Can you get to..............

[ignatiusjk]

Can you get to North Dome during Jan/feb? I know highway 120 is closed, but is there another way to get to the top of North Dome during winter.I would love to try, the view would be amazing.

[Preston]

The only way I know of is the infamous North Dome Gully. It is steep, has what should be Class 4 sections of rock bands, lots of loose rock and brush. It is very dangerous in dry conditions and with snow/wet rock, it would be suicidal, in my opinion. Stay away!

Others may have other ideas, and I do agree the view would be amazing.

--P

[ROL]

North Dome Gully was only ever class III whenever I descended it some decades ago, but still not recommended, particularly in winter, or if you're not a climber. Why not traverse over from the Snow Creek Trail? It is often virtually snow free to the rim much of the winter, though you would be well advised to have good winter travel skills. Quite a fascination you have with North Dome, eh?

[Vaughn]

Take the Snow Creek Trail -- starts just past Mirror Lake. Once up out of the canyon, head uphill (cross-country) to the ridge that has Indian Rock, then by trail to North Dome. I have done that in reverse with the 8x10. It will be quite a uphill hike leaving Snow Creek...especially with snow on the ground.

I suppose another way would be to climb out of Indian Creek Canyon until you hit the trail. I really do not suggest it -- I have only been part way up myself.

But in any case, you should be experience with winter hiking. You days are short, also -- not a lot of time on North Dome!

[ignatiusjk]

First I'm not a "CLIMBER" I'm a hiker and the reason I want to get to the top of North dome is the view of Half Dome in the winter.Late afternoon sunlit face of Half Dome with it's North face plastered with snow.Or the snow blowing off of the top of Half Dome. An awesome shot no doubt. Thanks for the ideas.

[Vaughn]

First I'm not a "CLIMBER" I'm a hiker and the reason I want to get to the top of North dome is the view of Half Dome in the winter.Late afternoon sunlit face of Half Dome with it's North face plastered with snow.Or the snow blowing off of the top of Half Dome. An awesome shot no doubt. Thanks for the ideas.

Late afternoon on North Dome will leave you on the trail after dark -- and you will not want to be on any cross-country sections of the hike at that time! A better plan is being on top by noon and spend a short time there before heading back down. You might just try hiking to the top of the Snow Creek Trail and photographing from directly across from Half Dome. Not quite as nice as being higher up on North Dome, though.

[ROL]

My unvarnished, brutally frank, potentially life saving advice – now that you've been given positive suggestions – is that if you have to solicit advice from a bunch of old fart photogs, and you can't figure out how to get up to a highly visible park landmark with map and mountaineering sense on your own, is that you have no business going off trail, snow covered or otherwise.

[Drew Wiley]

Amen

[ericpmoss]

Based on my amateurish jaunt up to North Dome (previously mentioned in this thread), I found it brutally easy to miss the trail going up from Mirror Lake. Experienced hikers would laugh at this, but after 45 minutes scared shitless trying to re-find the trail after following someone else's failed bushwacking and misleading cairns, I wouldn't go anywhere that I have to 'figure' what is and isn't the path. I can't imagine it at all if there were more than a mere dusting of snow. The switchbacks are rocky enough that it's easy to twist an ankle on an unseen rock, and even if it's clear in the morning, a snowstorm could erase a trail in just a few hours. If there is snow on North Dome itself, I'd expect ice, in which case I'd expect a really grisly death. Really. There are too many safe-looking places to slip and just keep sliding. If it's bone-dry, have fun. If not, I'd stay by the fire.

[Preston]

North Dome Gully was only ever class III whenever I descended it...

You're probably correct, but I know some folks have come to grief on the cliff bands. Class III can be tricky, and would become much more difficult if the weather turns nasty. I'd forgotten about Snow Creek, but, as has been said, that ain't no picnic, either.

The OP has gotten good advice to stay away unless he is very experienced and conditions are perfect.

--P

[polyglot]

I'm not sure if it's possible or permitted there (I've never been to any of the US national parks), but can you get a helicopter to do a dropoff/pickup? It's a common approach in ski fields and around glaciers, used frequently by skiers and photographers. If there are regular flight services in the area it'd be a couple hundred dollars - probably cheaper than the climbing and safety gear you'd need to walk there.

You could fly in in the afternoon, wait a couple hours for perfect light and fly out again at dusk, way later than it would be safe to do so if you needed to return on foot. And you get to bring much heavier/better gear without carrying it.

[Preston]

The only helicopter flights allowed in Yosemite are for rescues, fire suppression, and medevac. This is a good thing.

--P

[Eric James]

North Dome Gully is 3rd class only if you go the right way. The Death Slabs are also 3rd class...if you fall without a rope.

ignatiusjk: stay away from North Dome Gully in winter! In fact, the whole notion of you being on North Dome at that time of year is silly.

[Vaughn]

I suppose one could base jump (parachute) from North Dome to get back down in a hurry...land at the Ahwahnee, hand your chute and camera pack to the bell boy and have a nice scotch to finish a great the day of photographing.

This past February it would have been possible to go the Snow Creek route if one was properly prepared and experienced. I know that I am not physically ready to take on that hike with anything bigger than my 4x5...and that is still doubtful !LOL! One of my boys hiked to the top of Yosemite Falls and on to Yosemite Point last February (after carrying my Reis for me about 2/3's the way up...another boy carried my five 8x10 holders, leaving me with just the 8x10, lenses and meter!) The weather was exceptional, snow on top, of course. We were there during my boys Presidents Week school break. Other trips there in January and February have not been so storm-free, to say the least.

Cross-county skiing to Glacier Point sounds fun, if I was not so inept at it. I'd love to camp on top of Sentinial Dome again (the other time was in a late May, with Yos. Falls booming across the Valley). Not quite as a unique winter photo as from North Dome

[Drew Wiley]

Vaughn, someone tried exactly that off the face of half dome, and by some incredible stroke of luck got the chute hung up ion a tiny bush half way down and they only broke a hip and a few ribs. My nephew and his buddy were climbing the face only a couple hundred feet above when it happened, so were able to get over there relatively quickly and at least secure the idiot to rock before the branch gave way. But the actual rescue was a dicey nightmare that took an entire day.

[Vaughn]

As they say, only bird droppings and idiots fall from the sky...

[Eric James]

...My nephew and his buddy were climbing the face only a couple hundred feet above when it happened, so were able to get over there relatively quickly and at least secure the idiot to rock before the branch gave way...

Is your nephew "Shad" from Michigan - he's an old climbing friend of mine who had to abandon their ascent of Half Dome's NW Regular Route when a base jumper cratered into the face. They used all their precious water to debride the guys wounds.

[Drew Wiley]

No, my nephew is Chris Breemer, and his crazy buddy was Brad Jarrett - well known for
their extreme ascents of Escudo in Patagonia, Aaasgard on Baffin, and speed climbs on the
North America wall in Yos. Half Dome was back when they were in their teens. Now he's
teaching his own kids to climb, mostly just up Cascade peaks. I merely taught him some
elementary ice axe technique when he turned 16. Six months later he climbed Lost Arrow.

[Fred L]

Very interesting thread for a non climber (more whitewater paddler). and thanks Eric, I had to google the term 'debride' and for some reason was compelled to open the photo that Wiki placed there...

[ROL]

...more whitewater paddler...

Me too, these days. I'm working on a site and video on (solo) self–support that I hope to have finished sometime this winter. If interested, you can either check my photo site for a link or my YT channel (ROLCFA (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ROLCFA&oq=ROLCFA&gs_l=youtube.12..35i39.18504.22380.0.25932.6.6.0.0.0.0.390.1042.0j5j0j1.6.0...0.0...1ac.1.9qC1PAllGcs)), in a few months.

[ROL]

You're probably correct, but I know some folks have come to grief on the cliff bands. Class III can be tricky, and would become much more difficult if the weather turns nasty. I'd forgotten about Snow Creek, but, as has been said, that ain't no picnic, either.

The OP has gotten good advice to stay away unless he is very experienced and conditions are perfect.

--P

Actually, the more I thought about it, being closer to 4 and not 3 decades ago, there may have been a short 40 foot rap off a small (well-worn :eek:) tree on one of the rock bands near the top. Or maybe that was on a myriad of other adventures lost among the cobwebs of memory. Like I said, don't trust the old farts.

[ROL]

If it were me and it was 20 years ago (OK, maybe 30), I'd forget coming up from the Valley entirely. I'd ski over TP from road closure. That is easily doable in packed conditions (if you are also an expert backcountry skier), even with a 4x5, arriving at a prospect shooting position at late afternoon. Ski down to Snow Creek in the dusk after sunset, and hike the trail down to the Ahwahnee by headlamp, or even better, moonlight. OMG, my mouth is so watering (and my knee is so aching!).

[Vaughn]

It was dark by the time I hit the bottom of Tenaya Canyon. I had driven up to Porcupine Flat and arrived at noon, Then hiked down to Indian Rock with the 8x10 (and not down to North Dome). Then up the ridge a little, than steep down cross-country to Snow Creek and the trail towards Mirror Lake.

My knees may have been aching, but I don't remember. Mostly due to the pain I remember I had in my feet...I was punishing each one with over 300 pounds with every step down that cross country bit and then the zig-zag down to the floor of the canyon. No great images that day, either. So it goes. Still a trip worth remembering...especially the lessons on what not to do next time.

[Drew Wiley]

I'll have to look thru some of my recent emails. A friend recently did all that dry weather
from top down, ropes used, but quite a few deliberate rappel shortcuts. The pictures give
a pretty good idea of the general route; but I haven't had time yet to look at them closely.

[Kuzano]

Don't know North Dome, but from the comments:

As is often said about Winter Photography on parts of Mt Hood and Mt Rainier...."Photography to Die For!"

[Drew Wiley]

Just by coincidence my buddy called a few minutes ago with some dkrm questions. He knows all those gullies quite well and basically regards any non-climber fooling around that
area in winter as essentially suicide.

[ROL]

Cross-county skiing to Glacier Point sounds fun...

I'm not sure who suggested it is (not really all that convenient to North Dome, afterall), but it certainly was the couple hundred of times I've done it. My wife (then GF) and I even spent the night in one of the ranger cabins out there, when I was on "official" duty as a founding member of the original Yosemite Nordic Ski Patrol in the 70's. 2007 was the last time I skied out and back, with the sole goal of photography:


Summit Meadow, Winter
http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/Yosemite-Winter/Summit%20Meadow%2C%20Winter.jpg

Mt. Starr King and Clark Range, Winter
http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/Yosemite-Winter/Mt.%20Starr%20King%20and%20Clark%20Range%2C%20Winter.jpg

Clearing Winter Storm, Half Dome
http://www.rangeoflightphotography.com/albums/Yosemite-Winter/Clearing%20Winter%20Storm%2C%20Half%20Dome.jpg

[Vaughn]

Here's an image of my only time out that way before the road opens. A backpack trip from Wawona Tunnel to Glacier Point (down the Four Mile Trail).

Mistaking the Map for the Territory (self portrait of my hand)
Sentinal Dome, YNP
Silver gelatin print from 4x5/150mm lens

[tgtaylor]

If January 2013 is the same as January 2011, you can drive out to the Porcupine Creek trailhead and hike to North Dome in a couple of hours and spend the night if you like...if this January turns out the same as last January.

Nice B&W images of the area ROL:cool:

Thomas

[Drew Wiley]

My gosh, those shots make me homesick. The Clark Range was practically my backyard,
but from the opposite side, into the San Joaquin drainage.