Re: Cable to Half Dome.

Some chances are on hold-down of cable to Half Dome summit before may 16?

They normally try to have them up by the third weekend in May; the 16th is just before that weekend, so without some "inside info" it's hard to say, if you're actually going to try the trek on Friday the 16th.

I took a gamble on setting up our Half Dome trip during the following week (just after the third weekend), and figured if they weren't up, we could do the rest of the hike anyway, or do another, perhaps Eagle Peak etc.

Offhand, I'd say you have a good chance, just keep some other option in mind just in case. You can hike as far as the base of the cables, and if they're up, continue, if not, it's still a great hike. They do post a sign at the beginning of the John Muir Trail, but it may not go up immediately when they finish.

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Gary
Yosemite Photo Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/roberthouse/yo

If you see any suspicious looking characters like this, chances are the cables are up. (Larger image here.)

P.S. the above photo was taken June 15, 2005, the day the cables went up for the year. They announced the cables would be up June 16 but sneaked in a day early, which was nice because I was there that day.

Remember in 2005 was the huge snowpack (ah, the gold ol' days?) and the cables, which usually open mid-May, had to wait a month. That day there was a large patch of snow atop Half Dome.

Large is an understatement. Cool pic