Hiking Half Dome

I've done HD when they've had the cables up and when they haven't. They have a bunch of gloves at the base that you can put on, or you can bring your own. I personally don't think the gloves are necessary. If you're in decent to good shape, you'll be fine. But just don't look down when you're 60% up Just keep moving forward...

DreDaze wrote in post #8524098
i hate when people bring up old threads...but how hard was it to hike up there with your 30D, and lens...did you have it in a bag, and just bust it out when you needed it?...i imagine you didn't have it hanging around your neck the whole time...i'm thinking of going next week during the week...right now i'm planning on bringing my 40D, w/10-20mm on it...and then possibly the 28-135mm for any type of shots of people on the top

edit: also i've heard a lot about the cables section...did you have a harness when you did it?...i know you need gloves, but wondering if i need to get a harness of sorts

thanks

LightRules wrote in post #8524148
I've done HD when they've had the cables up and when they haven't. They have a bunch of gloves at the base that you can put on, or you can bring your own. I personally don't think the gloves are necessary. If you're in decent to good shape, you'll be fine. But just don't look down when you're 60% up Just keep moving forward...

yeah i'll probably just buy some gloves, and turn them into work gloves(i'm a carpenter)...from what i'm getting from other friends that have done it is it's not that bad if you're in shape...which i am...should be good on the heights thing too

thanks for the tips, even though i'm going against what you suggested to the o.p. a year ago..

Jeff81 wrote in post #8524139
I didn't do half dome but this may help...I just day hiked Mt. Whitney and I took a 5D with 24-105. I carried it in a lowepro bag with a chest harness. It worked well. I could grab the camera whenever I saw a good shot. It worked well.

so like a small bag that strapped to your chest?...that you could just unzip and take the camera out?...i don't really plan on swapping lenses until the top so that would work for me

DreDaze wrote in post #8524164
so like a small bag that strapped to your chest?...that you could just unzip and take the camera out?...i don't really plan on swapping lenses until the top so that would work for me

Exactly. It worked out really well. You can see a picture of it here: http://www.amazon.com …s-Stability/dp/B00009R8B​D.

DreDaze wrote in post #8524158
yeah i'll probably just buy some gloves, and turn them into work gloves(i'm a carpenter)...from what i'm getting from other friends that have done it is it's not that bad if you're in shape...which i am...should be good on the heights thing too

thanks for the tips, even though i'm going against what you suggested to the o.p. a year ago..

If you do HD leaving from Upper Pines or Lower Pines or that vicinity, it's a good 13 hour round tripper. We've always done it in one day's time, usually heading out of Happy Isles trailhead around 6am and getting back to campsite around 7pm (give or take). This includes about a 1 hour stop at the top for pictures, food, water, and rest-up. One time I got up to the top, I ate 5 Clif Bars in about 5 minutes Man those calories felt good.

But whatever you bring, if you are taking the DSLR and something wide, you'll need the pack to be able to carry a good amount of water too. So my recommendation is to be about 6'6", 240 pounds of pure lean muscle, and a nice big pack with everything in it. Then you'll be fine.

One more thing: I'd really recommend you take some second-skin or other good blister-aid as it's a good hike up and down and those things can be a life-saver.

DreDaze wrote in post #8524098
i hate when people bring up old threads...but how hard was it to hike up there with your 30D, and lens...did you have it in a bag, and just bust it out when you needed it?...i imagine you didn't have it hanging around your neck the whole time...i'm thinking of going next week during the week...right now i'm planning on bringing my 40D, w/10-20mm on it...and then possibly the 28-135mm for any type of shots of people on the top

edit: also i've heard a lot about the cables section...did you have a harness when you did it?...i know you need gloves, but wondering if i need to get a harness of sorts

thanks

I brought the 30D, no grip with my 24-70L in a Tamrac Adventure 9. I had the camera and some granola bars in the camera compartment, and in the larger storage section, I brought a gallon of water. It was kinda scary, but thank God there were no water leaks. A chest-pack could work too...but I wanted a backpack that could hold my food and water. I had my other friends take more food for me. If you go with a backpack, get one with a waist-strap or else you'll hate it the whole 16 miles. I started at around 7:30AM, spent a good hour or so at the top, and got back down by 5:30PM or so.

Good luck! I wasn't in the best of shape when I went, but I'm still young so I shouldn't be talking =P. There were little 5 year olds steaming past me and my friends though.

LightRules wrote in post #8524206
One more thing: I'd really recommend you take some second-skin or other good blister-aid as it's a good hike up and down and those things can be a life-saver.

I second this. The thing that hurt the most even a few days after the hike was not my legs or back, but my feet. Invest in some good hiking boots and some comfortable socks if you don't already have some.

Jeff81 wrote in post #8524177
Exactly. It worked out really well. You can see a picture of it here: http://www.amazon.com …s-Stability/dp/B00009R8B​D.

thanks for the link...looks good, just ordered it, and the toploader zoom1...and if i ever get bold enough to trust myself with my 40D on the slopes i think the harness could work there too...but i think i'll stick with taking pictures with my P&S for now while boarding

yeah that's why i went with the chest strap that jeff suggested...i figure i can put all my water/food in a backpack...and still have the camera in front of me...yeah i might look like a weirdo...but hopefully since i'm going on a tuesday nobody else will be there...

thanks again everyone

LightRules wrote in post #8524206
If you do HD leaving from Upper Pines or Lower Pines or that vicinity, it's a good 13 hour round tripper. We've always done it in one day's time, usually heading out of Happy Isles trailhead around 6am and getting back to campsite around 7pm (give or take). This includes about a 1 hour stop at the top for pictures, food, water, and rest-up. One time I got up to the top, I ate 5 Clif Bars in about 5 minutes Man those calories felt good.

But whatever you bring, if you are taking the DSLR and something wide, you'll need the pack to be able to carry a good amount of water too. So my recommendation is to be about 6'6", 240 pounds of pure lean muscle, and a nice big pack with everything in it. Then you'll be fine.

One more thing: I'd really recommend you take some second-skin or other good blister-aid as it's a good hike up and down and those things can be a life-saver.