ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 9/20/12

By Tom Evans

Yo… Cooler with some high clouds today. The Nose frenzy continues to dominate the scene so will get the most shots on the Report. Plus you are going to get some more of the “Golden Oldies” from the Iron Age!

So flop down in your most comfortable chair, crack a cool one, and relax while you read about climbers who are doing anything but relaxing! Here it comes … wait …. Wait for it…. Yeah…

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

Trip: The 3 lads on the Trip, Russ Fields, Nathan Rawlings, and  Sean Tucker, snuck one by me yesterday late and managed to fix to the top of the 4^th pitch. They showed up today hauling themselves and their kit up that long free hanging line to the belay at the corner of the roof.

They lead the 5^th as I watched.

1)  Nathan jugging one of longest free hanging lines on the Cap… the ground up to the 4^th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

2)  Nathan and Sean were a long time at this stance, as the lead went pretty slow up the excellent 5^th pitch. The Black Cat was not amused!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

ND to Genesis: Looks like Pete and Jon left some kit at LLL, their bivy spot last night, and pushed ropes up a couple pitches higher in the afternoon.

3)  The team on the spacious Lay Lay Ledge, right side of ECT.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  Mescalito:  The three man team is rolling right along and were passing the Molar Traverse as I departed today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

Nose: The NIAD’s from yesterday made it off and a new crop of recruits stepped up to replace them. The crowding started low and continued all the way up the route. The wall style teams from yesterday pushed and shoved above ECT all day with a couple of NIAD’s eventually charging to the front of the line, as necessity dictated.

5)  Local women, Sara Vera, Riley Sweeny, and Christina Freschl seen at the top of Sickle ledge with another climber joining them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

6)  Later in the afternoon they all arrived at Dolt around the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

7)  Higher on the route a three man NIAD and a two man British wall style team crammed the Boot for a time but eventually separated higher up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

Super-Guide Scott Stowe managed his usual magic and maneuvered his team through the traffic.

8)  Scott Stowe crossing the Tan Band leading to the Grey Bands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

9)  Toward the end of the afternoon the lower teams made the run to ETC from Dolt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

Early in the day a team retired from Dolt and thus secured the much maligned… wait for it… Ok… here it is…

10)  BAIL OF THE DAY!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

Albatross: Joe got the bad news late yesterday of a death in the family and this very capable team retired from the climb to go back home.

Cosmos: I haven’t gotten out west the last couple of days due to demands at the Bridge so I don’t know a thing about what is up with Skiy and Amanda… I promise to get out there tomorrow.

Salathe: A team bailed from Hollow Flake and another larger one replaced them. Looks to be a Japanese team, and I hear they are out to do some free climbing. They were a pitch short of the Ear when I departed and left fixed lines back to Lung Ledge.

　

Blasts from the past!

11)  Tom Evans and Bob Williams at the start of the North Face of Quarter Dome in May of 1969.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

　

12) Looking down to the Glowering Spot at Paul Sibley on the 5^th day of our climb of the Nose in 1971. We lost a day and a half on ECT in a storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

　

In other news: Very slow day here at the Bridge. Chantel and Mayan did a quick walk by this afternoon on the way to the meadow to relax. They are planning on the link-up this weekend and will try to lower their record time on the Nose to single digit hours, when they do. There is a lot of idle speculation around the Bridge that this women’s record is still a very soft one and, with some determined efforts, could be pushed down to around 5 hours. We await that glorious day!!

Luke and Scott came by, after their NIAD of 15 hours, to bask in the Glory. “No pants” Ben and Cheyne showed up later to get whatever they could from their one day climb of the Reg on the Dome yesterday…we smiled and nodded our approval and that was about the extent of it.

Several of the regular crew hung around in their usual slovenly manner and garnered inquisitive looks from visiting Tourons. I assured them that the climbers, although menacing in appearance, were actually quite harmless!

So that’s the way it is, for this Thursday, the 20^th day of September, 2012.

Later, Tom