The bolt ladder on Le Conte is rather famous, and many climbers have tested out their leading and following aid skills at Le Conte. It rained, but as you can see, the ground under the boulder (as big as a house) was quite dry. You can see several rivulets of water coming down the side of the boulder just above my head, flowing around the carabiners connected to bolts. There is also a band of water flowing just to my right around the rock I am standing on. The climbing was extremely stenuous, enough to heat you up so that you barely needed a wool cap and heavy jacket. Barely needed. The moist cold was very penetrating. The level of difficulty was definitely at my limit, and my endurance was strained to the max. It rained like crazy that night which I spent in a tent cabin in Curry Village. The rain was pounding on the canvas like a military drum brigade. It rained so much that Highway 140 washed out, and with it, my guide's access to the Valley. I teamed up with a friend of his and trained again at Le Conte. I was wiped out by the simple muscular demands of the aid climbing on such an overhung pitch, and drove home sore and pondering the greater demands of El Cap...

When I got back home, I kept checking the long-range weather report online: rain, rain, rain. The Yosemite weather report was similar but even more worrisome: rain, with snow to 5000 ft (the Valley is 4000, the summit is 7569 ft, give or take a few inches).

I kept in contact with Ken by email:

April 19, from Ken: El Cap is the wettest I have seen it for some time. It will take a nice warm spell before I want to go up there. We'll keep our fingers crossed. Take care, Ken

April 25, from Ken: The weather is atrocious and the Captain is soaked. It will take a week of good weather to dry it out. I will keep you informed as it gets closer. Thank you for the tip that was really nice. How has the jumaring been going? Take care, Ken

April 26, from David to Ken: I keep on eye on the Valley with the YA webcam and by talking to climbers who have been up. I realize that the weather has been a lot wetter in the last month than it was in Jan - early March. In fact, I have been hearing that the winter climbing has been the best in years. The waterfalls were certainly the best I have ever seen them, when I was up with you. I keep hoping for a bit of warmer and drier weather. One does not want a snorkel to be required equipment on a wall! David

May 6, from David to Ken, two days before I am supposed to drive up: Things look serious but not grim. Should warm up and be sunny, but the question is: Even with clear weather, is the snow accumulation such that the face will be too wet no matter what? I am prepared for cold, and who knows? With the capricious Yosemit weather, sunburn could be the worst thing at the end of the climb! What are your thoughts? David

May 7, from Ken: Hi David, I have been keeping my fingers crossed and hopeful for a weather change. Yesterday I guided the Lost Arrow on what started out as one of the best days we've had in a while. By the time we summited it was pouring and we got cold and soaking wet. I have been looking at the Nose daily and 2/3 to 3/4 of it is wet. It is going to take a drastic weather change for it to dry out. We would be foolish to go on any lower angle route without a stable and warm-looking forecast. It is supposed to rain today and tomorrow and then possibly clearing on Friday. With a best case scenario, there is a very, very slim chance that we could go on Monday. We have 2 alternatives. With stable weather we could go on an overhanging route or we could try the Nose on your backup date. The two overhanging routes that come to mind are the Zodiac or the West Face of Leaning Tower. I am a little concerned about tiring you out, these routes are not as steep as LeConte Boulder, but they are still strenous routes. Of the two routes, the Leaning Tower is the shortest (3 days) and probably the best pick. You mentioned that you had something going on during your backup date. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it goes against my better judgement to do anything else. I have not seen a wetter spring in at least 20 years, maybe ever. Let me know what your feelings are, I would hate for you to come up and not be able to do anything but, sometimes that is the nature of climbing. Take care, Ken PS I would welcome the chance to get a sunburn.

Later on, still May 7: Are you still coming up on Saturday? Do you want to try one of the alternatives (assuming the weather stabilizes) or wait until monday to see if the Nose dries out (I don't think it will as the weather is supposed to be unsettled) or do you want to try the Nose during your backup dates? I want this to work out for you, but I don't want this to be a miserable and possibly life-threatening experience. By the way, it rained again today and on the way home even the small cliffs are seeping water. Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best. Let me know your thoughts and plans. Thanks, Ken

My reply, May 7 evening: I was planning on driving up early Friday morning, may 9 (I took that day off). I have been packing tonight, have most of the food (just have to get the apples, bagels, and tortillas). I was thinking of going over equipment Fri with the possibility of fixing (starting the climb) Fri pm or Sat am., weather permitting, or just checking the weather each am. Sun, Mon,...the usual.

As far as the weather goes, I agree with you that we want it to be enjoyable and safe. The water is amazing, and this is the 4th wettest April on record, and May is starting out looking even wetter. I check the two Yosemite webcams multiple times a day, so I can see the snow on the upper areas and the rain & clouds lower down.

I do not have patients booked next week, and have blocked out my calendar. I think I should come up, we can see what the weather does, but I am becoming more and more resigned to my backup dates of May 30-June 8. Reality has been eating into those dates, and it turns out that my daughter Maggie is graduating June 5 in the afternoon, and that night I am chairing an important meeting on post-operative pain, so we may need to pack May 29 and climb May 30 to end June 3/4, if we can't go now.

Luckily, this is not do or die. We are supposed to be doing this for fun! Are you available Fri? Give me your telephone number, I can call you from my cell, let you know when I will arrive. I would expect to be there by 2; if I am properly packed Thurs eve, I could leave even earlier Fri am. It is only 4.5 hours away. If we check out gear, practice, etc, it will not be a waste.

May 8, from Ken: No one in their right mind would go up on the Nose anytime soon. The only sane option is an overhanging route once the weather pattern stabilizes for several days and the forecast looks good or wait till later in the month. Since you are coming up anyway we can discuss our options in person. It rained again last night and it is cold and drizzling right now. It is a partly cloudy forecast through the weekend, but I would bet money that we will see some precipitation this weekend. We won't go on anything this Saturday so I am not going to get everything together until we have a plan. Bring all the warm clothing, rain gear, and the warmest synthetic sleeping bag that you have. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you get this email before you leave. Take care, Ken

Time was running out on me...

There are two video cams on the Valley, Yosemite Association and Half Dome Webcam, so I could not only read the weather report, but watch the weather. And it didn't look pretty:

April 29 big storm in the Valley	May 1 raining intermittently	May 6 snow all over the upper half of the climb
May 9 started bright...	May 9 ...teased me at 4:30...	May 9 ...but dashed my hopes by 4:40
I was supposed to be in the Valley on May 9!
May 10 was my start date! Rain and snow, with meltwater running down the face!

You can imagine my frustration. Eleven months of training, hundreds of hours of running, weight lifting, climbing in the gym; hundreds of dollars of climbing equipment purchased, all my sewing (covered a pair of Salvation Army-store wool pants with leather in the seat and both knees), all my climbing food, all my hopes and dreams, were getting soggy by continued rain and snow! April 2003 was the 4th wettest April on record, and May was looking like it might take the record.

I gave Ken a call May 8, since the time was so tight: I was supposed to drive up that day and meet with him the next morning. We decided that it was too wet. Mother's Day was May 10, so I thought, why get wet in Yosemite and not climb, and miss Mother's Day? Ken is married with two kids, too. We decided to spend Mother's Day with our mothers and wives, and I would come up later. If I were to arrive Monday am, I would have to leave my folks' house early on M-day. So we decided we would spend all of Mother's Day with family and to meet Tuesday morning, May 13. We would not climb El Cap, but would do some training closer to the ground, where rain and wet rock would be less problematic.

Monday, May 12, I packed the car with a heavy heart. I did not want to have to haul around all my food and store it in a bear-proof container every day and night, so I took only what I would need to stay at Curry Village and do short climbs during the day, plus a little of my Mountain Mush, for comfort (more on this later). I had a week of vacation, I was not going to stay in the City. Even if rained all week, at least I could be in the Valley. If I couldn't climb it, at least I could look at it. As I left San Francisco, the sky was cloudy, day was cold, rain seemed to be part of my existence.

I drove up to the Valley. Mid day, no traffic. Quite a change. I don't think I have ever driven through the foothills so early in the year. It was beautiful and green, and I even saw a great blue heron in one of the cattle pastures, in a pond. I am used to seeing them in San Francisco or Marin, but not Oakdale! As the foothills start to appear, just beyond Oakdale, the blue oaks were a brilliant green, very different from the dull blue color I usually see them in, when I drive to Yosemite or the San Jose Family Camp in the summer. Beautiful views, so I tried to keep a positive attitude, even though I was not going to get to climb. Rain! Bummer, but just part of the vicissitudes of climbing.

Next: In the Valley