San Andreas woman recalls 1938 Half Dome trip

When Estelle Ricchiuto thinks about Half Dome, she remembers it as it was in 1938-a quiet, peaceful daylong hike, either in solitude or with a handful of loved ones-not as the overcrowded tourist attraction it is today.

Ricchuito’s family lived in Berkeley at the time, but her father had just accepted a job in New Orleans, which would mean big changes for the family. To commemorate what her family believed would be the last time the whole family would be together, they decided to camp at Yosemite National Park for an entire month. Family and friends gathered at the Ricchiuto campsite and spent the month enjoying the park’s trails and scenery.

Ricchiuto, who was 21 at the time, and two of her brothers, her sister and a family friend decided to make the hike to Half Dome toward the end of the month. They had spent most of their days that month exploring the other trails that Yosemite had to offer, and felt they were ready to make the 17-mile roundtrip trek.

While Half Dome-and Yosemite-certainly draw many more visitors than when Ricchiuto and her family camped there, she said, the reason for climbing Half Dome is probably the same for the hikers of 1938 as for those of today. She hiked it, she said, “because it was there.”

For the complete story, see Tuesday’s print edition of the Calaveras Enterprise or our e-Edition.