My first El Cap route

I just finished my first route up El Cap. I climbed the Shield (VI 5.9 C4F or A3) with a guy named Charlie that I met in Camp 4. We did the climb over six days and got stormed on, took whippers, ran out of food and got struck by lightning. Here's the breakdown.

Day 1: Haul our bags up to Mammoth Terraces (pitch 10), our high point when we climbed the freeblast a few days earlier. From here we fixed a pitch and called it a day.

Our route up El Cap
Jugging up the first pitch with all of El Cap above

Charlie high up on the first day

Day 2: Jug the fixed line and lead three more pitches (11-14). From here we were originally planning on climbing Sunkist A4, but decided that we were way too slow and that we'd be better off going for something a little easier. The Shield seemed like the perfect alternative and we decided that we would start up that the next morning.

Our bivy

Day 3: Climbed three pitches (15-17) and camped below the Shield roof. I placed my first pitons and slept in a portaledge in the middle of a vertical face for the first time.

Looking down pitch 15

Pitch 16 with the next pitch going out left

Pitch 17. My first nailing lead
The view from our portaledge

Day 4: Charlie led the pitch over the roof and gained the headwall (P18). From here I led an awesome pitch at the begining of the headwall and then Charlie led the technical crux of the climb, the groove (P19-20). We camped at the base of the triple cracks. The most exposed and amazing place I've ever been. There was almost 2000ft. of air below our portaledge. Incredible.

Charlie leading out the roof
Charlie above the roof. Photo by Tom Evans
Charlie giving me a belay after the roof. I gained the headwall on this pitch
This pic is at the same spot as the one above just from the Valley. Photo by Tom
A little higher up on the same pitch. Photo by Tom
Charlie leading the groove
Another view of the groove

Day 5: I led the triple cracks and pretty much nailed my way up the entire thing (P21). We led three more pitches and finally broke away from the headwall after a couple days (P22-24). After all the climbing we ended up on chickenhead ledge. It was great to finally have a ledge after several days without. Everything is easier when you can walk around.

Charlie giving me a belay on the triple cracks

You can barely see the triple cracks above

Me on the triple cracks. Photo by Tom
A little higher. Photo by Tom
The view from the top of the triple cracks pitch
Charlie on pitch 12
Higher u p on pitch 12
Looking down pitch 13, this was the last that we saw of the headwall
Our bivy on chickenhead ledge

Day 6: Our plan for this day was to climb the last six pitches (P25-30) and top out no matter how long it took. We started the day by finishing all of our breakfast food and dividing up the rest of our bars, 2 a piece at 120 calories a piece, not enough. From here we took off for the top. Charlie led the first pitch without incident. I led the next pitch and took my first aid fall, a solid 20 footer. When I started climbing again I noticed that bad weather was on the way, just like it had been every day between 11 and 4. The only difference is that every other day it only got windy and a little rainy. This time mother nature was not going to be so kind. Within a few minutes I was completely engulfed in a watercourse high up on El Cap. It actually felt like I was in a waterfall. I was just standing there with no where to go when all of a sudden I saw a bright light and got instantaneously shocked to hell. At first I couldn't believe it. I got shocked by lightning. It wasn't a direct hit. The lightning hit the top of El Cap and traveled down the water to me. I stood there in the waterfall tingling all over for around ten minutes waiting for it to finally calm down. When it did I called down to Charlie and asked if he was OK. He said that he was, but that he had been shocked by lightning. I quickly fixed the line now that I could move and rappeled down to Charlie where he told me that the blast threw him on his back and he blacked out. We just stood there tingling for around an hour in disbelief as to what had just happened. At this point we had to make a decision. Do we stay here and climb another day without food or do we go for the top and hope that the weather doesn't come back. Within an hour most of the big clouds over El Cap had dissipated and we decided to go for it and make it to the top. We quickly ascended the fixed line and started up the rest of the climb. Charlie led the first pitch after the storm and took a 30 foot fall, as if being struck by lighting wasn't enough. Once he finished up the pitch. We climbed one more aid pitch and then two 5.7 pitches and finally topped at 12PM after 6 full days on the wall. We celebrated by eating the last of our food, a bagel a piece, and making a fire to dry all our wet clothes.

Pitch 15

Charlie looking spooked after getting struck by lightning
Charlie about to take a 30 footer
Charlie on pitch 18 at sunset

Day 7: We slept in till around 9 and hiked back to the Valley arriving around two in the afternoon. The first thing that we did when we got to the Valley was go to the store and buy everything that we needed for a massive salad and a six pack. We spent the next several hours eating our first meal of the day. enjoying our beers and telling stories with a couple other climbing bums that we met. The perfect way to end my first big wall.

Charlie looking a little skinnier than when we started

Rappelling the E. ledges on the descent

Back in the Valley after the send. Photo by Tom

From here I think that Miles and I are going to spend another week or so in the Valley before heading down south to climb Mt. Whitney. Stay tuned.

Yosemite

The last week and a half has been an adventure to say the least. After leaving Owens River George Miles and I decided to take Sonora Pass to Yosemite. Apparently the pass is very steep, 26% grade, and our little four cylinder RV couldn't make it. After stalling out on the first steep corner we backed down and tried again. The only difference is that this time I was not in the RV, I was behind it and pushing with all my might. Turns out that was all we needed to make it up. After this corner I decided to just ride up the rest of the pass on the back bumper and get off on all the steep sections and push. The crux was the last few hundred feet that were very steep and at 9500ft. I felt like passing out by the time that we got to the top. It sounds ridiculous that pushing actually got us up the pass, but we're convinced that we wouldn't have made it otherwise.

The last corner on Sonora Pass

The next day we rolled into Yosemite early in the morning and secured a campsite at camp 4. Camp 4 is nothing to call home about, but it is cool to finally stay in the climber campground in Yosemite. There are people from all over the world that come to stay there. It is pretty cool. After getting a spot Miles and I decided to do a short climb and got on Nutcracker 5.8 6 pitches. It was my first climb in the Valley so it was fun getting on something that I didn't struggle too much with.

Miles on the last pitch of Nutcracker

On our second day we climbed the NE Buttress of Higher Cathedral Rock 5.9 900ft. It was an awesome climb and by far the hardest 5.9 I've ever done. It had several sections of hard chimney/offwidth that kicked our butts. I was able to climb everything clean but was completely drained after all the strenuous climbing in the 100 degree heat. We finally topped out at around 9pm and didn't get back to the car until almost 12.

NE Buttress of Higher Cathedral

Miles on pitch 6

A little higher

After our butt kicking we spent most of the next day resting until the afternoon when we went to the cookie cliff. We had been told that it was awesome and our guide book seemed to agree. The only climb that I got on there was Outer Limits 5.11a and I was able to onsight it. I was blown away that I actually climbed it clean first try, especially after getting my butt kicked on 5.9 the day before. Lesson learned; Chimneys and offwidths in the valley are HARD!

Outer Limits

After a kinda rest day we we decided to do Lost Arrow Spire. To do this climb we had to hike 3200ft. to get to the base, do a long rappel, climb a couple pitches and set up a tyrolean traverse between the spire and the base of the cliff. It was an incredible experience and we pulled it all off before a crazy thunderstorm hit that soaked us from head to toe on our way down.

Lost Arrow Spire. We rappelled the dotted red, climbed solid red and traversed yellow.

Miles rappelling into the notch

Miles on the tyrolean traverse

The thunderclouds that chased us off the spire

We spent the rest of the evening relaxing until my dad rolled into the Valley. He drove his motorcylcle for 1100 miles to see me. He most love me or something. The next day and a half I spent with my dad. We ate lots of great food, did a climb on glacier point apron and spent time catching up. It was great to see him after two months. Thanks for coming down dad I love you.

My dad

After my dad left I climbed Freeblast 5.11b or C1 with a guy named Charlie. It goes up the first 10 pitches of Salathe on El Cap. It was my first time on the Capitan and we flew up the climb in 8 hrs. Since we worked so well togethor we decided to do a route all the way up and we'll be starting that tomarrow.

Charlie following pitch 1 & 2

Charlie on pitch 5

Looking up El Cap from where we stopped

When I got back to camp after Freeblast I spent the rest of the evening packing for my first big wall, the W. Face of Leaning Tower V 5.7 C2F. Miles and I spent two days on the route and everything went perfect. We spent the first day climbing to pitch four, where we would stay the night, and fixing to pitch 6. The next day we jugged our lines and climbed four more pitches to the top. All in all it was a amazing climb and an incredible experience.

Big Wall gear

Miles on the first pitch

The haulbags maiden voyage

Looking down at the bivy ledge from pitch 6

Miles in the morning

The roof on pitch 9

Looking down from pitch 9

Miles on top

After I finish this post I am going to spend the rest of the day packing for El Cap. I'm going to be climbing FreeBlast to Magic Mushroom to Sunkissed. We'll be combining these three climbs to get to the top over 4 or so days. I can't wait.