From the Archives: Royal Robbins ... in his own words ... and advice to others
Editor's Note: This is a story penned by Royal Robbins for The Bee in 2007.
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On the 50th anniversary of his historic asce nt of Half Dome's Northwest Face, Royal Robbins, the father of big-wall climbing, tells you to go climb a rock ... and tells you when and how
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There has been a lot of press lately on hiking to the top of Yosemite's beautiful monolith, Half Dome, much of it focused on crowded conditions on the final section using cables and on several unfortunate accidents that have taken place there.
My goal is to suggest a way of getting to the top of the celebrated peak while avoiding crowds and injury.
I have been to the top of Half Dome often, five times via new routes on the big Northwest Face. In fact, this year, my companions, Mike Sherrick and Jerry Gallwas, and I celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of the face in June of 1957. I also have climbed the Southwest Face by two routes that were there when I arrived. And I have gone up the cable stairway several times.
I mention these ascents because I want to establish that what follows is born of personal experience, not book-learning.
Let's begin at the beginning ... what we do in advance of the actual ascent.
First, let's deal with the question "Why climb Half Dome"?
The answer is that it's the most prominent peak in Yosemite. After you have climbed it, you can always look back up from the valley and say, "I was there!"
Make no mistake, climbing Half Dome by any route is a genuine accomplishment. It's a 16-mile round trip and a gain (and loss) of nearly 5,000 feet in elevation, starting at about the 4,000 foot level in Yosemite Valley and ending atop the dome at an elevation of 8,842 feet.
That's why you climb Half Dome. It's prominent. It's beautiful. And it's a grueling accomplishment for which you will be forever proud. It perfectly answers that call of the human spirit that urges us to climb mountains. A mountaintop is a symbol, a symbol of challenge we are capable of overcoming if we set our minds and hearts to the task.
PREPARATION
Let's divide this section into four parts: (1) imagining the ascent, (2) setting a date, (3) training and (4) gear.
1. PICTURE YOURSELF DOING IT.
It's helpful to get a mental image of what you are proposing and how you are going to do it.
You start early in the morning, with a headlamp to light the way. The trail leads you up to the bridge across the cataract below Vernal Fall. You cross the bridge and climb up beside Vernal. It's steep, with more than 100 stone steps. From the top of Vernal, you follow the path back across another bridge over the Merced River and then up more stone steps to the top of Nevada Fall.
Shortly after reaching the top, the trail forks and you take the left branch to the north. This trail leads slowly up and up through the giant Sierra forest with its sugar pines, red firs and groves of incense ciders to the "shoulder" below the cable leading up the northeast flank of the dome. Here you find more stone steps and climb these, placing one foot above another until you are at the beginning of the cable.
With a hand on each cable, you ascend the final 500 feet to the top of the dome, breathless, but wide-eyed and happy. You've done it! The world lies at your feet.
2. SET A DATE
I recommend late summer or early fall. Anytime in September and the first half of October usually is good. Unless a storm is coming through (always a possibility), it's a period of usually fine weather. The air is crystal clear, there are no insects, and thunderstorms are less likely. Also, the walk up past Vernal Fall is drier. Spring is very beautiful, with water flowing everywhere, but the weather is more changeable and insects are abundant. The same is mostly true of summer, with the additional challenge of lots and lots of people eager to enjoy Yosemite Valley, and many eager to get to the top of Half Dome.
If you climb Half Dome in the summer, definitely do not do so on weekends; even during other times of the year, go midweek if you can. One nice thing about being close to Yosemite is that you have greater choice about when to visit. If you come from afar, as most visitors do, you are more limited in your choices. Also, it's good to remember that the cables are taken down in October to keep them from being avalanched away. They are put back up at the end of the winter season, usually in April. The dates will vary depending upon snow conditions, so check with the National Park Service Web site to make sure the cables will be there for you.
3. TRAINING
You want to be fit. It's true that many seemingly unfit people make it to the top of the dome, but many also get sick, fall by the wayside and don't make it to the top because they are out of shape or dehydrated. Don't be among them. Better too fit than not fit enough. So, two things are particularly challenging about climbing Half Dome. One is the combination of distance and altitude gain -- it's a long, steep slog. The other is the elevation. The air is a bit thinner up there, so train at altitude. This means get out and hike.
The high country in Yosemite around Tuolumne Meadows is perfect hiking country. And the Stanislaus National Forest to the east of us and to the north of Yosemite has terrific hiking possibilities. For a perfect combination of training and vistas, I recommend that you drive up to Sonora Pass and hike south along the Pacific Crest Trail. This is very beautiful and very scenic and at an elevation that will get you shipshape for Half Dome. Hiking north from Sonora Pass also is excellent, though I personally think the best hike in the region is to follow the St. Mary's Pass Trail, which takes off to the north from Highway 108 about half a mile below Sonora Pass. This delightful path traverses the west flank of Sonora Peak past some natural springs that water abundant wildflowers, even in October, when they have disappeared everywhere else.
4. SELECTING GEAR
First and foremost is your footwear. It's astonishing but true that some Half Dome ascensionists get to the top with strange things on their feet, such as sandals or street shoes. But why ask for trouble? After hiking 16 miles, your feet will tell you if you do not have the right shoes. I personally use Ecco hiking boots. This import from Denmark is flexible and soft -- very comfortable. I wouldn't claim they offer much support, though. If you want support, you need a stiffer shoe. Sneakers also are a good choice. My wife, Liz, often uses them to good advantage in her hiking. The main thing is, whatever shoes you choose, get out and train in them. Take long hikes to make sure your feet will be happy in them for a prolonged period.
Besides proper footwear, rugged outdoor clothing is essential. Shorts or pants that allow free movement are recommended, along with a woven, long-sleeved cotton shirt. Take along a spare sweater in case it gets cool and a poncho or waterproof jacket in case it gets wet. Don't forget a hat to shield your head from the sun, plus bug stuff depending upon the season.
You will want a day pack to put the spare gear in. That spare gear, by the way, should include lunch and two liter bottles of water. (The park service recommends a gallon of water, but half of that seems enough to me.)
Lunch might include apples, salami, cheese, Triscuits, nuts, and cookies. I suggest you take a sharp folding knife for carving this stuff, sunscreen, lip balm and a headlamp for the early-morning start and possible late descent.
THE ASCENT
You are now ready. Let's climb!
Let's say you have picked a weekday in mid-September. You live in the Modesto area, so you have a choice of leaving home in the middle of the night or camping in Yosemite Valley and leaving early next morning. That's the first hurdle: leaving early in the morning. What do I mean by "early"? I mean 3 a.m. Yes, I know it's a dreadful hour, a good hour for sleeping. But if you are camping and get up at 3 a.m., you will never be sorry. If you get up later, you might well be. If you are making a one-day round trip from Modesto (tough, but doable), you will need to leave town at about midnight. If you are driving through the mountains at night, be alert for animals on the road. They are more likely to be out at that time rather than when the sun is high.
If you are camped in Yosemite Valley, you will need to drive to the east end to find the John Muir Trail trailhead. Follow signs indicating trailhead or just showing a hiker. There is a parking lot near the trailhead, just east of Curry Village. If you can reserve a camp in the Upper Pines Campground, you will not need to drive but can simply walk from your campsite to the bridge across the Merced and thence to the trailhead.
The trail is at first a wide swath covered in asphalt that has worn away here and there. Follow it as it climbs to the south before turning east to follow the course of the plunging Merced River. You will come to a bridge; on the far side is a drinking fountain where you can fill your bottles with fresh water and thus save carrying water to this point.
From the bridge, the trail leads up along the south side of the Merced River toward Vernal Fall. You will find a rock stairway here, the ascent of which is laborious but much shorter than following the alternate trail around. Earlier in the year, this is a very wet area.
From the top of Vernal, follow the trail across another bridge to the north side of the river. (NOTE: Stay away from the water near the top of the fall. This treacherous section has claimed many lives.) Follow the trail up the left, or north, side of Nevada Fall to the top, where the Merced meanders along before its big plunge to the rocks below.
You will shortly come to a fork in the trail. Take the left branch and follow the slowly rising path as it skirts the south and east faces of Half Dome. You will be walking through a magnificent forest, with giant pines, firs and stately stands of incense ciders. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you will by and by come to a natural spring on the right. It usually has water, but it is best to not count on it and to take your own. After you pass the spring, you will shortly come to the beginning of the dome's shoulder. Follow the trail and steps as they lead up to the base of the dome itself, where you will find the cable stairway.
(NOTE: If cumulus clouds are building, stay off of the dome. In fact, stay away from any exposed areas. Hang out in the forests, where the trees will protect you from lightning. Also, if the weather is bad, or looks bad, call off the climb. Save it and yourself for another day.)
If you have brought canvas gloves, put them on and firmly grasp the cables on either side. Ascend the cable stairway slowly, steadily and alertly. You shouldn't have a heavy pack at this point. In fact, you can leave almost everything below. You may want to take food and water if you wish to enjoy lunch on top. Or if you just want to zip up and down, you can leave these things below, plus your headlamp and anything else you don't need above. Be careful, however, about leaving your sweater or poncho. These things are lightweight and may come in handy if it's cooler above than you think.
After reaching the top, you have earned a moment of pride. Enjoy the magnificent view and note the absence of glacier polish on the huge top of the dome. Glaciers never passed over the crown of Half Dome, though they formed a sea around it. After enjoying the summit, it is time to begin the long descent to the valley and its sybaritic charms.
THE DESCENT
You start by going down the cables. Gloves are handy here, even more so than on the ascent. Also handy, going up and going down, are a couple of carabiners with nylon lines going to your waist. Carabiners are devices used by climbers. They are a sort of giant safety pin, but very strong. They can be clipped to the cable and will prevent you from falling far if you were to slip. When you come to one of the vertical poles, you can unclip one carabiner from the cable, pass it around the obstacle, and clip it in again, and repeat that process with the other carabiner, thus remaining always clipped in. Check with a sports shop for this gear.
When you reach the bottom of the cable stairway, all you need is caution as you retrace your route to the valley. You should arrive in midafternoon, with plenty of daylight, but if you get down later, that's OK, too -- you made it.
Congratulations! Go to Curry Village and treat yourself to pizza or an ice cream bar.
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RANDOM RUMINATIONS FROM ROYAL ...
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* What would you have done if you hadn't been a climber?
Robbins: "Something dangerous that required a lot of discipline. I didn't aspire to change the world. Climbing was value-free. I'd like to have been on one of the ships with Christopher Columbus."
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"When I was a kid, I was hiding behind a wooden sign and my friend was shooting a wooden arrow at it. I thought he had waited too long, so I peeked over the top of the sign. The arrow hit right next to my eye, close enough that I bled. I'm lucky I didn't lose an eye."
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"At 15, I knew the outdoors was my destiny. I had read 'High Conquest' by James Ramsey Ullman. He said, 'Climbing is not about climbing. It's about conquering what's unattractive in yourself.' "
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"To encourage others is to give a great gift."
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"Half Dome makes a pretty good gravestone."
* About his quest to become a better speaker and writer ...
"If you're climbing, the worst thing that can happen is you die. When you're speaking or writing, you can make a fool of yourself."
* His advice to young people ...
"Believe in yourself even if others don't. And do what you love.
It doesn't matter what that is."
This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 7:07 AM with the headline "From the Archives: Royal Robbins ... in his own words ... and advice to others."