ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 5/30/12 and 5/31/12

By Tom Evans

Yo… Sorry to have missed yesterdays climbing report, but the rescue off the Nose took all my time and efforts. Today was a warm one. Tomorrow is predicted to be even warmer. The Nose is still the center of attention, as it often is this time of year.

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

Prophet: Hondo stopped by for a chat this morning and said that Madeline and Nik are trying for the send now. It didn’t look like it to me but maybe I am wrong. They were working around the A-1 Beauty, but the fixed lines still drape the upper part of the wall and the weather can’t be very encouraging.

Zodiac: John and Evan, aka JC, climbed to the start of the Circle yesterday and bivied at the ledge atop the BT. Today they climbed into the Circle and will most likely be nighting below the MOZ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1)  Entering the Circle very late in the evening yesterday.

　

Iron Hawk: Mark Hudon is moving right up the route doing two or more pitches a day. He cleared the Spoon yesterday and is now zigzagging on the mid climb traverses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Mark leaving the Spoon yesterday.

　

Mescalito: Jim and Cameron climbed the Molar yesterday and were in the middle, fairly blank section today. They are moving along fine thus far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Jim doing the Molar very late in the evening yesterday.

　

Tribal: Marc and Markus are on the Tribal part of their climb now. Yesterday they climbed from near LLL to the top of the Boot Flake.

Today they are on the route in earnest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  Marc leading past the prominent tan band on the nose of the rock.

　

Lower down a solo, Francis Perrault, is on New Dawn after starting yesterday. He will easily be on LLL tonight could fix a couple above if he keeps climbing at the rate he is going.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)  Francis, on the Right side of ECT today.

　

Nose: The route was full in the middle with parties all over the place. I couldn’t begin to keep track of who was who. Then the rescue went down late in the day and all those parties had to stay below the GR to wait for the YOSAR lines to be cleared. That didn’t happen until very late at night. So today they are all headed to the top, some faster than others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)  Boot Flake area yesterday morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

7)  Mixed team, who started yesterday, doing the Jardine this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

8)  King Swing yesterday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

9)  Pitch into Camp 6 today.

　

GR to Muir: Pete and Mark moved onto the GR part of the route yesterday and were seen climbing that great slab today. It sure looked hot over there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)  Pete leading the slab while Mark tends to the Show.

　

Salathe/Freerider: The two teams we had been watching climbed off yesterday and today. A couple of practice parties were seen on the route at various places both days. One, composed of James Lucas and Dude 1, aka Clay Usinger, had big plans to climb to the Boulder Problem to practice it and then return. However they dragged along like a couple of new guys and abandoned the climb at the Ear in the afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11)  Freerider team’s kit and one of the climbers on the way out yesterday.

　

In other news: Some of the Big Guns are in town and we await the brilliance of their shine. Today three Geologists, Roger Putnam, Greg Stock, Allen Glazner from UNC,  climbed to the ECTree to do what they do. I had made arrangements to get a shot of them leaning against the ECTree but no amount of horn blasting could get their attention so I had to settle for the shot below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12)  “Is that a rock I see?”

 

 

The Bridge is quiet and the shade is very nice on these warm days. We are suffering a dire shortage of liquid consumables but persist in spite of the hardship.

So that’s the way it is, for this Thursday, the 31^st day of May, 2012.

I’m out of here for now,

Tom