The First Ascent of the Nostril of El Cap

So there we were Friday 19 September 2008. Clint and I climbed the Nostril of El Cap aka the first 9 pitches. As usual we were maxing out our time, energy and logistics. Yesterday Clint was amongst other things, the day before on Thursday:

Disempowered
shut down;
humbled;
spectacularly unsuccessful,
broken,
brutalized,
and beaten
chewed up and
spat out

of Tales of Power.

I was to leave the valley the next day, Saturday, latest at 4pm to get the red eye flight to JFK and then home. We got to bed at 23h00 and awoke at 03h00. Drove to the base of El Cap and then started climbing. We got in ahead of a Norwegian party but a young dude was ahead of us soloing but he was very efficient.

We were going fairly quickly and passed an American party at the stove legs but then a Swiss party kept us waiting above the immaculate 8th pitch. I then led the 9th pitch determined to use the full force of my personality to get past the Swiss dude belaying at the stance. He was friendly and we chatted about Fred (Nicole) and Rocklands and all. Meanwhile I pulled in the ropes and put Clint on belay. The temperature was sunny but perfect: partly cloudy and a nice breeze. Dolt tower was but a pitch and a scramble above us and we were cruising and I was going to speed past the Swiss. I knew we would win because they had puff adder ropes and a Beeeeeg haul bag.

Clint was a little tardy starting to climb. He was in a deep and serious discussion with the American party that we had just passed. He seemed to be having trouble putting on his one shoe. I know he was grumbling about sore toes but come on!

Climb when ready I said again……

And again…..

The I saw the American dude feeling him up and I am wondering what the f**k???

Turns out the dude was trying to find his shoe that had got lost. Now, lemme tell you, you can’t climb those cracks with only one shoe. But there was only one. Indeed!

Maybe the American dude was pissed off and had snatched it and hidden it.

Maybe the grumpy Swiss dude had chucked it off.

But , there was only 1 shoe!
So it came to pass that we only climbed the Nostril and instead of being exhausted somewhere below or above the great roof 17h39 the time I am writing this up drinking beer, tea, whisky and wine and recounting the great escape from the Nostril….

Oh and by the way, we found the shoe quietly nestling on a rock at the base of the rap route of the Nostril – some 300m below our high point.

So the beta of the story is that El Capitan can sneeze and easily blow you off. Or maybe we were just shooed off.

So Saturday it’s back to thrashing up Tales of Power and Separate Reality and then, relatively un-exhausted I shall cruise to San Jose, JFK, JNB and CPT.