ElCap Report 10/5 to 10/11/17

ElCap Report 10/5 to 10/11/2017

By Tom Evans

Yo… The great weather continues to bless this fall climbing season.  However, we have a lot of smoke in the valley most days and that tends to put a yellow cast on my photographs.  Due to recent events on ElCap I have fallen behind in the regular weekly reports… so I am trying to catch up.

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

Salathe/Freerider has been particularly busy this season so I will start off with a series from those climbs.

1)  A well-dressed team is seen here on the difficult traverse moves into the Monster Crack from the top of the Ear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Hauling kit above the notorious 5.7 chimney above Hollow Flake.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Climbers on the Salathe Headwall and Freerider’s Scotty Burk chimney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  Free climbing the pitch to Sous le Toit ledge in morning light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)  Last pitch, Salathe Wall Route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)  Polish team of Marek and Magda climbing above the Bat Cave on Aurora.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7)  The Polish woman, Malgorzata Jurelicz, lead every pitch on Zodiac, seen here on the so called Flying Buttress pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)  Reaching for a good placement on Zodiac’s Mark of Zorro pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9)  A Red Tailed Hawk flying in front of the route, Iron Hawk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)  Bill Leventhal cleaning while Erik Eriksson tends the belay on Lost in America.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11)  Jane Jackson cleans the traverse out of the Cyclops Eye while Alexa Flower watches, on the North American Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12)  A Mescalito team is seen here topping out on a beautiful fall day on El Capitan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13)  The famous 5th pitch traverse on Tangerine Trip. The leader took a nice 20 footer early on the pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14)  This three person team did a nice job on the Trip and are seen here starting the 8th pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15)  The Black Arch on the Dihedral Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16)  The Flake pitch, high on the Dihedral Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

17)  Rob Miller and partner Roby Rudolf are working on sending their long-standing project in the vicinity of the Muir Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18)  Some of the features on the way to Sunkist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

19)  Hauling kit to Dolt Tower, late in the afternoon on the Nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

20)  The notorious pitch into Camp 5 on the Nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

21)  Afternoon found this team on the Great Roof, heading to a bivy at Camp 5 for the night.  Nose route.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  The valley traffic continues to crawl, stop and go style, as construction continues at several choke points around the valley. This is expected to last for quite some time so be prepared.  Also, the smoke in the valley is quite bad for parts of most days.  There is normally a three or four-hour window, when the air is not so bad, that I can get some shots.  So, don’t expect to get the coverage of your climb that I would normally get.  Quinn Brett is recovering at the Hospital in Modesto and is in good spirits but she has a long and difficult recovery ahead… any assistance you can send her way would be greatly appreciated.

So that’s the way it is, on this Saturday, the 15th say of October, 2017.

Capt. Tom trying to get caught up on the reports..just for you.