Yosemite Climbers Reach ‘El Capitan’ Summit In Historic Feat
Yosemite climbers Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell became the first men in history to reach the peak of the extremely difficult El Capitan, using the Dawn Wall of Yosemite National Park.
The pair spent 18 days on the mountain wall, which is almost entirely flat and impossible to hang on to unless you are an extremely experienced climber. However, up until now, not even those with accomplished careers in conquering peaks around the globe had managed to dominate El Capitan in this manner.
According to a report in Mashable, climbers Jorgeson and Caldwell reached the Yosemite peak at 3:25 p.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday afternoon. Not only did the daredevils accomplish the historic climb, they did it taking the most difficult path.
Even though the two climbers are not alone in reaching El Capitan, they are the first to do so via the Dawn Wall. Experts consider this one of the most challenging treks in the world.
As Caldwell and Jorgeson conquered the Yosemite peak, the latter refused to use to term to describe the historical feat on Twitter.
To anyone writing about #dawnwall, this is not an effort to “conquer.” It’s about realizing a dream.
— Kevin Jorgeson (@kjorgeson) January 13, 2015
The climber kept followers abreast of what was happening as they tried to reach the Yosemite peak on a regular basis, even conducting the first ever Q&A from 1,200 up El Capitan on January 2.
— Kevin Jorgeson (@kjorgeson) January 10, 2015
Yosemite climber Tommy Caldwell, for his part, kept followers up-to-date on his Facebook page, sharing stunning photos of the trek and some more detailed thoughts on what was going on throughout the experience. This was his post on January 1.
“One step closer! I sent pitch 15 last night. Keven got oh so close several times. I am sure he could have done it if he didn’t have to tape two key fingers. Weather it’s getting hard to sleep forecast looks splitter! It’s getting hard to sleep due to the excitement I feel.”
The Yosemite climbers had their share of danger and setbacks throughout their trek. Jorgeson told the New York Times he fell 10 times at the same spot and waited for two days to finally make it past his nemesis. The pair also had to deal with Mother Nature and “falling ice, looming storms, raging ice wind, and numb toes to name a few.”
[Image via Tommy Caldwell Facebook/Corey Rich Productions]
