ElCap Report 6/5/2022Submitted by Tom Evans on Mon, 06/06/2022 - 02:49 |
ElCap Report 6/5/2022
By Tom Evans
Yo… We have had a slight change of the weather of late. Cloudy with some rain showers is the situation now. Fortunately, the showers are very brief and have caused no difficulties. The next week looks to bring a warming trend. This season has seen fewer climbers than in the past and that is why the reports are a bit on the thin side. We need volunteer’s folks… so get here and help me have a good shooting season… that is a direct order from Captain Tom. Don’t trifle with me Pukes!
Today’s ElCap Report… Written just for you… unique in all the world!
1) Zodiac: The solo climber, Blake Berghoff, is seen here climbing the pitch above Peanut Ledge a couple mornings ago and was off that day. He made a seemingly casual ascent of this excellent track.
2) Out west on Squeeze Play, I happened to get a long shot of Travis Heidepriem and partner, Audrey, high on the route just below the big traverse.
3) My Korean buddies, from the old Team Extreme Riders, Kyung Gi Cho and No Bum Park, are seen in this shot in the middle of the long traversing 5th pitch, on the Trip. Later that evening a pair of climbing shoes mysteriously departed the bivy and the next day a retreat was in order. No small task that. They arrived at the deck many hours later.
Mescalito: The next several shots are of Ryan Huetter, and Chance Traub on the molar traverse and higher on the route at the Bismarck ramp.
4) I am guessing this is Ryan starting the short but interesting pendulum.
5) After several runs, he made the grab.
6) A bit later the team hauled kit to the end of the pitch as it was being cleaned.
7) They climbed to the Bismarck ramp and after a time hauled kit up to the spacious ledge so many love to bivy on.
8) Cam Brown and wife Carmen started on the Nose a couple of days ago and I thought they looked a bit too fresh for the effort. However, I was sooo wrong as Cam has cruised the pitches and the team is seen here finishing hauling and cleaning to the Boot Flake, yesterday afternoon.
9) As a shower blew through, Cam and Carmen kept right on climbing but I did catch Cam going down on his knees for a quick prayer on the little triangular ledge, three quarters of the way up the Pancake Flake!
10) A team of three have shown up on Zodiac and are making good progress as the rains have not fallen on them, due to the overhanging nature of the route. Here their leader is entering the Great White Circle.
11) I spotted Heidi Wirtz and two others at the Crossroads on Triple direct in the afternoon today.
12) FEATURE OF THE DAY!!
High on the Shield headwall sits the “Canoe.” As you can perhaps see, it is not part of the wall behind it and on the first ascent, a big bong was hammered behind it and much to the destress of the climbers, the flake slid forward an inch or so making a grinding sound that required immediate removal of the pin and placement of two bolts at the right end of the formation!
13) I don’t just shoot rocks and climbers. I got this shot of some Bleeding Hearts on the porch of the Ansel Adams Gallery many years ago, as a slide, and in the years since, have been unable to find any with the particular curve in the stem, that makes the shot so compelling.
14) My partner, Pat Milligan, finishing cleaning the last pitch of the West Face of the Leaning Tower, in the Fall of 1972.
15) I took this shot while leading the pitch above the Glowering Spot, looking down at my partner, Paul Sibley, on the 33rd ascent of the Nose in May of 1971.
16) I took this shot of Paul leading the Great Roof, as water poured down from the roof the 2nd day after a storm pinned us down and battered us on ElCap Tower for 16 unrelenting hours. No Gortex rain-gear back then! It was a wet year and, according to Robbin’s, only two of the attempts on the Nose, in Spring, were successful. We were the first and spent 6 days on the route, after planning on 4 days. I had never been over 2.5 days on a climb but could have gone on for 10 if necessary.
In other News: There is not much other news at the moment. We await Honnold’s return to the Salathe and were recently entertained when Will Sanhope and companion, Whitney, worked the Monster pitch and the one above the Ear. She cruised the Monster while Will got schooled. It appears Will doesn’t much like off-widths! Their kit was left at the Alcove and they fled as the weather went south.
Also... I had the "pleasure" of getting 28 gallons of gas at Crane Flat the other day at a cost of $189. You know folks, doing this spring trip is not so cheap and it would be nice if you.... as someone who likes to have me here, could kick in a donation to keep me alive for the rest of the month. PayPal is nice... elcap-pics@charter.net will get it to me. Thanks for your support!
So that’s the way it is, on this Sunday evening, of June 5th 2022.
Capt. Tom
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I miss you
my big brother and my friend Tom I am Kyoung han Ko You called me Tenaya ko do you remember? ^^ I was coming back from Tenaya canyon with rescue by helicopter. I think..... It might be 9 years ago After climbed Tangerine trip with two guys at the time. I climbed Zodiac with 3 guys and one girl who is so young and beauty 2 years ago. Past 2 yeas, we can not go out anywhere because corona but now we can go and do anything ... so I m gona go yosemite next month to climb mescalito with my friend I saw my friends 2 guys on the tangerline on elcap reports Im happy that Tom returns to yosemite and I can see your shout Dr cho likes his photo a lot ^^ see you late I m trying to donate for came back Elcap repdrts ^^
From Tom... Yes I remember you Ko... we had such good times when you were here. I look forward to seeing you again. But it is pretty hot in July and you will not like it here then...so think about coming at a different time of year... October or May is better for climbing. I remember all the climbs you did as you were one of my best Korean friends. I don't hear from I.C. much anymore and hope he is well. It was nice of you to write the reply on the report. Best wishes... Tom