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      Foreword

      I heartily recommend this book. It is a well-written and thorough guide to reaching the top of my favorite Yosemite rock form. Why is Half Dome my favorite? Because it stands alone at the east end of Yosemite Valley. It isn’t as big as El Capitan, 7 miles to the west. With its 3,000-foot south face, El Capitan guards the gates of the valley. But Half Dome has a 2,000-foot northwest face that is straight up and down, a summit that isn’t reachable by merely hiking a trail through the forest, and the Dome is almost 2,000 feet higher than El Cap. Half Dome was first climbed in 1875 by George Anderson, a Scot (John Muir, another Scot, reached the summit of Cathedral Peak in 1869). These days Half Dome is ascended tens of thousands of times a year. Why? Because people want to be able to say, as they look up from the valley, “I’ve been there.” Once, the author of this book, after complimenting me on having made the first ascent of the great face of Half Dome, claimed that “Of course, I went up the easy way.” As I said to Rick then and say to you, dear reader, now, “There’s no easy way up Half Dome.” Getting to the top requires a nearly 16-mile round-trip and an elevation gain of almost 5,000 feet. That’s a bit of work for a day, but you can do it. I would read carefully what Rick Deutsch has to say in this revised second edition, especially about being fit. You want to be fit and to have good footwear.

      Rick has had to revise this guide to hiking Half Dome. Things change, and the guide has to change with them. In particular, there is now a permit system to ascend the cable stairway of Half Dome. Yes, I know, permit systems are a bother. Oh, for the days when we could spend the night on top of Half Dome. The park service instituted the permit system to cut down on the crowding that was occurring on the cables. There have been a few serious accidents that were attributable to so many people being up there at the same time. Rick now includes a thorough guide to navigating the permit system.

      The only place where I differ significantly from Rick is on starting time. Rick recommends an early start. I agree. But where Rick suggests 6 a.m., I am for 3 a.m. I know it is hard to get up that early, but if you do you will never be sorry. You will hike up in the cool of the morning and reach the top ahead of the crowds, so much ahead of them that you will be able to descend the cables before they arrive and start up. Rick also says that June is his favorite time of year in Yosemite. I prefer the fall. It’s true that the waterfalls have dried up, but there are no bugs, the air is clear, the Mist Trail is dry, and the people have left.

      Have a good hike and remember, you are going to the best summit in the Yosemite region.

      Royal Robbins

      Modesto, CA

      March 2012

      Note: Royal Robbins led the first group to climb the 1,800-foot-high Regular Northwest Face route on Half Dome in 1957.