Should I go to half Dome in Yosemite this weekend? I am not an experienced in hiking at all. Help!?

Answer 1

Short answer: Maybe don't count on doing the whole thing. It is a kick-butt hike, but not a beginner hike at all. Details below.

The details: The hike to the top of Half Dome is one mile on the road from Curry Village to Happy Isles and then 8 trail miles, mostly uphill. So 18 miles roundtrip, although you could catch the park shuttle bus for the first and last miles on the level road.

You go from 4,000 feet elevation to 8,800 and that is a LOT if you haven't been hiking/walking in the hills recently. It makes the total trip equate to about 30-35 miles on the level.

You don't need to be an experienced hiker (I'll give the neccessary info below), but you need to be in shape. Be comfortable doing an hour of swimming or serious running or two hours of continuous bicycling.

You must have:

Comfortable shoes. Not heavy-duty and not technical. Just comfortable shoes to walk in that you've worn a lot already. I often do that hike in running shoes.

Sun protection: sunscreen and light clothing and a hat. UV at 8,800 feet is 5 times that at sea level and you'll be out in the sun ALL day. Reapply sunscreen every four hours.

Twice the food and four times the water you'd expect to use in a day. I bring Iodine tablets and treat the water in the Merced River before leaving "Little Yosemite Valley". I also force myself to drink a quart at every water stop. You can't drink too much, you'll just piss it out. But you can have big problems by drinking too little. There is a spring on the way, but I've never managed to describe the location to others in a reliably way. Bring two quarts per person leaving LYV.

Layers of clothes for wind and rain. You can get afternoon thunderstorms in the Sierra so you must have a wool or fleece (not cotton!) sweater and a rain shell with hood. Maybe it will be gorgeous all day, but I've been going for decades and I can't predict those isolated thunderstorms 10 hours in advance.

A small flashlight. It is much better to get back before dark with an un-needed flashlight than to return after dark without one.

Other advice: Leave early! 5 am is not too early. You'll have the trail to yourselves and gain elevation before the day warms up. I'd much rather hike in a sweater than be sweating all day.

I move fast and take about 6 hours roundtrip (when I'm not carrying a wedding cake!). Most people take 10-12 hours. Others overnight in LYV and split it into 2 or 3 days.

If you only get as far as the 1) the bridge below Vernal Falls or 2) the top of the Vernal Falls or 3) the bottom of Nevada Falls or 4) take the spur to the top of Nevada Falls, it is still a great, spectacular hike. One of the very best I've been on in any of the 50 states or 20 countries I've been to. Just be sure to turn around when you're only half tired so you get back to your car/camp while you're still having fun.

Answer 2

that is all about the hike in. astounding thanks to practice for a lengthy hike, outdoors of the plain time contained in the health middle, is to hike. should you do not hike, a 16 or 17 mile round vacation hike sounds person-friendly. yet it is because they 'see' a mile as a using mile. 16 miles on a path is a few thing diverse. it is a substantial hike and also you want to be properly prepared, and particularly fit, to tug it off.