Not a Walk in the Park

We were appalled to hear that Bay Area hiker Manoj Kumar fell to his death on Saturday June 13, on the steepest cable section of Half Dome. He was descending at 3:40 p.m. in rain and hail. He fell when about halfway (200ft) to the bottom of the cables.

Besides being very steep, more than 45 degrees in places, the granite here is worn smooth from many decades of hikers using the one path. The smoothened granite is treacherously slick when wet. Some people climb outside of the pair of cable handholds rather than in between them, for better traction or to skip around slower people. It is not yet reported whether the fallen hiker was inside or outside, or whether he was using hiking boots appropriate for granite or just rubber-soled shoes. It is not yet known whether he was alone or in some group.

Six rangers went up via helicopter and took many hours to safely bring down 41 other scared, trapped, cold hikers from the summit and cables.

Ascending this final part of Half Dome is very dangerous when raining, from both traction and lightning strikes. Some reports say that the sky overhead was still cloud-free when these people ascended in mid-afternoon; the arriving clouds were hidden from view by the mountain itself. We don't yet know whether Kumar and others were suckered in, or just chose badly.

Our 'Mr. Half Dome', local author and Half Dome expert Rick Deutsch, was atop Half Dome earlier that day on his 24th trip there. As he came down, he told some arriving hikers about the clouds he saw and advised them to turn back. There are plenty of warning signs posted here and at the beginning of the trail, but there is nothing to stop those who disregard warnings. It is too remote from camps and too expensive, to have a ranger permanently posted there to watch for problems and turn people back.

Duane's office mate safely ascended Half Dome with her husband a couple of weekends ago. But she has a friend whose husband was among the 41 hikers stuck on the summit this fatal evening. Small world.

A few weeks earlier, a woman hiker fell somewhere on the Half Dome trail and had serious but nonfatal injuries.

Two days after Kumar's fall, a worker at Yosemite fell to his death off of a different high cliff elsewhere in Yosemite. This was apparently a recreational hike on his time off.

Team In Training aims to keep its Half Dome event as safe as possible. Each group of twelve participant hikers is accompanied by two experienced professional guides. The ascent is planned before midday, when weather is usually best and the cables are uncongested. Everyone will have good gloves, good boots with sticky soles, and stay inside the cables. If there is any chance of rain, all will turn back and not do the summit. For the regular trails, we are advised to always stop walking when looking up and around.

Christina and I originally planned to do the cables while tethered to them with D-rings. This would stop any fall within 10 feet or so. At his lecture, Mr. Deutsch recommended against this for most people. Messing with it distracts from keeping two good hands on at all times. Now I'm not so sure. It would be useful to have this with and ready, in case of worsened conditions.

We now expect to be assigned to the Panorama Trail instead of Half Dome for our June 20th event day. So we don't have to face these dangers and fears now. It will matter, if and when we return to hike Half Dome someday on our own.