Andy: Yup, on vacation. Alarm goes off at 5:30am - beep, beep, beep. But it is all for a good cause, beat the crowds. On the drive over to the climb, we get to watch the sunrise on the face of El Capitan. Well worth the early rising. Of course, Wendy may have a different opinion, as there were lots of moans and whines this morning (ok, not THAT many...) We were going to ride our bikes, but good thing we didn't - it was pitch black and our headlamps only illuminate about 2 feet in front of us. It would have taken us forever!
We definitely beat the crowds. We had the entire climbing route to ourselves, and it was in the shade for the first 2 hours. Very nice. 6 pitches of varied climbing, with the highlight being the nice hand and finger jams on After Seven. The flies followed us from Idaho, and this time I managed to inhale one, and then exhale it back into my nose. Yuck! Extra protein. And I think its still up there. Other than that, a fine Yosemite morning.
After Six received it's name, so the story goes, because Yvon Chouinard first climbed the route with a very attractive "lady friend". And they started up the route after 6pm. Apparently, they had a romantic moment somewhere on the climb... though I didn't see any signs :)
We're back to our packs by 11am, perfect time for a siesta.
Next stop is El Cap Meadows where we oooh-and-aaaah at the climbers peppered across the huge face of El Cap. And we top off the day at Glacier Point. One of the most beautiful views I've ever witnessed - even with the people.
Wendy: I was in a surprisingly good mood given that I'm not a morning person, I don't drink coffee, and I HATE to get out of bed early! Much to my disdain, Andy dragged me out of bed at the lovely dark hour of 5:30, and I did grumble and complain to illustrate my feelings. Men are really bad at reading feelings, so I have to remind Andy from time to time. I lead the last 2 pitches of today's climb, one of which had a fun series of 5.6 face moves with sparse protection...exciting and fun. Glacier point was amazing, and it was amusing to sit and watch the people get excited by the moving black dot climbers all over Half Dome. "Look honey, there's another one. He must be crazy going up so high. Can you hand my my cigarette?" We're one of the several million visitors, so we can't really complain. The view from glacier point takes your breath away.....
Racked and ready to go, coffee in hand. But its still dark! |
Can Andy fit his head in the crack? |
 Moon besides El Cap (second belay) |
 Cathedral Spires |
 Wendy atop the After Seven / After Six combo |