Half Dome Cables Scheduled to Come Down for Season in Yosemite National Park
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The cables on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park are scheduled to be taken down on October 15, 2007, weather permitting. The cables extend approximately 300 yards up the steep shoulder to the 8,842-foot dome. They give access to the summit and to the unparalleled views of Yosemite Valley and the surrounding mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Visitors are advised against attempting to summit Half Dome without the cables in place as the rock under the cables is extremely slippery and may be wet and/or icy even in seemingly dry conditions. The Sierra Club funded the installation of the first cables on Half Dome in 1919; the Civilian Conservation Corps replaced the original cables in 1934. The cables will be re-installed at the beginning of the summer season in 2008. |
Did You Know?
Natural fires in Yosemite are often no more than a single burning snag (standing dead tree) or a slow moving, low intensity fire that cleans underbrush from the forest floor. These fires prevent unwanted fires by removing accumulating forest debris that can fuel a larger fire in hot, dry conditions.