El Capitan- Little John
Sierra Nevada– Rock Climbing
Total Time: 6:00
Distance: 1.2 miles
Elevation Gain: 600′
Crux: 5.8
Pitches: 4
Protection: Double rack of cams #0.5-3 plus #4-5, set of nuts
Companions: Jesse Gandt, Kevin Kirkk, Holly
Trailhead: El Capitan Meadow, no services
My spring Valley season had been mostly single pitch endeavors, and I was itching to get on a multipitch route before summer temperatures pushed me into the alpine. With a rare weekend day free, I had a surprisingly difficult time finding a partner, ultimately teaming up with Jesse Gandt, a DPT rotating in Oakhurst for his final semester. He had plans to climb Munginella with a friend in the morning, so I took my time getting into the Valley, hanging out in El Cap Meadow until they wrapped up, meeting me a bit before 10 AM.
With the morning half over, we decided to climb Little John Right on El Capitan, a 3 pitch 5.8 route that climbs to a ledge beneath the Heart Route. His friend Holly from Munginella that morning decided to join along with another Oakhurst local Kevin, meaning we would be climbing the route as two teams of 2. We left the parking lot at the meadow, following the climber’s use trail to the Valley loop trail and base of the Nose. We continued along the base to the left, passing Pine Line, Moby Dick and the start of Magic Mushroom to the fairly obvious start up an off width crack.
It seemed unspoken that I would be on the sharp end first- until Jesse realized that he had left his climbing shoes in the car. While he jogged back down to the base, Kevin and Holly flaked their own rope and started up, Kevin fighting through the offwidth to an easier chimney and up to a two bolt anchor.
Jesse made it back just in time for Holly to start up, and I waited until she was past the crux to tie in. While the route had been in shade when we arrived, it was now in full sun and I found myself dripping sweat when I reached the crux. I had planned to grab the lip and lieback up into the easier chimney, but found the lip was a greasy and polished sloper, no chance of holding on with sweaty palms. So I fell a few times before I ungracefully wedged my body deep enough into the offwidth to reach a jug higher in the chimney, getting up to easier ground. I was a little annoyed at myself for falling on a 5.8 pitch, something I had not done in the Valley in some time and blamed the hot sun and rising temperatures.
The second pitch was the actual crux of the climb, following a low angled crack and ramp system up to the left before making an improbable no hands traverse across a rib of rock to gain a different crack to the left. Kevin didn’t have a copy of the topo with him, so I had to yell instructions up as he climbed to find the spot for the traverse, easy to get sucked too high into the secure crack system. The traverse could be found about 10′ above a second piton in the crack, making a wide step on slabby dishes and a small rail to reach a great left hand side pull into the next crack.
Getting to watch Kevin and Holly climb through it, coupled with my height made the crux feel trivial to the polished off width on the first pitch. I brought Jesse up to join me, climbing a bit too high in the crack before downclimbing back to the
The last pitch was short, another 40′ of 5.7 crack to reach the large ledge where we could rappel down the opposite side. Kevin made short work of the pitch, and Jesse volunteered to be on the sharp in for the last short pitch leading us to the top of the large ledge system. There was a fixed line on the rappel station on the left side on Little John Left, and we weren’t on the ledge long before a twosome jugged their way up, having spent the night bivying on the ledge. They pulled their rope so we could rappel down and top rope Little John Left, another 5.8 off width crack. Back at the base, we took turns top roping the route, all of us finding it easier then the first pitch of Little John Right despite the guidebook warming it was tough for the grade.
It was now late afternoon and with temperatures in the 80s, most people seemed content to call it a day. So we packed our things and started back down the trail to El Cap Meadow, parting ways once back at the cars.