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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jun 16, 2018 - 06:03pm PT
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I'm just back from Yosemite and met some guys just off Mt. Watkins. They claimed that a huge section of East Quarter Domes fell off the mountain. I suggested that they inform the park geologist. Any information?
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Jun 16, 2018 - 10:22pm PT
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I think it was us that you talked to. We watched a fairly large rockfall off Quarter Dome on the evening of June 8 from our bivy on the S. Face of Watkins, with blocks that must have been at least car-sized bouncing down and a substantial dust cloud. It came down directly below the obvious rock scar high on Quarter Dome. It was not the only rockfall we saw/heard on Quarter Dome during the time we were up on Watkins, but the one on 6/8 was by far the most impressive.
I've got a picture or two, but for some reason I'm not having much luck uploading them.
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jun 17, 2018 - 12:34am PT
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There have been big rockfalls years ago on The Route of All Evil as well as the route on West Quarter Dome's north face. I hope Pegasus is still intact, since I'd waited until I'm old and decrepit (i.e. now) to aid it.
John
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Jun 17, 2018 - 02:33pm PT
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Still can't get my pic of the dust cloud uploaded.
Clint, the 6/8/2018 rockfall came down the Route of All Evil, more or less following the red lines in your photo.
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travis h
climber
CA
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Jun 17, 2018 - 09:13pm PT
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Just returned from climbing Pegasus on 6/16/18. There was fresh rockfall below the the 5.3 approach ramp. Using the photo above as a reference the rockfall debris was located where the snowpatch at the bottom right hand corner is. There were impact marks on the wall about 200 ft above, directly right of the red route. There was about 1 ft of rock dust on the ledge directly below the start of the red route. Once to the left of the red route we didn't notice any new rock fall on the approach or route.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jun 17, 2018 - 09:31pm PT
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 18, 2018 - 07:52am PT
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Hey WBW,
Thanks for the update. Good looking out
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gstock
climber
Yosemite Valley
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Jun 18, 2018 - 05:00pm PT
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WBW, I'd love to see the photos and hear more details about the rockfall that you witnessed.
Greg Stock
Yosemite Park Geologist
greg_stock@nps.gov
(209) 379-1240
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Jun 18, 2018 - 09:23pm PT
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Greg, just sent a couple pix to your email.
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jun 18, 2018 - 09:37pm PT
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hey there say, wbw... wow, good share... :)
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jun 18, 2018 - 11:30pm PT
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Thanks for the updates.
John
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gstock
climber
Yosemite Valley
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Jun 19, 2018 - 08:40am PT
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wbw was kind enough to email me his photos of the rockfall, and considering that he was trying to post them earlier, here they are. The first photo is from before the rockfall, for reference.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Jun 19, 2018 - 05:40pm PT
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I was thinking the same thing about the one foot of rock dust. If that's the case, maybe it is from more than one rockfall ??
Thanks for getting those posted for me Greg. Hope they are helpful.
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yedi
Trad climber
Stanwood,wa
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Jun 19, 2018 - 05:43pm PT
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September of 79 we did Pegasus(n.face of 1/4 dome before it was freed). Just starting on the route a block about the size of VW come off way above us maybe 50' to the right of us. Totally obliterating our approach route we had come up just hours before. A bit unsettling.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
ne'er–do–well
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Jun 26, 2018 - 11:28pm PT
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There is/ was a couple of nice looking 3rd class ledges there (shortcut to HD cables/ trail), but I don't think "car-sized blocks" is in my diet anymore.
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Jun 27, 2018 - 04:07am PT
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Judging from the brown spot above the rock dust cloud in wbw's photo,
I drew a pink outline where I think the release may have occurred.
(Hopefully it matches what Greg Stock likely did weeks ago).
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Jun 27, 2018 - 10:15am PT
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Having read Clint's observations I went back to the first and second photo that Greg posted on my behalf, and looked at them with a magnifying feature I have in my Photos app. I'm sorry but I just don't know how to show what I have found, but I'll try to describe it. Basically, I think Clint, with his always observant eye has identified the source of the rockfall. I never would have seen this without him pointing it out.
The top photo was taken the same afternoon as the rockfall occurred (which happened in the early evening hours). If you look at it closely there is an obvious pillar where the rockfall seems to have fallen right of, based on the second picture. On that pillar there are two obvious white streaks that intersect high up, and then run down almost parallel to each other. Right of the pillar at that location is a shape of grey rock.
In the second photo, same location, there is a section of brown rock that almost looks like the shape of Alaska, complete with the panhandle, rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise. This shape of brown rock roughly matches the shape of grey rock described in the previous paragraph. This suggests to me that Clint's hypothesis is accurate.
Edit: the white streaks I describe are clearly visible in Clint's post, with the left white streak being traced in green.
There seems to be two brown sections of rock in the second photo including the Alaska-shaped section. It appears to my untrained eye that there were perhaps two distinct sections of cliff that fell off in close proximity to each other, both very different in color and shape when compared to the same section of cliff in the first photo, which was taken just a couple of hours or so before the second photo.
I'll add to Clint's hypothesis that perhaps these were two detached flakes that would have been obvious pre-rockfall, that cut loose. We witnessed multiple rocks falling along the edge of the dust cloud, and because of our distance (being on Watkins), that is why I estimate that those falling rocks must have been car-sized, if not even bigger.
It would seem that "The Route of All Evil" was a great name for that route.
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wbw
Trad climber
'cross the great divide
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Jun 27, 2018 - 10:40am PT
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I'll add another comment here. Having witnessed that rockfall on E. Quarter Dome, and knowing that the rockfall where part of the regular route on Half Dome fell off is above the Death Slabs approach, I can only imagine the sense of dread I would have if I were using that approach.
We considered Tis Sac for this trip, decided on Watkins, but as we talked about that other option we considered using the Death Slabs approach (which I have never done. When I climbed the regular NW Face of HD years ago we walked around rather than using the Death Slabs.)
Having had this experience, I don't think I would use the Death Slabs approach for a route on HD. I especially would not approach QD from that north side either. The feeling of impending death by getting wiped out by hundreds of tons of falling granite would simply be too overwhelming.
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Jun 27, 2018 - 11:10am PT
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The feeling of impending death by getting wiped out by hundreds of tons of falling granite would simply be too overwhelming.
Every time I'm on the Death Slabs this is my deal too. Always swear to myself I'll never do it again.
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