ElCap Report 6/06/10

ElCap Report 6/06/10

By Tom Evans

Yo… Fabulous day here in Yosemite. The river is way, way up now and my tent is about to be flooded out in North Pines. I hope it goes down soon! Water is up to the wood at the EC Bridge and there is a lake in the EC meadow. The mosquitoes are very bad this year and they are somehow very stealthy, so every day when I am through shooting I have a slew of new bites on me. This was “free weekend” here , so no fees to get into the park…. So…. the place was over run with Tourons this weekend. I was so busy that I couldn’t do justice to my photography and got a lot of shitty images today. Kenny Yager lead a Climbing History Tram Tour today and had 25 people on the Green Dragon with him. They all had a good time and spent time at the bridge looking at the climbers. Everyone was on their best behavior, until they left of course!!  Today’s report is brought to you by Oklahoma Tony and partner Clay who I spotted on a run up to Dolt. Tony has a pony tail and I mistook him for a woman, until someone pointed out those big guns he sports!!

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

Zodiac: There was a solo who did the third but retired late in the morning. The team of three, formerly thought to be Koreans, but so poorly dressed that they must be Japanese, appeared on the route today. Koreans know better than to step on the Captain looking so bad!! They climbed to the top of three as I departed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Japanese Zodiac Team…. Worst Dressed Climbers of the Daaaayy!!!

The Trip. I did see a guy in a nice orange shirt hauling a bag to the 3rd this afternoon. Looks to be a solo. Who I wonder?

Aurora: Kate and Kitty are installed in the Bat Cave at the top of the 5th pitch this evening. Kate hauled bags up to the cave this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kate Robertson, in the Bat Cave.

Mescalito: The Spanish team of three climbed well today. They make the pitch before the Ramp to the Bismarck this afternoon and probably higher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Late afternoon shade on the Mescalito belay.

The Lines: Well, as I mentioned yesterday, there are two 3,000ft ropes hanging down from the top of the Dawn Wall. This set up is normally done by some caving club, so I assume it is the same this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lines.

This morning I saw four juggers headed up the lines. They spent hours jugging up the Cap, stopping from time to time to rest, have some food and conversation. One of the only times I have seen where climbers are saying some other group is crazy for doing what they do!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four happy juggers doing the Captain.

Tribal Brian: Brian passed the final difficulties on the route today and by late afternoon he had reached the ledge where all the routes in the area exit the wall. Off tomorrow Brian!!! Hell of a climb!

Tribal Mark: Mark continues to have lazy mornings while on Tribal. He hung out late on his ledge and yelled at the Juggers as they went by asking, according to Peggy, his wife, if they would bring some pizza down with them when they came back! What a funny guy!! Anyway he did the Carrot without any apparent difficulty and was back at this ledge as the shade came on.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark meets the Carrot.

Nose: Todd and Deputy Dog made another run up the Nose today, trying to better their time from last times 9 hours, and threw down a 7hour and change climb!!. The women asking after them were sure fine, according, of course, to the younger crew members.

Lower down the solo, Ben Venter from Tuscon, kept moving right along. I missed his King Swing yesterday but did get to see him in the Grey Bands and the Roof pitch. I have my spies talk to him as they go by to make sure things are good with the lad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ben after the Great Roof.

Muir: Solo Alex White is moving along nicely on this great route. He was finishing the thin cracked slab before the so called “ledge for one” pitch, as I departed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alex in the thin.

Shield: The party from yesterday did indeed make Chicken Head Ledge yesterday but it must have been really late. I saw them climb off in the morning.

They were replaced by a team of two, Pedro and Javier, dressed in sharp looking red shirts who definitely will not be making it to Chicken Head tonight. It was pretty windy up there today but didn’t appear to be cold. They were headed to the Groove when I left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hauling on the Shield headwall.

There was a highway worker seen on the approach to Grey Ledges this morning… must have made the wrong turn somewhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traffic control worker lost on the Cap.

Pace Maker: I did see Pete and Mark in the deep shadows this morning but never saw them again all day. Must be cornered up somewhere.

Salathe: I did see Dave and Wagner a few above EC Spire this afternoon but the route hides in places for my view so I didn’t get any shots worth posting of the lads. Off tomorrow?

Lower I watched a mixed team of two climb slowly to the Ear this afternoon. Anyone know who these folks are?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Woman meets Ear.

Dihedral: I didn’t get out west but Ian Jewel showed up at the bridge to get his car and head to Manure Pile to meet his partner Alex. I didn’t see them afterward.

Lurking Fear: A couple of my posse members, Hayden and Walker, on-sighted this route in a little more than 6 hours today. They were back at the Bridge in time for afternoon Cobras!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walker and Hayden basking in the Glory at the Bridge!

In other news: The season continues to roll along and lots of climbers are here now to do what they do. Hondo and Uli are making a run at Freerider in a day or so and the place is filthy with photographers and their groupies, hoping to cash in on the scene!! All the usual suspects seem to have arrived to climb too. So we will see what develops. 

Gene you left your two chairs leaning on a tree.

We remember this date June 6th as the day of the Normandy landings in WWII and all the sacrifice that was required by that generation to give us the lives we enjoy today. A heart felt thank you to those heroes of freedom.

So that’s the way it is on ElCap for this the 6th day of June 2010.

Peace, always Peace.

Later Tom

 

 

 

Greetings Tom, This line: "

Greetings Tom,

This line:
" Tony has a pony tail and I mistook him for a woman, until someone
pointed out those big guns he sports!!" inspire 1 story and 1 comment.
Story: last september a young stringy skinny guy for the UK
complained to his friend, "We'll get more action here than in Tuolomne
Meadows, but look at women around here, they all have huge arms! He was in Camp 4! He
must have confused it with Malibu beach.
Comment: if you can't tell a pony-tailed guy anymore, then 2 of your buddies
have been away from Yosemite too long, Thomas and Alexander :-)

Cheers,
Sabine

Somebody tell that Alex White

Somebody tell that Alex White from Kansas that "flat landers" aren't supposed to be able to climb like that :). LOOKING GOOD, BRO!!! Be Safe and have a good time. - Adam

Hi Tom. Wish I could be in

Hi Tom. Wish I could be in the valley this week drinking cobra in the afternoon with you guys. Tony left me home because he knows Im secretly in love with you!
Thanks for remembering June 6th, too. My dad turned 94 6/7/10. He was in the south pacific, a fighting sea bee.
keep the photos coming.
luv ya.
Lori. aka Oklahoma Lori

Tom, thanks for remembering

Tom, thanks for remembering Normandy. My dad was there (he is 95 yrs old now).

Super shot of Mark Hudon looking at the horse.

Peace is right,

-John Fine

Tom - The guy soloing

Tom -

The guy soloing Tangerine Trip is my good buddy Justin Brockman. I think this is roughly his 2nd or 3rd route on the captain, and his first solo ever. So wish him well and send good vibes his way!

Peace,
Stanley

Hi...Uncle Tom.. They are

Hi...Uncle Tom..
They are Korean Team...
Poor dressed..
Team leader(red helmet)'s name is "Nalcle"
It means "Not serious climber"
I belive you will take good pictures for them.. in spite of their poor,ugly dress....

I.C.Kang

I imagine the mixed team on

I imagine the mixed team on Salathe are a local woman and a gent from the UK who is visiting for a couple weeks, on the route for his 50th birthday. Sounded like he'd been on the Captain at least several times in his life, though not in a while. NIAD at some point, too. Those were the rumors from Camp 4 as of last weekend, anyway. What a great way to spend your birthday!! Hope they're having fun up there if it is indeed them. Allyson

We need some pics of the

We need some pics of the Missouri boys Scott and Todd. I'm starting to think they're not climbing NIAD but instead bringing you cobras so you will write about them in the report.

Keep up the good work Tom.

Alex White rocks! And Clay and Tony are my heros.

Nate Moore

yea Justin! Kick some ass

yea Justin! Kick some ass brotha!

-C

The orange shirted fella

The orange shirted fella soloing Tangerine Trip is Justin (you caught him on your lens doing Zodiac last yr. w/ Chris - the Palo Alto boys). Hopefully he will be thoroughly sick of MREs by the time he is done :)

--Wendy

Nice bright day! How's Hudon

Nice bright day! How's Hudon doing up there?

Thanks Tom!

-Pate

Does not get much better than

Does not get much better than this.

Russ

WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!! Kate!

WooHoo!!!!!!!!!!!! Kate! BatGirl at the Batcave! Fitting.

Big WooHoo(!!!!) for my Bro Mark, too. Gettin' it done, don'tcha know.
Righteous. Skully

PS. that Cobra is some nasty swill.

Thanks for the Report

Thanks for the Report Tom.
Dave and Wagner fixed ropes up to the top of 28 on Salathe today and will bivy at the Block tonight. Hopefully you can get some shots of them at the Roof and on the rest of the headwall tomorrow.

BTW Tom, Dave and Wagner have

BTW Tom, Dave and Wagner have been together before. After they did the Tyrolean together on Lost Arrow a couple of years ago, they did a FA in Chile at Torres del Brujo. Dave wrote it up in Alpinist 30.