ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 6/24/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… The answer is “Yes“.  Your question was, “Is the weather perfect in the Valley these days?”  The sky is as blue as Kim Schmitz’s eyes.  The wind is as calm as Elik Sloan’s yoga class.  Wherever you are… is the wrong place.  You really need to be here. But since you can’t, then you force me to be your replacement eyes and ears.  So here I am, slugging it out every day, just for you, here at the gateway of adventure… the Iconic, yet mundane… ElCap Bridge.  The view is spectacular, the company, among the best to be found anywhere, and every day is a great day, to be remembered far into the future.  Someone had to do it… so.. old, broken down, little Tommy Evans picked up the ball and is struggling forward with optimism, as he slowly dissipates into the cosmic abyss.  Sounds like something Chongo would write!!

Today’s report is brought to you by Hayden Kennedy and Aaron Jones, who threw down a 7 hour, on sight, ascent of Mt Watkins yesterday.  Sweet!
Big news today… read more below.
Today’s ElCap Report, written by your replacement here at the bridge…

Lost in Translation:  A couple of young guns, Dave and Klaas, in Mason’s posse, took a run at this Nico/Ivo route on the far east side of the Cap today.  They looked good and Ivo watched with interest as they made the 2nd ascent of this, maybe soon to be popular, free route.  I last saw them a pitch or so from the top around 3:30 as I departed.
1)  Cranking hard on the pitch before the crux on Lost in Translation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Waterfall route:  Ammon and Cheryl slept in and got a late but good start on the days climbing.  They will soon be on the good stuff higher up.
2)  McNeeley, still in the Black.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad Seed:  Pete and Kate continue to wander all over some of the most awful looking black rock on the Caps face.  They, like their neighbors, will soon be in better looking terrain.  The route, thus far, looks like a series of short triangular faces decorated in shrubbery.  I’m sure they are eager to get to the good stuff.

Mescalito:  Martin, the solo from Canada, is gone, but has been replaced by Josh McClure who climbed past the Seagull this morning and onto the long, right leaning crack that delineates the lower part of the wall.  He looks good and seems to be climbing with confidence.  Go Josh!
3)  Josh passing the Seagull on Mescalito.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reticent:   I saw the YOSAR Reticent Wall team finally get on the route in earnest.  It seems as though Skiy Detray and Dana Drummond, aka, Mad Dog, have spawned another climber.  Heide Provencher, Dana’s girlfriend has joined the team.  They are headed to Lay Lady ledge this evening after fixing 4 in the previous days.  Skiy and Andy were the original team but Andy dropped out due to a problem with a beer bottle... ask him about it.... I won't tell.
4)  The Team, doing what they do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Nose:  All the action was above ECT for most of the day.  There is a team of two leading the charge, the crawlers from past days, who seem to have finally figured out how to climb the Captain.  Good on you, boys!
5)  Heading to Camp 5 on the Nose of El Capitan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Behind them is the team of three who have climbed well the entire route and behind them is the team of two from yesterday who came up the Legs fast and nighted on ECT. 

Below them… well….. maybe I should explain what is going on here…Because ….  You missed it Puke, you Fuckin-A missed it…
Alex Honnold and Sean Leary decided to do two EC routes and throw in the Reg on the Dome, all in a day.  So this morning they fired the Salathe in 4:55, which is easily the absolute speed record for the route by more than an hour!!  By the time I picked them up around 9am they were going over the Roof pitch below the headwall!  Soon they were down here at the bridge and immediately jumped into the river!  They re-hydrated and chatted with the Bros for a while and then went off on the Nose.  I last saw them finishing the KS at around 3:30 as I departed.  Will they make it happen?  Stay tuned for more information on tomorrow’s ElCap Report, your only true source for all the latest news from the Captain itself.
6)  Alex Honnold, blinded by the light, King Swing, Nose route, El Capitan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blast from the Past:
7)  My son Thomas, marking his territory, 1972

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)  Luke, just down from Zodiac had a message for his girl, Jen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9)  Luke’s message. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  The bridge was abuzz with the goings on up on the great rock.  Lots of climbers appeared as the news spread rapidly throughout the Valley of the attempted, triple whammy.  Plus various “Heroes of ElCap” assembled to bask in the glory of their recent ascents.  Hell, even Dean Potter made an appearance even though he had no glory to bask in.  A huge slack line was set up in the meadow.  Supposedly 200ft long, it vibrated in the wind making a sound similar to that made by 3,000 Watasui warriors in full attack. 
Bridge Rats and a Touron or two, watching the proceedings on the Captain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that’s the way it is for this the 24th day of June 2009.
Later TME