ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 10/24/09
By Tom Evans
Yo…Still, the great weather persists, with its beautiful lighting and comfortable Fall days.  My Sugar Maple Tree has lost its color now and will soon be a barren trunk and branches.  For just one week a year this tree is the most beautiful in the entire Valley.  The rest of the year it sits unnoticed, in a grove of taller and healthier trees.   I like to think it is like a lot of people we all know.  For most of their lives they go unnoticed and unappreciated, but maybe just one time, they do or contribute something, that so enriches our lives, we suddenly see a beauty in them that out shines all the rest of us.  Sunsets and trees have a way of reminding us that our time here is very short… shorter than many of you readers really know.   There is nothing more precious than your time.  Use it wisely, for you won’t be able to buy a single second of it back.

 
Anyway…. I digress…. The leaves are raining down all over the valley and although there still is much beauty left, it will soon be gone.  If you were lucky enough to have made it up to Yosemite this Fall then you have been greatly enriched, if not then maybe you will get some of the flavor by looking back at the scenic shots I and others have posted on various sites on the Net.
Today’s ElCap Report… written just for you… unique in all the world!

Lunar Eclipse:  Dave and Scott are indeed on this seldom done route.  The part they were on today was some of the most spectacular rock I have ever photographed on the Captain.  They are moving along well and with the red shirts got a lot of action recorded on my camera sensor.
Spectacular rock on Lunar Eclipse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zodiac;  Amanda, Marsha, and Adam made the top today late in the day after throwing down 3 and a half pitches yesterday to reach Peanut ledge for their bivy.
The team, with Marsha leading the final pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower down the German team climbed the MOZ pitch, the one above, and were headed to Peanut as I departed the scene.  They will be off tomorrow.  The leading has fallen mostly to Marcel, who looks completely at ease on the sharp end of the rope, on a Yosemite big wall climb.

Lowest down a solo, Ben Doyle, climbed from the ground and did three pitches while I was present at the bridge.  He has limited wall experience but enough to get the job done if he is persistent and tenacious.

Lost in America:  Scott Deputy cleared all the hard pitches on this difficult track by this afternoon and is now on the exit pitches of Zenyatta.   This was a “next level up” climb for him and would have been a real accomplishment even if he had done it with a partner… but solo… now that’s the real deal, Son!!  Good on you Scott!!
Scott Deputy putting Lost in America behind him and heading for the top.
Off tomorrow if all goes well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trip:  The two butterflies are putting the pitches behind them on this relatively easy, but sometimes tedious, Charley Porter creation.  They were headed to the bolt ladders when I left this afternoon.  Who are those guys?
Cool looking rock, high on the Trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NA Wall:  Kevin and Cooney continue to roll along on this uber-classic SE Face route.  It wanders and wanders and does pass over some pretty shitty rock, for sure, but there is only one “NA Wall” and for us, “old timers”, it was the symbol of difficult big wall climbing that we aspired to, but could never expect to be good enough to do.  Of course, that has changed now with the revolution in gear and knowledge, but it still sends a thrill down ones spine to see climbers on this great route.  The boys climbed from Big Sur, across the traverses, to the Black Dihedral.  Kevin provided the action on the pendulums across the blank section after Big Sur.
Kevin Andrews on the second pendulum, North American Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tommy Show:  Kevin and Tommy were out working on the proposed route, drilling some protection on the big dike that connects Mescalito to the WEML.  For a time Kevin went running across the vertical wall doing huge pendulums just for the pure fun of it…. Remember folks, climbing is supposed to be as fun as being a kid was!  Kevin was a reborn kid today!!
Kevin Jorgeson, expressing the kid in him on ElCap’s SE Face.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nose:  Three parties were on this route today.  The highest was the 3D team that came over yesterday, with Chris.  They were headed above camp 5 when I left and could be off today late, or tomorrow early.
Below them the team from yesterday, who were last seen on Dolt Tower, did indeed push on to ECT late in the day.  They did the King Swing and were last seen going into C4 late in the afternoon.
Next stop for Phil and Tyler, Camp 4 on the Nose Route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below them, a team went up the Stovelegs and hung out at Dolt before heading to ECT later in the afternoon.  This great route is mostly open so if any of you are interested… the season will close out soon so now is the time.

Muir:  As expected, Chris Bevins is smoking up the upper part of this Chouinard, Herbert, beauty.  He was past the thin nutting pitch and headed to the so called “ledge for one” at the base of the huge upper dihedral that sweetens this route.  He is making the same time that legendary, Tucker Tech, and I made when he hauled me up did the route in 88.  Highly recommended route folks, not done nearly enough.
Chris Bevins on some of the “money pitches” of the Muir Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salathe:  I did see the party that climbed yesterday to the Alcove, climb to the Roof and over the Headwall late in the day… a stay at Long Ledge tonight?

Dihedral:  I didn’t get out west today so I can’t say how the girls are doing on this, the third route on the great cliff.  I assume they are either off by now, or going on the last 4 in the morning.  They have climbed well on the route and can be proud!

Feature of the Day:  Yesterdays was the “Sharks Fin” on South Seas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  Thanks to good friends, Denise and son Soren, for delivering some goodies to the bridge this morning, before going off to climb at the base of the Captain.  Jerry Miller was at the bridge today with his great telescope set up, to shoot some climbers and hang out.  This will most likely be the last weekend he will be shooting climbers this season, so check with him for your free shots if you have been on the Captain in recent weeks.
The weather looks good for some time to come, although the Indian Summer temperatures will soon be a thing of the past.  Still, great climbing conditions for the final weeks of the Fall season!
So that’s the way it is for this the 24th day of October, 2009.
Later, Tom