ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 1/4/15  SPECIAL DAWN WALL EDITION DAY 9

Brought to you by “Adidas Outdoor”

By Tom Evans

Yo.. Today started out with heavy clouds, low temperatures, and a smattering of light snow.  I hid in the car until I could find out what the climbing plan was for the day.  Kevin was champing at the bit to go back on the 15^th pitch which he worked without sending yesterday, late into the night.  So I was ready to set up at a moment’s notice. 
Around 11am the clouds suddenly disappeared, heading south, the sun came out and it was nice and comfortable in the EC Meadow!  Nice for me but not good for the climbers.  So they did a 180 and decided to wait for cooler temps around 4pm to start the climbing.  So I hung around talking to Erik Sloan and later the Big Up crew stationed in the meadow.  Around 4pm the action started….

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

1)  The Captain, had a rather menacing look about it this morning.  Can you find “The Camp”?

 

 

 

2)  “The Line Up” down at the ElCap Meadow.  Most are Tommy, Kevin and the photographer’s vehicles, as most climbers wisely made other plans for the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  When the sun came out and the world looked brighter, Tommy came out of his ledge and did some stretching exercises to get ready for the days climbing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4)  Turns out that the guys at the camp saw the nude guy flying around, way above them yesterday, doing the porch swing from the top of ElCap.  Not to be outdone Tommy stripped off his shirt and did various pose-down positions for the camera!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)  As the afternoon wore on, the low western light put the Dawn Wall in relief, displaying some of its beautiful features.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)  This shot is of the end of the difficult 15^th and the start of the equally difficult 16^th pitches.  The 15^th ends at the coil of white rope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7)  Kevin leading out on the 15^th pitch, hoping to send it after several tries yesterday.  He reached this stance only to fall off just short of the belay.  We watchers were crushed as he looked so smooth leading most of the pitch.  Here he is scoping it out after the fall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8)  This is the difficult crux of the moves on the pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9)  Kevin looking back at the technical crux of the climb, pitch 14 which he and Tommy sent two days before.  Tommy swung over to the start of the16th to give it a go and Kevin soon followed, to man the belay. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)  All this cold weather makes me want, even more, to get on that cruise ship on the 24^th of Jan. and head down Mexico way.  This shot was taken on the cruise we took down there in November and have scheduled again three weeks.  One can’t get enough of the calm seas and warm days!!  Yeah man!

 

 

 

 

 

 

11)  Me, next to an F4 Phantom, on the deck of the USS Midway, at San Diego, at the start of the Mexico cruise, back in Nov.  The F4 is one of the great fighter planes of the second half of the twentieth century.  Some are still in service with other air forces having been on active duty for over 50 years, and still getting the job done!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The New York Times published the article about the Dawn Wall climb in today’s edition.  Click the link below to read the full on line article.  I understand the paper has some different pics too.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/sports/on-el-capitans-dawn-wall-two-cl...

 

Another super link is this story from Reel Rock on Utube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fANAk7UC6rg

 

The climb seems to have dragged to a near stop, as difficult climbing and physical wear and tear are taking its toll on the men.  Neither is sending at the moment… but this was not unexpected as this level of climbing has not been visited before and setbacks are par for the course.  One can’t expect to have the high rate of success, as the men have experienced thus far, on every pitch they encounter.  I think with a bit more rest and healing, they will be back on the prowl once again.  It is not easy to face daily setbacks and keep a positive attitude, but these guys know that, and it will not dull their determination to bounce back and get the job done.  The end of the extreme difficulties are just a pitch or two away and we will keep pulling for them.

1/5/15 Great news just in on the net from Corey Rich ... Tommy sent the 16th pitch last night and they are resting today... yep... back in the fight!  Yeah!!!

So that’s the way it is, for this Sunday, the 4^th day of Jan. 2015.

Happy birthday to my beautiful granddaughter Ellie on this her fourth!!

Later, Capt. Tom