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September 2009

ElCap Report 9/29/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 09/30/2009 - 03:02

ElCap Report 9/29/09
By Tom Evans
Yo.. As promised the temperature plummeted today.  The clouds were pretty solid when I awoke and the wind was up.  By the time I got to the bridge it was blowing a gale and threatening to rain.  But the wind soon backed off and the rain never quite materalized.  However, I did count three drops at the bridge and someone else reported seeing five actually hit the ground!  Scary stuff!!  That said, it was a gray, dreary day on the Captain.  I wouldn’t have traded places with any of the wall rats up there, as it looked pretty grim!  As I type these lines, here in the café, I can see a mostly blue sky with some patchy clouds and a strong breeze rustling through the trees.  Just yesterday the Italians on the Trip came down due to the heat!  A good lesson to learn here.  It can go from blazing heat to numbing cold in just a few hours on the Captain.  The forecast for tonight gives temps in the low 20’s…Burrrrrr!

ElCap Report 9/28/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 09/29/2009 - 04:39

ElCap Report 9/28/09
By Tom Evans
Yo..  Well ....you got a taste of no ElCap Report yesterday, when you were expecting to get one.  How did that feel?  Not so good?  Get a little nervous?  Wonder if old Tom had been taken out by the Shuttle Bus?  Rest easy my dedicated readers… old Tom is still in the world and still hitting it hard!  The problem was the internet was out here for a day and even though I had the Report written, I couldn’t post it.  You can breathe now!!

ElCap Report 9/27/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 09/28/2009 - 23:40

ElCap Report 9/27/09
By Tom Evans               
Yo… Killer day with almost killer heat up on the Big Stone.  The weather people say it will moderate in two days and get into the 70’s… I sure hope so!  The big Trades seem to be bearing the brunt of the action up on the cliff.  A couple of parties are on other stuff but the Nose is the king of traffic right now.  The Face Lift drew to a close today with the goal of 60,000 lbs.  A good amount of old asphalt was gotten out of the Cathedral Beach area.   Looks like another successful event for the “Boss”, Ken Yager. 

ElCap Report 9/26/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Sun, 09/27/2009 - 04:38

ElCap Report 92609
By Tom Evans
Yo… Perfect weather and cooler in the near future too.  Still a tad warm on the Cap today but that didn’t seem to be bringing them down.  Today was kind of slow, both on the Bridge and the rock.  The show at the Face Lift last night was a good one with Dean Fidelman’s (Bullwinkle) photos and commentary and a reading by John Long.  An interesting walk down memory lane, with the sometimes rowdy Dean energizing the large gathering.  It was especially poignant as Long is seldom seen in person and most of the audience have never laid eyes on him.  I don’t think he really knows the impact he has had on so many climbers over the years.  I consider his writings to be the best of the genera.  My favorite is “Rats”, the one about big wall climbers in Yosemite.   I often recommend it to friends who know little to nothing about our sport.  I have read it many times and it never fails to bring a lump to my throat and a tear to my eyes.

ElCap Report 9/25/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Sat, 09/26/2009 - 01:44

ElCap Report 9/25/09
By Tom Evans
Yo.. Brilliant today here in the Ditch.  Hordes of climbers came by the bridge today and we partied late into the afternoon.  You missed it!!!
I need to get out of here … so this will be to the point.
Today’s ECR… just for you.. Unique in all the world.

ElCap Report 9/24/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Fri, 09/25/2009 - 04:36

ElCap Report 9/24/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Whoa, splendid day here in the slit.  Good action on the Captain with only the Nose feeling the effects of the crowd.  Fall is here now for sure.  I noticed several oak trees at the Lodge have started turning color and some of the Maples on the South Side Drive have a few yellow leaves on them too…. Man, I can’t wait for the colors to come on strong.  This is the best time of year for me here in the Valley.  I would love to go back East for the fall but I just can’t even think of leaving Yosemite now!

El Cap Report 09/23/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Thu, 09/24/2009 - 01:38

ElCap Report 9/23/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Ok … the weather has cooled off a touch and the Captain is ready for your team to start climbing.  It was really nice at the bridge with lots of climbers coming by and hanging out in the cool shade.  Today was the first day of the clean up and it is off to a great start.  Last night we had presentations from the Ken Burns film on the national parks and a show by Dean Potter.  A nice crowd showed up with lots of good cheer all round.

ElCap Report 9/22/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Wed, 09/23/2009 - 00:45

ElCap Report 9/22/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Really hot today on the Big Stone and the attendance on the routes was subsequently down.  Parties with bags at the top of the lines on Salathe went up and quickly came back down.  The Bridge was real quiet.
Big doings tonight at the Face Lift, so this will be compressed to the max so I can get going.
Today’s ECR… for you of course … unique in all the world.

Zodiac:  I glanced over there in the morning and didn’t see anything.  I was later told by a Touron that some one was over there… I scoffed and looked anyway… he was right.  I picked up the team of two as they started the 5th pitch.

Cleaning the 5th pitch on Zodiac.

ElCap Report 9/21/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Tue, 09/22/2009 - 02:43

ElCap Report 9/21/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Beautiful here but rather warm.  Thus, traffic on most of the EC routes is almost nil.  The two big trades are taking all the traffic right now.  With the Face Lift starting tomorrow I imagine most climbers will be doing some volunteer work and not a lot of climbing.  The Bridge was very quiet with just climbers in evidence, not a bad thing!
Today’s ElCap Report will be a brief one and this may be the case for the next week or so.
Today’s Report…. Right now… unique in all the world… just for you..

ElCap Report 9/20/09

Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 09/21/2009 - 03:26

ElCap Report 9/20/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Killer weather and the wall is pretty empty save the Salathe and upper Nose.  Get here and get on it!  Plus the Face Lift is just a couple of days away now… come on up and put some effort into keeping the park looking good.  Sundays are always kind of slow at the Bridge and today was no exception.  Nice to have some quiet for a change.
Today’s ElCap Report just for your eyes only… remember .. It’s unique in all the world.