🏕️ If you’ve ever thought, “How hard can hiking Half Dome really be?” — oh, friend… let me tell you. 😅
We were camping in Yosemite with my sister, her family, and a few friends — one of those classic fall trips where everyone brings too much food and not enough sense. 😂 One morning, we decided to “just go check out Half Dome.” You know… casual.
That’s how my kids and I ended up tackling Half Dome in Yosemite National Park — in October, with the cables down, and absolutely no idea what we were getting into.
I wore jeans (rookie mistake 👖), we packed barely any snacks, and Yosemite decided to give us the full four-season experience. One minute it was blazing hot ☀️, the next it was raining 🌧️, then suddenly it started to snow ❄️ — followed by sunshine again, just to mess with us.
The switchbacks nearly took us out. My daughter and I stopped at almost every turn to catch our breath 😮💨, while my son (who was about 11 at the time) had endless energy ⚡ — running ahead, doubling back, checking on us, and somehow making it all look easy.
When we finally reached the cables — which, again, were down because it was late season — I thought we’d made it. But my fearless son decided to start climbing up anyway 🧗♂️. Cue me having a full-blown heart attack 💓 while yelling for him to come back down before I aged ten years right there on the granite.
And just when I thought the day couldn’t get any crazier… we ran into a friend from Southern California. 😳 For perspective — we live in Northern California, about six hours away, and never see this guy. Yet there he was, on Half Dome of all places, grinning and carrying a 12-pack of beer in his backpack 🍺. He laughed, offered my sister and me one — “you know, to help lighten the load” — and for a few glorious minutes, we forgot about our blisters (kidding… mostly 😉).
The hike was painful, fun, exhausting, exhilarating, and everything in between. 🤯 I honestly questioned if we’d make it to the top — it felt like the hike up took 13 hours and the hike down took two. But when we finally sat together at the bottom again — tired, sore, and laughing at ourselves — I realized it was one of those unforgettable family adventures that stick with you forever. ❤️
Would I do it again?
Absolutely. But next time, I’m packing better snacks… and skipping the jeans. 🧦
🏔️ Things I Learned the Hard Way (So You Don’t Have To):
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💪 Train before you go — those switchbacks are no joke.
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🧥 Pack layers — you might hit snow, rain, and sunshine in one day.
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🥨 Bring real snacks — trust me, you’ll need more than a granola bar.
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🌅 Start early — the climb takes longer than you think.
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🚫 Leave the jeans at home — comfort is key when you’re on the mountain.
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