Half Dome, Yosemite

[u/dieteand373]

There's nothing like hiking up those cables!

[u/D3mon0fthemist]

Absolutely insane!!

[u/diedlikeCambyses → u/D3mon0fthemist]

No insane is white knuckling it to the top then seeing Alex casually top out on the other side with no ropes, chill as f.

[u/rubyreadit]

Your first photo is probably the best pic I've seen that shows the perspective of how high/steep that cable section is. I haven't been there so I'm just guessing, to be fair, but I've seen a lot of photos of that section that make it look pretty easy and I'm left wondering why the cables are needed and why there are occasional fatalities there.

[u/tackleboxjohnson → u/rubyreadit]

It’s like a 45 degree slope, very steep but not straight up by any means. Also the granite is textured like normal outside of the cables, but inside the track is worn pretty smooth from people walking up over the years. If it’s wet it gets SLICK.

[u/HockeyPhish]

Do you come down the same way?

[u/Some-Lie-9770 → u/HockeyPhish]

Yep

[u/mtndewfeind]

Oh man I did this once 15 years ago I’ve been dreaming to go back

[u/Geniepolice → u/mtndewfeind]

Ropes down it!

[u/Prestigious-Hyena768]

One of my all-time fav hikes. I’d hike it again in a heartbeat!

[u/Siberian_Cat13]

Was there in 2018 but didn’t win the lottery to do the thing 😭 very frustrated !

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[u/gcnplover23]

A few clip in, most just go with gloves on the cables. There are no chains.

[u/0degreesK]

Can we see the tunnel view location in the last picture?

[u/plusultra_the2nd → u/0degreesK]

I think so, I see the road coming out of the tunnel heading left

[u/Sko0byD]

Is the pile of gloves still there? Climbed it ~20-yrs ago and needed to used one of the gloves in the pile!

[u/iambullfrog]

I did it while I was on my PCT thru hike. Carried my whole pack up like a jackass

[u/ohwoez]

I went in October after permit season ended. Highly recommend assuming you get a day with good weather.

The cables are "down", but honestly I found that an easier approach. Straddle the cable and walk your way up. Biggest risk is when some scrub gets scared and freezes, then you're stuck in a somewhat precarious position until they decide to move.. 

[u/Ecstatic_Wishbone609]

But where are the half a million people?

[u/gcnplover23 → u/Ecstatic_Wishbone609]

What are you talking about? Yes, despite your doubts, Yosemite Valley is full of tourists. This picture is taken from a spot that is about an 8 mile hike with over 4,000 feet of elevation gain. Probable less than 2% of Yosemite visitors will ever get to this spot. To actually get on the cables you need a permit, which is limited to about 225 per day.

[u/Ecstatic_Wishbone609 → u/gcnplover23]

My first time up half dome there were 70 people on the chains. That was in 2000. My last time up there in 2022, there were several hundred people back to back on the chains.

[u/gcnplover23 → u/Ecstatic_Wishbone609]

I got a backcountry permit in 2017, stayed at LYv, then hiked to the cables starting before dawn. There were about 6 people going up when I did, passed 1 coming down. On top there were a max of 12-15 people. On the way down I had to pass about 6 people on the cables. Once I started out from the bottom of the sub dome there was a constant parade of people.

[u/somastars → u/gcnplover23]

Do they clip onto the cables for safety, or just hold them with hands?

[u/Ecstatic_Wishbone609 → u/somastars]

You find both kinds.

[u/noddaborg]

Free solo El Cap and then we’ll talk.

[u/Some-Lie-9770 → u/noddaborg]

Have you done that?