Yosemite National Park is considered one of the most beautiful in the United States. Numerous artists and photographers have made its views famous by making them the most popular nature screensavers for the desktop of our computers. Three million tourists come to Yosemite every year to see the famous valley and other famous natural attractions live.
Hiking trails and trails cover only 11% of the total area of the park, everything else is a protected wilderness untouched by man. Most of the park consists of granite and sedimentary rocks, which, under the influence of erosion, have formed unusual elements of the landscape - natural columns and pillars, semicircular canyons and gorges and dome-shaped folds. Half Dome is just a great example of the latter.
Half Dome (English Half Dome) is a granite rock (monolith) that is very popular with tourists and one of the symbols of Yosemite National Park. Located in the central part of the Sierra Nevada (California, USA). It is one of the largest monoliths in North America. The summit is at 2,694 m above sea level and rises 1,450 m above the Yosemite Valley. Consists of granite.
Its granite dome is at the eastern end of the Yosemite Valley. The 1444 meter high granite ridge is the most famous landscape of the valley. This image is featured on the US 25 cent series and on a modern California driver's license.
In 1875, George Anderson was the first to conquer the mountain, making a dangerous ascent that was previously considered impossible. The ascent took 5 days. At the moment, Half Dome has more than 10 climbing routes. In addition, one Via Ferrata route leads to the top.
About a thousand tourists storm Half Dome every day.
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Thousands of those who wish, under the supervision of the rangers of the national park, climb the cliff, and from the 12 km path the last one and a half hundred meters to the top, they follow a special cable route (created in 1919), holding on to two stretched braided metal ropes.
Yosemite Valley is a national park in the United States, so there are strict rules for preserving nature and rocks in their natural form. Climbers must follow the principle: "leave no trace."
In other words, they must take absolutely everything with them and leave nothing on the route, including waste products. Also, water or food should not be left for the "next group", for the "next climb", or for any other reason. The hidden water and food are trash!
Bonfires should not be made unless absolutely necessary. If, in case of an emergency, the group needs to start a fire, they should use the existing fire pit and then ensure that the fire is completely extinguished.
With overnight stays, it's not that simple either. Permits for overnight stays on the wall or emergency overnight stays at the summit are not required. But, if the group plans to spend the night at the top, they must obtain appropriate permission. In Yosemite Valley, parking under any wall is prohibited, except for the Half Dome, which requires a separate permit. No overnight stay at the Half Dome!
In addition, once the equipment had stepped far enough, climbing ethics became essential. Climbers should prepare to climb routes without hammering, that is, by selecting kamhooks and any other equipment that may eliminate the need for swotting. Climbers should also take the time to remove old quickdraws, unusable copperheads and other useless hardware they encounter on their routes.
All this significantly increases the number of pleasant climbing impressions even on the most popular routes.
There are many routes to get to Yosemite. For example, by plane from Moscow to San Francisco. Then take a train or bus to Merceda station, then to Yosemite Valley by bus, which takes about 3.5 hours. This is the simplest, but expensive way ($ 1000 for round trip plane tickets). It is significantly cheaper to fly to Las Vegas ($ 700 for tickets), but it can take twice as long to get from it to the park.
Sarah Watson became famous for her amazing climbing career: she started climbing at a rather late age: at the age of 21, but after a year and a half she, together with Sean Jones, created a new route (21 pitches) on the south side Half Dome, called "Growing Up" (5.13a, A0).
Sarah is also considered the first woman to conquer the Half Dome summit.
Such high popularity forced the authorities to announce in 2010 the introduction, starting from the 2011 season, of some restrictions (no more than 400 people per day), and permits to issue in advance (one week in advance) not in the National Park itself, but in the National Recreation Reservation Service. Those who try to ascend to the top as "savages" without permission are punished with a fine of up to $ 5,000 and / or imprisonment for 6 months.