Tales of the Incredible Hoke Robertson

Half Dome

As I sit here before the fireplace of a small hunting cabin here in Siberia, I am reminded of that cold and stormy day in December, 1962. I remember just how uncomfortable it was half way up the cliff face of Half Dome, Yosemite. A friend of mine named Dex Territy and I had finally got permission to scale that massive granite rock after years of applying to the Park Service. Eventually, I had to call in a favor; when the President of the United States calls the Secretary of Interior, things start to happen.

Anyway, Dex and I began our climb from the base of the valley floor near Disappointment Falls. This was to be the very first climb without ropes or pitons; bare hands only. We had practiced for years on other climbs and did our daily pull-ups using each finger consecutively. The first part was fairly easy, we went up about a third of the way in 10 hours. As we reached the planned for "camp" at 8700 feet we found suitable spots to cling to the rock to sleep. In order to be able to sleep in a vertical position while grasping onto small rock nubs or cracks, we had studied for two years with Tibetan monks who taught us the art of Somnambu-Dharma. This allowed us to go into a deep trance but still maintain our purchase. Unfortunately, Dex sneezed at some point in the early morning which startled him out of his trance and he slipped. My training kicked in and as Dex slipped over the edge I dove after him. As I approached his flailing body, I quickly took out the large American Flag we had intended to plant on the top of Half Dome, and attached two corners to the hooks on my boot eyelets. Once I grabbed Dex, I spread out my arms, holding the other two corners of the flag. Like someone parasailing today, the wind caught under Old Glory as we plummeted swiftly down until our air speed allowed us to pull up and "fly."

Imagine the reactions by the local campers as they awoke to a giant American Flag zooming past them as the sun broke over the majestic valley. The landing was a bit rough, but the Lodge Cabana was easily fixed. We didn't set any records for bare handed climbing, but we did set one for longest hang gliding distance. HOKE ROBERTSON

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