Play It Safe – Save Half Dome Until Your Next Trip to Yosemite

Although it can be a “once in a lifetime chance” for some people, remember there is more to Yosemite than just hiking to the top of Half Dome and with the unstable air and thunder storms that are expected to last through the end of the week, you might want to choose to see some of those other sights.

Lighting and Half Dome spell tragedy every time. Anyone unfortunate enough to be caught on exposed rock becomes nothing more than a lighting rod with a big target painted on them that says “HIT ME!”. Play it safe the next couple of days. Take another hike other than Half Dome. You don’t want to be the topic of the next book about a hiker killed by lightning.

Above: People risk climbing Half Dome during thunder storms even though signs warn of the danger. Photo by Byron Hetrick.