ElCap Reports

ElCap Report 9/25/18

By Tom Evans

Yo…The great weather continues to bless the fall season.  The cliff is far from packed but it is drawing the wall climbers to it.  The Nose is getting the lions share of the teams.  The Face Lift is on now and that may be the reason for a thinned wall population.  Tonight, the Face Lift is showing the Honnold film “Alone” and the turnout is expected to be epic.  The real work of the event will start tomorrow as the volunteers head out to pick up trash and junk strewn about the park.  Big events happen each evening this week… so if you are in the area be sure to come on by.

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

1) The Shield team is moving right along.  Here we see Mac Horgan passing the Shield Roof in the early morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) In this shot Mac is at the belay at the end of the roof pitch as the first sunlight falls upon him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) Higher Mac is hauling kit while Henry cleans the notorious Groove Pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Later in the day Henry is seen on the Triple Cracks out on the blank wall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Over on the Muir the three-man team is moving very rapidly on the upper section of the wall.  Here two team members are getting ready to set up the haul.  Who dresses these guys?  Black and gray are not what show up in the photographs.. avoid those colors PLEASE!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Higher on the Muir they reached the so called Stemming or Nutting pitch as seen here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7) On the Nose, another dumpster diving clothing selection is noted on the King Swing.  The spread eagle is not a common solution to the problem but has its moments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8) The sweet pitch above Dolt Tower is one of the fun ones that everyone enjoys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) Lower on the Muir Maria and Jana are seen at the start of the upper part of the route.  They have a lot of kit for lightweight women to haul but they are moving it along well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10) On the Straw the three-man team is seen here hauling, cleaning and leading.  This 3-man system is ideal for keeping the team moving upward as all functions can happen at the same time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11)  A nearly invisible solo climber is on Zodiac putting on a clinic of efficient solo technique.  Hate that gray.  Here he is on the Black Tower pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12) Brandon Adams, Roger Putnam, and Wayne Willoughby did a push on Zodiac a couple of days ago.  Brandon is seen here leading the famous Nipple pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13) The European mixed team did send Freerider!  Here they are seen under the roof making the traverse around the corner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14)  High on the Salathe Veronica and partner Todd are seen near the end of the headwall pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15)  After the headwall part comes the traverse over to Long Ledge and a place to spend the night.  They were off the next morning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16)  We get a lot of Navy aircraft flying over the Valley and this one is a flying radar platform.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In other news… Great weather, albeit on bit on the warm side, seems to have settled in for a while.  So … get your kit together and hoof it up to the base for the route of your dreams.  BTW these reports will cover several days-worth of climbing so the shots are not in order by date and some climbs are already completed by the time the report comes out.

So that’s the way it is, for this Tuesday, the 25 day of September, 2018.

Later, Capt. Tom