I first hiked Half Dome in 1995, and since coming back to California in 2004, I've wanted to do it again. We arrived the day after Labor Day, as the big crowds were leaving. The next morning I was on the trail by 6:30am, and had a great hike up to the top and back! Since I started at the campsite, it was probably close to 16.5 miles round trip. Liz's knee wasn't up for the hike, but fortunately her parents came along too, so they did their own tour while I was on the trail.