What a commitment to conservation. The teams at Black Diamond and National Park Services came together to execute a cleanup that literally rises above other cleanups. With climbers Sam Elias and Dave Campbell leading the way, and rangers Eric Bissell and Kristen Anderson up there with them, the crew scaled the Nose, a gnarly section that juts out between the Southwest and Southeast faces of El Capitan in Yosemite National park. As one of the original technical climbing routes on the once un-climbable wall, the effort was no small task. Fortunately, the right people were involved.
Take Elias, who had the only frame of mind that makes it better: “You have to make light of the situation… it’s horrible work, but it doesn’t have to be made even more horrible by having a bad attitude about it.”
All in all, the effort was a success, with 150 pounds eventually hauled to the top — that is a lot of trash. What did this collection include? For one, sardine cans, priced at 44 cents — that is old trash. But at the end of the day, one look at that view and we’re sure no one has the heart nor desire to complain.
