High Sierra Topix

A young woman tragically fell this summer on the infamous Half Dome cables during a thunderstorm. Am interested in reading what other HST board members feel about the issues. Especially since during that same period members were at Vee Lake for the gathering while I was backpacking up Green Creek just outside Yosemite. The day before she fell was very stormy while July 25 was only somewhat less so and windy.

https://www.davidsenesac.com/2024_Trip_ ... html#jul25

Thus without more information, I don't buy into news reports playing down storm threats and instead would label a Half Dome attempt on that day as unwise. Unfortunately, over decades, I've seen plenty of other hikers, peakbaggers, and backpackers make what IMO are rather ignorant, dangerous decisions during storms. As they say "ignorance is bliss" and significant numbers of people including many experienced mountain enthusiasts, have poor understanding of weather phenomenon so just rely on forecasts they may also poorly interpret.

One can see how they were unwise by hiking up after a day of heavy electrical storms on a day that was already cloudy at dawn, proclaiming it was "perfect hiking weather". And then only descended with apparently numbers of other unwise after 15 minutes at the top after hearing thunder that created crowding on the cables. Many sheepish people don't tend to make independent decisions by themselves and rather observe what others are doing.

Note this person has never had an interest in that climb as am not the personality type drawn to publicly hyped mountain challenges nor anything "bucket list". For like reasons have never been on top of Mount Whitney either. But I do understand why others are drawn to accomplishing such. Over decades, I who had a science career in electronic and physics phenomenon, have endured numerous powerful thunderstorms gaining much experience, while also studying storm phenomenon science.

Tragic death raises troubling questions about safety on Yosemite's Half Dome

https://www.sfgate.com/california-parks ... 656815.php

Jul 25, 2024 · An Arizona State University student slipped and fell to her death after she and her father got caught in a sudden storm while hiking in Yosemite National Park...
Some have criticized decisions the Rohloffs made that day, taking issue with their 8 a.m. departure time and their choice to summit Half Dome even after a ranger warned that thunderstorms were in the forecast.

Full online information:
https://hikingguy.com/hiking-trails/yos ... ete-guide/

• If you can get to the cables by 8 am, the average amount of people climbing is 10.
  If you ascend the cables between the peak hours of 11am-2pm, the average is 50-60 people, and can be higher.
  When there are no crowds, it usually takes 20-30 minutes to ascend and 15 minutes to descend.
  Some people will try to pass the line of climbers by weaving through the traffic lanes or going on the outside of the cables.

https://www.wowt.com/2024/07/25/college ... h-her-dad/

“She said, ‘Dad, it is showing 65 and cloudy, so it is perfect hiking weather,’” he said. A ranger told them there was a chance for storms in the afternoon. So Jonathan said they set out early and made it to the top.

“We were up there about 15 minutes, and, you know, I heard a huge thunderclap from behind me, and I looked around, and I saw some dark clouds rolling in quick, and I thought, ‘We need to get down, we need to get down quick,’” he said. Not long after, it started pouring rain as they were hiking down.

I agree with your analysis, Dave, as well share you disinclination to visit destinies that are plagued by bucket list minions.

As I read the article my mind kept screaming, DON"T GO! Their friends may have considered dad and daughter as experienced outdoors types, but they exercised hubris, given their choices, given prevailing conditions in the midst of summer storm season. I may be in the minority here, but I also think attempting the cables when the rock was already slippery wet was a mistake. If one were to examine the incident history of Half Dome, I posit you probably have better odds of surviving, staying on top and riding out an electric storm, than descending the cables when the rock is slick wet.

Ed

I was the ranger in Little Yosemite Valley from '72 - June of '77. During thunderstorm periods, we'd be at the bottom of the trail and tell people not to go or, at least, when they got to the saddle and saw clouds, to turn around. I was told we couldn't actually forbid anyone from going. A few years later as the Crabtree ranger, I gave the exact same advice to people heading up Whitney from the west side during a lightning bust. There was a serious lightning storm one day that hit at least 4 (?) people at the summit and along the ridge trail, killing one. At least none of the people up there that day had gone from the west side -- they'd apparently heeded our advice.

Which is just to say that signs are great but you really need someone there to carefully explain how dangerous things can be. Whitney & Half Dome could be considered "attractive nuisances" in the sense they get a lot of inexperience people and, make no mistake, I'm always happy people our out enjoying their National Parks & forests. Education, though, is key both at the permit station as well as having <cough> people in the backcountry to talk to folks and help them with understanding terrain and conditions.

I am going to avoid second-guessing anyone here, but I will tell the story of my hike up Angel's Landing in Zion on the last day that they allowed an unlimited number of people take that hike. My wife and I are very experienced hikers, and we made it up to the chains section easily, often passing groups of people who were less fit or prepared.

When we got to the chains, my wife took one look at the crowds there and said she was stopping right then and there, Fair enough. I said I would continue, and climbed up the first section of chains. On the second section, I found myself behind a group/family of five people who were not wearing hiking-appropriate footwear (one woman was in flipflops) were very much overweight, and were struggling mightily to climb the next section of chains. They had brought traffic on the trail to something between a snail's pace and a halt.

And coming DOWN this section of chains was another group in a similar state of chaos, equally nervous and unprepared. And now the two groups had to pass each other on a steep section of the trail, which can only be done by having one group let go of the chains to let the other pass.

Both groups had stalled in place, all the while muttering, whining, and exclaiming loudly how terrified they were.

So was I. I turned around and went back down to my wife, happy that I hadn't seen someone fall to their death.

The next day, the rangers posted someone at the foot of the trail and limited access to avoid crowding. Because people weren't smart enough to do that for themselves.

I thought with permits now required that there would be a ranger at the base of the cables where you have to show your permit. Was the comment by a range regarding incoming storm given to the father and daughter at the cables? I think it is pretty clear that climbing via cables is at your own risk.

That said, storms can change their character quickly. A lot of threatening clouds simply dissipate. They probably had sufficient time to get up and down if there was nobody else on the route. My understanding is that the cables often are clogged with people. I think one change in policy would be limit the number of people going up until an equivalent number on top were down.

I do not see much advise about simply staying on the top when the weather gets bad. I have been caught up on mountains in lightning a few times and we would sit it out, hunched down on top of our ropes to avoid contact with the wet rock. Of course, that does not protect you from a direct hit. Most of these afternoon storms end quite quickly.

Yosemite has a hand-off policy with regard to climbing. But I do not consider going up the cables as a "climb". Most of those doing the cables are NOT climbers. The sticky issue is that once rangers micro-manage the cables, they become legally liable.

The route is a classic. I really enjoyed it every time I did it. I have climbed three times when the cables were down (it is then an easy class5 climb and you can set protection in nearby cracks or even put a sling and biner around cable anchors). We rappelled down. The cables are also the down route for those doing other routes on Half Dome. I have only done it once when the cables were up, and I much rather do it without cables. If you pull yourself up on the cables your arms will quickly weaken. Even with cables you need to climb with your legs and only hang on the cables for balance. When there are others on the cables, you have to be very patient and wait behind them. It is not safe to try to pass.

Whatever the cause, it was a tragic accident. But given the number of people who climb the cables and do not get hurt or die, I do not think they should shut down the cable route. Drownings by far exceed deaths on the cable route. Perhaps they give out too many permits. Perhaps if it was easier to get a permit to camp at LYV or on Sunrise Creek, the people would not be worn out by the time they climbed. YNP could probably tweak the system and make it a bit safer. But they will never eliminate human's under-estimating the risks.

I can't help but think that having obtained a hard-to-get permit also factors into people deciding to take the risk of going in threatening weather

People check out in Yosemite whether they are reasonably prepared, or not. My first trip to the top of Half Dome was the Summer of 84", the Youth Group "adults" were brothers of a climber that had perished while performing a traverse up the face on a line, the pendulum maneuver sheared the line and he had about 15 seconds to think about it, I didn't figure it out until a few years later. I have a picture of the two of them standing on the "Diving Board", if you've been there you know it. Lightning, ice, waterfalls, snowfall, and the like are possibilities, I'd still rather see the majesty for myself than see it from my chair in front of the tv. I don't don't have all the answers, I just try to respect the environment and stay within my ability, I don't know what else a reasonable person can do unless they are content to just read about it, for my part I am certainly not. Good Luck!!

Years ago, I had organized a group hike up Half Dome. This was in the era before permits.

We left the valley campground around 6 a.m. Pretty soon, the slowpokes had dropped behind, and that left four of us to continue to the top. I made it to the top of the cables around 10 a.m., with the other speedy hikers close behind. After admiring the view from the top for an hour, I noticed that there were storm clouds gathering in the west and headed my way. I told the others that we needed to head down, but they ignored me. I dashed down the cables and got to the edge of the trees as the wind was picking up. The last of the speedy hikers made it safely off the bottom of the cables just in time, and lightning was hitting in the general area. The slow hikers reached that same spot on their way up, but they were glad that was their turn-around spot. We were back to the campground just in time for happy hour.