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WARNING: VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED. Some people may find this video disturbing. During the hike, people were injured due to a thunderstorm. The links to news articles, YouTube videos, and TikToks surrounding the thunderstorm events of September 21st, 2023 are here. Thank you to Ulises Longoria and Jordan Dean for the featured video content. Don't forget to subscribe!

1) Ulises Longoria's Video:    • Accident at Half Dome | Here’s the wh...  
2) NBC Bay Area TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcbayarea/vi...
3) NBC Bay Area News: https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local...
4) SFist News: https://sfist.com/2023/09/26/hikerss...
5) SF Chronicle News: https://www.sfchronicle.com/climate/a...

The events of September 21, 2023 at the top of Half Dome still seem hard to believe. As told above, a thunderstorm came in around 12:15pm while many people were still at the top of the dome. In the gradually intensifying hail, the hikers at the summit frantically climbed down at the same time, causing traffic on the way down. With dense fog covering the landscape, rain flowed down the slippery rocks, causing each hiker to be extremely cautious. Suddenly, I heard the screams of people down below. I could only assume the worst had happened. A woman lost her grip on the cables and fell 100 feet off the side of the dome, though luckily landing on a ledge below.

My heart sank upon hearing the screams. I was still in the middle of the cables, still countless wooden planks to descend before seeking refuge. The only thing I could control was retaining a tight grip, inching my feet down to the next wooden step, and praying for the hail to stop. The hail only got harder, pelting the hikers like needles. Suddenly, a jolt of lightning shook the metal cables, shaking everyone holding on for a brief second. Retaining cognitive ability, I was unsure of what just happened, only confirming it was a lightning strike since others felt the jolt as well. Thus, at each wooden plank, I opted to not hold on the metal cables in the fear of another imminent strike.

The planks seemed to be never ending. Plank after plank we prayed, wishing to be off the dome as quickly as possible. There were now three ways to die; first by slipping, second by hypothermia, and lastly by the seemingly random lightning strikes. Yet after 45 minutes of a neardeath descent, I made it to the bottom. Those at the bottom were met by a helicopter unable to land in the hail, looking for the fallen woman.

As I looked back at the cables, countless people were still finding their way down. A small glimpse revealed a man sitting on a plank with a cut knee, blood dripping down the wet rock, painting the gray canvas red. It was truly gruesome to see, and I couldn't look anymore. If it weren't for people huddling with emergency blankets behind a rock, I may have very well gotten hypothermia.

And so that was my Half Dome adventure, unfortunately. For those who look to climb the cables, BE VERY CAREFUL. DO NOT attempt the cables without gloves, an emergency blanket, or a first aid kit. Wear hiking boots with excellent grip, and make sure your body is 100% trained before climbing. Weather is unpredictable, even on days with sunny forecasts.

Timestamps:
Viewer Warning: 0:00
Cinematic Introduction: 0:41
To Vernal Falls: 1:27
To Little Yosemite Valley: 2:12
To the Subdome: 5:59
Half Dome Climb: 7:26
The Thunderstorm: 9:05

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