Kah-win´-na-bah´ was the Indian name for the valley as well as the large summer camp located there. The river was known as the Yanopah.
Little Yosemite is reached by following Trail Trip 1 to the top of the Nevada Falls zigzags, thence turning left and following Trail Trip 5 to the first junction, from which we continue up the canyon. The head of the canyon is three miles eastward. The region is an excellent place for a permanent camp away from the overcrowded valley and one may easily arrange at Yosemite for the delivery here of a camp outfit and supplies.
TRAIL TRIP 14
HALF DOME
(Round trip, 20 miles—12 hours)
From the time Yosemite was discovered, the mile-high summit of Half Dome was regarded as unattainable. The few mountaineers who attempted its ascent returned saying it would never be climbed. Finally there came a young Scotchman, Captain George C. Anderson, with an irrepressible determination to accomplish the feat. After all methods of clinging to the smooth, steeply inclined granite had failed he procured drills, hammer and eye-bolts, and set out to reach the summit by rising from peg to peg. Slowly his ladder grew and finally his goal was reached on October 12, 1875. Anderson was so enthused over the wonderful dome and the sublime views from the summit that he constructed a trail to "The Saddle," from whence his pegs led to the top. Here he determined to build a hotel, but his untimely death in a lonely cabin in Little Yosemite prevented its completion.
In 1883 the pegs were swept away by a great, avalanche. Some were later replaced by daring climbers, but the ascent remained so dangerous that it was seldom attempted. From 1899 no ascents were made until 1912, when two adventurous youths fastened ropes to the few remaining pegs and attained the summit. Following this, the dome was frequently climbed. In 1919 a public-spirited citizen of San Francisco donated the money to build a first-class trail to the summit. This was constructed under the auspices of the Sierra Club, and the once perilous ascent finally made safe to all.
The round trip to the summit is one of the most thrilling and scenic one-day Yosemite excursions. Parties should start early and carry canteens. From Happy Isles the main Glacier Point Trail (Trail Trip 1) should be followed (take the Mist Trail if walking) to the top of the Nevada Falls zigzags. Here we turn left and follow the Clouds Rest Trail (Trail Trip 5). A climb of 800 feet above the Little Yosemite Valley takes us to a small stream. About 200 yards further, in a fine grove of Jeffrey pine and incense cedar, the Clouds Rest Trail bears to the right along a bench, while our trail climbs the long switchbacks to the left. The remaining 500-foot climb is thru dense forest. Anderson's old trail crosses our route in one place and zigzags up the hillside about a quarter mile eastward. Just below the ridge and about 200 yards to the right of the trail is a spring near the big pile of stones, which are the only relics of Captain Anderson's camp. Canteens should be filled here, as no water will be found higher. A short climb takes us to the crest of the ridge at the lowest point between Quarter Domes (Alt. 8276 and 8160) at the northeast and Half Dome at the southwest.
At the ridge top is a forest of lodgepole pine and a sudden transition to pure fir as we cross to the northwestern slope where the climate is more severe. Climbing beneath these firs we suddenly emerge at the crest and obtain a wide view of the High Sierra on one side and the depths of Tenaya Canyon on the other. A few minutes' walk along the open ridge takes us to the rustic entrance which marks the beginning of the foot trail. The pile of timbers and boards nearby were hewn and split by Captain Anderson to be used for his Half Dome Hotel. The foot-trail now climbs abruptly 250 feet by short zigzags and stairs to "The Saddle," along the crest of which we continue to the base of the final ascent.