a relatively easy climb, but does require some experience or a guide. Because it is an alterante route to the top of Half Dome and so many people want to say they've climbed to the top using ropes, the route gets very crowded. I've heard the best way to climb it now is at night during the full moon. You can enjoy a quiet climb without the crowds and witness the sunrise from the top of Half Dome.

I'm curious how long it takes to do the Half Dome hike. I'm taking my family to Yosemite at the end of the month, and would like to get the hike done before missing too much of the day with my wife and young children. I summited Whitney last weekend in 6:40 from the Portal. Any thoughts on how long to complete the round-trip to Half Dome from Happy Isles trailhead if I left around 3 AM and spent little time at the summit?

Eric,
I was up at Half Dome a few weeks ago. A 3:00 am start is good because the crowds this time of year are terrible on this trail. I do Whitney in about 11 hours and did Half Dome (only halfway up the cables though...) in 6 hrs. 50 minutes. That time is including the half mile walk from the parking lot to the trailhead and back to the car. I did the Mist Trail up and down, which is 14.2 miles roundtrip, compared to 17 miles the other way. I strongly advise you doing the Mist Trail, you will be glad on the way back not having to do those 3 extra miles!

A word of warning: I started at 5:00 am and when I returned on the Mist Trail, it was jam packed with all sorts of looky-loo's who just wanted to see the falls. They had kids all over the steps and it was extremely hard to pick your way down among these huge throngs of casual people. None were hikers so they didn't know or care about hiking etiquette, like slower people moving to the side, etc. So add some time here because it's impossible to make any quick progress with hundreds of people hanging on the stairs, taking pictures, and impeding the progress of the serious Half Dome hikers.

Something I've always noticed about the Half Dome hike: there is more litter on this trail than any other I've seen. There are always candy wrappers, toilet paper and other debris all over the place, which is indicative of many non-hikers doing this for a kick and not packing their trash out. Also, you see more unprepared people here than anywhere else. I always see many people with no water whatsoever or, at most, carrying by hand one bottle of Gatorade. Many hike with no shirt and in biking shorts and have no food. I don't know how most of these people make it.

It's a great hike, one of the best. I just wish I could conquer my fear of those nasty cables.

as much as an early start makes sense i for one would advocate a mid-day start. if you can top out in 5 hours from happy isles why not start around 1 or 2 pm. get up to the top, watch the sunset and then make your way down in the dark. the biggest advantage being that you will only see the smallest fraction of the crowd compared to coming down mid-day. coming down in the dark may seem uncomfortable but if you can make it off the shoulder by the time it gets completely dark you basically are following a dirt road back to the valley. pretty hard to get lost. a partner and a headlamp, and currently a full moon, would make for an awesome and safe experiance without any crowds. i saw about 20 people last time i came down late.

Grand canyonhiker-

I took my son (15), my daughter (18) and her boyfriend (18) to Yosemite last summer to do the Half-Dome hike. I am an experienced hiker but they are not. However they all had a strong desire to make it to the top. When my daughter saw the cables she was very scared but wanted to give it a try. I placed her directly in front of me and my son directly behind me so she would be more comfortable knowing we were back there if she slipped.

She was crying and shaking all the way to the top but I just kept telling her she was doing great..She was so proud of herself for having made it and of course I was very pleased to hear my kids say what an awesome experience it was. So you can do it! Just put someone you trust behind you!

PS I have been to Half Dome several times and I always see people climbing way outside the cables. I wouldn't try it myself but they made it look easy.

It's all in your head.... FEAR.... I think reading and writing about the latest failure to climb the cables is counterproductive. I think techniques for easier cable climbing are not helpful. All techniques do is to mess around with your head even more. Bad technique like leaning into the mountain is a result of fear. Just remember that if it was really dangerous (it isn't), the NPS would not put the cables up. Before you climb the stairstep section before the cables, give yourself an irrevocable promise to not abort from that point forward (last chance to use the thunderstorm excuse). At the base of the cables, give yourself a five minute time limit to rest. Once time has expired, you MUST get on the cables and make forward progress until you get to the top. No U-turn allowed until the end of the cables.

i think all these people who are scared just need some good old fashioned ribbing:

COME ON YOU BABIES I"VE SEEN BABIES AND GRANDMAS GOING UP THE CABLES, QUIT YOUR "I COULD DIE" WHINING AND DO IT!!!".... you could die walking your doggie

A couple of Half Dome observations/suggestions for you.

I hiked the Dome about a dozen years ago with a girlfriend. We were camping in Lower River, destroyed in the flood a couple years back, and starting from there the total distance was comparable to Whitney, the elevation gain a bit less, though there is a lot more air!

We had just made the summit when it started to drizzle. We went to the edge and the valley was half obscured by clouds. We parked next/under a couple rocks toward the south side and I pulled out a bottle of (iced) Dom Pérignon, which I had secreted in my pack, to celebrate the event. Our celebration was truncated when the drizzle turn to rain, and the first peal of thunder echoed across the valley. We beat a hasty retreat back to the cables.

The granite was very wet on the way down the cables and there was one guy above us wearing tennis shoes! He was slipping with great abandon and we clung to one side of the way, glad to let him pass. Only the cables prevented him from going the distance in one motion.

We went back the next spring, early June, for an encore climb and to get some better pictures up top. And just to do something different, we took the mule ride up. I'm not sure that it's still operating.

On the way up, we we're looking at the folk on the ride, especially their shoes. None of them were wearing anything really good for hiking nor riding! And when we mentioned gloves, they were uninformed. It gradually dawned on us, that these folk expected that the mules would take them all the way to the top when, in actuality, they park at the steps.

My girlfriend and I were the only ones of the party to summit. Most declined to attempt the steps and the rest bailed at the cables. I took some great panoramic shots at the tippy top.

On the way down this time, I saw the scaredest folk I've ever seen on the cables. Three little girls, perhaps 8, 10 & 12 or so, being escorted up by their parents. Their arms were either level with or angled up to the cables! That just couldn't have been comfortable. One was praying, one was crying and the third, the oldest, was whispering to herself, "I'll never go anywhere, ever again."

Back on the mules, I was chatting with one of the trail guides on the way down and she mentioned that very few of the mule trip adventurers summit. So, there are thousands more no-go's for the record.

As someone else noted above, the climb is steepest around 1/3 of the way up. If you make it past there, the slope gradually eases and you should be "home free".

If you have some sideways ankle strength, perhaps from skiing, and are wearing some good shoes, you might try holding both hands on one cable and sidestepping up the steepest part. You can look across the canyon instead of into the granite in front that way. Just don't look down. :-)

And speaking of down, I personally find that to be the spo****r direction. Mostly because you are looking down!

Keep on tryin'! The view from the top is SPECTACULAR. Take binoculars to view all the "little" people in the valley below!

The cables scared me, too. At the time, and since, I thought that people must die there all the time.

Being lacking in upper-body strength (but not in lower-body weight), I had a tough time with one spot where the layers of granite were such that one has to step up onto a piece that protrudes out a foot and a half or so. Basically, it's akin to standing on a floor sloping at 50 degrees and trying to step up onto a kitchen counter. Impossible to do with just your legs (or so it seemed to me). I wasn't sure I had the strength at that point to pull myself up that step and thought I was going to have to turn back.

But I made it and the climb is definitely worth it.

I remember discussing strategy coming down. I went down facing the granite. Some people on their way up said it was easier the other way. I turned around and tried that for a only a brief moment. Way too scary for me, maybe because you can't help but be aware of your predicament doing it that way.

Here's a pic looking down the cables. Kind of a nice view if you ignore what's straight down...

Bill Law

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Grand Canyon Hiker! Just last week we backpacked from Tenaya Lake to Yosemite Valley hiking Clouds Rest and Half Dome. Camping near the Half Dome TH gave us a great advantage of an early start and not being exhausted before reaching the cables. My husband decided the view below was enough for him and I greatly respect him for that decision. Being on the cables by 9:30a I was able to take plenty time. I focused on getting to each section of board or pole, resting, then onto the next. I must have used the deltoids more than other muscles cause thats what burned the most. Coming down I took the same approach, one section at a time and never totally letting go. An individual I followed down was terrified and came down backwards. Everyone behind and coming up was very supportive and encouraging. I'm glad I reached the top but personnally the view from Clouds Rest far exceeds Half Dome's. We had the trail up and down to ourselves and only 2 others on the summit. Also, the steep, sandy steps leading up to Half Dome seemed more dangerous and scary than the cable section. We're a couple of senior citizens so guess you don't have to be superbuff to climb Half Dome, but with so many wonderful peaks around go for what you feel comfortable with. We wish you luck and happy hiking.

I chickened out too! Heck, I was shaking like a leaf on the switchbacks praying to the trail gods that a strong wind didn't come up and sail me over the edge. My husband made it to the cables and realized how much he valued his life just a little bit more then the thrill of victory. We did have one in our party of five make it to the summit. We talked to the ranger at the trailhead and he said they pluck hiker/climber want-a-be's off the mountain cables just about daily, although no one has fallen. Yet. He did tell us a fall would be fatal. No kidding. That was enough for me. I agree with you. No way Jose'! We will stick to the trails. Although, I envy those who have made it. I guess I just don't have it in me.