Backpacking off-trail in Yosemite from Budd Lake to Cathedral Lakes

Backpacking in Yosemite always felt sort of off limits to me because you have to get permits far in advance, but in fact a bunch of permits are released 2 weeks before the start date at 7am. I was considering a loop around the Vogelsang and Lyell Canyon area, but

Hiking Half Dome in the shoulder season

In the spring Ryan and I were thinking of hiking Half Dome while the cables were still down. Starting around March we were checking the reviews on AllTrails to see if people were able to do it. For a bit there were a bunch of reviews from people who attempted