Hiker falls to his death from Half Dome cablesStory and pictures © Larry Sullivan, 150mph.PlanetRambler.com
Saturday, June 13, 2009, Yosemite National Park, California

Conditions at Yosemite Valley and Half Dome throughout the day of June 13, 2009, from the Pohono Trail

7:15 am. Yosemite valley looking west from Wawona Tunnel overlook. Half Dome is directly above tree in center.

8:30 am. The two pine cones hanging in center point down to Half Dome. Right of Half Dome is Sentinel Dome. On the left is El Capitan.

10:15 am. Crocker Point. Bridalveil Falls in foreground. The weather atop Half Dome and Clouds Rest cleared up nicely for a time.

12:30 pm. Looking east from Taft Point as clouds blow in fast with light showers, 10 degree temperature drop, then hail.

2:00 pm. Yosemite Falls from the south rim between Taft Pt. & Sentinel Dome.

3:45 pm. Half Dome from Glacier Point, approximate time of accident

Disclaimer
I hiked the south rim of Yosemite canyon all day on June 13, at or above the same elevation as Half Dome and experienced the same weather conditions. The information about the accident is from a couple I shared a campsite with, relayed to me the next morning at camp. The emergency response information is from news sources. I have no first hand knowledge of the circumstances that led to the tragedy, other than my observation of our shared weather conditions and my experience climbing Half Dome, hiking in the Sierra and the dangers associated with it. It's not my intention to assign blame or liability to the victim nor the Park Service. I'm reporting what I was told as objectively as possible in the interest of sharing information that may benefit future hikers. - LS

A young couple—my camp-mates at Yosemite's Camp 4 backpackers campground—were descending the Half Dome cables Saturday, June 13, 2009, when the climber directly above them slipped and lost his grip.

Half Dome and cables from "The Shoulder" on a clear day

They watched in horror as he hurtled towards them, struck an upright post hard, then slid hundreds of feet down the granite

Manoj Kumar, 40, atop Halfdome June 13, 2009 taken by his friend Yogi, enhanced by L. Sullivan.

face to his death. The unfortunate victim was Manoj Kumar, 40, of San Ramon, California, 20 miles east of San Francisco, a naturalized American citizen and native of India, who was employed by Wells Fargo Bank. According to friends, Mr. Kumar was passionate about hiking and safety-conscious.

Eric and Aydee of Berkeley, CA arrived the day before their Half Dome hike.This was their last big vacation before uprooting from the Bay Area and moving to Hawaii the next month. They were both experienced hikers, but this was Eric's first trip to Yosemite and their first time climbing Half Dome. The Friday night before was spent in good spirits around the communal campfire, getting acquainted, telling stories and playing guitar with fellow hikers and rock climbers who shared site #23 at Camp 4 - Yosemite Valley's legendary rock climbers campground.

A strenuous, all day hike
Getting up early is a requirement to complete the 11-12 hour roundtrip climb to the summit of Half Dome from the valley floor and back. It's a popular destination that's often the highlight of Yosemite hiking trips. The hike up the Mist Trail from Yosemite valley climbs alongside the rushing Merced River to two magnificent waterfalls, Vernal and Nevada, a mile apart. The trail is mostly steps blasted out of granite, which can be slippery from the mist of the falls. Above Nevada Falls, the trail winds along the Merced past the permit-only Little Yosemite Valley backpackers campground, where many Half Dome hikers over-night. From the campground, the trail climbs another 2 miles of steep switchbacks behind Half Dome to the granite summit of The Shoulder, aka Subdome, the large adjoining mountain north of Half Dome, where the cable steps begin. The last one quarter mile up The Shoulder is switchbacks over smooth, steep, unmarked granite and hikers arrive at the base of the cables exhausted. As with all Sierra peak hikes, it's wise to get off the summit before early afternoon clouds bring rainshowers. Afternoon rain had enveloped Halfdome both of the previous 2 days.

Changing weather
Saturday began sunny and hazy with high, thin clouds. The weather wasn't ideal for a summit attempt, but neither did it appear threatening. Clouds blew in and

When the cables are empty, it takes 15-20 min. to climb to the summit

over Half Dome regularly, then cleared. At 7am, the temperature was 50 degrees.

The cables from The Shoulder. Steel uprights stand in holes drilled into the granite to hold the 1 in. braided steel cable. Wooden crosspieces fastened to the uprights with straps serve as steps. Mr. Kumar slipped just 200 ft. up from here, and fell off to the left, back side of Halfdome.

As the morning progressed, it grew increasingly overcast, with temperatures in the mid-to-upper fifties, but from time to time, the wind cleared off large patches of blue. Much of Yosemite Valley stayed relatively sunny throughout the morning, but Half Dome's summit was more-often-than-not capped in haze and sporadic clouds. Just after noon, the wind picked up and thick clouds moved quickly into the higher elevations, bringing dramatic temperature changes down into the low forties, then light showers and finally, hail. Between 1-2:30pm, there were numerous sun breaks. Around 3:00pm, a light rain began in earnest and continued throughout the late afternoon. In addition to the difficulty of climbing wet granite, there was also the possibility that a deadly lightning storm could develop, although the steady sun breaks seemed to dispel that danger.

Up and down the summit of Half Dome
Despite the less-than-perfect conditions, the popular destination had a sizeable crowd as it was one of the first weekends of the summer season. Not long after Eric and Aydee summited, the wind and rain picked up and visibility dropped. A queue to go down formed quickly and the couple waited for their turn to descend the slick, slippery granite face through the mist and fog to the relative safety of The Shoulder.

Coming back down, it's a step in to the thin air.

Climbing the exposed cables on the steep, sloping granite face of Half Dome can be scary enough in dry, sunny weather, but in the wet mist, it is a challenging and dangerous situation. With visibility reduced dramatically and the naturally slick, shoe-worn granite face doubly slippery with precipitation, every footstep and grip must be strategically placed. There was some panic on the cables below as the realization of the challenging undertaking set in among some who were clearly unprepared for the climb, especially under wet conditions. Anxiety grew on top as the wait continued 30, 40 minutes. When it was their turn, although apprehensive, a "we can do this" attitude prevailed. Eric went first, then Aydee, then the victim, followed by the remainder of the summit crowd. The long line of hikers carefully inched their way backwards into the abyss, baby-step by baby-step, from the reassuring foothold of one upright and wooden cross-piece to the next.

On a clear, dry day, it's easiest to climb down facing forward. Descending backwards, one must constantly look down to the next footstep and back up. As they descended, hikers below relayed information up the line on conditions and technique and the couple spoke with the victim several times. In these slippery conditions, the recommended technique was to grip the cable with the armpit as well as the hands. The couple expressed concern that the victim wasn't using the underarm brake method to the best advantage.

Up and down hikers use the cables simultaneously, keeping right

The descenders convinced the many upward bound hikers to turn around and leave.

An unseated cable support
More than halfway down, an upright steel pole had come out of its drilled anchor hole and the heavy cable was unsupported and drooping against the rock. The thin metal strap that normally attached the 1 x 4 inch wooden cross piece footstep to the upright pole had broken or come loose, so there was no footstep at this area either. This upright had been in place and functioning correctly on their ascent. From below, information was relayed on the best method to get past the downed pole—switching to opposite, climbers-right cable or "up" cable. The Park Service puts the cables in this "down" position at the end of every season to minimize rockfall damage, yet intrepid hikers summit Half Dome year round without them functioning as intended.

The fatal slip
After Eric and Aydee carefully maneuvered past the unseated pole area, they heard the man having trouble at the danger point, saw him lose his grip and start to fall fast, watched him slide head first toward them, striking hard against a lower upright, too fast for a last, desperate grip. Then he careened down the rounded sloping granite and disappeared into a gully.

When the cables aren't busy, you can take a break on the cross pieces or this one ledge.

In the seconds it took to register and to scream, the tragedy was complete. All the cable climbers froze in shock and disbelief at the unfathomable horror. Only the couple witnessed the entire incident unfold before their eyes. Others, apparently, only heard him yell and saw him fall.

Shaken witnesses still have an ordeal getting down
Calls to 911 went out at approximately 3:40 pm and a helicopter with rescue crew was dispatched. News reports state 30-40 shaken hikers had to be helped down the cables and escorted down the mountain. But many made it back on their own. After coming to grips with the tragedy, they completed the harrowing descent on the cables to the relative safety of The Shoulder. Still ahead was the challenging climb down the slippery, unmarked granite face of The Shoulder to the dirt portion of the trail, and then five hours and 3500 feet of vertical back down the slippery granite steps of the Mist Trail to the valley below.

Some hikers at The Shoulder reported movement after the victim came to rest in a gully, and there was an impossibly slim hope that he could have survived, but it was not to be. Rescue crews determined the victim was deceased, but had to wait until daylight to transfer him to the valley. It was well after 1 am before the last hikers and rangers were back in the valley.

The couple attributed the fatal fall from the Half Dome cables to a combination of factors:
- The inclement weather including clouds and wet conditions. The steep granite, made smooth by years of footfalls, is doubly slippery when wet
- An upright steel post had come out of its mooring and made maneuvering past it especially challenging
- A thin steel strap that held the wooden cross-piece footrest had broken or come loose, making the crosspiece unusable as last ditch footrest
- The victim could have used the underarm brake technique to better advantage
- Given the conditions, they felt they shouldn't have been on the cables without harnesses and carabiners.

© 2009 Larry Sullivan. All rights reserved.

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