ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 6/25/09
By Tom Evans
Yo… Ok, I told you… now is the time for you to get with the program and come on out.  Pick any route you want…. Zodiac?  Empty.  The Trip?  Empty.  The Nose?  It will be empty tomorrow.  Salathe?  Empty.  The big Trades are all empty.  This is it!  If not now… when?  Beautiful here today with sunny skies and light winds.  The spring season is coming to a close and I will be leaving soon… yes, that’s right… only another week or so of the ECR and you will have to suffer through a long, hot summer with no ElCap fix… Be afraid, be very afraid!  If you have enjoyed all the great pics and on the spot reporting, then don’t be afraid to pony up a few bucks through the donate button on the left.  Any amount will be greatly appreciated and will go toward making this site continue through the fall.

Today’s report is brought to you by Alex Honnold and Sean Leary, who threw down the record time (4:55) on the Salathe yesterday and then did 7 hours on the Nose in very warm afternoon conditions.  By the end they were cooked and decided not to continue to the Dome.  Great stuff guys!!
1)  Sean and Alex taking a break yesterday after the Salathe record climb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today’s ElCap Report…. Enjoy it now… soon, very soon … it will end…

Waterfall:  Ammon and Cheryl continue to motor along up this dark, dank route.  They have reached the higher part of the route and the big, sweet corners beckon them upward.
2)  McNeeley, in the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bad Seed:  Kate and Pete are getting out of the lower half of the route now and I saw Pete lead the pitch out of the black rock this afternoon.  He did some hooking and used some blue duct tape to keep them on… the crux is when you run out of tape!
3)  Pete, taping and tapping, on Bad Seed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mescalito:  Josh finished the long, right slanting lower part of the route this afternoon and I imagine will go to the Molar Traverse start to bivy.
4)  Josh, in the last light of afternoon on Mescalito.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reticent:  Skiy, Dana, and Heide did make it to Lay Lady last evening and spent a comfortable night on this luxurious ledge.  I picked them up as Mad Dog Dana lead the pitch off the ledge while Skiy paid out the rope attentively.  He finished the pitch and then Skiy lead the next one.  They were hauling bags, so I guess the initial plan of fixing three and staying another night on the ledge was abandoned.
5)  Dana, hooking off LLL on the start of the Reticent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6)  Skiy working on his Iron Cross, late afternoon on Reticent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nose:  The fast three man team topped out late in the morning and were down at the bridge by afternoon for a beer and basking.  Down lower a Korean team of three, with a plane to catch in 3 days, dragged up the Stovelegs and were still short of Dolt by the time I left at 3:30.  They told me they were going for a 2 day ascent of the route, as they had done the Reg. in 2 days.  I told them it wasn’t going to happen… but they went anyway.  Bail tomorrow from DT?  Or, change that flight!
Other than them, the route is empty.

Salathe:  I did see the team with the funky hats climb over the roof and headwall to Long Ledge in the afternoon.  If you know these guys tell them that a camera was found at the base… having been airmailed, it is of course, junk, but the memory card may be intact… come by and fetch it up.
7)  Heading toward Long Ledge, high on the Salathe Wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blast from the past:
8)  Eat your heart out… my 1966 Pontiac GTO, looking so fine at our local car show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news:  Nice at the bridge today.  Several of the teams from recent ascents hung out to bask in the glory and tell their tales.  Good fun.  The Touron traffic was light but we were fortunate when a Report reader and now EC watcher brought the monkey’s a 6 of Cobras!  Sweet!!!  Thanks from the crew!
The action is pretty light on the Captain at the moment so come on out and go on up so we have something to look at!
That’s the way it is for this the 25th day of June 2009.
Later Tom