I will attempt an ascent on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with a few friends in May 2010. I also am planning to run a marathon two weeks before the hike. Will marathon training be enough for this one? The hike is 16 miles round trip.
Photos of the plan:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ksuayan/234039830/in/set-72057594131557056/
You will be absolutely fine with your level of fitness. There are a few sections of the cables that require some upper body strength to haul your self up the rock but most people can handle this. I wouldn’t worry about it and have fun.
Comment by Natalie — November 11, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
Thanks for the advice Natalie. Any other tips for Half Dome?
Comment by workaholicrunner — November 12, 2009 @ 1:24 am
Carry lots and lots of water – more than you think you will need. Even if you don’t drink all of it, there will be people on the trail who are woefully unprepared and inevitably don’t bring enough and you can help them out as you are passing them on the trail.
Don’t count on there being gloves at the base of the cables, bring your own. I recommend cheap fabric gardening gloves as they have the best grip for the cables (leather gloves can slip if the cables have moisture on them.)
I don’t know if you have set the date for your trip, but try to go midweek and late in the season as there will be less people (in the summer, there can be a back-up on the cables which can be dangerous and annoying). We climbed Half Dome on a Tuesday morning in late September and were the only ones on the top of Half Dome for about 30 minutes before other people showed up – it was incredible.
Comment by Natalie — November 15, 2009 @ 5:23 am
Those are good tips, Natalie. Tentative plan is to climb it on early Tuesday morning in late May.
Have you attempted any other ascents aside from Half Dome?
Comment by workaholicrunner — November 15, 2009 @ 6:10 am