Don, Jim and I drove up the day before and all stayed in the Mariposa area. We met up at 4:30am, drove to Yosemite and headed out for the trailhead at 6:00am .... We were early enough to get into the Trailhead parking area about 0.6 mile from the trail.
At the Trailhead. There are two ways to get up the lower portion of the hike to Nevada Falls -- the Mist Trail, which is shorter but very steep (photos on that later), or the John Muir Trail, which is longer and still fairly steep. We took the classic John Muir Trail, which goes on 211 miles to Mt. Whitney.
The lower John Muir Trail follows the north side of the Merced River up through a steep canyon and is well developed -- with pavement and stone walls. The Merced River thunders down making impressive rapids ....
... like these ! I've done some rapids in Idaho in a kayak --- but you'd have to be crazy or world class to do these rapids that way .....
About 6:30 when I took this shot back down the canyon -- the canyon walls are just about vertical ....
By 6:30 we reached the footbridge. Shortly after this the trail splits, with the Mist Trail continuing up the Merced River, and the John Muir Trail ascending the south side of the canyon.
A look up the Merced River from the footbridge, from where you get your first trail view of Half Dome in the background.
Ah Yosemite ..... this is actually the out-house at the footbridge -- though it looks a little like the cabin that Hansel & Gretl found in the woods ...
A typical view on the John Muir Trail taken about 7:00am .....
First shot of Half Dome with some light on it ....
Very colorful finch of some kind ....
The ground squirrels have a distinctive white ruff around their neck and shoulders .... this guy seemed to be checking in with me for breakfast ...
Not the same squirrel, but with the same whitish markings on the neck ....
The Merced River makes two major waterfalls in the lower section of this hike. This is Nevada Falls, plunging nearly 600 feet over a cliff. Vernal Falls is not really visible from the John Muir Trail, though you can hear it.
Half Dome, elev. 8,836 ft -- about 3,000 vertical feet to go!
Half Dome on the left, Mt. Broderick (6,706 ft) at center, and Liberty Cap (7,076 ft) at right with the sun directly behind it.
Another shot of Half Dome and Mt. Broderick .... now about 8:00am ...
... and a closer look at Half Dome ...
Now very close to Nevada Falls, just 20 minutes ahead....
A look back down the canyon toward Glacier Point -- the high point on the right of the mountain in the background. From there you can see this entire hike all laid out in front of you, and can see both Vernal Falls and Nevada Falls as well.
Another beautiful shot of Half Dome, with Mt. Broderick in front. Just above the summit of Broderick and on the right side of Half Dome is the Sub-Dome (some call it the Quarter Dome) .... more on that later ....
This is a beautiful section of the John Muir Trail, with water streaming down the rock face on the right ....
Same location ... more Columbine blooms than I've ever seen in one place before ...
They really are beautiful ....
A close-up ....
Same location .... ferns ....
Same location ... not sure what flower this is, but very nice how it caught the morning light....
Liberty Cap, Nevada Falls, and some red Indian Paintbrush in the foreground .... This is hands down one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever done ...
A closer view of Nevada Falls ....
Loved this section of the John Muir Trail ...
Another view ... with Liberty Cap in front, Mt. Broderick behind, and Half Dome in the background ...
Just before getting to Nevada Falls, crossed this little stream coming down through the forest ....
The footbridge at Nevada Falls, with Liberty Cap behind. Now about 8:15, two hours from the trailhead, and still 2,900 vertical feet to go ....
A look upstream at the Merced River, just before it plunges over the cliff ....
... and as it plunges over the cliff and down Nevada Falls ...
After Nevada Falls there is a restroom where the Mist Trail re-connects with the John Muir Trail, then makes this pleasant walk for about a mile through the Little Yosemite Valley ...
Interesting how this hike has distinct sections, and after the Little Yosemite Valley section the trail begins a 3-mile uphill section through a deep forest, beginning right here as you walk between these two large trees ...
While moving though the forest, you get occasional views of Half Dome ...
Typical trail view in this forest section ...
After about 2 hours of hiking you emerge from the forest section into a sudden and dramatic view of Half Dome ....
A zoomed in view ...
Saw lots of this flower in the forest, but I liked how the light caught this one ...
Now much closer ... 11:00am and about 7,800 ft elevation, with another 1,100+ feet to go. The closest rock hump with the trees on the right side is the Sub Dome, where 600 feet of stone "stairs" are waiting to punish your legs .... beyond that, you can just barely make out the final cable section, with what looks like a line of ants ....
This is the inauspicious beginning of the notorious "stairs" ... stopped here briefly to gulp down some trail mix and water ...
Salamanders on top of Half Dome .... Who knew?
The notorius "Stairs" are either cut directly into the steep stone face, or are stones with steps up ranging from 6 in. to as much as 16-18 inches ...
Yup, it really is as steep as it looks ....
I can't imagine how much work it was to put all these stone steps into place. Not a place where power tools could be used, so they had to have been placed in by hand ....
Lots of this magenta colored flower tucked into spaces between the rocks ...
As you can see, plenty of rewarding views to look at while resting ( frequently ! ) ....
.... see what I mean?
A look back down from about half-way up ....
Near the top of the stairs section I took this interesting shot, showing the line of ant-people making their way up the cables ...
Just when your quads & gluts are in total melt-down you finally reach the saddle between the "stair" section and the "cable" section .... from where I took this beautiful shot ...
Lots of people hangin' out up here ... and you can see the line of people moving up the cables ...
Even with the early start, it took nearly 6 hours to cover the nine miles to this point, so almost noon before reaching the cables, and a line of people waiting their turn.
My wide-angle lens gets all of Half Dome into this shot, but understates just how steep the cable are ...
Another view ...
This angle gives a better idea of the steepness. Actually the steepest part is in the middle -- the lower part and upper part are less steep.
While waiting my turn, a look east to admire the view ... most of the peaks seen in the distance surround Tuolomne Meadows, about 30 miles to the east.
I brought my own gloves, but as you can see, there's plenty of extras if you arrive without them ...
Plenty of reminders that the final climb up Half Dome is not without its dangers. Just two weeks before, a man fell to his death when rain and hail made the rock slippery and he lost his footing ...
... and if you did begin to slide, there is no way to stop, and you would slide into a near vertical fall like this .... With that in mind, I secured safety equipment: A climbing harness, slings, and carabiner clips to secure myself to the cable. That gave me the peace of mind to enjoy the climb and to use my camera ....
After a 45 minute wait, I finally got my start up the cables ....
A look back down after going just a short way up ...
This manages to show the steepness a little better. You need good boots for this -- running shoes are just not sticky enough ...
The line did not move very fast, plenty of time for resting. You actually use your arms as much as your legs.
Making some progress ...
... and some more ....
OK --- THIS gives you a better idea of how steep it is in the steepest middle section. This is probably as close to rock climbing as I will ever get!
In some places you also have to step up 12-18 inches over these rock sections ....
Finally summited around 1:30pm -- my ascent took about 30-35 minutes once finally started ... the waiting was longer ...
Left to right: Me, Jim, Don --- pose for our summit shot, using Don's portable tripod, my camera and the self-timer .... The view is looking roughly southeast ...
That's me standing out on the "diving board" ... and Yosemite Valley almost a mile below ... well 4,800 feet anyway .....
Pretty cool, huh ...?
You literally feel like you're on top of the world at Half Dome .... the views are incredible ....
Zoomed in ...
A local squirrel ... once he decided I wasn't going to offer any food ....
... he went after some berries ... or maybe he's a vegan?
Saw lots of critters up on top ... (but no salamanders ...)
This handsome guy had distinctive red markings above each eye, not sure what he is ...
... but this guy is definitely a Yellow-Bellied Marmot ...
And this guy looks a lot like the other lizard, but coloration very different ...
Not all the sights up here are natural .... like this 'more bars' ad for a well-known cellular service .... and by the way, there IS cell reception up there ... I made several calls !
Hmm, a peace symbol and a glove filled with sand giving the 'peace" sign .... ?
This is the view from the "diving board" looking east toward the upper Yosemite Valley ....
The view south ....
The view southeast ...
Some of these peaks along the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada are 12,000-13,000 feet ....
Looking east, and the line of people on the cables ....
Just beautiful up here ....
Telephoto view of a waterfall high on the north side of Yosemite Valley ....
By now about 2:45pm and I'm in line again, waiting to go down ....
Going down is different -- most chose to face front (I did), but many prefer to go down facing uphill. The strain on the hands is greater going down, and the 'stickier' your gloves are, the better ...
More hurry up and wait ... but don't let the casual poses deceive you ... I was only taking photos when the line wasn't movin' ....
Now getting to the steeper middle section again ....
About half-way down ....
No waiting line to come up now ... in fact shortly after this there was no one coming up, and it speeded up our descent ...
Somehow looking back up in this shot gives a pretty good perspective of what it feels like to be on the steep section of the cables ....
Yah ..... steeeeep section .... looking north ....
Nearly down now ...
I was down by 3:45pm, but it took an hour with the waiting at the top .... now 'just' nine miles to go back to the car .... (ouch)
A look to the left of the cables ....
.... and to the right ....
Quite a view .....
While looking for the "stickiest" gloves I could find, I figured work gloves would be a natural ... I found these at OSH ... and the 'Death Grip' name cracked me up ... had to have them .... I cut the tips off the index finger and thumb of each glove so I could operate my camera better.
And now ---- back down the "stairs" ....
More of those flowers ... in good afternoon light ....
Great photo I thought, with the hiker taking a break, and the incredible view ...
Going downhill is usually easy ... except when you're stepping down 16-18 inches ....
... but I made it down the stairs pretty quickly, and then came upon another friendly squirrel ....
And now back into the forest section ....
I love deep forests like this one ... the fresh smell is just great. A great mixture of ponderosa, cedar, Jeffrey Pine and many types of fir .... I learned that Jeffrey Pine looks nearly identical to Pondersa -- but you can identify Jeffrey by sticking your nose into a crack in the bark: If it smells like carmel or butterscotch, it's Jeffrey ...
Occasional glimpses of enormous cliffs through the trees ....
... And another transition from the forest section to the flat walk of Little Yosemite Valley ....
The Merced River is pretty big ... this is what it looks like about 1/2 mile before it plunges over Nevada Falls ....
Another view ....
About 1/4 mile before Nevada Falls, the slope increases and rapids form ....
Here we begin our descent from Nevada Falls back to the valley floor -- this time taking the Mist Trail down ... it's about 2 miles, and at least half of that is nothing but steep stone stairsteps .... this part was almost like a circular staircase ...
Further down, we got these incredible views of Nevada Falls ....
The falls are just thunderous -- it's like an open spillway on a dam ....
We stopped several times for photos ....
600 feet down!
The falls is so powerful that it creates a wind of mist ....
Here the trail crosses the Merced River via this footbridge ...
.... and the entire river thunders underneath through a natural spillway that is only 8-10 feet wide ....
.... seen from the side view ....
A look back at the bridge and Liberty Cap ...
At the top of Vernal Falls ....
Vernal Falls, up close and personal ....
Did I mention that the Mist Trail was kinda steep ...?
This is where I was standing to take that last photo ....
Most of the steps are so steep that you tend to take them one at a time ... lead with the right leg till it gets tired, then lead with the left leg for awhile .....
Vernal Falls, about 300 feet high ....
... but for some reason, Vernal Falls produces a LOT more mist than Nevada Falls -- hence, the name of the 'Mist Trail' ...
The mist was so heavy in this section that it was like walking through a light rain ... had to cover up my camera ....
A look back up the steps, with Vernal Falls in the background.
Below Vernal Falls the river continues as a raging rapids ....
Looking downstream .....
Finally back to the lower paved section of the John Muir Trail, so only a mile or so to go now ... After 18 miles, 4800 vertical foot gain, and 14 hours, my feet were complaining loudly ....
... and just before we got back to the car, Jim noticed something making noises off to the left ... Darned if it wasn't a black bear ... looks kinda small in this photo, but I estimate he weighed about 300 pounds. Now about 8:30pm and nearly dark, the only way I got this shot was with a flash, and his eyes lit up like lamps .... We were very happy to get back to the car, and even happier wih a big fat pizza in front of us, just minutes away in Yosemite Village ...
The yellow line shows the trail we took from Yosemite Valley up the John Muir Trail to Half Dome, and the Mist Trail down from Nevada Falls to Vernal Falls. (Map courtesy of Don ... )
Taken the next day from Glacier Point. The John Muir Trail starts in the Yosemite Valley, at the lower left, and continues up to the right of the lower Vernal Falls and the upper Nevada Falls, then continues up the Little Yosemite Valley above Nevada Falls (and to right of Liberty Cap in center), then up through the forest to the base of Half Dome on the left, and finally up the Stairs and Cables on the opposite side of Half Dome. The Mist Trail come down the left side of Nevada and Vernal Falls, then rejoins the John Muir Trail below Vernal Falls.
