ElCap Reports

Settle down rodents... you probably still have that buzz on from the Cafe report this morning... you know the Cafe is where things really happen and the day is organized. All the loners and stoners spend way too much time there...
But not to worry... the ElCap report for today is at hand.. brought to you today by Royal Robbins who limped across the bridge around 2p.m. today with a smile on his face. We figured he had just come back from Ahab and an afternoon cruise of the base of the Cap. Hats off to you Royal... staying in the game long after others have gone their own ways!! Nice today, cool and a little cloudy. I got down to the Bridge around 10a.m. after slepping my huge pack from the road. The weekend is over and the quiet has returned. So settle in, lift a cool one, take a deep breath and let it out slowly... here it is just for your enjoyment.... today’s ElCap Report...

Zodiac: The highest party, the two man team, was doing the mark of Zorro when I arrived and had that nice yellow ledge out to make my shots more colorful. They are moving right along and were starting the pitch to peanut when I left a little early today... should spend the night there no doubt.
Lower down the team of 3 was starting the Black tower pitch when I arrived and soon had it done. They were hauling into the white circle when I left and I expect they will bivy at the start of the Nipple pitch.
Lower down yet... Steve and Heather came by the bridge on their way up to the route after fixing 3 yesterday. They hung out quite a while talking to Stanley, Leo, and some others from EE. Bobo showed up too and it was a good time.. Anyway Steve and Heather were on a water hauling mission with Trango (their dog, on a leash of course!). They blast in a couple of days when their friend shows up.

Trip: Did catch a glimpse of the team that I figured to top out yesterday as they were standing on the summit by the tree. The other team was past the bolt ladders and moved off the route this afternoon. Nice ascents of this popular route.

El Nino: Martina and friend are getting up on this route a ways by now and I haven't reported on them because they were blocked by the trees. They have a pretty big set of bags so I figure they are making a serious attempt to free the route... Sweet.

Mescalito: The Belgian and the German are moving right along and might just make the Bismark late this evening. They are fast aid climbers and seem to be having a good time.

Nose: Caught sight of a NIAD team with no baggage whatsoever. Not even a day pack. They were sailing above Dolt when I arrived and heading up the great roof when I left. Who are those guys!? Turns out they are Clint’s friends Jim and Erica. Nice to watch a good team send the Nose in good style!!
Lower down a two man team, survivors from yesterday, were heading off Dolt behind the NIADers and were on top of Texas flake when I left. They were closely followed by Nanook and Chuck who were well into the stovelegs when I started shooting. Chuck was leading the Legs and at Dolt the block went to Nanook... they were heading up to Texas when I left.
Below them a two man team was doing the stoveleg pendulum and were at Dolt when I left. There were several parties milling around on the lower pitches but I didn't pay attention to them as about 60% will bail if the recent stats hold up.

Shield: The team from yesterday was bivied on the little "Ledge for one" just below Chickenhead and started to Chickenhead pretty fast, as it looked pretty cold up there. I left as they were hauling to Chiefton. Off late today?

Salathe: Did see several folks on the Freeblast part and also a team going to Hollow flake. Higher there was the team from yesterday climbing the Ear and then the monster crack as I left.

Far out West... did have a chat with E Ericson on his way out west to the start of a rarely done route over there... Nice to see him again as he is a real inspiration to the rest of us "older" climbers. The guy is always in shape and always doing something good.
Looked like someone on the early pitches of the Muir or Mushroom but the angle was not so good for me to shoot them.

In other news. As you can read in other posts, some of the lads in the cafe are getting a little stir crazy in the mornings and are having trouble finding things to do at the tables! Now you can get the net in the cafe so brace yourselves for the ranting and ravings of people you would most likely not get to hear much from... The game seems to be... use someone else’s computer to post things in their name that of course they would not post themselves. I will let you separate the wheat from the chaff!!
Lots of climbers at the bridge today and it was sweet to see Royal pass on through too... the weather is kind of cool with nasty clouds building above the Dome but nice down at the Cap. Seems that the three man parties have shot their wads and success is being found in the two man teams... ooops... almost forgot... the three man team with the Frenchman with the one work vocabulary climbed over the top this afternoon around 1p.m. and if you listened very closely you could hear his final "Fuck" as he cleared the top!
It was a good day as they all have been here at the Bridge but the visitors have fallen into poor etiquette by arriving at the Bridge with no Cobras in hand... what is this place coming to? We have needs here! How can we go on like this?... man up pukes... the admission to the show is a cobra... when will they ever learn?
Anyway our man Jesse, the climbing ranger, happened by this afternoon to clean out the junk, rotten food, etc from the bear boxes near the bridge. We had a nice chat about his recent climb with his new wife, the old one couldn't make it, up the Freeblast. The little lady seemed to enjoy the route and being on the Cap for the first time. The coffee on Sunday mornings at C4 will start again this coming Sunday.
So that's the way it is for this the 12th day of May 2008. Hope you have had a good day out there in the "real" world because we did here in the Glory Hole.
Signing off for now... your man with the ruthless eye on the sky, Ansel Evans