9/21
Bob and I just got back from our Yosemite recon. We had a little epic on the East
Buttress of El Cap. Not a real epic but we woke up late and got behind a bunch of parties
and spent the day sitting around on ledges in the heat.
What a pile of junk that route is! I think that I once liked it. What was wrong with
me? The route meanders up a diorite buttress and there is loose rock everywhere. It has
also become quite polished over the years so between being polished and being loose, it
isn't my favorite terrain for moving quickly and placing little gear.
I think that we have decided to do the route first, starting at midnight. One reason is
to avoid other parties because it is not an easy route to pass people on and the other is
to get the damn thing out of the way!
On a brighter note, we found a great approach to Half Dome. It doesn't really bushwhack
at all and since Bob and I are pretty fit we can really move on the tourist trails. I
think that we can do the approach in 2 hours, even tired.
Because of this, we replaced the dread feeling of El Cap the day before and left
Yosemite feeling confident.
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