Brutal. And brutal all the way up. And brutal all the way down.
First Thoughts: Of all my past hikes, the easiest part of hiking was the one where you reach the top and then you back down to the starting point where its all supposed to be downhill and easy. Not quite so for the El Capitan trail. The 12 mile trail (with a sheer 4000 feet of elevation gain in just six miles) snakes it way across several smaller hills with really steep ups and downs before you get to the topmost part of the mountain and then back. As such, it gets pretty difficult on either directions. The trail is considered extremely strenuous even for intermediate-to-advanced hikers and you have to be not just in better physical condition but also well equipped with plenty of water, a hat and a snack to help you through.
My Gear: Having learned my lesson well from the last San Bernardo hike (where I attempted that six mile hike over an elevation of 1000 feet with just a 20 oz bottle of water and temperatures hovering at high nineties), I geared up fairly well for the El Capitan. A generously packed day pack (Futura Pro 42) with a snack, 100Oz water pouch (CamelBak 3L Unbottle), a few extra bottles of water just in case, a nice big hat and plenty of sunscreen.
Mistakes Learned: I still made a couple of mistakes by ignoring two more critical items (good hiking shoes, and walking sticks). Your hike shoes need to have a really good grip (and mine were basic nike running shoes) and those walking sticks can be a life saver. Because of those steep up and down climbs, those walking poles can you give you good support. It is very easy to slip and if you do, the trail is pretty rocky and one side of the trial often tapers in a dangerously sheer vertical drop. But I nevertheless did the trail without them and survived. A bad choice and I got lucky.
Solo all the way to the top and back: I decided to go solo on this hike since my hiking group consisted of pretty advanced hikers and I knew there was no way I can catch up to their speed. I also wanted to do it at my own slow pace (since I was a beginner hiker), and enjoy the scenery around and spare some time for photography.
The El-Capitan himself!!!
No wonder its called the old jeep's trail
Wild Flower
Somewhere close to the top
Burnt Trees - Remands of California Wild Fires
Wild Plants
Wild Flower
Trail Pointer
Wild Plant
2 comments:
nice - i assume this was at yosemite..
A group of us did this hike on 5.1.09.
Beautiful scenery, very difficult. Lots of water a must and yes, plenty of snacks.
With all the stops it took us 7 hours to complete. We were exhausted, but all felt a sense of accomplishment.
Good boots, poles, hat and yes sunscreen.
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