Hello everyone,
This is Sharath. I’m a travel freak and a hardcore trekker. I’d love to take a month of time off from work to live in a mountain and feel the freshness everyday without any social hurdles.
This is the story of my expedition to Half dome and Glacier point at the California State. I was accompanied by my colleague Brian who is also very much enthusiastic about hiking.
The journey started a day before from Sunnyvale and we had the permit ready a week before that. Since we wanted to start pretty early in the morning, we halted in a small hotel before Yosemite. It was really cold in the night. All we had to do is get tucked inside the blanket!!
On the next day, we drove early to the base of Yosemite park and parked our car (I believe we were the first ones to make the entry). the Dense cloud made us look worried as the cloud and even a small drizzle will make our path difficult to reach the half dome peak. The rock becomes very slippery and rangers wouldn’t allow us to go till the peak. We started ascending through the park and hit a milestone to the first waterfall the mighty “Vernal falls” We could almost kiss the water from the cliff and were thrilled to see the force with which it was hitting the ground 2.4 miles below that point. It was indeed loud and refreshing.
After 2 miles of ascend we encountered the roaring Nevada falls.
We took a U just before the half dome final summit as the weather was not helpful. It was raining and the path became muddy. And more importantly the rangers asked not to risk in the slippery giant rock which made us take a step back.
On the other hand we had enough time to make it to Glacier point. So we ascended on a slightly elevated route to Glacier point. It was amazing route with a repertoire of different species in the forest. We encountered several new and rare birds on the way.
We reached the base of Yosemite Valley pretty earlier than expected and had a stomachful of food in the food truck. The drive through the drizzling rain from the park was fantastic. We took adequate breaks for the photos.
We would love to make anther try to the Halfdome this summer and make it memorable. All the best for folks who are planning to go.
Carry adequate water (at least 3 ltrs) and food supplements. If you are going to Glacier point from Half dome you will get good restaurants there. Don’t forget to shop and get some fridge magnets as a token of memory ?
Thank you!!