When I woke up this past Saturday, it seemed like it’d be another lazy Labor Day weekend this year. My roommate flew home for the weekend, and none of my other friends had made any definite plans. I wasn’t planning on going anywhere after rolling out of bed around noon that day, but fate had some different plans for me that day.
3:00 PM
A phone rings. I answer it. One of my friends asks if I’d be up for a midnight hike to the top of Half Dome.
“Sure,” I reply without a second of hesitation. He seems a little surprised by my lack of hesitation.
I’m not sure if it’s just my personality or some type of genetic defect, but I’ve never been one to turn down seemingly crazy, spontaneous road trips. As it turns out, this road trip would turn out to be even crazier than I expected.
7:00 pm
I meet up with 3 of my friends after making a quick trip to REI to pickup a headlamp, energy bars, and some convertible hiking pants. We look up directions, pack our stuff into the car, and start driving to Yosemite National Park.
11:00 PM
We arrive at Yosemite National Park, get out of the car, and it’s pitch black (thanks, new moon). I’ve never seen so many stars in my life.
We gear up, put on our headlamps, and start the 8 mile hike up 4800 vertical feet to the summit of Half Dome. A couple of us start joking about bears, serial killers, and The Blair Witch Project.
Midnight
We actually run into a few groups of hikers on their way down from Half Dome. They look exhausted. One group tells us to be careful because they think they saw something not to far back on the trail. One of the guys, carrying what looks like a machete, asks if we have a knife.
After that encounter, two of my friends make noise for the rest of the hike up by telling horribly long and boring stories. In retrospect, I should have picked up a bear bell at REI.
1:00 AM
My body starts to struggle after finishing the steep climb to the top of Vernal Fall. My legs start tightening up, and my heart is racing. We’re not even a fourth of the way to the top, and I’m already questioning whether my body will let me make it there.
We take a prolonged break. I rehydrate, eat an energy bar, do some stretches, and start to feel better again.
2:00 AM – 5:00 AM
A big blur. While my physical condition improves, one of my friends starts to struggle. He later admits to seeing colors at one point and also questions whether his body will let him make it to the top.
We take frequent breaks, and my friends seem to be on the verge of falling asleep at times. Being a night owl, I’m wide awake, but my body begins to struggle again. My legs start to cramp up while climbing up the granite steps leading up to the base of the Half Dome cables, but I continue through the pain.
5:15 AM
We make it to the cables about an hour before sunrise. We lay down to get a little rest before going up the cables. As the sunlight starts to creep over the edge of the horizon, a couple of us realize that we were laying a couple feet from the edge of a cliff.
6:00 AM
It’s time to tackle our final obstacle — the cables. The final 400 foot ascent is a steep climb with two steel cables to use as handholds and periodically spaced 2×4s to use as footholds. It doesn’t look too bad from this angle. (These pictures were taken in the future, after coming back down.)
But take a look at the cables in context. (Yes, those tiny specs are actually people.)
The cables turn out to be a relief for my ailing legs, because I get to use my arms to help them out. There’s no way I’m turning back at this point. We all make it to the top. I’m exhausted and sore, but it’s beautiful up there.
I walk around, explore, and peer over the edge at the valley 4800 feet below. We all find some rocks to relax on while enjoying the panoramic views until the sun finally makes its grand appearance.
We eat breakfast, rest up, and start our descent.
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Reenergized from making it to the top, my legs had some extra life on the way down. We take our time and stop to look at the things we couldn’t see at all on the way up. This includes two waterfalls, a river, and tons of amazing scenery. We also start to comment on how crazy it is that we hiked up all of that in the dark.
2:30 PM
We tackled Half Dome! Back at the car and time to drive back home.
How This Relates to Life and Debt
(Cue cheesy music)
Life is filled with obstacles, and debt is just one of the many obstacles we face throughout a lifetime. When I think about the role models I look up to, they all share a few common characteristics that I admire. They are fearless when it comes to:
- taking risks
- overcoming obstacles
- learning from mistakes
Hiking Half Dome without any preparation was definitely a risk. As a result, I had to overcome some physical obstacles that I didn’t expect, but now that I’ve made my mistake, I hope to learn from it. I know that I need to do some serious training before taking on Half Dome again, and some really serious training if I take on something bigger.
Debt is inherently risky. You’re spending money that you may or may not be able to pay back in the future. It’s like building a mountain in front of yourself that grows taller with every dollar you borrow. Before you know it, you’re faced with an obstacle that’s seemingly impossible to overcome.
What I’ve realized is that it’s not the mountain that’s the obstacle. It’s the things you run into while trying to make your way over the mountain that get in the way. Some people look at the mountain and give up before even trying. Others make it part of the way and give up after one obstacle or one mistake.
Me? I’m only part of the way over my mountain of debt, and I know that I’ll experience some pain along the way. I’m sure to make some mistakes, run into unexpected obstacles, and at times, doubt whether I can really make it or not. However, after this crazy weekend, I’m ready to take it all head on. If I can tackle Half Dome, I can tackle my debt.
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What a great story. Makes me want to go do it. Awesome. Thanks for sharing.
Dear Broke,
I read your blog with interest. The Half Dome hike is a superb adventure. I’ve done it 23 times. While you did accomplish your goal, too many people are just NOT prepared or in shape for the hike. The only fatality from a fall off the cables EVER occurred June ‘07. The Japanese man drove from the SF Bay area at 1:30 am and arrived to begin the hike at 6:30am. While the exact cause of his fall was not determined, his fatigue may have contributed. Overcoming obstables is a good goal – but using common sense to reduce the risks is also important.
I’ve written the ony hiking guide to Half Dome and suggest it for you. It is called “One Best Hike: Yosemite’s Half Dome” published by Wilderness Press. See my website.
Good luck with your debt issue.
Carpe Diem – Seize the Day!!
Rick, San Jose, CA
http://www.HikeHalfDome.com
Great story. My friends and I hiked up the dome on Sunday, when you were hiking down. We left LYV at 7:15 am, so we probably passed you on the trail shortly after your decent from quarter dome! We never considered hiking the dome at night….
Night hike is not a piece of cake. Yuur headlamp only helps for 15 feet or so. And it’s ez to get off the trails. ..then it gets cold. And you are dead tired and half asleep on the way down and feel like crud the next day.
I am thinking about doing an August moon-less night to get up top at midnight and watch the meteor showers.
Rick D
Rick or Broke,
Any other tips for a night hike? Looks like Im going on another trip in a couple of weeks, and we are planning to catch the sunrise from the top of half dome. How are the cables when it is dark?
Oh yea, we were thinking of leaving happy isles @ 1 am…is that about the right time to catch sunrise on the dome if we keep up a decent pace?
Make sure you have a flashlight or headlamp, and check the phase of the moon. We went during a new moon, so it was almost pitch black. A full moon midnight hike might be more exciting if you actually want to see anything on the way up.
Leaving at 1 am should get you to the top in time if you keep a decent pace. We, along with the other hikers there to catch the sunrise, waited until there was at least a little light before going up the cables. It’s cold and windy at the top, so there was no rush to get up there in the dark.
The moon provides little light. You are in a canyon half of the hike and in dense trees the other half.Use a good headlamp. We left t 11 pm and I arrived at the cables about 4:30. It got pretty chilly after 2 am. A lightbreeze. . Bring a windblocker jacket. the cables were cool at night. Lots of headlamps going up. the top is cold . Although sunrise is about 5:30….what happens is that the sky is blue and the area light at 5:30.The actual SUN does not become visible until about 6:30. Not that exciting. But go to the face (north) side and see the shadow of HD on the range behind it…real neat.
Rick D.
http://www.hikehalfdome.com