Memory of my lifetime- Yosemite Valley full day hike to dome

Memory of my lifetime- Yosemite Valley full day hike to dome
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With few small hiking experience Ex :Mission peak hike in Fremont, Mount Madonna in Monterey, CA, Grand Canyon south rim hike for 6 Kms in Arizona and Zion National forest hike for 3 Kms in Utah , This time I chose Yosemite National park to go beyond 24 Kms and 5000 feet elevation to test my limits for one full day. Indeed, limit was tested , Sub dome and Half dome hike is the longest and most steepest hike that I encountered in any national parks so far. From the base 22.5 kms hike distance and gains 5000 feet elevation. This is more than double the distance in elevation gain as most difficult hikes in Yosemite plus it requires the mountaineering component at the end climbing the cables. If you have an intense fear of height like me I would not recommend you to climb the cables to climb the half dome first time around.
For a normal fit person, Sub-dome /Half dome hike easily takes 12-13 hours of non stop hike before you get back to your lodge when it gets dark else you need flash lights at night and it becomes even more challenging as many flies try to enter you through nose and mouth while breathing. Best is to start the hike at dawn or just before.

Woke up at 5 am and left our lodge at 6 am after a fresh coffee and started hiking without knowing what to expect on a beautiful summer day in Yosemite Valley in Yosemite National Park, California USA. Hike began along the mist trail which follows the Merced river up hundreds of steps to the top of Vernal falls. 

First part of this trail is mostly paved and travels alongside the Merced river until we arrive at the Vernal falls footbridge. Hundreds of granite steps mostly rough ones are hiked to get to the top of Vernal falls. I experienced nice and cool water fall spray on the body from the Vernal falls while climbing up and completely got drenched along the way while getting to the top of Vernal falls. Took 10 min rest, ate energy bar and banana , drank water and regained energy. Another mile and a half of granite steps hike up an elevation of additional 1000 feet further up from here will get you Nevada falls. Trail continues up another steep section of stairs to the top of Nevada falls. I must tell you Merced river roars very strong falling off the cliff at Nevada falls, you will thoroughly enjoy the sights and sounds of Merced river plummeting over the brink of the fall. On the top of Nevada falls, this was our last chance to refill the water and we started climbing up again towards sub dome which is additional 5 kms further up. Believe me we need plenty of water to stay fit and if we carry filter bottle we can fill up the water from the beautiful flowing Merced river from the little Yosemite valley at around 2000 feet as this is our last refill option. Beyond the top of Nevada falls, There is long sandy hot section and our effort to hike on those hot sand takes lot of effort as well even though it looks flat. This is through little Yosemite Valley before we get the sub dome.

Further up on the elevation we get sub dome and half dome that has most striking features on the Yosemite landscape. Its not only inspired adventuresome spirits to climb it and hike it but also geologists to study it and artists to capture its unique beauty on canvas and on film. Spoke to Lady ranger on the way, As per forest rangers, there are many people who get hurt with Injured knees , ankles and call emergency. Search and rescue team identifies at least 100 incidents each year in half dome trail. Appropriate footwear is important as granite rocks are wet and slippery at places due to water falls sprinkles, so hiking shoes with good traction is the key. 

At this point I was getting hydrated enough ,as I went further up and up on higher elevation towards sub dome I needed plenty of water . Best thing always is to listen to the body before pushing too hard. Many dehydrated people call rangers for assistance from this point . While climbing the sub dome last 50 meters before getting half dome, I started slightly getting uncomfortable due to time factor , cramped legs ,non availability of water in my bag and also fear of height while climbing up the sub-dome.
Quenching the thirst is the key in order to avoid the cramps in legs. If you start to get black out or feel that its too much of a push one should return. If I open up the bottle I used to drink at least half liter at one go to regain the energy as there was less oxygen at 5000 feet elevation, I was getting super tired and suddenly body needs are different. I could realize why we worhip air and water at that point. Experience to look down from this level on huge rocks, soaking into the those beautiful moments would transcend few for sure to the world of spirituality. If one is lucky it may be experienced. More I see the view from the top of this Yosemite mountain range more I thank God for his creation, Inside of me through this creation I completely experienced his presence everywhere . Scenery from the mountain top is really spectacular, breath taking and it transcends to a different zone as I mentioned. With this spiritual experience up on the mountain top of the world I started descending 5000 feet down to the ground at 3:10 pm.

Goal was to get back to the ground by 8:30 pm and glad that was accomplished that as well. While coming down, John Muir trail was hiked that bypasses Vernal fall to experience the different route with completely different scenic points, I could see Hazardous conditions of it in the middle of this summer, Imagine the state during spring , fall or winter. There are water falls which will directly fall on the trail making it dangerous to take this trail during other seasons as this trail is pretty rough too to hike down.

For sure ,Sub-dome hike of Yosemite National park has created a memory of my lifetime since it was extremely challenging and most strenuous hike of my life. When I returned from the hike, watch was showing 57658 steps which is roughly 25 Kilometers of total hike in 14 hrs and 24 minutes. This is more than a double distance with elevation of 5000 feet. Having pain all over the body from head to toe with so much strain and pain, there was sense of accomplishment. Felt happy about the hike, thanked God , Parents and Family. On a lighter note when I returned , I could literally count how many nerves were shivering inside me, thats how much I was exhausted.
Any hikers out there if you are training for a long hike, Sub dome and half dome in Yosemite National Park is the one you should consider, you will be in for a spectacular experience of your life time.