ElCap Report 5/30 to 6/1/2014

ElCap Report 5/30 to 6/1/2014

By Tom Evans

Yo... Continued great weather prevails here in the Ditch.  Where are you?  You are not here?  You screwed up!  Allfrey and Honnold are blasting tomorrow on New Jersey Turnpike to do it in a day and for the next several days they will be trying to do an ElCap route a day!  You are going to miss it all, Puke.  But I will be sure to let you see the highlights on the Report!  Part of my, Mr. Nice Guy Policy.

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

1) Two "older" Korean climbers started the Nose the other day and were moving along pretty well when I took this shot a couple of days ago as they were climbing from Texas Flake to the Boot Flake.  Shortly after this shot I departed and they tried the King Swing.  Unfortunately one of them lost footing on the infamous "Tan Band" and fell back injuring his neck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) YOSAR was called but it was deemed too late in the day to short haul the climber off the cliff.  Two EMT Rangers were dropped off on ElCap Tower to tend to the injured climber until he could be taken off in the morning. They all stayed the night on ElCap Tower and the rescue was mounted very early in the morning, from the top of the cliff.  Here is old reliable H551 delivering supplies to the top of ElCap, on another day.  Tim Lyons was the pilot for this rescue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) The injured climber as fetched by YOSAR team members and lowered to the ground.  This shot is of the last two YOSAR members rappin down from Dolt Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) The injury to the climber turned to be out a cracked vertebrae on #2 and is fairly serious.  Below we see Dave Allfrey and Kevin Prince watching the proceedings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) If you come up a little short on the King Swing it's always nice to have an attentive NIAD partner to lend some help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Lower out off Dolt Tower early in the morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7) Zodiac solo Matan, after a big day yesterday, is seen here climbing the pitch above Peanut Ledge early this afternoon.  Off tomorrow... maybe tonight!  Turns out he did climb off the route late in the evening.  Nice climb, especially for a new guy on ElCap!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) NIAD woman in the Stovelegs this morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) NIAD woman higher up cleaning the pitch above Dolt Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10) ElCap salute and the last light on Mescalito... Italian Team.  I seem to have missed these guys for the first two days of their climb... sorry!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11) Kevin Prince on a solo push on the Salathe, shot earlier today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12) Mescalito.  Italian Team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13) Entering the Alcove, Nose route.  Shot this afternoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14) Point Venus beach, Tahiti.  Taken on my South Seas cruise this winter.  Sweet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  Remembering my parents this day on what would have been their 74th wedding anniversary, had they lived this long.  Great parents who I miss every day... if yours are still alive... give them a hug and let them know you love them... you will wish you could after they have died.

So that's the way it is, for this Sunday, the 1st day of June, 2014.

Later, Capt. Tom

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks

Thanks for the post. This puke needs it.

Photos

Hi Tom, If there is any chance to get photos of the two Seattle climbers that started the Nose today I would really appreciate it. Thanks!!

 

I shot some of them today in the Stovelegs.  They were not so fast and still a ways from Dolt Tower when I left at 3pm.  Nicely dressed crew!  I usually don't post shots of climbers that low on the route because so many bail from there.  I will see what they are up to in the morning.  Regards, Tom Evans