Life and death on Half Dome
In September 2023, I set out with a group of hikers to climb the iconic Half Dome in Yosemite National Park. A few feet away from summiting, it began to rain. When we attempted to descend as was the protocol, I slipped and fell. I almost died. But with some luck and a few incredible helping hands, I survived to tell the story. But first, let’s start at the very beginning…
From Nandi Hills to Half Dome
I was born and raised in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), India. When I was 10 years old, I went on a vacation with family and friends to the ancient hill station of Nandi Hills, about 40 odd miles from Bengaluru. I was super excited about climbing up and down those hills with my friends. With every small hill I conquered, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I loved that feeling! Despite the sore muscles, the desire for adventure and exploration had stuck and remained alive within me ever since.
A few years later, our family relocated to Bombay (now Mumbai). One evening, a few friends and I went up an off-beat path in Thane and ended up on the summit of a hill a few hundred feet high. We watched in awe as the sun went down, and since that day, this became our most frequented hangout for as long as we lived in the city.
America the beautiful
When I arrived in the Bay Area, California, in 2006, I truly felt like a kid in a candy store! The easy access to hiking trails, long and short, was exhilarating! I made it my mission to go hiking every few weeks. Mission Peak, to the east of Fremont, was the closest, and conquering it everytime felt like the right ROI for all the effort that went in. During spring and summer, I’d be up by 4:30 a.m. on weekends to hit the trail-head by 5:00 a.m. On average, it would take me an hour to summit, so I’d get there right around sunrise. I carried fresh water, an energy bar and sometimes even a sandwich to enjoy at the top while soaking in the breathtaking view of the city!
The key was to avoid peak heat as far as possible. When the weather would start to cool around Fall, I’d be up by 5:30 a.m. and hit the trail-head by 6:15 or sometimes even later. I would always dress in layers, and use earmuffs or cotton balls to plug my ears to keep out the wind. I saw people carrying hydration backpacks, but I never felt the need for it to climb Mission Peak.
Between 2006 and 2022, I probably did 15 hikes per year, crisscrossing the Bay Area, Arizona, Utah, and even across Europe and Canada.
Now I felt ready to take on a bigger challenge.
Mission Yosemite Half Dome
I joined a local hiking group in 2023, and by April that year, we had secured through a lottery a permit to hike the iconic Half Dome in Yosemite National Park in September.
To prepare for our adventure, we hiked up less challenging trails, gradually increasing the intensity as the hike date approached, regularly tackling 10 to 12-hour treks. We carried small snacks, sandwiches, sunscreen, electrolytes and water in our hydration backpack, wore layers of clothing, hiking hats, hiking socks and well-fitting hiking boots. We hiked Mission Peak, Black Mountain, and Mount Diablo.
And finally, Yosemite
On September 8th, 2023, a group of 20 of us left for Yosemite. It was a beautiful drive down to the valley. We reached Yosemite around 6:30 p.m. We then gathered all the food (it was a LOT of food!) we had packed, sat in a circle, and chatted and joked until nightfall.
Sleep was hard to come by that night. The noises outside our tents, the excitement, and the anxiety for the following day, kept us awake for the better part of the night.
We had our task cut out for the next day. Our path to Half Dome would take us through scenic falls and muddy terrains that would lead us to the rocky sub dome, and then to the daunting cables that we would have to climb to reach the summit.
Our alarms went off dutifully at 4 a.m. None of us hit the snooze button. We got dressed quickly, strapped on our hydration backpacks, and set out in the dark with flashlights in hand. It was 5:00 a.m., and everyone was in the best of spirits, giggling, teasing, and keeping each other on track. Each of us ascended at our own pace, but we made sure to remain in small groups with familiar people at all times.
Along the hike, we heard birds wake up and welcome us into the woods with their morning songs, crickets chirping, and the leaves rustling in the gentle morning breeze. After hiking for what seemed a really long time, we made our first stop at the mesmerizing Vernal Falls that refreshed us with its gently caressing mist.
After taking our customary photos, we marched onward to the Nevada Falls. The hike got very tough, very quickly. But as soon as we beheld the magnificence of the falls, pain became an afterthought.
“A man nearly died up here last week”
More grueling hike followed, until, around 9:30 a.m., we reached the foot of the sub dome – a mini granite at the back of Half Dome. We chatted up the ranger who checked our permits, as she walked us through the safety protocol and informed us that the round trip from that point on would be approximately two hours.
A small white board behind her read, “A man nearly died up here last week”. The notice described how he fell nearly 100 feet before someone was able to rescue him. The ranger emphasized we venture nowhere close to the cables in the event of the slightest drizzle as the granite would get dangerously slippery very quickly. We listened and yet smirked and thought to ourselves we’d be back down within the hour, considering how well-trained we were!
The climb up the sub dome was by far the most challenging hike I had ever done. The steps were partially paved, as uneven as can be, and we had to walk in a single file at all times. Just when we thought we had conquered the worst, we were in front of the mighty, intimidating Half Dome, standing tall at 8,800 feet above sea level, and at a 45-60 degree angle from where we stood. My heart started to race. I needed water and a fifth layer of clothing to brave the windy and still dry Half Dome.
As we began the climb, I used the first couple of sections to set my mind and my heart to a steady rhythm and pace. Every single step I took to pull myself up, I chanted God’s name, like so many of us south Indians are trained to do. There were several people ahead of me and several climbing down as I continued to slowly, carefully pull myself up. My teammates who were ahead of me, reached the top and waited for me to join them. By now we had climbed for about 20-25 minutes. The path had wooden rungs at regular intervals for hikers to rest. I had almost reached the last rung, when it started to drizzle.
Everyone along the cables said, “Turn back, that’s the protocol”.
The Fall
I started to descend, taking one step at a time; I was doing okay until the granite became wet and extremely slippery. None of my physical training in the past had prepared me for this moment.
A few rungs below, a panic-stricken hiker wailed loudly and clung to the cables until her boyfriend could hook her safety harness to the cables. That took nearly 15 minutes, so I waited.
The rain was making it worse. The path was becoming slippery by the minute. I took my next step but could feel myself slipping. I held on to dear life and cautiously took a few steps down until I got to one of nearest wooden rung installed along the cables for people to take a breather.
Some hikers continued their descent, and I thought to myself I needed to try too. In hindsight it was the worst decision ever. The moment I put my foot on the granite, I slipped hard, let go of the cables and dropped down several rungs. Thankfully, two hikers along the cables caught me and helped me back on to one of the wooden rungs.
I was petrified! I was hurt badly and bleeding. I stood there holding onto the cables for the next hour and a half. It felt like eternity.
There were several moments when I thought my body was going to give up; it was freezing, I was drenched from the rain, my hands were numb, my feet were growing numb, and there was no sign of the rain letting up anytime soon. Flashing in front of my eyes were the faces of my lovely kids, and I promised myself I would wait this out, for their sake. ONLY FOR THEM.
Many hikers tried calling 911, pinged the ranger, but to no avail. I kept praying for just two minutes of sunshine – that would be enough to dry up the granite and make it safe for all of us to climb down.
And then luck smiled upon me. A friend who had made it to the top spotted me and made his way down to me. At that time, I knew in my heart that I was going to make it! Right then the sun came out and dried the granite and I pulled myself down, one rung at a time. I was at the bottom of the cables in barely five minutes.
Was it luck? Was it strength of mind? Or both?
Some of my teammates who had made it to the bottom came running to me, cheering. I was shivering from the cold. I couldn’t speak a word. They immediately pulled out my gloves and started rubbing my hands that had turned blue from the cold. I had six layers of clothing and yet, the shivering and chattering didn’t stop for nearly 10 minutes. They handed me Ibuprofen and made me drink a lot of water before we started to descend the sub dome.
I pulled myself up and walked one step at a time with the team by my side; one of them even carried my backpack all the way down. And after what seemed like forever, I was back at the bottom of the sub dome. Folks gathered around me and cheered me on. One of them proclaimed me a “hero”. Others said that it was my mental strength rather than physical strength that had saved the day for me. These words kept resounding in my ears as I walked the next 10 miles back to our cabins. I was quiet and I kept recounting the incident. I was grateful to be alive.
I thanked God for bringing me back safely to my kids and my family!
Enduring Trauma
I was traumatized by the incident. So many things could have gone wrong:
- Had I fallen at any other angle, I wouldn’t have made it. Thank God, I fell as straight as I did.
- I am so grateful for the hikers who caught me. At that moment, everyone was holding on to their lives. Had they panicked as well, they would have let me fall through.
- If I had panicked and not kept my cool I may have let go of the cables.
- I had picked up a pair of gloves from Walmart for the hike. I had tried on a pair for size and then picked up a fresh pair to buy without checking. As I pulled out my gloves, just before going up the cables, I realized that I had two left-hand gloves. My right hand barely had any grip.
Each time I closed my eyes, every scenario that could have resulted in me dead flashed before me. I couldn’t shut my eyes any longer, so I quickly showered, went out and had dinner with my group. I chugged down some red wine that got me drowsy enough to doze off. I slept like a log.
No noise outside could wake me up. There were enough noises inside my head that I was fighting to quiet down.
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How to pack for that big hike
Many people have reached out to me asking what I carried in my backpack on the day of the Half Dome hike. Here is a list, but please remember, that this worked for me based on the conditions on the day of my hike. Review prevailing conditions and make a judgment call.
- Hat
- Jacket (lightweight but very warm)
- Water in the bladder – 2.5 L. This was sufficient for me because it wasn’t hot on the day of my climb. Again, review conditions and pack extra bottles if it will be a warm day
- Trail mix
- Protein bars
- A couple of sandwiches
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent (if bugs gross you out!)
Avoid…
Overpacking. You are going to be lugging the backpack around and it does hurt after a while. Also, you can’t leave your backpack behind when going up the cables.
Sneakers. Wear hiking boots with enough ankle support and invest in a good pair of hiking socks. Make sure your boots have enough tread.