ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 6/6/07

 By Tom Evans

Yo... yeah I know that you have been patiently waiting to read this report... you have nothing better to do than sit there and refresh the site every five minutes in hopes it is there.. well here it comes... on the horns of one Bullwinkle who was hanging at the bridge this afternoon and volunteered to gallop up the south side trail back to my ISP so you could get it in time ... thanks to the "Dean"... you can put that raingear away for this one but keep that puffy jacket close at hand and you will be wearing socks too... It was a day marked by a strong, chilly, west wind and a lot of puffy white clouds moving across a broken blue sky at a good clip... where is global warming when you really need it?! So here it comes ... from Heartbreak Hotel to the Sharks Fin...Today'sElCap Report for 6/6/07 a date that will live in honor of thousands of men who died on "D Day" in WWII.. they died so we can live free.

Zodiac: Well the team with out the rain fly was up and moving by the time I got there and were finishing the Nipple pitch as I left early today at 3:30pm they seem to have weathered the storm with no difficulty and should be able to bivy below the Devils Eyebrow..

NA Wall ... these guys decided not to bivy at the classic ,and well protected from bad weather, Black Cave instead climbing the pitch above and hanging out on the bare slab above ... they were up and gone when I arrived and were seen at 3:30 heading across the traverse out of the Cyclopes eye.. nice orange shirt on one of the lads...I gave it to him for the pics and it is doing its job well...

SSPO: Well the gang of 5 sprinters continued with their all out rush up the route and I will guess actually finish late today.. they are a smoking crew.. who are those guys? Ragan was seen leading the pitch above the Black tower when I first arrived and was on the next when I left ... 2 more days should do it for this tenacious man...

Nose: EMPTY... the two guys from OK got off on their one day ascent late in the day and narrowly avoided tragedy when they lost a new rain jacket to the wind at dolt tower... they continued on and were last seen yesterday going strong for the top ... they finished late and hurried to curry getting hot showers around 1am... saw them in the cafe this morning none the worse for wear... nice climb guys...

Salathe/ Free Rider... R and Amee climbed onward from Hollow flake and I watched R lean the infamous Monster Crack without breaking a sweat but the lad did wear a brown jacket that was close to a perfect match for the rock and make the pics a little hard to focus.. Jean and Anna also continued on the route after the storm yesterday... these ladies have plenty of spunk and will get the job done if anyone can... but they were going slowly and were well below the Ear when I left and they have no ledge and plans to bivy in the alcove... a late night for sure... they were working hard on hauling their two bags up the nasty lower slabs.. hard going for them.. The O'Neill expedition is a relentless machine grinding its way upward... they lingered around the spire this morning until the sun came upon them and then cranked it up to full power... I have poked a little fun at them but am very impressed with the dedication of all the folks involved in this project.. They are working selflessly and tirelessly so Sean can have the opportunity do to this great route.. for him and the few others with his condition who have ventured up on the heights of El Capitan the task is immense and a life changing event... We here at the bridge and all around the community wish them continued success and a safe climb...

In other news:   The Bridge was my quiet abode this morning for several hours and it was kind of nice for a change.  The cliff was crossed by great shadows and bright sunlit spots all day as beautiful white clouds were driven by the west wind across the blue sky.  Although it was pretty chilly and more like an October day than a June one, there was a wonderful clarity in the air and details stood out sharply on the great wall.  The storm has passed on now and the crisp air is seeing many of the teams on the wall nearing the end of their journeys.  Journey’s of a lifetime for them all and days to be remembered and cherished as the few in a lifetime of days that make one's life special. These are the days that people work so many days on the job to be able to have.... like Ottawa Doug who left today for home... he said he wouldn’t be back for maybe two years but that these few he had here this spring will be enough to keep him going for the many months ahead and give him the vision to get through the time until he can once again come back to Yosemite... the place where he can reach high to grasp those dreams that an "average guy" can only hope to attain by rising above the difficulties to a level they did not even imagine they could reach.. and yet.... they do...

From the Bridge at the gates of adventure, this is ElCap-Pics signing off for today... wish you were here too... Tom