Hiking El Capitan (Base and Summit)

Рет қаралды 9,744

Күн бұрын

Looming over 3,000 feet above Yosemite Valley, the mighty El Capitan is one of the park's most prominent features. Although scaling its granite walls is the ultimate dream of many rock climbers, El Capitan does not seem to be a very popular hiking destination. To complete my Yosemite valley bucket list hikes, I found my way to the base of El Capitan and then took a lesser-known 20-mile, 2,800' high trail to stand on the summit. Is this brutal hike worth it? Or is there a reason so few choose to take on this challenge?
0:00 Introduction to El Capitan
1:05 EL CAPITAN PART 1: BASE HIKE
3:04 EL CAPITAN PART 2: SUMMIT HIKE
3:52 Plans Discussion
6:28 Hike Begins
7:58 Exposed Ridge and Valley Views
8:24 Wildcat Creek
9:50 Tamarack Creek
10:55 Forest Area
11:28 Coyote Creek
13:15 Tamarack Trail Junction
13:40 Cascade Creek (Bridge)
15:28 Old Road & El Capitan Trail
16:45 Crazy Trails and Boundary Hill
17:12 Devil's Dance Floor
17:48 Hard Miles
19:00 Reaching 7,000'
21:40 Miserable Downhill
21:30 Treefall Insanity
22:58 Ribbon Meadow / Creek
25:00 Meadow Creek Stop
26:30 Grumpy Old Man Rant
27:57 El Capitan Gully Views
29:40 Summiting El Capitan
32:25 Hike Debrief and Advice
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Пікірлер: 58

@TeamFish15 2 жыл бұрын

Alex Honnold chalk blazed a much shorter path, and you don’t even need a rope. You should try that one next time.😂🤣 Love your videos man!

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

Let me know when he does it without chalk. LOL! That boy crazy! :)

@PFAM5 3 жыл бұрын

Incredible views. Love the waterfalls along the way. Very cinematic production. Great job on the hike and the video!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@jrigs30 2 жыл бұрын

Another incredible hike in Yosemite. Looks like you were there after the big windstorm with all those trees that had fallen. Great video and thank you for sharing!

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

I'm sure that was part of it, still beautiful though and more to come! Thanks for watching!

@karlnjayne 3 жыл бұрын

Great to "go along" on this hike with you. Huge effort on your part with minimal sleep. Thanks for making it possible for others to see through your experience and camera.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! It was tiring for sure but still pretty fun. :)

@MaryannHazel 3 жыл бұрын

I love the thumbnail pic you chose - perfect for this hike. Especially with that smoke in the valley. I can't imagine how tired you must have been having to get over. Eee gads! Awesome video Doug. I 'almost' want to do that hike, but since you already did it, you saved me the trouble! LOL!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

That means a lot from a legit photog like you! Thanks!

@vigilantjdawg 11 ай бұрын

Very enjoying to watch all this. Definitely on my bucket list!

@BackcountryPilgrim 11 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@josephbillanes3017 2 жыл бұрын

By far the hardest hike I've undertaken. Took 15 hours to hike round-trip but I'll never forget the experience!

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

It'd be sweet as a one-way down to the valley via Yosemite falls route if you had two cars!

@AM-we6en Жыл бұрын

Harder than Yosemite falls?

@BackcountryPilgrim Жыл бұрын

I thought so but mostly because of distance and tree fall.

@jrigs30 2 жыл бұрын

Great video!! Looks like an amazing hike. You were obviously up there after those huge wind storms they had. Lots of falls on the trail making it a bit tough. Another incredible Yosemite hike and adventure! I love that place! Thanks for sharing!!

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

Yes it was! rougher than expected but pretty epic!

@prudyskitchen6630 3 жыл бұрын

Amazing job. Thanks for sharing.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@BackpackingwithBuckley 3 жыл бұрын

I've watched Tommy C and Alex on that rock enough to lose a gallon of sweat! It's awesome to see this hike from a HIKERS perspective. Well done Doug!!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! It was a lot of effort just hiking it!

@BackpackingWithJason 3 жыл бұрын

What an incredible area Doug!! Bucket list for me too. That side view of El was really cool. I’d have that picture framed in my house if I was you. Because I would have 😁😁 Cool video Doug 👍🏻👍🏻

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah that view made the trip!

@GideonSmit 3 жыл бұрын

Well done for completing your bucket list!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks so much!

@chicoflash6377 3 жыл бұрын

What an excellent video, Doctor! A suspenseful tenor to it. As difficult and less than "Yosemite" it may have been, a wise man said A bad day in Yosemite... And nice mileage for the day. Well done!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Chico! Hey you still need to email me to get your sleep pad!

@traveler.west1 Жыл бұрын

I thoroughly enjoyed your video of the El Cap hike. Not only are you a good videographer but a great illustrator as well. You’re correct, when you said the views are more rewarding from the Yos. Falls trail however, it’s a grueling day hike with many other hikers on it. What most Valley accessible trails have that El Cap doesn’t is the crowds. In fact, when I hiked El Cap. I did not see a single hiker on the trail, zip, zilch. And for me that was well worth the 18 miles or so of hiking & view from the top. Thank you for sharing.

@BackcountryPilgrim Жыл бұрын

Yeah the effort to crowd ratio is one I generally enjoy when I can get away. :)

@MyLifeOutdoors 3 жыл бұрын

Here’s to “big tall things you can stand upon” I am a climber, but I’d probably still hike it. Great video!

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks! I wish I had discovered climbing when I was younger. Getting my daughter into it though!

@christineclark 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent video! We are planning a bucket list trip from Ohio for our honeymoon in October. I'll be referencing your videos and already ordered the trail guide you suggested previously :)

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Glad I've been of service! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. :)

@justsmy5677 Жыл бұрын

Nice video. I appreciate the shot of you crossing the bridge at Cascade Creek. That took a while to set up, and you were up half the night and had a long day ahead of you! Cheers!

@BackcountryPilgrim Жыл бұрын

He who youtubes hikes trails twice haha! Thank you for noticing!

@k1k2lee Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback I would do it from the falls but I have already done them meh I might check it out someday as you said Halfdome,Cloudsrest,DBoard even Glacier are more majestic,your videos are epic and very helpful Thanks 🙏

@briansimpkins985 2 жыл бұрын

im soooo glad i found this video right around 20:20 if im not mistaken right after that hard climb up it levels out for a tad and i camped there on the right ...my friends went ahead but i was just not in the shape they were in lol and they made it to eagle peak and camped on top of el cap...we started though in Stanislaus national forest outside of park boundaries and hiked a few miles before we made it to those houses down from the big oak road parking lot where u parked and hiked and camped right at that first stream....i was always wondering how the rest of the trail was from where i had stopped...seems like there was not much more up hill after that hard climb up after the old big oak road and up the granite to where it topped off....it will be a around a year from when u did it that i am going to do it next month hopefully was there any point when all those trees were down or around ribbon meadows where u got frustrated or panicked or just kept somewhat of a straight bearing to continue on until u got back on the trail....

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

You do some epic backpacking trips! I plan to do Eagle Peak in a couple weeks.

@briansimpkins985 2 жыл бұрын

btw great video thank you thank you thank you...i think i would rather go this way if i did vs going up yosemite falls maybe a few miles shorter but the ascent up to the falls then up a little more to el cap i think would be harder than going up hill a little here and there from the big oak road then u have that one place where ur climb a while and a few thousand feet....on another i actually have and will again camp on top of clouds rest when i go back to yosemite mid june most beautiful night sky i ever seen and i cowboy camped as well as like 4 or 5 other people that night it was pretty spectacular nd i hope to do it again...first time i did it via tenaya lake camped on top then headed down to the valley this time it will again by via tenaya lake camp on top but head back to the parking lot at tenaya....sorry about the messages i just think yosemite is by far my favorite place to be even though i curse it a lot of the times because most trails are so challenging but u got to take the good with the bad...glacier point road is closed but really want to either hike up to via the panorama which is my fav hike in the park but have only hiked down from it from glacier or the 4 miles trail which people say thats an absolute ass kicker times 10 so we will see...all the best and happy trails...

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

Gush about Yosemite all you want! 4 mile is easier than Snow Creek at least haha, and the views are better than Yosemite Falls trail too - because you can see the Falls! :)

@whatsthatguydoin8603 3 жыл бұрын

Nice job.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@o0o-jd-o0o95 2 жыл бұрын

what i really find comforting is finding a spot where lots of those long pine needles that dry up and fall to the ground , pitch a tent on top of those because they can be quite soft compared to other stuff on the ground. a nice soft bed of those pine needles under my tent , then just kick back and get lost in thought for awhile lol

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah! Nature's bed! :)

@matthewgodwin4626 3 жыл бұрын

I recently did a 17 mile hike, 3000’ gain on no sleep and after a 2.5 hour drive. I understand this feeling 😆

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah that doesn't really equate to a super good hiking day LOL!

@carldaniel6510 3 жыл бұрын

I was in the valley the same day (or close - I remember the controlled burns which started that day), but I was hiking the opposite side of the valley - up 4MT and down Panorama/JMT/Mist. I've been up El Cap from Tamarack before, and I'm planning to go to El Cap via Yosemite Falls next weekend, but I've never seen this early part of the El Cap trail from the road. Looks like some nice trail there! It looks so hot and scorched from the road.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

I LOVED the 4mile-PANO-JMT loop! Best hike in the valley I think. El Cap via YOS Falls will be GREAT! Once you're past the El Cap gully there really isn't that much to see in comparison on the other side. :)

@carldaniel6510 3 жыл бұрын

@@BackcountryPilgrim Other than the sweltering heat and the ridiculously steep and rough YOS falls trail, the hike was great! The view from Eagle Peak is spectacular! As you noted in the video, the view from the top of El Cap is less special, as Yosemite views go. Still, great hike. Did I mention the heat? My car said it was 103 when I got down. It was already in the mid 70's when I started up at 5:30AM. 15.5 miles, 5300 feet of climb.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

Well done! Brutal hike in that heat ugh! I hope you got in the creek before heading down! Thanks for the tale!

@carldaniel6510 3 жыл бұрын

@@BackcountryPilgrim Yes sir, 100% in the creek! Natural air conditioning all the way down the hill.

@BackcountryPilgrim 3 жыл бұрын

There ya go! :) Both times I've been up was in the snow but over 100 I'm in that water for sure! :)

@MiscMitz 3 жыл бұрын

👍.

@thomza 2 жыл бұрын

How did you get to the base of El Cap where you placed your hand on it?

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

Its off the valley loop trail on a climbing access. You park near the exit to the park.. See my 1-5 Days in Yosemite video, I think it's in there.

@briansimpkins985 2 жыл бұрын

in addition now i know my friends who made it were kind of vague but they did mention probably around 26:55-27:05 mark that the trail was somewhat a little hard to navigate or got off trail. other than the map did u have any thing downloaded on ur phone like gps or had one with u just in case i know if u had troubles it worries me that my navigational skills ill be somewhat lost a little lol...i had great navigational skills or good skills in the army but thats been 10 years so any pointers on what u had to navigate or anything you seen to help through those few where the heck is the trail moments haha :) thanks i appreciate in any all intel :)

@BackcountryPilgrim 2 жыл бұрын

I didn't have too much trouble staying on route even when the trail was wiped out, but I always keep an eye on my GPS. I used Gaia and download the area map.