Half Dome Hike - Yosemite National Parkphotos

cables on Half DomeSo, after Niki and her sister Joyce’s long drive to Lake Tahoe for their cousin Sonia’s wedding, was there some kind of hike they could do to break up the drive home? Their choice was epic. “Let’s hike to the top of Half Dome!” That’s a 17 mile round trip route with around 5,000’ of elevation gain. Too easy, you say? Oh, yeah, they’d have to do the hike at night so they’d be able to drive home to Southern California in time for work! Plans are made, gear organized, backpacks loaded, wedding enjoyed and a full night’s sleep savored. Tomorrow the adventure begins.

The morning after the ceremony, full of good cheer and with a wedding cake buzz, they leave Lake Tahoe headed for Mono Lake. After the twisting route west up Tioga Pass, they arrive at Curry Village, near the trailhead, in the early evening. “If we set our alarm for a midnight start, we can catch a few hours sleep and then have the trail all to ourselves! We should be able to get to the base of the final cable climb around dawn.” Want to join ‘em in the cold chill of the midnight hour, following a bouncing cone of headlamp light up a rocky trail to their awesome destination? Thought so! Grab a strong cup of coffee, your Tikka XP headlamp and click on the photo link below to get started!

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