ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 5/30/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Beautiful day today, but they say it won’t last!  Still, there were parties heading out and up.  We are hoping that June will be like May usually is, and not just turn into hot summer days.  Now that the ElCap Shuttle is operating there is a lot of action at the Bridge.  This past weekend was not so good but today was light duty, as far as getting around on the roads.   The HEATED swimming pool is now open at the Lodge so come on out and have some fun!
 

ElCap Report 5/28-29/11
By Tom Evans

Yo … the 28th started out pretty nice but the cold and wind increased as the afternoon wore on.  By late afternoon a storm had moved in and a couple of teams remained on the Cap.  The traffic this weekend has been awful.  Seems that the boys at Traffic Control have some new plan that was to make things go smoothly, for a change.  Unfortunately, the plan looked much better on paper than on the road!  I left the Bridge at 5pm and the South Side Drive was not a road, but a parking lot for most of the afternoon and evening.  I arrived at the Swinging Bridge, a distance of 1.6 miles from the EC Bridge, at 6:30pm and was looking at another one and a half hours of traffic to reach Curry, when I decided to park there and hoof over to the Lodge for dinner.  The plan was successful and I ate at the Mt. Bar and around 8:30 went back to the van and drove to Curry in just 5 minutes.  It would appear that most of the traffic problems here are due to poor planning, and Tourons unfamiliar with the American traffic system.  
Anyway it was impossible to get on the Net so today’s report will combine yesterday and today.

ElCap Report 5/27/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Very nice here today but the weather reports are not the best for the weekend.  So please consider staying home this weekend!  The traffic here will be a mess so be prepared for the Report to be late or missing for a while as I will most likely not be able to get to an internet connection in a timely manner.  Man up.. You can survive without your regular scheduled ElCap hit.  Today had light action on the Cap so without further delay..
 

ElCap Report 5/26/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Wonderful day here in the Ditch!  Sunny and bright but windy on the cliff.  The climbs are starting to get some attention now and that is a welcomed change for me.  It gets kind of boring at the Bridge with nothing but the Nose, Zodiac, and the Trip to shoot!  The big weekend is coming and we await the traffic jams and long lines at food courts!  Tourons… stay home!!!  You may notice that the picture quality is somewhat lower these days.... I have had to go to more compressed shots to save space on the server... the Hi Rez of them are really nice.

ElCap Report 5/25/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Nice day here in the Valley.  Started out sunny but by afternoon a thin layer of high clouds moved in along with a bit of wind.  There is a forecast for some possible showers tonight and I suppose that has kept some new parties from starting on the Captain.  The NPS folks had a good day of training with the new chopper crews from the CHP.  

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

ElCap Report 5/24/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Whoa dude.. Perfect, sunny, warm day here in Yosemite.  The weather has broken on the good side, so we can finally make up for all those shitty days we had earlier in the month!  The Captain is starting to get some serious climbers on it.  So listen up Cupcakes… the time is now … you know what the temperatures will be in a month… yes, HOT!   So make up some excuse to leave your cubicle, tell the mate you are going to the store for a while… then jump in the unit, shut the doors and hit the gas!

ElCap Report 5/23/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Nice sunny weather today… well it was windy and cold up on the Cap as witnessed by all the warm jackets on the climbers.  Still, no moisture!  The action is heating up with most parties on the Nose.  Other than the Nose, the SE Face is getting most of the action.  
So listen up Cubicle Pukes and internet posers… it is time for you to make plans to come here to climb the Captain.  The season is on and you are not.
 

ElCap Report 5/22/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Really nice day here, in spite of the forecast for possible showers.  The bad news is that hardly anyone was climbing on ElCap.  So the report will be on the thin side today.  I was pleased to survive the end of the world yesterday, but my cushion of time is rapidly diminishing.  The world ends for thousands of people every day, so don’t be too cocky!  With those cheerful words as an introduction…

ElCap Report 5/21/11
By Tom Evans

Yo.. Weather held today and with a high cloud base the Cap was nice and cool.  It was nice at the Bridge all day with little wind for a change.  There is a chance that some good weather is settling in now.  Another word to the wise… the boys in green were out in the Lodge parking lot last night ticketing any and all cars without Lodge parking passes.  Something like 50 tickets were written and at $50 a pop it looks like the NPS made some spending money yesterday.  So, hate to tell you but, if you are parking over night in the valley you need to park in the Apple Orchard, at Curry, or down by ElCap in the line up.  Otherwise you will stand a good chance to catching a ticket.

ElCap Report 5/20/11
By Tom Evans

Yo… Great weather today with warm temps and mild breezes.  Action is building on the Captain.  Had a nice chat with our climbing rangers, Jake and Jesse, this afternoon.  They informed me that there are now THREE BEARS who roam the base of ElCap.  So it is vital, if you are hauling kit up there, to secure any packs and food out of reach of the bears.  They will shred any pack they find in hopes of finding something.  So no food doesn’t mean no bear!  Day climbers at the base should not leave things either and a bear proof container could be useful.  If your stuff is broken into by a bear YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE and can be cited.  So…. Beware.