Page 2A
NATION
East Oregonian
Th rsday, Jan ary
, 0
Two men reach top of El Capitan
Associated Press
YOSEMITE NATION-
AL PARK, Calif. — A pair
of Americans on Wednes-
day completed what had
long been considered the
world s most dif c lt roc
climb, sing only their
hands and feet to ascend a
3,000-foot vertical wall on
El Capitan, the forbidding
granite pedestal in Yosem-
ite National Par that has
bec oned advent rers for
more than half a cent ry.
Tommy Caldwell and
Kevin Jorgeson became
the rst to free-climb the
roc
formation s
awn
Wall, a feat that many had
considered
impossible.
They sed ropes and safety
harnesses to catch them in
case of a fall, b t relied en-
tirely on their own strength
and dexterity to ascend by
grasping crac s as thin as
razor blades and as small
as dimes.
The effort too
days,
as the two dealt with con-
stant falls and in ries. t
their s ccess completes a
yearslong dream that bor-
dered on obsession for the
men.
Caldwell nished the
climb rst Wednesday af-
ternoon. Jorgeson ca ght
p min tes later. The two
embraced before Jorgeson
p mped his arms in the
air and clapped his hands
above his head. They then
sat down for a few min-
tes, gathered their gear,
changed their clothes and
hi ed to the s mmit.
The tre p the world s
largest granite monolith
began ec.
. Caldwell
and Jorgeson lived on the
wall itself. They ate and
slept in tents fastened to
the roc tho sands of feet
above the gro nd and bat-
tled painf l c ts to their
ngertips m ch of the way.
Free-climbers do not
p ll themselves p with ca-
bles or se chisels to carve
o t handholds. Instead,
they climb inch by inch,
wedging their ngertips
and feet into tiny crevices
or gripping sharp, thin pro-
ections of roc . In photo-
graphs, the two appeared
at times li e Spider-Man,
with arms and legs splayed
across the pale roc that
has been described as
AP Photo/Odessa American, Mark Sterkel
Officials investigate the scene of a prison transport bus crash, Wednesday in Pen-
well, Texas. Law enforcement officials said the bus carrying prisoners and correc-
tions officers fell from an overpass in West Texas and crashed onto train tracks be-
low, killing at least 10 people.
Ten dead after prison bus
skids off highway, hits train
Associated Press
the 0 deaths in a statement,
adding that fo r prisoners
and one corrections of -
cer were inj red. Tiffany
arston, spo eswoman for
Medical Center Hospital in
Odessa, said fo r of the in-
j red are in critical condition
and one is in serio s condi-
tion.
Jason Clar , a epart-
ment of Criminal J stice
spo esman, said the b s was
new and had been placed
in service only this past
s mmer. It was ta ing the
inmates from the Middle-
ton prison in Abilene to the
Sanchez prison in El Paso,
which is abo t
0 miles
west of where the accident
happened.
The prisoners did not
have any leg restraints, said
Jason Heaton, agency direc-
tor for the region. Only the
driver’s seat had a seat belt,
he said. Li e many b ses,
the vehicle did not have seat
belts on the bench-type seats
where the prisoners were
seated.
After the accident aro nd
30 a.m., the white b s
came to rest on its side, next
to the railroad trac s, cr m-
pled with heavy damage to
its front and ndercarriage.
The top of the b s was caved
inward.
The nion Paci c freight
train with fo r locomotives
O ESSA, Texas — A
prison b s s idded off an icy
Texas highway, slid down an
emban ment and collided
with a passing freight train
Wednesday, illing eight in-
mates and two corrections
of cers, incl ding the b s
driver, a thorities said.
The overpass on Inter-
state 0 was slic with ice
Wednesday morning when
the Texas epartment of
Criminal J stice b s left the
roadway in Penwell, j st
west of Odessa, according to
Ector Co nty Sheriff Mar
onaldson.
The prisoners, who did
not have seat belts, were
handc ffed together in pairs,
of cials said. Some of them
were ejected from the b s
after it str c the train, said
Trooper Elizabeth arney
of the Texas epartment of
P blic Safety.
An earlier accident on the
I- 0 overpass may have con-
trib ted to the prison b s los-
ing control, onaldson said.
“It s as bad as yo can
imagine,” Odessa Fire and
Resc e attalion Chief Ka-
vin Tinney told the Odessa
American newspaper. “In 3
years it’s as bad as anything
I’ve seen.”
The Texas epartment of
Criminal J stice con rmed
and
cars came to a stop
soon after. None of the cars
derailed, b t two containers
at the rear of the train were
damaged, said Mar avis, a
railroad spo esman.
The containers were
carrying h ndreds of par-
cels and pac ages, many of
which were strewn along the
trac s.
No nion Paci c em-
ployees were inj red.
The train, which was trav-
eling from the Los Angeles
area to Marion, Ar ansas,
remained stopped at the ac-
cident site several ho rs after
the accident, avis said.
“We’ll send crews to in-
spect the train, inspect the
trac ,” he said.
The National Transporta-
tion Safety oard said it was
sending its own team of in-
spectors to the scene.
Texas Lt. ov. an Pat-
ric iss ed a statement of-
fering condolences to the
families of those illed in the
wrec .
“I also pray for a speedy
recovery of a third correc-
tional staff member and fo r
offenders who were trans-
ported with inj ries,” he said.
In J ne, an inmate was
illed and several other peo-
ple were inj red when a e-
partment of Criminal J stice
van collided with a car in
Central Texas.
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smooth as a bedroom wall.
oth men needed to ta e
rest days to wait for their
s in to heal. They sed
tape and even s pergl e to
help with the process. At
one point, Caldwell set an
alarm to wa e him every
few ho rs to apply a spe-
cial lotion to his throbbing
hands.
They also too physical
p nishment when their grip
wo ld slip, pitching them
into long, swinging falls
that left them bo ncing off
the roc face. The t mbles,
which they called ta ing
a whipper,” ended in star-
tling jolts from their safety
ropes.
Caldwell and Jorgeson
had help from a team of
s pporters who bro ght
food and s pplies and shot
video of the advent re.
The 36-year-old Cald-
well
and
30-year-old
Jorgeson ate canned peach-
es and occasionally sipped
whis ey. They watched
their rine evaporate into
Corrections
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TODAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
Fog in the a.m.;
mostly cloudy
Occasional rain in
the morning
Spotty showers in
the afternoon
38° 36°
50° 32°
52° 31°
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
36°
41°
62° (1961)
32°
27°
-9° (1930)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
0.00"
0.25"
0.76"
0.25"
0.38"
0.76"
HERMISTON
through 3 p.m. yesterday
TEMPERATURE
HIGH
LOW
39°
41°
65° (1994)
36°
28°
-5° (1930)
PRECIPITATION
24 hours ending 3 p.m.
Month to date
Normal month to date
Year to date
Last year to date
Normal year to date
Trace
0.15"
0.58"
0.15"
0.27"
0.58"
SUN AND MOON
Jan 26
Clouds and sun, a
shower or two
43° 40°
53° 38°
7:32 a.m.
4:37 p.m.
2:25 a.m.
12:37 p.m.
Full
Last
Feb 3
43° 39°
55° 39°
49° 31°
51° 31°
Seattle
49/46
PENDLETON
Jan 20
A.M. rain, then
clouds and sun
HERMISTON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
through 3 p.m. yesterday
Sunrise today
Sunset tonight
Moonrise today
Moonset today
New
First
MONDAY
PENDLETON TEMPERATURE FORECAST
ALMANAC
Yesterday
Normals
Records
Forecast
SUNDAY
Feb 11
Spokane
Wenatchee
34/31
33/31
Tacoma
Moses
49/45
Lake
Pullman
Aberdeen Olympia
Yakima 38/33
38/35
50/45
49/46
41/32
Longview
Kennewick Walla Walla
47/45
42/38 Lewiston
37/35
Astoria
43/37
53/46
Portland
Enterprise
Hermiston
47/44
Pendleton 37/27
The Dalles 40/36
38/36
42/37
La Grande
Salem
37/35
49/46
Albany
Corvallis 51/46
50/47
John Day
41/32
Ontario
Eugene
Bend
35/28
52/47
46/35
Caldwell
Burns
34/27
38/28
Medford
50/44
REGIONAL CITIES
Today
Astoria
Baker City
Bend
Brookings
Burns
Enterprise
Eugene
Heppner
Hermiston
John Day
Klamath Falls
La Grande
Meacham
Medford
Newport
North Bend
Ontario
Pasco
Pendleton
Portland
Redmond
Salem
Spokane
Ukiah
Vancouver
Walla Walla
Yakima
REGIONAL FORECAST
Eastern Washington: Cloudy today. A wintry
mix near the Cascades; snow in central parts.
Morning freezing fog near the Idaho border.
Cascades: A passing shower this afternoon;
increasing cloudiness in the south.
Northern California: Clouds and sun today.
Periods of rain tonight, but dry in the
interior mountains.
Lo
46
28
35
51
28
27
47
35
36
32
35
35
32
44
48
51
28
35
36
44
37
46
31
33
43
38
32
W
r
pc
pc
r
pc
c
r
c
c
pc
pc
c
c
pc
r
r
pc
c
c
r
pc
r
c
c
r
c
sn
Today
Beijing
Hong Kong
Jerusalem
London
Mexico City
Moscow
Paris
Rome
Seoul
Sydney
Tokyo
Hi
52
36
46
57
42
39
54
50
52
43
48
43
40
55
55
59
36
53
50
51
49
54
38
44
51
49
49
Lo
42
18
30
51
22
19
43
29
31
25
34
23
23
43
48
50
24
30
32
40
29
43
26
25
39
35
29
W
sh
sn
r
r
sh
r
sh
pc
pc
r
sh
r
r
r
sh
sh
r
pc
r
sh
r
sh
r
r
sh
r
sn
Hi
41
65
47
47
73
35
49
59
45
82
46
Lo
22
55
40
38
43
23
38
48
25
68
40
W
pc
s
pc
r
pc
c
r
pc
s
t
r
Hi
41
68
50
44
72
30
46
59
39
84
51
Fri.
Lo
15
55
43
30
43
24
34
53
18
68
40
W
s
s
r
pc
pc
c
pc
c
c
s
pc
WINDS
Boardman
Pendleton
Today
Friday
VAR 2-4
SSE 4-8
SW 10-20
WSW 10-20
UV INDEX TODAY
Shown is today’s weather. Temperatures are today’s highs and tonight’s lows.
Coastal Oregon: Periods of rain today; any
time across the north, during the afternoon
elsewhere.
Eastern and Central Oregon: Freezing fog
morning fog; clouds and sun in the south to-
day. Increasingly cloudy near the Cascades.
Western Washington: Periods of rain today;
arriving in the afternoon across the south.
Hi
53
32
46
57
38
37
52
41
40
41
49
37
37
50
55
59
35
38
38
47
47
49
34
41
47
42
41
NATIONAL WEATHER TODAY
Fri.
WORLD CITIES
(in mph)
Klamath Falls
49/35
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Yesterday
Normals
Records
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(USPS 164-980)
40° 36°
thin, dry air and handed
toilet sac s, called wag
bags,” to helpers who dis-
posed of them.
There are abo t 00
ro tes p the roc nown
among climbers as “El
Cap,” and many have made
it to the top, the rst in
. Even the awn Wall
had been scaled. Warren
arding and ean Cald-
well (no relation to Tom-
my made it p in
0,
sing climbing ropes and
co ntless rivets over
days.
No one, however, had
ever made it to the 3,000-
foot s mmit in one contin-
o s free-climb — ntil
now.
“ e doesn t nderstand
the magnit de of the ac-
complishment and the ex-
citement generated,” said
Mi e Caldwell, Tommy s
father, who along with an-
other 00 people gathered
at the meadow below bro e
into cheer when the men
reached the top.
• Stephanie Burkenbine
for same-day redelivery
www.eastoregonian.com
AP Photo/Ben Margot
Tommy Caldwell, left, and Kevin Jorgeson near the
summit of El Capitan Wednesday as seen from the
valley floor in Yosemite National Park, Calif.
0
1
1
0
0
0
8 a.m. 10 a.m. Noon 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m.
0-2, Low
3-5, Moderate 6-7, High;
8-10, Very High;
11+, Extreme
The higher the AccuWeather.com UV Index™ num-
ber, the greater the need for eye and skin protection.
Forecasts and graphics provided by
AccuWeather, Inc. ©2015
Shown are noon positions of weather systems and precipitation. Temperature bands are highs for the day.
-10s
-0s
showers t-storms
0s
10s
rain
20s
flurries
30s
40s
snow
ice
50s
60s
cold front
70s
80s
90s
100s
warm front stationary front
110s
high
low
National Summary: Much of the nation can expect near- to above-average temperatures
today. Rain will affect the Deep South and the coastal Northwest with spotty snow showers
in New England and around the upper Great Lakes.
Yesterday’s National Extremes: (for the 48 contiguous states)
High 79° in Pompano Beach, Fla.
Low -28° in Houlton, Maine
NATIONAL CITIES
Today
Albuquerque
Atlanta
Atlantic City
Baltimore
Billings
Birmingham
Boise
Boston
Charleston, SC
Charleston, WV
Chicago
Cleveland
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
El Paso
Fairbanks
Fargo
Honolulu
Houston
Indianapolis
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Hi
46
47
41
40
40
42
34
31
53
39
29
26
52
52
23
54
28
32
80
52
32
58
44
61
48
76
Lo
24
31
32
25
31
26
29
24
36
26
18
21
31
29
20
28
19
17
66
34
19
42
22
37
29
49
W
pc
r
pc
pc
pc
r
pc
sf
r
c
pc
pc
s
s
c
pc
c
pc
s
pc
pc
sh
s
s
pc
s
Hi
47
53
42
41
42
51
37
34
57
38
31
28
60
56
26
55
23
29
80
57
33
59
52
61
54
76
Fri.
Lo
25
32
22
19
31
29
24
9
34
26
24
11
40
32
13
30
13
24
64
40
25
37
35
40
34
49
W
pc
s
pc
pc
c
s
r
pc
s
pc
pc
c
s
pc
pc
pc
c
pc
pc
s
c
s
s
s
s
s
Today
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Nashville
New Orleans
New York City
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland, ME
Providence
Raleigh
Rapid City
Reno
Sacramento
St. Louis
Salt Lake City
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Tucson
Washington, DC
Wichita
Hi
39
43
80
32
33
39
48
35
53
41
39
71
29
33
47
47
56
63
44
36
72
61
49
67
43
48
Lo
26
29
64
19
18
25
38
27
28
24
28
47
21
21
32
28
36
44
26
24
50
49
46
43
31
27
W
pc
pc
pc
pc
pc
c
r
pc
s
s
pc
s
sf
pc
c
s
pc
pc
pc
s
s
pc
r
s
pc
s
Hi
42
52
74
28
31
47
54
37
60
49
40
73
31
34
51
48
57
63
47
42
73
61
52
70
45
56
Fri.
Lo
30
34
59
24
23
29
39
17
37
30
20
46
1
8
28
34
33
47
35
26
52
51
40
41
27
32
Weather (W): s-sunny, pc-partly cloudy, c-cloudy, sh-showers, t-thunderstorms, r-rain,
sf-snow flurries, sn-snow, i-ice.
W
pc
s
pc
pc
c
pc
s
pc
s
s
pc
pc
pc
pc
s
s
c
r
pc
pc
s
c
sh
pc
pc
s