Cloud’s Rest & Half Dome, Yosemite national park, ca

August 21-28, 2017

WE’RE THE ONES WHO MADE IT

We are the ones who like to escalate situations. We had only been on one prior backpacking trip, to Raisin Lake, an easy one day out and back, and thought it would be a great idea if our next trip was an 8-day backpacking trip. It turns out we weren’t wrong, and it was one of the most memorable trips of my life.

DAY 1 & 2: ACCLIMATIZATION

We began our journey on August 21, 2017, which happened to be the day of the solar eclipse and we made a quick stop in a parking lot to get a glimpse of it on our way to Yosemite. We decided it would be smart to spend a couple days acclimatizing at altitude before embarking in earnest to Cloud’s Rest. We drove into Tuolumne Meadows around mid-day and immediately stopped at the Tuolumne Meadows Grill to ingest what would be our last full meal for awhile. We then headed to the Murphy Creek trailhead for an easy 3-mile hike to Polly Dome Lake.

Total Mileage: 6.4 miles out and back

Elevation: Approx. 8,700 ft.

DAY 3: SUNRISE LAKES

We headed back south and made our way to the Tenaya Lake trailhead where the more difficult part of our journey began. Our next stop was Sunrise Lakes and after an initially flat trail, we came upon some serious switchbacks where I pulled out my newly-gifted hiking poles. Having never hiked with poles before, I can say that I was surprised at how effectively they worked to distribute the weight of my pack. We encountered a couple of elderly gentlemen as we trudged up the steep incline, and to my delight (noting my state of mind), we were able to pass them. Having successfully ascended what was one thousand vertical feet over about a mile and passing a sign that pointed towards Cloud’s Rest, we turned towards the trail to Sunrise Lakes where we spent one night. There are three lakes and we decided to stop at the second one, having read that it was more secluded. The lake was beautiful and so refreshing to dip in after a hot and difficult hike in and we welcomed the short respite.

Total mileage: Approx. 4 miles to the second lake

Elevation: 9,450 ft.

DAY 4: CLOUD’S REST

The next day as we headed back out from Sunrise Lakes to the Cloud’s Rest trailhead juncture, it started to rain lightly, but quickly cleared up. There would be little to no water from this point so we had to fill up and make sure to ration. We could definitely feel the added weight and the trek felt much longer than it actually was. Luckily, there was a small lake further down the trail where we stopped to fill up and eat lunch. We met a solo backpacker, @mountainmammal, who was also headed the same way and he joined us on the rest of our hike to Cloud’s Rest. The last mile or so I felt like I was crawling on my hands and knees and we all stopped to take a snack break before the final stretch. While we rested, we chatted about whether we should leave our packs below the final summit, as we were planning on backtracking to set up camp for the night. However, a couple passing us in the opposite direction told us about a great spot just over Cloud’s Rest where we could camp. We quickly decided on that option and strapped our packs back on to make the final climb.

Cloud’s Rest sits at about 9,930 feet and as you can imagine, affords incredible 360 views, including one down to Half Dome. To get to the top, we had to traverse a 20 foot wide rock trail and with our heavy packs to balance, it felt a little precarious, but only because of the expansive views on either side and the elevation at which we were situated. We were never in any real danger.

The feeling of being at what seemed like the top of the world and having reached there on my own two feet is hard to describe. The panoramic views of the surrounding landscape were breathtaking and we all sat there taking in the splendor with a mix of elation and humility. And to the west we could see Half Dome, the next major destination of our trip.

After a bit, we continued over the crest of Cloud’s Rest and headed down to a lower ridge to set up camp for the night. We watched the sunset and I knew that it was a moment I would never forget. Although that day’s physical and mental activity had been strenuous, we stayed up later than usual chatting, gazing at the stars, and savoring that special moment in the warm glow of the campfire.

Total Mileage: 5 miles

Elevation: 9,931 ft.

DAY 5: LITTLE YOSEMITE VALLEY

The next morning we broke camp and started our trek down to Little Yosemite Valley. As you can imagine, this part of the trip was all downhill (we descended about 4,000 ft.) and did a serious number to our knees and feet. We finally made it into camp which was filled with backpackers of all kinds as well as many unexpected amenities (i.e. clean bathrooms with toilet paper). We found a spot to set up camp and it was at this point, while we were preparing dinner, that we discovered we had been rationing our food incorrectly and eating much less than we should have been. We discovered we had many more meals left than we should at this point in our journey, and quickly remedied our abundance of food with one of our most plentiful meals of the trip. We decided to get an early start the next morning to beat the crowds to Half Dome and turned in early.

Mileage: approx. 5.5 miles

Elevation: 6,100 ft.

DAY 6: HALF DOME

The next morning we got up bright and early and headed to the trail towards Half Dome. Normally, a trip to Half Dome from the valley would be about 14 miles roundtrip, but since we were hiking from Little Yosemite Valley, we were able to reach the top in 3.5 miles. We didn’t encounter a ton of people during the start of our trip but there were definitely more folks as we climbed up the switchbacks of the sub-dome portion. When we reached the base of the dome where the cables are, there wasn’t yet a line to ascend. We put on our gloves and started up the cables, one after the other with the anticipation that we only had another 400 feet until we reached our destination.

The thought of ascending the cables was actually more nerve-wracking than the reality and with some measured and hyper-aware hand and foot placement we reached the top safely. With one more deep breath, I stepped onto the dome and immediately had a feeling of awesome accomplishment at achieving something I’ve been wanting to do for a very long time. The expanse of the dome seemed to stretch forever and we explored its edges with excitement and wonder. We eventually sat down and enjoyed some snacks before taking turns checking out the “diving board”, a portion of rock that juts out over the valley. We hung out for a bit until we decided it was wise to head down as more people started to show up. We did encounter a bit of a line as we headed down but descending turned out to be easier than ascending and we finally landed at the base, happy that we had made it up before the crowds had arrived.

We made our way back down to Little Yosemite Valley and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Mileage: 7 miles roundtrip

Elevation: 8,840 ft. (top of Half Dome)

DAY 7 & 8: YOSEMITE VALLEY & HOME

The next morning we took the JMT and headed down to Yosemite Valley. Again, the constant descent was hell on our knees and feet and when we reached the top of Nevada Falls it felt like we had finally reached the end of our week-long journey. We took in the glorious views of the waterfalls before heading towards Curry Village, the final few hundred feet of which felt like some of the most difficult of the trip due to our hunger and overall exhaustion. We passed on taking a shuttle to our final destination as we were determined to finish on foot, even if it meant crawling the rest of the way on our hands and knees. Somehow we made it to the village and collapsed onto one of the outdoor table seats, no doubt causing alarm to the fresh-faced campers who had stopped at the pizza place for a leisurely bite. The sight of our dirty, exhausted, and grizzled backpacker visages probably scared a child or two. We ill-advisedly gorged on what was the most delicious pizza, beer, and ice cream of our lives, and then subsequently descended into coma-like naps on the porch of one of the Curry Village buildings.

We awoke at what I imagine was a short while later and made our way to the backpacker’s camp for the night. The next morning, we broke camp super early to catch a bus from Yosemite Valley to Tenaya Lake where our car was parked, as these bus rides were infrequent. This trip took about an hour and a half, during which we enjoyed listening to the bus driver speak about her personal story of falling in love with Yosemite after her first trip as a young woman and deciding never to leave.

Mileage: 4.3 miles

Elevation: 4,000 ft (Yosemite Valley)

It has taken awhile for me to write the entry for this trip as it felt overwhelming and impossible to put into words. But as I finish this entry in May of 2020 while we are sheltering-in-place during a world-wide pandemic, it feels simultaneously comforting and hopeful to be able to relive one of the most important trips of my life, as well as to know, in these uncertain times, that I will be able to return once again in the not-too-distant future.

The mountains are calling, and we must go.

TRAIL INFORMATION:

Trail Information: see above

Total Mileage: Approx. 32.2 miles

Elevation: varies from 4,000 to 9,931 ft.

Difficulty: Hard

Things to Note: Bear country, need to acclimate at elevation, water filter, prepare for no water source between Sunrise Lakes and Cloud’s Rest, need a permit to climb Half Dome, bring mosquito repellent for lower elevations, mind where you do your business.