ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 10/1/13

By Tom Evans

Yo…Fortunately the Government can’t yet control the weather!  Perfect day for another NOSE RECORD!!!  Read about it below.  The government shutdown is having a huge impact here in Yosemite.  If nothing is done we all have to be out of here on Thursday at 3pm.  Many of the shutdown regulations, now in force, are pretty stupid, even for the park service, normally known for illogical, ill thought out regs.  However, to their credit, most of those kind are being ignored.  An example is.. you cannot stop at a turn out, to look at the view, or take a photo.  Another is that you can’t go out for a morning walk/hike.  Anyway, we all, park service included, are hoping for a quick resolution.  In-park and local business are losing a ton of money each day this shutdown goes on. 

Today’s ElCap Report…written just for you…unique in all the world!

1)  Zodiac:  Fortunately, climbers on the Cap can finish their climbs and our man Mike knocked off the Nipple Pitch this morning and cleaned it this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andrew climbed and cleaned the Black Tower.

2)  The girls climbed to the Black Tower start.  Here they are hauling kit to the top of the 4^th.  I guess Amber didn’t get the word on the dress code!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Kaos:  Regan stayed in relatively late for him and finished off the long second pitch while I was there.  Here he is being Mr. Cool, with the sunglasses on, checking out the scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  Trip:  Stevie G. and the boys hauled kit and eventually climbed to the start of the 5^th this afternoon.  Here they are, in the Sombrero, next to the famous Black Cat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The solo, Simon Peck, hung at the Bridge for a while and is letting Stevie and the boys make some distance.

5)  Atlantic Ocean:  Mark and Max are moving smoothly along, as expected, over some spectacular rock.  Here Mark is doing the most difficult pendulum on the route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)  Sea/NA:  Simon and the Swiss boys are moving right along on the NA.  Here Simon is dusting off the pendulum to the start of the corner leading to the Black Dihedral.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Higher, the dark team climbed over the Roof, and eventually to the Cyclopes Eye ledge. 

7)  NEW GAME of the DAY!  Find the leader!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)  Nose:  Mayan and Sean were back at it, making a run at the route to lower their mixed record.  They passed 11 parties today!!  In spite of that they threw down a 3:30 pulverizing their own record by almost 45 minutes.  They started early and almost bailed at the slew of humanity in front of them!  Here they are on the last pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower down… you know how I was lamenting the quality of the recent crop of Noser’s?  Well, yesterday’s crop, got their punches to land and are doing just fine… too fine!  The route was jammed all day with several NIAD’s among the masses.

9)  The fast climber and friend stayed above the masses and are most likely off the route.  He was lightning fast, and smooth as glass!  Here the team is climbing into Camp 5.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)  This shot of the Gray Bands shows the situation.  Notice Mash Alexander in “the outfit”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11)  One of the King Swinger’s, decided to place gear at the step-across and that screwed up the parade for a time. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12)  Muir:  Matt is at the traverse now and will soon be at the upper part of the route.  Here he is in the sweet corner above Grey ledges.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13)  Salathe:  I missed a team of three yesterday, who I spotted today above the Spire.  They moved to the Block later in the day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Horse Play:  I saw Pete shorting kit on the Truck Stop this afternoon.

15)  Lurking Fear:  I didn’t see solo David today, but the upper reaches of the route are impossible to see from the places I shoot from.  I did spot Clark and his partner Dave just past the traverse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16)  This shot was taken with the Big Gun down by Bridalvail Falls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  The shutdown is the news.  There may be no report again for a while.  I will try to do something tomorrow but don’t count on it.

Until then… that’s the way it is, for this Tuesday, the 1^st day of October, 2013.

Later, Capt. Tom