Let’s first get the things out. We started from the Yosemite Valley floor at 7:16AM and finished at 9:42 PM to hike the round trip to the summit of Yosemite Half Dome, in a total of 14 hours 26 minutes, 19.6 miles and 4902 feet elevation gain.
It was one of those things you can’t die without doing and the one you are most likely feel like dying while doing… It was AMAZING, but also BRUTAL, I am not going to lie. However, it was worth every piece of sore muscle I am suffering right now. It was a spectacular Yosemite day hike that is full of water falls, quiet forests, and breath taking panorama views. Our limits were challenged, our courage, strength, and even the tread of our shoes were all tested.
Also check out the sunset views of the Half Dome at Glacier Point we visited just in this April.
[ Up: El Capitan, Yosemite Valley ]
[Up: Yosemite Valley, Merced River]
[ Up: Yosemite Falls, the tallest fall in North America ]
[ Up: Upper Yosemite Fall ]
[ Up: Little Yosemite Valley ]
[ Up: Nevada Fall ]
[Up: Gazing at half dome cables at the sub dome ]
[ Up: Ascending the Half Dome Cables ]
[ Up: Summit view on the Half Dome, taken by iPhone ]
[ Up: Descending the Half Dome Cables ]
honeynhero 
Love, love your photos! Yosemite is a place to see and Congrats on conquering Half Dome – YAY!!! I am not a big fan of heights and was shaking in the knees just trying to make it up to Nevada Falls. Have a Great Day:)
Yes…these are awesome!
The pictures are awesome!! and congratulations on having conquered the Half Dome, now you got me itchy thinking of trying…… but the problem is I might really die!!! -:)
Until this morning, my legs were not mine at all, so it took 3 days to fully recover. Honestly, it’s not very good for the body because this much long distance and climbing cause too much muscle and bone damage. Next time we would hike up till little Yosemite valley and camp there over night, and continue to half dome the next morning. That way, we will be more certain that our body is going to make it. The hardest part is the fear of shaky legs not able to come down.
I had to laugh. I just had to.
Wayne
Brilliant!! Wonderful photos. Congratulations!!!!
Thanks. Look forward to the next!
wow – what a feat. if i were to do this, i’d definitely do it with my husband. til death do us part!
Great photos…
Wow! This expericence must have been amazing! I would love to do that for myself some day…
WR
I love the images!
I love half dome. My daughter’s have climbed it several times. We like staying in Curry Village. Where did you stay? Thanks for sharing your digital photos. http://www.segmation.wordpress.com
We stayed at housekeeping camp.
Absolutely breathtaking photographs! Very nice work (:
I’ve always wanted to do this!! What amazing photos and a fabulous post. You’ve inspired me to make this happen this summer :D
What a hike! I want to go there once.
Simply spectacular! The photos are wonderful! After seeing your photos, I’m incline to climb the Yosemite Half Dome now. I have to see it for myself.
Looks amazing !!
Wow! That’s so fantastic! What a wonderful adventure. North America is just a great place to travel.
Beautiful photos
Katie
http://katieraspberry.wordpress.com/how-to-get-traffic/
I can feel these photos. And hear them. Congrats on your accomplishment, thanks for sharing all of it with us, and congrats on fresh press.
Sigh. I love Yosemite. My husband and I spent a summer working there in college (Ahwahnee Hotel and Village Store). This, of course, meant we got to bop around that beautiful valley whenever we weren’t working. Thanks for the stunning images and the fond, fond memories. I am glad you get to have Yosemite memories of your own!
Love the photos! I also conquered Half Dome several years ago and I can confirm, it is something everyone, who is able, should do at least once in their lifetime! (It doesn’t take an extreme athlete to do this, I certainly am not and I saw many kids, older folks and people who just plain looked out of shape make it to the top. You can do it too!)
Absolutely stunning. Have always wanted to visit Yosemite, especially after seeing Ansel Adams photographs. Congrats on FP.
We have an old photograph of a couple of people that may have been taken atop Half Dome; photo seems to be from the late 1920’s. Only the top section of the rock formation is visible; your article might help solve the mystery! Thanks and enjoy your trekking!
Really a nice photography……. and awesome view…
Amazing! I’m not so sure I would be able to climb those cables to the top, I am so afraid of heights! Thanks for sharing! Congrats on being freshly pressed!
Amazing Photos and Blog Post….thanks for sharing!
Stunning pics, looks incredible.
Steven Wade, Edinburgh and Dundee.
Congrats on being FP – YAY!!!
Really amazing
That looks like great fun, for the younger me. Congrats on being freshly pressed.
Yosemite is amazing. I grew up near Yosemite, but climbing Half Dome still terrifies me. Great pictures!
Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing.
Nice post. In the half dozen times I’ve hiked up Half Dome I have never done it in a day, but that is quite a feat. I enjoyed reading the post and viewing the photos, I am thinking this is one I should try.
Those pictures are just amazing! Hope i’m as lucky to see such sights one day. Also well done!
Fantastic pics especially from over here in Kent (UK). I especially like the phrase ‘can’t die without doing and the one you are most likely feel like dying while doing…’ I will try to remember that as it should fit into many situations.
Love Yosemite….I really need to get back there…I was like 5 when I was last there.
What glorious photos!!! :)
I did this hike last year! It is so incredible – you will be feeling that high for a while! Congrats!
Reblogged this on doodlejuice.
Süper Photo Perfect !
You’re pictures are amazing!!!!
amazing shots!
I live in Chicago and I make it a point to visit Yosemite while I am in California. I was in Yosemite National Park for the Memorial Day weekend. Your pictures lure me to plan another trip sometime soon
Wow. These pictures are amazing. Yosemite is definitely on my bucket list. :)
Reblogged this on Makais Blog and commented:
congrats on your hike! great pics
Reblogged this on Under an Artichoke and commented:
Oh, wow! How awesome would it be to hike Half Dome all the way to the top, then float lazily down the Merced River in an inner tube on a summery day? My dream. Definitely on my bucket list.
That looks amazing! I wish I could climb that mountain…
That definitely looks like it was worth it. Your photos are stunning, so I bet being there was incredible. Congrats on making it!
Your pictures are breathtaking! I loved Yosemite when we went.
Yes! Yes! Yes! to all that you said about Yosemite. I am lucky enough to live down the road about 1 1/4 hrs. from this gorgeous place. Although I had visited and hiked many times, I didn’t do Half Dome until I was around 49 years old. It’s never too late!
Great job on the hike! Love your photos!
awesome you have such a beautiful place there, it’s a gift
Great pic and congrats on the hike.
I am totally going this summer. Now I can’t wait…
This is SO awesome! Great job on the hike! Can’t wait to do some of this this summer!
Seriously all i can say is wow
you had my mouth open a couple of times in awe from those photos
thanks for sharing
An amazing feat! And your photos are great, thanks for sharing. I love Yosemite.
Simply amazing, beautiful pics.
OMG how the heck are you ascending those cables?!
Those pictures are so breathtaking, I bet they don’t even do justice to what it looked like standing there in person. Might have been totally brutal, but I bet it’s just so satisfying to know you could do it. I’d be beating my chest right now. Haha =P
Same question I had. Are those cables vertical and if so, are you clipped on? Nice photos btw
The cables are not vertical. I took the shots far away from the sub dome, so they look like they are vertical in picture.
CONGRATS! You conquered that beast!!! And I’m following suit! ;) Stunning photos! May I ask what camera and equipment you used???
I only carried a fujifilm S100fs with me at the Yosemite park.
For nearly a decade, I was lucky enough to join my aunt and uncle on their annual week at Yosemite. I was free to do whatever I wanted so long as I was back to the Awhanee for tea at five. I don’t remember how many times I climbed Half Dome, but in time it felt like greeting an old friend, the walk to Vernal and Nevada Falls, and then onwards and upwards. It has been over ten years now since I’ve had the opportunity. I hear permits are now required, making planning necessary, rather than the spontaneous lark it used to be. Thanks for posting this, a sweet madeleine to bring back all those memories.
–Brent
Amazing shots and great adventures! Thanks for sharing, this is so inspiring and congrats on making this post to freshly pressed. :)
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Reblogged this on exploresf and commented:
Beautiful
what a wondreful life!
Such beautiful photographs! Wish I could go there someday.
Yosemite is the most beautiful place on earth.
These pictures are AMAZING! What an adventure.
good stuff. can’t imagine myself visiting such place in my life. you showed me why people enjoy being in the wild and the beauty of it. I like how you GPSed your route. Congratz!
subhanallah…!
love from indonesia…
You took great pictures of Yosemite. I use to go there frequently as a child. As a high school student I was persuaded to hike to the top of Half Dome and I complained all the way up until I got to the top and said “WOW”. Will you do it again?
Yes, I would like to do it again some day. But next time, I may camp over night at little Yosemite valley, and climb the half dome the next morning.
Amazing.! Love your photos!
awesome pictures.. really amazing
Thank you so much for sharing your photos… they are beautiful! A great inspiration for Friday morning (or any morning!).
Thank you very much!
Haven’t been… yet! It’s on my list – until then I spend an unhealthy amount of time looking at photos and reading about Yosemite :-) Thanks for your pics here!
Hope you are inspired some day!
some really original shots of the half dome here
I am lucky to have a cloudy day during my visit.
Great photos and congrats on being Freshly Pressed! Climbed Half Dome about a year ago — absolutely the most terrifying and awesome day ever!
Thank you so much! It was a once in a life time day for me too!
Love them!
*Gasp!* … A hand to my heart, and a tear in my eye! … What brilliance and beauty for this geologist of a former life!
Thanks, I feel the same way!
Wow! Amazing pictures….felt like I was along the hike with you. I have friends and family who have put Half Dome on their bucket list. I’m going to share this with them. I know they will love the shots. The active graph is a nice touch.
You Matter! Smiles, Nancy
Thanks for sharing my experience with your friends. Hope they would be inspired and pack right away!
SO COOL! I have been going back and forth internally trying to decide if I can do it or not!! I want to so bad, but I am definitely scared..Nice photos!
Thank you for sharing yourself with us I like
Reblogged this on Experdon and commented:
The Beauty of Danger or the Danger in Beauty
Looks awesome! I’ve always wanted to climb the half dome. I just need to get my name on that list to do it! Isn’t it true that the best things in life are the hardest? Guess that’s true here, too.
Reblogged this on Make Something Every Day and commented:
Chalk art festival!? C’mooon!
Wow these are amazing pictures! I would love to hiker half dome at some point in my life ( still got a little while to build up muscles since I’m 13), but anyhow, congrats on being Freshly Pressed and what a amazing adventure it must have been, despite the sore legs!
Congratulations on the Half Dome summit. It’s on our bucket list but I don’t know if we’ll get to it or not. Fantastic pictures too. Keep charging.
I gotta do that hike someday!!!
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Great pics. Brings back memories of taking my Boy Scout troop up there (twice)!
Congrats on conquering the hike from hell and for also winning the permit lottery. I’ve done “The Hike” a couple times now. The last time I went I was nuts enough to lug up almost 10 lbs of camera gear. I’ll definately do it again if I’m ever lucky enough to win the permit lottery. I went before the had the permit system. I had friends who also worked in Yosemite (Wawona, actually) who would hike all the way up and back at NIGHT, and back in time to cook breakfast/work the next day. Crazy people! Wonderful photos and congrats on being freshly pressed.
we tried four times to finally award the permit. Try it on Sunday and weekdays, it will give you better chance. I understand it is hard to plan the half dome hike if you are from another state. We are lucky to live a few hours away, but still, making the accommodation reservation is hard because we won’t know until 2 nights before.
Awesome photos! I am so thankful that those cables are still there. There would be no possible way the park service would allow anything like that again! i think that hike and the Angel’s Landing hike in Zion are the best day hikes in our nation.
http://www.westcoastflyingadventures.com
I’ve heard the angel’s landing in Zion national park. Now it is on my list together with rim to rim hike in Grand Canyon.
Hi Erika,
Funny you should say that, I just got off a 16 day kayak trip down the Grand Canyon. (photos on my website below). Rim to rim is fantastic, no doubt. However, for that extra special once-in-a-lifetime experience, here is what recommend: 1.) Take a raft trip down. 2. Stop at Tapeats canyon and do the hike up to Thunder river, where a river comes right out of the side of the Grand Canyon. It is magical, like being on top of Half Dome. 3. Then keep going, up through Surprise Valley and down Deer Creek canyon, an incredible oasis, back to the Colorado River. 4. Hopefully someone took the rafts down to this point, and rejoin the raft trip.
http://www.westcoastflyingadventures.com
I checked out your Grand Canyon Kayak trip. WOW, it looks pretty amazing! I bet it must be a fantastic journey for you. Did your group plan the whole trip by yourselves? or what kind of group did you join in for such a great adventure?
Regards, Erika
For the grand canyon trip we got lucky and joined a trip with someone that waited more than 10 years for a permit. It costs more, but you can sign up with a reputable raft company like AZRA or OARs and also have a great time. Really, its just as good. Just do a true raft trip and not a motorized trip. My wife and I took our parents down with AZRA years ago and it was an amazing trip. Planning for a private trip is much much easier than it used to be because there are companies that put everything together for you. I see you eat healthfully, and they will pack vegetarian or vegan meals for you. Either private or commercial, I can tell it is something you would really enjoy. – Ney
Thanks for the great info, Ney. we will check it out for our next trip to Grand Canyon.
From your blog, you seem to fly to places. Do you fly planes?
We are from the San Francisco Bay Area. Where are you from?
Erika
Erika,
Yes, except for a handful of international trips, each of my blog posts are places I’ve flown my small plane to. I fly out of Placerville, CA. not all that far from you. By plane anyway…
Great photos and keep on climbing … :D
Those photos are simply amazing! Photos like these are what inspire me to want to drag the nearest friend somewhere without notice. :)
Breathtaking views. Yosemite is on my immediate to-do list post Mexico/Central/and South America travels. Congrats on being freshly pressed!
I would love to to go central and South America someday when we almost finish the North America. :)
Really lovely photos! Thank you for sharing with us!
Thanks so much for visiting!
I did this hike last summer and LOVED it. Definitely something you have to do once in your life.
Amazing photos! Unbelievable work of nature ^_^
Thank you for visiting!
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Wow! That looks amazing! I still haven’t been to Yosemite, but it’s on my list. Your post makes me want to go even more. Congrats on doing Half Dome!
awesome adventure…i love it..
Great shots Thanks for the adventure we took with you by way of photoes. Went to Yosemite two years ago. Watched people climb. I am waiting to go back so much to see. Thanks for the photoes great!!!
Hi, really nice pictures you’ve snapped :)
love from Malaysia :)
NIce Article
Great pictures the ones of you guys ascending and descending the rock was great like the way you put that together. Good job, keep posting :)
Really splendid. We were once in Yosemite in our summer holydays and we did several hikes. All were impressive, but maybe the most impresive was going from the Valley to Glacier Point by the 4 Mile Trail, and after that from Glacier Point to the Valley by Panorama Trail. We spent more or less the same timr as you that day…and it was unforgettable. But you enjoyed also the falls in spring. In August they are also amazing but with less water.
Our trail in http://airusa.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/de-marxa-per-yosemite/
Greets from Tarragona
I am sure those trails you did were great experience too. Actually, we took a little bit of the panorama trail because we were confused by the sign and got lost for a while until we met someone hiking back from panorama trail who told us this is not the trail to half dome…Next time I would like to try the glacier point.
Wow! Stunning views – makes me want to move back to America. Access to unspoilt wilderness like that is incredible!
I’ve done this nike twice. Worth every step. Like you’re on top of the world. Everyone should see Yosemite before they die, and if you can’t climb Half Dome drive to Glacier Point and soak up the view from there.
wonderful photos.. i don’t think i could ever climb that rock wall.. you were amazing..
Favorite Place in California! Love it there.
Really Awesome Pics….
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What an amazing expedition! The photos are just stunning, and I have definately put this on my lis of things to do now. Are the cables like a via ferrata route, do you have to clip on and climb ladders/rungs or are the just a guide?
The cables are just for hand gripping. You don’t need any climbing equipment or climbing experience to get to the top actually.
darn, my bucket list just keeps getting longer and longer..inspiring photos. Congrats.
amazing!!! definitely something i will have to add to my bucket list. did you go with a guide or just by yourselves with a map? how much prepping did it take?
Hiking the trails to Half Dome is quite straight forward. However, due the lottery permit system they adopt now, we had to plan the accommodation on the go. We didnt know we would be awarded the permit until 2 nights before.
Oh wow. Thanks for letting me know!!
Nice Article
Gosh, I’ve posted once in my Russian blog about climbing el capital, then absailing it followed by a crazy swing/bungee jump. It was phenomenal – your photos definitely put me in a very nostalgic mood :)
I really admire you climbing the El Capitan!
Really amazing! I’m from Germany and I was in the Yosemite Park last summer, so it’s great to see this wonderful photos now ;)
Reblogged this on luvsiesous and commented:
Friends,
Check out this blog about Yosemite. I must agree on one point made in the comments.
You SHOULD break a hike like this into smaller hikes.
WHEW!
Awesome photos, and a great read.
Wayne
Great Pictures! :) also, please check out my blog at dailyadvice101.wordpress.com! Thank you very much
Nice! Brings back good memories from my own trip to the top. Here’s my shot of the ant trail that goes to the top:
http://snapshotsforsoreeyes.com/2010/12/11/half-dome-ant-trail/
OH WOW!!!! That looks amazing!!! I must travel to the US one day to take this hike. Those cables looks scary though ;)
Great set of images and really helps someone who has never been get a sense of Yosemite. I have been around most of the SCottish mountains but would love to visit here. Thanks for your post.
stunning pictures! i’m going to yosemite next month for the first time…can’t wait :)!
Oh, wow. This is so amazing! You are one lucky and fearless individual!
Wow. What a climb. You don’t need any cables at all? I mean, no one uses a harness?
This looks like a wonderful challenge to partake in. Though after some research it would be best to pick a day during the week when there is less travel on the trip up the boulder
Congrats on being fresh pressed! And more importantly, for conquering Half-Dome. Wow. Amazing. Tis on my bucket list…but I must say, the ladder climb looks more than a wee bit daunting. Okay, frankly? just seeing it in pictures scared the crap out of me! Holy moley!! So way to go!!
Love your pictorial. It was like being there…without the muscle cramps! :)
Kirsty
Thank you for sharing some of your experience and wisdom.
i like nice post
Un lugar espectacular y unas imágenes geniales!!!
Great job with super pics. It is such an awesome pilgrimage. I almost felt like I was there – minus the muscle pain.
Great… now I’m homesick! Kidding aside, my folks honeymooned at the Awhanee, my brother took his wife there for their first anniversary, and we went there many times growing up. I’ve also been to most of the national parks and I think Yosemite is oft overlooked because its in the middle of California. Your pictures are gorgeous and for the moment I’ll just live vicariously through your post! :)
stunning pictures!
thanks for sharing.
love the photos, they really tale you there and it looks like hard work but lots of fun
Congrats….Its a difficult hike…..Half Dome is something everyone who’s capable should do. Once had it all to myself. Might have been due to many of the boards missing on the final ascent.
Gorgeous shots! Makes me miss Yosemite! It’s funny–I worked there for a whole summer and hiked over 300 miles…but never climbed Half Dome!
Beautiful photos! I hiked Half Dome with my family two summers ago and went through the same incredible experience. I had recently just overcome cancer and conquering the mountain was a goal through the process. I loved taking a small moment to relive that through your blog post.
Awesome photos – congrats on being freshly pressed!
Going to hike Half Dome this month! Your pictures made me even more excited to go!
wow! very lovely photos!
Amazing…!!!!
WOW …so cool photos, some day I must be there …..notwithstanding on my dream. Thanks for sharing
OMG, i don’t know how you rock climbers do it but i gotta say cuto’s for the bravado. That was one rock i rather look at from far below then try to conquer cause honestly i rather leave that to the Olympians. Then again are you Olympians? -,o
http://wp.me/2aAA8
Reblogged this on thedarkestskin and commented:
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Yes. It has been a great feat! I love and admire that.
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Wow! You conquered it? Such an astonishing feat to do! Just knowing about it is already great but combining it with pictures totally rocked it. Great job and congrats!
oh wow – breathtakingly gorgeous shots, and what an endeavor!
Cool
nice
Great article. Love the pictures… takes me back to the hike. The only part that was tough on me was the stairs… and more stairs… and for the heck of it, more stairs! Well worth the effort though. Welcome to the “I climbed Half Dome” club!
These are really great photos of some really beautiful landscape. Connie
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WOW. Just WOW. You know, if you like writing blogs, you should check out mine: carlaeastwood.wordpress.com But seriously, those are cool pics!
I have been blessed in seeing this area about five years ago. Returning to it via your pictures and words was a real treat. Thank you for sharing this with the WordPress family.
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Really amazing shots!!!
Oh wow…how do you climb up those cables? My heart is racing just thinking about it. Those pictures are absolutely gorgeous! Well done! :)
These photographs are just beautiful! I would love to travel to the Yosemite!
Great shots. And scaling on those rope ladders, well not for me. I’ll stay on ground and bike around.
You’ve plenty of wows on your page already but WOW!! These photos are amazing and it must have been incredible! Does the climb have to be a guided tour?
Gorgeous !! clap clap :-)) you made my day !
Sounds and looks Amazing!
Your pictures are amazing!! Hoping one day I can make the hike. Thanks for sharing!
I hiked half dome a few years ago and cannot believe I did it! It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done and I was thisclose to backing out when I got to the cables. Such a huge accomplishment.
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amazing…
That’s absolutely fantastic well done!
So inspiring that I think I’ll plan something like this soon! I’ve only just come back from my last walking trip in Snowdonia National Park!
You guys rock on these rocks! Also, awesome views.
Nice one. Thanks for sharing.
What a great post, love the photos, Yosemite is such a mighty place. My wife and I visited there a few years back, we didn’t get up Half Dome, but we will definitely be back and your pictures have inspired me to make the hike.
My mom did it in a day in the 1940’s, I did it in a day in the 1980’s…my daughter has yet to do it…we’ll see. Very beautiful and very empowering…a little scary on the cables but only for a few seconds. Totally worth it. Thanks for the beautiful pictures too.
Congrats on being Freshly Pressed – your photographs are spectacular.
Reblogged this on crisp clean clear and commented:
great perspective of hike with excellent photos.
Nice blog. Thanks for sharing those useful information’s in all categories
what gorgeous pictures; it is hard to believe anything is so beautiful unless you have actually been there. the waterfalls are awesome. good job!
This is a lifelong dream of mine… Congratulations!
Nice shots!!
Congratulations on a great hike in an amazing park, and for getting up Half Dome! The photos really capture the beauty of Yosemite, and brought back memories of a childhood trip I took there. I’m glad I stumbled on to your page, and hope that you have many more experiences like this one in the future.
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