LOFTY GOAL; PRINCIPAL WILL CLIMB TO RAISE AWARENESS.

Byline: John Sanders Staff Writer

Park View Intermediate Principal Bob Porter has a poster on his office wall that reads ``Risk - The loftier your goals, the higher your risk, the greater your glory.''

It seems fitting, since Porter is in Yosemite National Park today to climb El Capitan - a four-day, 2,500-foot ascent up the vertical granite face of the world's largest monolith - to draw attention to the fund-raising campaign for the Richard T. White Sports and Recreation Center under construction on his campus.

``This is sort of a lifelong goal that I'm trying to achieve,'' said Porter, who says the El Capitan climb will be the most difficult in his 28 years of rock climbing.

The almost $1.8 million gymnasium, named for Lancaster School District trustee Richard White, will be funded by the state, the school district and the city of Lancaster.

Approximately $760,000 will come from the state, more than $600,000 from the district and $365,000 will come from the city. However, that only funds the construction of the building, not furnishings or other necessities.

Porter and the school have raised about $12,000 since April toward items such as a marquee, a scoreboard, a projection screen, volleyball standards, wall mirrors for the activity room, a portable stage for special events, sound systems and supplies for after-school programs.

Porter said the school's goal is to raise $50,000, an effort that will continue after he returns from Yosemite. For $35, a benefactor can purchase a 4-by-8-inch red brick that will be placed on one of the gym's walls. The bricks can bear inscriptions ranging from family names to business titles to special messages.

For the El Capitan climb, Porter has been working out four times a week for what he calls ``the Big Stone.'' Porter said he has been working on his legs at Powerhouse Gym, using the stair stepper, treadmill and the tread wall. He also walks up hills with 50 pounds on his back.

``I feel I'm physically ready to do it. I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be,'' Porter, 46, said. ``I better do this quick before I run out of gas.''

Porter will climb with partner Martin Avidan, whom he met in England. They planned to start today at 6 a.m. and hope to be standing on top Thursday.

The pair will climb a route known as the Zodiac, one of approximately 80 routes up El Capitan's face overlooking Yosemite Valley. On the rock-climbing scale of A1 (easiest) to A5 (most difficult), Zodiac is an A3.

``The challenge of it really is more mental than physical,'' Porter said.

They will spend 15 hours a day climbing, roped together and anchored to the wall, inching their way up by cracks, ledges and minuscule handholds on the rock's granite surface. They will haul up with them about $12,000 worth of equipment that Porter has accumulated over 20 years.

Porter will carry about 40 pounds of water, food and gear on his back and haul up behind him about 150 pounds in a duffel bag. About half that weight is water, and the rest is sleeping bags, rain gear, food, climbing equipment and other supplies.

At night, Porter and Avidan will use a Port-a-ledge - a high-tech cot made out of aircraft aluminum and fabric that can be anchored to the wall to create a secure space for sleeping.

Over his years of climbing, Porter has climbed thousands of different rocks in North America and Europe, including Half Dome in 1986, Washington Column in 1993 and Leaning Tower in 1996. He was introduced to the sport by a friend when he was 16, and his first rock climb was in Mission Gorge in San Diego.

Porter has had his share of scares while climbing rocks. Once he fell some 30 feet but was caught by his safety rope. Another time a storm hit while he was climbing.

But that hasn't stopped Porter from climbing. In fact, he even got his wife, Heather, interested in the sport.

Heather is going with Porter to Yosemite, though she will not be climbing. The couple will communicate with each other via radios.

Porter said that one of his former students, adventure photographer Corey Rich, will go up with a crew to photograph Porter and Avidan's entire climb from above.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

PHOTO (1--2--Color) Bob Porter, shown above in full gear at the start of a three-day climb of Washington Column in Yosemite, and at right in his Park View Intermediate School principal's office, is preparing to climb El Capitan to draw attention to a fund-raising campaign.

Jeff Goldwater/Daily News

(3--Color) Bob Porter at the base of El Capitan on a previous trip.