Well Yosemite is the most amazing climbing in the world in the most strange place...Yosemite Valley is controlled by one company and you can't help but feel like you are being manipulated into eating, drinking and behaving in the way they tell you too..with the limited food in the stores and the shuttle buses and the CROWDS of Americans!!! WHY DID I FORGET THE VEGEMITE!!!

 

We have done some great climbing so far...it turns out 5.9 means that the route was probably graded in the 60's and is now about 5 grades harder than the actual grade suggests but my feet are hurting from shoving them into tiny cracks, and I am adapting pretty well. Waiting for routes is a pain but I guess its America and everything is busy and crowded....at least on El Cap there are way less people and some peace!

 

Lee and I went up on El Cap two days ago, so I could belay him on the hard pitch in Salathe....500 metres up is a long way off the ground!!! I did some penduluming which was not as scary as I thought it would be...but I have to confess that I was happy to be on the ground again when we got down! Lee and Ben will head up and try Zodiac on El Cap tomorrow for the following 6 days and Jake will get down off Free Rider today some time...we think with a successful 6 day ascent!

 

I am looking forward to trying the West Face of El cap next week when the boys are down, logistics are a little hard with the heat (the unexpected heat wave this week) and with trying to start at 5am when the shuttles don't run until 7am...we will work it out though!

 

We are all doing well and the camping is going OK. we Just have to mobve camp sites every 7 days which is annoying but considering you are only allowed to be here for 7 days of camping its OK. We will move into camp four next week I think and then have two weeks there....