1:06: Upon the subdome
We made it up the subdome, and now the only obstacle that layed in front of us was the actual rock, the whole purpose of the trip. We had made it once and for all; at that point we were standing at the base of Halfdome, literally minutes away from the adrenaline pumping climb.
My mother, on the other hand, not as much an adrenaline junkie as me, was utterly terrified.
“It’s okay mom,” I said to my mother, now in tears “Everything is going to be alright. There are many people on there right now and people have been doing this for hundreds of years…if it wasn’t safe we wouldn’t be doing it.”
“I know Alec; it’s just that you know, I am terrified of heights.”
“You can stay down here and I’ll take him,” my father said.
“I’m going to do it, I promised myself I would and I’m not going to let Alec down.”
“It’s fine, I understand if you don’t want to do it.”
“Just give her a couple of minutes,” my father said.
After about ten minutes of assuring her that everything would be fine, we all made our way to the massive glove pile at the foot of the rock to select a pair. Our worn-out work gloves are useless on the steel cables, they provide no traction whatsoever.
“Take these,” I said as I gave my mom the best pair.
“No, Alec, you are the youngest so you should have the best pair. These will work,” she said showing her grip-less sweaty gloves.
“No, I can tell that you are much more scared than I am so you can have these. I’ve done things like this before at ropes camp.”
About that time a nice gentleman came off the cables and saw the look on her face, so he handed her his personal pair saying he would not be needing them anymore. I got the other pair and my father ended up with a light yet versatile pair. Thank God that was over.
1:11: Pre-climbing talk
“Alec, let me just say this. If you let go of the cables…! Do not, and I mean do not, mess around on this rock. People die every year from doing stupid and cocky things. I do not want you to be one of them…[rambling]” I had to listen to my parents lecture on and on about how dangerous this is and what can happen if I go fast and mess around on the rock.
Informational
For those of you who do not understand the situation; let me clear things up for you. Halfdome is a dome-shaped rock in Yosemite Nat. Park, California. It was split down the middle and polished clean by glaciers. Climbers can hike up the rock to the top by means of cables. These two parallel cables were anchored into the rocks over 50 years ago, and the same ones still stand and are in use today. The climbers can climb in-between the cables and use them as support as they climb. The entire layout is much like that of the queues you wait in at amusement parks, single-file lines with a cable or fence on each side. The catch is that people are shoulder to shoulder up there and people are going up and coming down at the same time on the same cables. At some points of the climb, you are climbing up over ledges at over a sixty degree angle. The granite is so smooth and worn away that even the newest shoes slip when it is dry; when it is wet that is a whole different story. The main thing to know about the climb is that if you let go or slip, you will die.
1:12-1:29: The climb up
We waited for a spot on the cables, and after we let a person come down, I took the lead and began my way up. The cable on the right side wasn’t anchored into the rock at the bottom so it was useless, and the cable on the left side as the people climbing down on them; I had to make do with what I had. After about 10 feet or so, the rock became steep and the cables, even in the condition they were in, became a useful aid.
At about the 100 yard mark, the rock became extremely steep and I had all my weight on the cables. Every 10 feet or so there was a wooden plank to break on, but I never used them. The steepness had no affect on me; I kept chugging along as if it was a walk in the park. Looking back at my parents, they were way back down there. Up ahead of mere there was the line of people again, limiting my climbing speed? I had to go with the flow; otherwise, it would only have taken me a few minutes to climb.
The man in front of me was very friendly; he was impressed I was climbing so well for my age. At the one trouble spot I had he helped me get passed with flying colors.
“Put your left foot here, your right foot here, and hold on with both hands to the left rail,” he said.
“Thank you,” I replied when I made it up that one point.
The time now was 1:29; I had made it to the top. Looking down, I could see my parents almost up, too. I started snapping pictures from that point, not technically the top but upon exiting the cables. They reached the end of the cables at 1:32.
1:32: The Sign
As my parents reached the top of the rock, we all stopped and took a look at the sign up against an overhang. It read:
If a thunderstorm occurs while you are here; these are the safest things to do.
1. Stay away from the cables.
2. Get rid of any metallic objects.
3. Stay away from caves, overhangs, and large cracks in the rock.
4. Go to the lowest place on top and sit on any non-metallic objects you have to insulate you from the rock. WAIT! Stay there until the storm has passed.
Oh! How I wish we would have listened.
