ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 5/20/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… what a sweet today in the EC Meadow.  Sunny but not too warm with a nice breeze from the west all day.  The big Trades were getting most of the action with the Nose by far the most busy.  The Salathe is getting some traffic but not much.  Everything from Mescalito to the East Butt is open.  So where are you my dedicated readers…sitting at home, wasting away, living the dream through the ECR?  Well get a life and bring it to Yosemite.
Today’s ElCap Report is brought to you by Eric Perlman who showed up in the meadow around 2pm to hang out and see what was up on the Cap. 

He has been here a while and is taking a day off from climbing to restore some tired muscles.
So here it comes… without further BS… today’s ElCap Report…

Zodiac:  The lads were up and going by the time I was there to shoot them.  Ben lead the Mark of Zorro and then the pitch after that in early afternoon. 

They should be on Peanut tonight and off tomorrow.
1)  Stewart waiting at the belay at the start of the Mark of Zorro pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2)  Ben and Stewart seen from a long way off on the pitch above the Mark of Zorro.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Zenyatta Mondatta:  The two Austrians finished the route this morning and it appeared like they had some friends waiting on top….

Always a great discovery on the summit of the Captain!  I hear these guys are mountaineers of some note and are friends of the Huber brothers. 

Any friend the brothers is a friend of mine!!

PO Wall:  I saw the French team heading up the next to the last pitch early in the afternoon and I would say they are on top by now.

Mescalito:  Two guys who were fixing blasted today and I last saw them finishing up the Sea Gull pitch in late afternoon.
3)  The Mescalito team arriving at Stork ledge (aka Anchorage ledge)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nose:  The New Mexico Three topped out today in the early afternoon.

Lower down, two teams did the KS with Brian and Sam in the lead team.  They were in the Gray Bands by mid-afternoon.

4)  Starting the Gray Bands Traverse on the Nose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lower down there were several parties in the Stovelegs jockeying for position.  Holly Beck and Jeff Webb make a slick move into the Legs down low and passed a party on the regular pendulum pitch.  Jeff was doing some nice free climbing in the long crack to DT.  Everyone else was moving along well and there should be a gaggle of climbers around ECT tonight.

5)  Nose climbers above DT heading for ECT in mid afternoon. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t see the crowd that was supposedly around Sickle Ledge but in the late morning a ledge with poop tube cut lose and went to the deck.  SAR Andy and Charlie were in competition to get to the ledge first… Andy got there first.  So if anyone knows who owns the black cased ledge be sure to tell them to see Andy to negotiate its release.

Salathe:  I did see a team of three climb from Hollow Flake to the Ear and as I left they were working on the Monster Crack.  I think they might be a Spanish team! 

Golden Gate:  Dude #1 and his partner, Mason, were seen climbing the Monster on the way to Golden Gate but were bogged down in a strong gravitational field that suddenly appeared in the Alcove.  They were unable to escape by the time I departed!  Beware!!  Gravitational anomalies are frequently found on and around shaded ledges that come after hard pitches!!

Lurking Fear:  I didn’t see the team of Chase and Dave as I was not able to get to the Wood pile due to the muddy road conditions.

In other news.  I was forced to work from the middle of the EC Meadow due to continued construction at the Bridge.  Hopefully I will get my place back tomorrow.  The meadow was a dead zone due to the roadwork and I whiled away the hours in relative solitude. 
Well that is about all I have for today, May 20th 2009.
Later ECP’s