Mt Whitney Webcam
Mt Williamson Webcam
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 207 guests, and 16 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
#14069 05/15/11 02:09 PM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
B
Brent N Offline OP
OP Offline
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
A few of us are going to hike Half Dome on Saturday the 21st and are hoping some of you can share recent recon on the trail conditions. We will likely take the JMT from Happy Isles up. Have any of you recently experienced or heard reliable information about snow conditions on the trail? Are crampons or ice axe necessary?

Brent N

Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Brent N #14114 05/16/11 11:32 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
If the conditions are icy, that usually means that the upper section of the JMT approaching top of Nevada Fall around junction with Panorama trail is hairy to impassable. about a 1/2 mile section below a very wet and steep wall with substantial exposure builds up blue ice all winter. I have seen this in late April a couple of times, and could go later this year.

Best to check local beta when you get there, and look at doing first section of JMT to Clark Point, then dropping down to Mist trail above Vernal Fall. Its kinda going around the field to get to the barn, but usually the best way to avoid the hairiest of the ice,

Last edited by saltydog; 05/16/11 11:34 AM.

Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Brent N #14115 05/16/11 12:47 PM
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3
A
Offline
A
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 3
This time of year with the heavy snow expect the river to be up and the Mist Trail will be WET, there are some parts of the mist trail where the mist is blowing like a fire hose up hill. Bring rain gear for that part or strip to shorts and get soaked. I prefer the get soaked method if its sunny. I would stay off that section of the JMT and take the mist trail. The JMT is almost just as wet and longer.

Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
AreteJoe #14127 05/16/11 03:29 PM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
That firehose section on the Mist is from the first bridge to the top of Vernal. You avoid that section by taking the JMT to Clark point and then descending to just above Emerald Pool. Yes, it is longer. From there to the top of Nevada the Mist is a lot dryer than the lower section, even when Nevada fall is blowin an goin. Never found the lower JMT anywhere near as wet as the corresponding lower section of the Mist, although that upper section, because it is shaded by that big wall can be as wet and a lot colder than the upper section of the Mist.

Last edited by saltydog; 05/16/11 03:33 PM.

Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
saltydog #14153 05/17/11 03:39 AM
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Offline
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1,572
Please look at the story over on the Yosemite accidental death thread. The first of those deaths last friday was in the heart of the fire hose section of the lower Mist Trail referred to above, at the base of the steps. Second was along a similarly wet section of the Yosemite Falls trail. You do the math.

BTW, The beta above stating that the JMT is "almost just as wet" is just flat wrong with respect to the lower section. There will be wet patches from runoff, but nothing like the soaking the Mist Trail (hence the name) gets from Vernal. Also the JMT does not have those long stretches of slick granite in that section. Its a pain in the neck scrambling over the old broken pavement, but if you fall on the JMT, you don't go in the river. On the upper section (above Vernal) the Mist is farther from the river and the JMT gets a lot of drip, runoff and ice from above, mostly in one section, so the situation is sort of reversed.

This time of year, I would take the JMT to Clark Point, and drop down to the Mist from there unless you get really good beta that the JMT is clear of ice from Clark to the top of Nevada.

Last edited by saltydog; 05/17/11 03:54 AM.

Wherever you go, there you are.
SPOTMe!
Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
saltydog #14154 05/17/11 05:39 AM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
B
Brent N Offline OP
OP Offline
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
Thank you everyone for being willing to contribute what you know. I spoke with a ranger yesterday who said that the mist trail and JMT are open including through Clarke point. Snow is expected today and tomorrow, so we will try to get more intel on Friday. My hiking partner is very worried about the mist trail, and I also saw the news accounts of the slick-track deaths last Friday--we will take the JMT. If anyone else is returning from Yosemite, please feel free to post more recent information.

Brent

Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Brent N #14267 05/20/11 09:36 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
Well, it is a beautiful day today in Yosemite! I am looking forward to picking up wagga at at 5 a.m. and heading up. Hoping to cross paths with Brent N and friend somewhere -- either on the trail or at Curry Village for pizza afterwards.

I am heading up toward Half Dome and the cables to see how far I can get with the current snowy conditions on the trail.

I'll be taking SPOT along.

NOAA weather predicts "Saturday: A 30 percent chance of showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Light wind becoming west between 11 and 14 mph."

Here's the current Yosemite Conservancy's Ahwahnee webcam view:


Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Steve C #14272 05/20/11 01:55 PM
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 252
G
Offline
G
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 252
Good luck fellas! Waiting on a good trip report.


One day I'd like to hike the entire John Muir Trail and not leave a single footprint. -Randy Morgenson
Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Steve C #14394 05/24/11 07:42 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
CaT Offline
Offline
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
I so want to be there right now!

CaT


If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
CaT #14395 05/24/11 08:15 AM
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
B
Brent N Offline OP
OP Offline
B
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 286
You were certainly on the trail with us. We talked quite a bit about the great memory card in a haystack story. Incredible.

Brent

Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Brent N #14396 05/24/11 09:07 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
The Half Dome report is here:
Half Dome with Cables Down

CaT, I took this picture from the trail of the base of the south side of Half Dome, to show the landmark dead tree. Better camera than last time, and it shows pretty well where the camera chip was found.


Location of the famous camera chip retrieval, base of the south side of Half Dome.
The picture is a zoom taken from the trail between Nevada Fall and Little Yosemite Valley.

Here it is closeup from 2007:

Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Steve C #14427 05/25/11 07:11 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
CaT Offline
Offline
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 695
I still marvel every time I see a picture of where you found the chip -- amazed that such a small obscure thing could ever be located in such a huge massive unvisited area with all the myriad cracks and places that such an object could fall into.

The zoomed out picture showing the dead tree near the face makes that feeling even more acute.

CaT


If future generations are to remember us with gratitude rather than contempt, we must leave them more than the miracle of technology. We must leave them a glimpse of the world as it was in the beginning, not just after we got through with it.
- Lyndon Johnson, on signing the Wilderness Act into law (1964)
Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
CaT #14428 05/25/11 07:13 AM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
S
Offline
S
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 8,507
Likes: 103
My theory now is that a raven was attracted to the chip, and retrieved it from some ledge. Then flew down to that boulder, decided it wasn't something containing food (as in candy bar?), so left it there.

Re: Any recent Half Dome trip reports?
Steve C #14444 05/25/11 01:47 PM
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 660
Rod Offline
Offline
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 660
That theory is similar to the joke about Jesus golfing. He hits the ball off the tee and squirrel picks it up and runs with it but drops the ball when he sees an eagle swooping down towards him. The eagle picks up the ball and flies over the hole and drops the ball into the hole for a Hole-in-one.
Jesus looks up and yells "Dad I want to do this by myself"
Just about as amazing as Steve finding that chip. I remember the on going dialogue on the WPSMB between you two about where the camera was dropped and locations etc.Still one of the most improbable stories ever.


Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.4
(Release build 20200307)
Responsive Width:

PHP: 7.4.33 Page Time: 0.045s Queries: 42 (0.039s) Memory: 0.6431 MB (Peak: 0.7435 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-29 12:53:42 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS