In October of 2024, I got a call from my good friend Carson, he was following up on a trip he had planned to climb Half Dome cables down the last weekend of that month. This was a trip we had planned the previous year, but early snow and thunderstorms put a damper on our plans, so when this particular year’s weather showed clear, we had to strike. I had recently spoken to a friend who had done it the previous weekend, and the weather and crowd report solidified the send. In the years prior I had dreamed of doing an alpine start to summit the peak at sunrise to avoid crowds and enjoy a beautiful moment on Half Dome. This idea was one I neglected to warn my friends of until the day we were planning to leave, but everyone agreed it had to happen.

On Friday, October 25th, Carson and his friends Silas and Danny left Santa Barbara around 18:30 and arrived in San Luis Obispo to meet Chad and me around 20:00. We loaded up my truck and sent it out to the valley, the five of us piled into my rather crammed mid-sized truck. During the drive, we formulated a loose plan of attack for the following morning. We were planning to arrive in the valley around 00:30, and our plan was to pack, take a nap, and begin hiking around 02:00.

Upon arriving in the park around 01:30 and packing up, it became evident that there was no possibility of sleep due to the crew’s excitement, so we instead opted for a classic hippie speedball and set off for the trail at around 01:45. The first few hours climbing flew by, and the combination of cloud cover and being under the canopy once we got up and over Vernal Falls made things quite chilly. I have an uncanny ability to fall asleep wherever and whenever I sit on something remotely comfortable. As the hike went on, especially once we reached Little Yosemite Valley, almost every short pause had me dozing off for a few seconds.

The entire approach to the dome was completely dark, which proved to be quite fun on the return trip as it was almost as if we were doing an entirely new hike. Upon reaching the cable tie-in on the dome, we realized that we were in the first 7 people on the dome, the other group of 3 was on their way down. As we tied our first prusik loops, we were greeted by a spectacular sunrise over Yosemite Valley and Little Yosemite Valley. The views across the range were breathtaking, and it was one of the most spectacular mornings I have ever had in the Sierras.

Reaching the top was such a spectacular reward for our charging morning efforts. We all enjoyed a few snacks and the view and began our descent down around 07:00. We were greeted by a few large groups who looked a bit unprepared for the journey ahead, so we opted to get down quick before the chaoes ensued.

The hike down was just as disorienting as the way up, possibly even more so. The fact that we did this in October meant that we were in the midst of peak European tourism season. From a bit above Vernal Falls to the valley floor, we had to navigate what were essentially thousands of deer in headlights as we hustled down to the car.

We reached the car around 16:00 after a very slow descent and some nap stops, and the whole crew seemed to be dreading what would likely be the hardest part of the trip, the drive home. We took a break for food and some rest and hit the road around 17:00, and about 5 minutes into the drive I had Chad switch with me, as I felt like I could not keep my eyes open. This began a bit of a hairy rotation of drivers for the rest of the 4-hour drive. The drive was filled with quite a few cramps and some discomfort, particularly in my truck’s tiny backseat, which made the stop at a random Fresno burrito spot very needed. We arrived in SLO around 21:00, making the trip a little over 24 hours. This trip was hands down the most ridiculous day trip of my life, and I would happily do it again.