Nice view but it's tough work...

Peter and I hiked Yosemite's Half Dome on Friday June 15th. We left Happy Isles at about 10am (which is much too late, see below) and returned to Curry Village at 5:30pm - 7 hours 30 minutes round trip (the guide quotes a conservative 10 to 12 hours). We made it to the cable climb within just over 3 hours but it took a further 45 harrowing minutes to make the final ascent as it was busy; clinging to the mount face while people all around experienced various stages of panic was not much fun...Seeing and hearing a water bottle escape someone's grasp to slide and scrape its way to freedom - down the mountainside - did not do much to calm collective nerves but a fellow hikers rendition of Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" on the descent helped to lift spirits.

We carried about 170 fluid onces/five liters of water/electrolyte solution but we still ran out about five and a half hours into the hike. The drinking water at the Vernal Falls bridge was a godsend.

If I were to consider doing it again I'd recommend leaving at first light. I cannot imagine how much busier it is at the weekends...I don't think it can be pleasant.

At least two folks on the hike were wearing (white) Team In Training shirts and there was also someone wearing a Wildflower shirt. :-)

The escapade is perhaps best summed up in this conversation snippet, overheard on the summit:
Climber A "Enjoy the view because you might never be here again."
Climber B (laying on back) "You're f**king right about that!"
(then they very kindly took this photo).