Gear Stolen from the Top of El Cap

I topped out El Cap the day before yesterday and was not able to get all my gear down in one push. Less than 24 hours later, I find that my bag has been opened, and all cams/gear of value was taken. I still need to figure out what all is gone, but it’s all my totems, c3s, brassies, offset nuts, and some of my offset cams, and a rope, seemingly, as well as a micro traxion, and a pro trax. #5 and #6 Camalot. They also seem to have taken it an orange metolius wall bucket. All gear is marked with orange nail polish. They also seem to have taken my prescription medication?

Anyway, if you see any of this stuff, or hear of someone bragging, kindly tip me off. It took me years to accumulate this stuff, and can’t afford to replace it.

If you took my stuff and are reading this, you’ve tainted a happy moment in my life.

Horrible to hear, really sorry for your situation - on off chance there’s also a ledge gone, there was one sitting on the slabs before the creek, seemed really odd to just be sitting all by itself in a random spot.
will definitely keep an eye out for the gear

Wow. That’s the worst karma steal ever. Hike to top of el cap & steal a ton of gear?! Hard to top that on the asshole level. Hoping you get it back! Will keep ears open. 

Christian Heschwrote:

Horrible to hear, really sorry for your situation - on off chance there’s also a ledge gone, there was one sitting on the slabs before the creek, seemed really odd to just be sitting all by itself in a random spot.
will definitely keep an eye out for the gear

Although that was strange, that was just me getting tired and leaving my ledge. I got that back.

If anyone can put me in contact with the Triple Crown team, I’d like to talk to them. Rumor is they hired some porters—could be a crime of opportunity. I’m driving to Sacramento today so am out of service, but text me if you know anything. 

That's awful, sorry dude. Also possible it's hikers who took the long way around - I've run into non-climbers up there.

Big Redwrote:

That's awful, sorry dude. Also possible it's hikers who took the long way around - I've run into non-climbers up there.

They seem to have stolen the highest value items and left everything that would resell for under $50. Feels like they knew the value of what they were taking and strategized the highest value for lowest weight to carry down. Suggests to me that they were climbers.

If they had taken every cam, I’d agree they could be randos, but they left metolius and camalots (except the big ones) and took the totems and traxions and brassies and C3s. They knew what that stuff was.

I’m super sorry this happened to you…mega lame. I was up there yesterday shuttling some gear for the triple party. I did see the ledge Christian mentioned which I thought was weird but didn’t see anything else other than the bag for my buddies at the top of the nose…I also know the kid who went up Friday night for them (Which sounds like it would be too early for your timetable?) and I highly doubt he would do something like that. I did pass a few people heading up the lines on my way down but I didn’t catch their names….i will keep my eyes and ears peeled for you though 

Weston Swrote:

They seem to have stolen the highest value items and left everything that would resell for under $50. Feels like they knew the value of what they were taking and strategized the highest value for lowest weight to carry down. Suggests to me that they were climbers.

On behalf of the decent people in the world, of which there are still many, I just want to say that this really sucks.  I'm so, so sorry this happened to you. 

This is the state of the world now.  My partners think I'm kind of odd but no matter where I'm climbing in the West,  if I'm having a day where I'll be leaving a pack on the ground unattended, I use my old ratty pack that day and not my Hyperlight.  I carry a tiny backpack on the route and never leave any valuables on the ground. I just don't trust climbers anymore.

Damn, that hurts. Especially as the thief/thieves were discriminating on what they took. I hope you have renters/homeowners insurance what will help.

For years now I have said the climbing community is no longer a community. Acts like this really reinforce it.

That said, pls educate me on the Triple Crown team. 

It is well known that the totemic magic of totem cams becomes a curse when wrongfully pilfered. 

Allen Sandersonwrote:

Damn, that hurts. Especially as the thief/thieves were discriminating on what they took. I hope you have renters/homeowners insurance what will help.

For years now I have said the climbing community is no longer a community. Acts like this really reinforce it.

That said, pls educate me on the Triple Crown team. 

Two nice guys, Jacob and Brant, who blasted past me while I was arriving at Camp V early morning on the 30th. I’m sure they know as little as me.

Also to clear up the timetable, I left the stuff on the 1st around noon, and returned to find most of it missing on the 2nd around 10pm.

Allen Sandersonwrote:

For years now I have said the climbing community is no longer a community. Acts like this really reinforce it.

I told my husband this story and he says this is nothing new.  In 1976 he was living/camping for the summer in Eldorado Canyon, Boulder which at that time was privately owned.  He said that word went around that people leaving stuff at the base and going up doing a 3-4 pitch climbs would come back to the base to find their stuff stolen. But for sure it is worse now.

Weston Swrote:

Although that was strange, that was just me getting tired and leaving my ledge. I got that back.

If anyone can put me in contact with the Triple Crown team, I’d like to talk to them. Rumor is they hired some porters—could be a crime of opportunity. I’m driving to Sacramento today so am out of service, but text me if you know anything. 214-223-1996

Both triple teams are prior to your timeframe - I don’t recall seeing your bag so not sure what route you left it at but there were only two niad parties on Monday (2nd), and I will trust it was not the party in front of us (I know one of them well, have climbed with him before and he’s a good dude).

   I would recommend filing a report with NPS (ask climbing rangers for guidance on this?), as we had a guy who was doing this sort of thing a couple/few years back, (slim?) chance of getting your stuff back if they randomly get popped by a LEO for something else.

  Sorry I didn’t carry your ledge down, actually would have called and asked if I saw contact info on it but didn’t notice anything at all glance. 

I don't have anything to add except that this sucks so much. Vibes!

I'm planning a solo soon and this story complicates the logistics somewhat!

that is totally fuked up.  I recently topped out on el cap, and left a haul bag and ledge on top for a porter to carry down later.  I had my partner carry down all my cams when we descended, because they are worth so much, especially the totems.  my porter got delayed and my bag was up on top near the nose for 3 or 4 days.  but it was all ok.  maybe the lesson is...carry the totems down with you as priority.  

I left some food and trash on top in my haul bag, but it was in a bear canister so was all legal and shhit.  

so sorry for your gear.  I will keep an eye out for gear marked with orange.  

Let’s normalize putting dates and times to our beta on when we were all up there, talking relatively makes things confusing to put a timeline together and I hope we can get an accurate list of events for OP.

I saw a NIAD team going up on the 1st. I topped out on the 2nd around 3 PM (I’m the guy Christian mentioned above) and only saw the one bag strapped to the tree. Further down I saw a big green metolius bag uphill from the normal slab walk offs and the aforementioned portaledge. No other gear seen. That sucks man.

Steve Schneiderwrote:

that is totally fuked up.  I recently topped out on el cap, and left a haulage and ledge on top for a porter to carry down later.  I had my partner carry down all my cams when we descended, because they are worth so much, especially the totems.  my porter got delayed and my bag was up on top near the nose for 3 or 4 days.  but it was all ok.  maybe the lesson is...carry the totems down with you as priority.  

I left some food and trash on top in my haulage, but it was in a bear canister so was all legal and shhit.  

so sorry for your gear.  I will keep an eye out for gear marked with orange.  

Shouldnt first priority to hike down be food, trash and shit? A bear can seems clutch, but is it practical for a team only up there for a week? I hiked down these three items first when I topped out a few days before and left my small fortune in an old haulbag by the juniper tree. I returned for my valuables and hiked down with weston, he followed that protocol and would have taken more if he wasn't soloing.

To me this seems suspicious, if someone just wanted to steal gear, wouldn't they just walk to the base of the nose or heart lines? Whoever did this likely took a half day mission to hike a decent load down. Hopefully someone here will either confess, or has seen this thief. If we cannot leave valuables at the top or bottom of the captain, the logistics of soloing a wall just got much harder.

Topping out on El Cap two weeks ago, my partner and I schlepped everything down in one go and it sure felt a lot harder than when we were younger (we are 52 and 62 now).  I can see the lure of just taking half the stuff down... But like SS said above, taking the most expensive and easily fenced gear with you on the 1st trip down is good practice.  I follow this same strategy when humping loads to the base.  It really is too bad that there is a parasite out there stealing gear on the cap'n.  

Need some trail cams up there.

Bailey Moorewrote:

Shouldnt first priority to hike down be food, trash and shit? A bear can seems clutch, but is it practical for a team only up there for a week? 

Yeah, I think that Steve Schneider guy probably just needs some more Yosemite experience to figure this stuff out.

(Sorry,Bailey, I just couldn't resist because, given who you were quoting, your comment made me laugh out loud. I know your comment wasn't really directed at Shipoopi, and was more rhetorical, but it struck me as funny...)

Just totally beyond the pale awful. Hard to imagine one of the tribe doing this but the evidence does seem to suggest so.

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Weston, big congrats on topping out the Captain !! It is holy ground up there! My first time was Zodiac, all of a sudden you reach over the lip and you're in paradise.

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If the gear really is gone, start a fundraiser and I'll be the first (I'd assume among many of us) to pitch in some dollarydoos $$$$$