ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 10/25/10

By Tom Evans

Yo...It poured rain for most of last night, after raining heavily all yesterday.  The river is way, way up and the campgounds are hosed.  The Water Falls are going like it was spring, instead of Fall.  I went down to the Cap late this morning, and also was out and about, to shoot some scenic pics. Today was really beautiful as the clouds slowly melted away, in the bright, warm sun.

Leo and Jason made it through the night, wet but ok.  Stanley talked to them this morning, and they were drying out, and plan on giving the last part of the route a go, just after the sun leaves the face this evening.

Several teams went off to climb... Mash and a friend of Libby's from Australia, Xander, went off to do the Nose, just behind Stanley and Dean.  Another team headed to the Salathe.  Tommy and Kevin were working the low stuff on their Mescalito project.  Richie tells me that a team is starting Mescalito too.  The weather window doesn't look very wide this week, so that will keep many off the wall.  I am out of here on Thursday, as the weather is supposedly going south then, and my camping time is up anyway.  I will write the last report on Wednesday, and that will be it for the season.  If you haven't donated anything this year to the site, then please consider sending what you can.  If you got pics and didn't donate anything for them, then please consider sending what you think is appropriate.

 

Here are some shots from today and the first from last evening...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Half Dome last evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yosemite Falls from the Lodge this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NPS Guys clearing the debris from the Swinging Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dogwood at the Lodge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maple leaves at the Lodge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Downstream view from the ElCap Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yosemite Falls from near the Swinging Bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ElCap as seen from the shore of Lake ElCap Meadow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yosemite Falls and clearing mist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Xander and Mash, racked up and headed for the Nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the regular crew making plans at the car line up this afternoon.

In other news:  The campgrounds are drying out now after a night of incredible, driving rain.  I went to bed at 7pm, as I am a tired old man.  However, the rain was so torrential that it was impossible to sleep due to the thundrous roar from the rain hitting the tent, and the rivers cresting.  The two rivers I am sandwiched between were raging and rising all night.  I figured it was only a matter of time before my ElCheapo tent caved and I was swept away in the rising water.  However, the tent worked like a charm and the rain eventually, late in the night, subsided.  There were various logs piled up against my van this morning but no damage.  It was quite beautiful all day, and my only wish was that this rain had come at the start of the month, so we could have injoyed the water falls all fall.  My tree is nearly bare of leaves but there are still a zillion maples and dogwoods still to change color.  It has been a crazy season....

So that's the way it is, for this, the 25th day of October, 2010.

Staying dry.... watching football at the bar.... your man ... Ansel Evans