The Yosemite Triple Crown

Last Tuesday, I was joined by my good friend Joseph Lindvall for a challenging all-day adventure in Yosemite National Park. Our goal was to hike Half Dome, El Capitan, and Glacier Point, doing each trail from the valley and back. A nice bit of walking, that: approximately 43 miles worth. And that's just the horizontal direction. Vertically, we're talking about 4.5 miles - 24,000 ft - of elevation change. I can has Advil?

This marginally intelligent idea was hatched by Joseph and I several years ago, as we waited at the bottom of Half Dome for the rest of our group to finish the hike. Lounging in the shade, we began wondering how feasible it would be to do Half Dome twice in a single day. Sounded pretty extreme.

Then a few weeks ago, we hiked El Capitan with the Lindvalls for the first time. It occurred to us that it would be much more interesting to do Half Dome and then El Capitan, instead of just doing Half Dome twice. Joseph suggested we throw in the "Four Mile Trail" to Glacier Point for good measure. Sure, why not.

Joseph arrived at our house Monday afternoon, in time for an excellent pasta dinner. (Thanks Leah!) We went over last-minute details, double-checked our gear, and prepared lunches for the next day. I showered. Then it was time to hit the sack for a few hours of sleep before our departure.

The alarms went off at 2 AM and we loaded our packs, water, and ice into the truck. The highway was dark and deserted, and we made good time to our first trailhead. By 3:35, after stowing our cache of food and water in a bear locker, we were hiking.

To our delight, we found the valley much warmer than we anticipated. Clad in polyester T-shirts, we attacked the climb up to Nevada Falls, the stone steps illuminated by the soft glow of our L.E.D. headlamps. The nice thing about hiking the Mist Trail late in the season is the lack of spray from the waterfalls. It's not called the Mist Trail for nothing. (Of course, the waterfalls are not nearly as dramatic as they are in the spring, when the water is crashing pell-mell down the cliffs with the exuberant fury of unfrozen winter, but you can't see them in the dark anyway.)

We hiked on through the night, enjoying the silence, stopping only to answer nature's call or grab a quick snack. Mmmm, a soft Pecan Pie LARABAR at 5:00 in the morning is tough to beat.

As we rounded the curve just below the lower dome, we noticed the first glow of dawn gathering behind the eastern horizon. By the time we reached the stairs, we were hiking comfortably without headlamps.

So far, we hadn't seen anybody. It was 6:20, and we were feeling really good about our progress. As we crested the top of the lower dome, we heard voices at the bottom of the cables. Sure enough, there was a party there ahead of us. They had started at 1:10. What can I say - some people are just crazy.

After stowing our hiking poles, we passed the other party and hauled ourselves up the 900 ft. of cable to the top. Gloved hands against braided steel, the surging fear that clutches at me every time I do this. Somehow, however, this sullen hunk of granite seemed less intimidating in the soft, diffused light of the early morning.

6:36 AM - Half Dome

We snapped a few pictures, shot a couple minutes of video, called our families, and then headed back over the edge to begin our descent. It wasn't until we were off the cables and back on the lower dome that the sun finally broke over the mountains, precisely at 7:00.

We set off down the trail at a good clip, stopping intermittently to stretch. The idea is to strike a balance between making good time and overworking yourself. Overall, we both felt we paced ourselves reasonably well throughout the day.

The return trip was uneventful, and we reached the bottom just after 9:00. One down, two to go.

***

We drove over to the El Capitan trailhead at Camp IV to regroup and prepare for the next hike. New socks, new clothes, a new handful of LARABAR's (and one Clif Nectar too). We took turns dunking our feet in a large cooler of ice water Joseph had brought for that purpose. Not particularly comfortable, but I think it helped.

Munching on bananas and roast beef sandwiches, we mentally prepared for the next ascent. El Cap is not as high as Half Dome, but the trail is almost as long, and the climb up to the top of Yosemite Falls is killer. The staggering immensity of the day was slowly beginning to sink in.

We started up at 10:05, hiking poles clawing rhythmically into the trail. This was the hottest part of the day, climbing the switchbacks to Yosemite Point in the direct sun. About halfway up we met a rather talkative young Austrian named Florian - one of those random encounters that makes you feel like you're in a dream. But no, I'm not in a dream - my feet hurt.

There were crews doing controlled burns down in the valley, and the smoke was drifting up around Half Dome - good thing we were done over there.

11:30 - Yosemite Point: Cashew Cookie. Yum-Yum. Still less than halfway, so we keep the break short. Florian's eating an apple, telling us about the mountains in Austria. Friendly, unassuming chap, and a decent hiker to boot. We take our leave and move on.

The trail was relatively quiet for it being the middle of the day. Right around noon I had a mega hungry attack and gobbled my entire ziploc of trail mix. I guess it was lunch time. The two of us talked sporadically, mostly walking silently, smiling to ourselves, exhilarated by the challenge. And then we were there.

1:00 PM - El Capitan

El Capitan was a leisurely summit break, an extravagant 20 minutes. We called our families again and relaxed in the sun, thrilled with the perfect weather. Life is good.

Before long, it was time to go again. We passed a few hikers on the way down. Can someone tell me why Boy Scouts have to take breaks smack-dab in the middle of the trail?

Coming back by Yosemite Point, I started noticing a bit of nausea. I took a little food - string cheese and dried figs. That helped. When I noticed the feeling coming back, I ate some more. This would be the pattern for the rest of the day. You have to keep your gut under control to ward off the risk of vomiting and subsequent dehydration. Keep eating - keep drinking. Oh yes, and keep walking.

We reached the bottom just after 4:00. Ah, that feels grrrreat. We tossed the packs in the back of the truck and headed over to Yosemite Lodge for a restroom break before driving back to the other side of the valley, under the lengthening shadow of Glacier Point.

***

Parked about 50 feet from the beginning of the Four-Mile-that-is-actually-4.8 Mile Trail, we refilled our Camelbaks with water and snacks and lashed our pullovers to the outside. Once again we dunked our feet in the icy water and changed into fresh socks, looking up at Glacier Point, 3,200 feet above. This time, we also grabbed our music players.

We started up just after 5:00. I took the lead, feeling refreshed and excited to be on a new trail. We wound our way up the mountain, through the pines and dogwoods, with views of El Capitan and Yosemite Falls opening up across the valley. I turned on Derek Webb's I See Things Upside Down.

"I don't want medication / just give me liberation / even if it cuts my legs right out from underneath / don't give me medication / I want the real sensation / even if living feels just like death to me..."

We stopped briefly to stretch, and Joseph got his music player out. The day was still warm. Plenty of hikers coming down; a nod of the head, a raised hand, trail salutes.

I ripped open another Banana Cookie LARABAR and rounded a switchback, waving at Joseph's camera. "What do you think?" "I think we're gonna make it, man."

Switchbacks, switchbacks, and - what's this? - more switchbacks. Finally, we came around the edge of the mountain, where we could see the ever-majestic Half Dome suffused in a brilliant pink. The top was close now.

7:07 PM - Glacier Point

We plodded wearily up to the top, nodding to the tourists, almost too tired to feel elation. Besides, we weren't done yet. 5 more miles to go yet, downhill in the dark, and the lingering potential for something to go wrong.

Joseph called home, and we got a rousing cheer from the Lindvall clan. The wind blew chill. We rested a bit more before switching on the headlamps and starting down.

Once we were down off the point and moving again it didn't take long to feel warm. It was a lovely evening. I had Caedmon's Call and a Chocolate Avalanche Payday to keep me company. The valley floor was sprinkled with tiny sparkling lights, like an inverted planetarium. We could see the red, glowing remains of the controlled burns.

We reached the truck at 9:30, feeling remarkably chipper after 18 hours of nearly non-stop hiking. Epic? A little bit. But mostly just another day on the trail.

For more information please visit www.yosemitetriplecrown.com