A day after completing what had been considered the world’s most difficult rock climb, two Americans who spent 19 days living on a sheer granite wall said they hope their feat inspires others to follow their own passions.
Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson became the first to free climb the 3,000-ft Dawn Wall on the famous El Capitan rock formation in California’s Yosemite National Park in a single expedition. Unlike climbers who need more elaborate equipment, the men relied entirely on their hands and feet and physical strength, using ropes and harnesses only for safety in case of a fall.
The trek began on December 27. For 19 days, the two lived on the wall itself, eating and sleeping in tents fastened to the rock thousands of feet above the ground and battling painful cuts to their fingertips.
They also endured hardship whenever their grip slipped, pitching them into swinging falls that left them bouncing off the rock face. The tumbles, which they called “taking a whipper,” ended with startling jolts from their safety ropes. Caldwell described how support climbers provided them with fresh fruit and vegetables every five days. They also ate Indian food, burritos and other “pretty normal stuff,” including coffee. For treats, they enjoyed chocolate and Woodford Reserve whisky.
Asked why the achievement resonated with so many people, Jorgeson said the Dawn Wall “just personifies dreaming big and making it happen. It’s just a super-concrete example and an iconic, beautiful place with amazing images and a great story of perseverance and teamwork and making it.”
