Half Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, located at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley — possibly Yosemite's most familiar sight. The granite crest rises more than 4,737 ft (1,444 m) above the valley floor. Download high resolution version (1024x768, 144 KB)Half Dome in Yosemite National Park - 2004-09-05 - from [1] File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A topographical summit is a point on a surface which is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The Himalaya as seen from the International Space Station A mountain range is a group of mountains bordered by lowlands or separated from other mountain ranges by passes or rivers. ... The Sierra Nevada (Spanish for Snowy Range) is a mountain range that is almost entirely in the eastern portion of the U.S. state of California. ... In topography, prominence, also known as autonomous height, relative height or shoulder drop (in America) or prime factor (in Europe), is a concept used in the categorization of hills and mountains, also known as peaks. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... // Topographic maps are a variety of maps characterized by large-scale detail and quantitative representation of relief, usually using contour lines in modern mapping, but historically using a variety of methods. ... InsertSLUTTY WHORES≤ non-formatted text here{| class=toccolours border=1 cellpadding=4 style=float: right; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; width: 20em; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; clear: right; |+ United States Geological Survey |- |style= align=center colspan=2| [[Image:USGS logo. ... Mountains can be characterized in several ways. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ... A granite dome is a dome of granite, formed by exfoliation. ... // For other uses, see time scale. ... The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... Myr is often used in geology as a unit of one million years. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... A granite dome is a dome of granite, formed by exfoliation. ... Yosemite National Park (pronounced Yo-SEM-it-ee, IPA: ) is a national park located largely in Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties, California, United States. ... Yosemite Valley with Half Dome in the distance. ... Close-up of granite from Yosemite National Park, valley of the Merced River Quarrying granite for the Mormon Temple, Utah Territory. ...

Ascents

As late as the 1870s, Half Dome was declared "perfectly inaccessible",^[1] but it may now be ascended in several different ways. Thousands of hikers reach the top each year by following a trail from the valley floor. The trailhead is only 2 mi (3.2 km) from Half Dome itself, but the circuitous route is 8.5 mi (13.7 km) long. The final ascent is accomplished by following a pair of metal cables raised on posts up the peak's steep but somewhat rounded east face. The cable route was constructed in 1919, but followed close to the route of George Anderson's October, 1875 first ascent made by drilling iron eyebolts into the smooth granite.^[2] // The invention of the telephone (1876) by Alexander Graham Bell. ... Two hikers in the Mount Hood National Forest Eagle Creek hiking Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... “Footpath” redirects here. ... In climbing, a first ascent (FA) is the first climb to reach the top of a mountain, or the first to follow a particular climbing route. ...

Alternatively, over a dozen rock climbing routes lead from the valley up Half Dome's vertical northwest face. Other routes ascend the south face and the west shoulder. The first modern technical route was the Regular Northwest Face route - originally climbed in 1957 by Royal Robbins, Mike Sherrick, and Jerry Gallwas. This 5-day ascent was the first Grade VI climb in the United States.^[3] Climbers on Valkyrie at the Roaches. ... Southern and northern Mount Everest climbing routes as seen from the International Space Station. ... The Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome approximately follows the red line. ... Royal Robbins (born 1935) was one of the early pioneers of American climbing. ... In mountaineering and related climbing sports, climbers give a climbing grade to a route that attempts to assess the difficulty and danger of climbing the route. ...

Geology

Half Dome, showing the valley and surrounding area.

Half Dome is nearly as whole as it ever was. The impression from the valley floor that this is a round dome which has lost its northwest half is an illusion. From Glacier Point or from Washburn Point, Half Dome can be seen as a thin ridge of rock oriented northeast-southwest, with its southeast side almost as steep as its northwest side except for the very top. Although the trend of this ridge, as well as that of Tenaya Canyon, is probably controlled by master joints, 80 percent of the northwest "half" of the original dome may well still be there. What probably happened is that frost splitting of the rock at the back of a tiny glacier against Half Dome above Mirror Lake gradually quarried back the steep northwest face. As the base of the cliff was hewn away, ultimately parts of the sheets parallel to the original upper surface of Half Dome were left projecting outward at the crest of the vertical cliff. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 143 KB)Yosemite Valley and Half-Dome. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 143 KB)Yosemite Valley and Half-Dome. ... Glacier Point, as seen from Yosemite Valley. ... The Garden Wall, an arête in Glacier National Park (U.S.) An arête is a thin, almost knife-like, ridge of rock which is typically formed when two glaciers erode parallel U-shaped valleys. ... Surprisingly, Tenaya Canyon is not one of the best hikes in Yosemite. ... Columnar jointed basalt in Turkey Columnar jointing in the basalt of the Giants Causeway in Ireland A joint is a generally planar fracture formed in a rock as a result of extensional stress. ...

In culture

An image of Half Dome, along with John Muir and the California Condor, appears on the California State quarter, released in January 2005. Download high resolution version (1167x1189, 158 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1167x1189, 158 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... John Muir appears on the California quarter John Muir (April 21, 1838 – December 24, 1914) was one of the first modern preservationists. ... Binomial name (Shaw, 1797) Synonyms Genus-level: Antillovultur Arredondo, 1976 Pseudogryphus Species-level: Vultur californianus Shaw, 1797 Gymnogyps amplus L. H. Miller, 1911 For other uses, see condor (disambiguation). ... Obverse of redesigned quarter The 50 State Quarters program is the release of a series of commemorative coins by the United States Mint. ...

Half Dome was originally called "Tis-sa-ack," meaning Cleft Rock in the language of the local Native Americans. Tis-sa-ack is also the name of the fourth route on the formation, ascended by Royal Robbins and Don Peterson over eight days in October 1969. Tis-sa-ack is the name of a mother from a native legend. The face seen in Half Dome is supposed to be hers.^[4] Tis-sa-ack is the name of a Mono Lake Paiute Indian girl in the Yosemite Native American legend.^{[citation needed]} Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Royal Robbins (born 1935) was one of the early pioneers of American climbing. ... Mono Lake is an alkaline and hypersaline lake in California, United States that is a critical nesting habitat for several bird species and is one of the most productive ecosystems in North America[citation needed]. // Satellite photo of Mono Lake Mono Craters to the right of the image are rhyolitic... Paiute women and children in Yosemite Valley 1891. ...

Half Dome is included in many company and organization logos, including that of the environmental group, the Sierra Club and the game studios Sierra Entertainment. The Sierra Club is an American environmental organization founded on May 28, 1892 in San Francisco, California by the well-known preservationist John Muir, who became its first president. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Half Dome is the inspiration behind The North Face corporate logo. The North Face is an outdoor product company. ...

Hiking the Cables Route

Hikers use cables to ascend Half Dome

The Half Dome Cables Route hike runs from the valley floor to the top of the dome in 7.5 mi (12 km), with 4,800 ft (1,463 m) of elevation gain. The length and difficulty of the trail used to keep it less crowded than other park trails, but on long summer days there can still be a large crowd at the top and on the trail. The hike can be done from the valley floor in a single long day, but many people break it up by camping overnight in Little Yosemite Valley. The trail climbs past Vernal and Nevada Falls, then continues into Little Yosemite Valley, then north to the base of the northeast ridge of Half Dome itself. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1920x1080, 422 KB) Hikers walk up the east face of Half Dome, aided by a pair of cables. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1920x1080, 422 KB) Hikers walk up the east face of Half Dome, aided by a pair of cables. ... Vernal Fall is a large waterfall on the Merced River just downstream of Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park, USA. It is 317 feet (97 m) high. ... Nevada Fall (the National Park Service spells this as singular) is a 594 ft (181 m) high waterfall on Merced River in Yosemite National Park, California. ...

The cable route gets crowded on the weekends.

The final 400 ft (122 m) of ascent are steeply up the rock between two steel cables used as handholds.^[5] The cables are raised onto a series of metal poles in late May, and are taken down for the winter in early October. Many hikers still climb the final leg when the cables are down, using a single cable to pull themselves along.^{[citation needed]} Climbing Half Dome with the cables done is no problem, since this section of the way is easy and not too steep (rated as grade 3 hike). The cables can be rather crowded, then it is recommended to go outside the cables in order to reach the summit without lining up; as many as 1,000 hikers per day sometimes climb the dome on a summer weekend.^[6] Gloves are recommended for the cable climb, as are proper conditioning, plus sufficient water and food. In past years, a pile of gloves left by hikers could be found by those who did not bring their own ^[7], but as of summer 2007 this pile has been removed as litter by park rangers, and a sign suggests hikers not leave gloves. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 1. ...

Climbers can view the sheer face of Half Dome.

The top of Half Dome is a large, flat area where climbers can relax and enjoy their accomplishment. The summit offers views of the surrounding areas, including Little Yosemite Valley and the Valley Floor. A notable location to one side of Half Dome is the "Diving Board", where Ansel Adams took his photograph, "Monolith, The Face Of Half Dome (1926)." Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 958 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Living on the edge of life on the summit of Half Dome. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 1333 pixel, file size: 958 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Living on the edge of life on the summit of Half Dome. ... The Tetons - Snake River (1942) by Ansel Adams Ansel Easton Adams (February 20, 1902 – April 22, 1984) was an American photographer, best known for his black and white photographs of Californias Yosemite Valley. ...

Since 1971 there have been nine fatal falls from the cables, three in 2007^[6]. On June 16, 2007, Hirofumi Nohara slipped and plunged 300 feet to his death.^[6]. Lightning strikes can also be a risk while on or near the summit. On July 27, 1985, five hikers were struck by lightning, resulting in two fatalities. Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Hirofumi Nohara (1970-June 16, 2007), a native of Japan, was working in Sunnyvale, California in 2007. ... For information on lightning precautions, see Lightning safety. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar). ...

See also

• El Capitan
• Sentinel Dome

El Capitan is a 3,000-foot (1000m) vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park, located on the north side of Yosemite Valley, near its western end. ... Sentinel Dome is a granite dome in Yosemite National Park, United States. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Half Dome hike on the NPS website
• Geologic Story of Yosemite National Park by N. King Huber, USGS (adapted PD source)
• [1]
• Half Dome on TierraWiki.org
• Half Dome on Summitpost.org
• Hiking Half Dome Report
• Hiking Half Dome on OutdoorDB.org
• Daily updating time-lapse movies of Half Dome
• Maps and aerial photos
  • WikiSatellite view at WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image from TerraServer-USA
  • Surrounding area map from Google Maps
  • Location in the United States from the Census Bureau