Half Dome

Half Dome marks the east end of the valley. Rising to a height of 8,865 feet, it towers over the surrounding cliffs. It's one of the first places in the valley to receive morning's sunlight and one of the last places to see it at sunset. I love the indian legend behind this rock. According to that legend, a man fell in love with a woman. They fled to the valley, but the woman decided to return to her tribe by Mono lake. He refused to go and she became lost, never making it back to her tribe. It's said the two were punished. The man because North Dome (bald rock on the top left) and she became Half Dome, forever forced to stare at each other without being able to be together. If you look closely at Half Dome you can make out in the pale spot on the right side the profile of a woman's face. The indians believed it to be the face of the woman who became Half Dome, weeping over her lost love.