It's an acrophobe's worst nightmare, but the thrill of a lifetime for two climbers trying to make history by being the first to scale a 3,000-foot sheer-granite wall in Yosemite National Park using only their hands and feet.
Two climbers made it to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on Wednesday, the first ever to scale the 3,000-foot granite wall using only their hands and feet and safety rope.
For 19 days, Kevin Jorgeson, 30, of Santa Rosa, Calif., and Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Colorado, attempted what many considered impossible on one of the world's most difficult climbs: Being the first to "free climb" the sheer face of El Capitan's Dawn Wall. They used safety ropes and harnesses to prevent deadly falls, but did not using ropes or climbing aids to reach the top. The two climbed the wall in 32 rope-length sections that climbers call pitches, and they reached the summit around 3:30 p.m. PT.
The duo will likely reach the monster summit Wednesday afternoon, said Jess Clayton, who represents Patagonia, the clothing and gear maker, sponsored the Caldwell'sclimb.
Caldwell was the first to finish. He waited on a ledge for Jorgeson, who caught up minutes later. The two embraced before Jorgeson pumped his arms in the air and clapped his hands above his head. Then they sat down for a few moments, gathered their gear, changed clothes and hiked to the nearby summit.
In the meadow below, a crowd broke into cheers. Caldwell's mother, Terry, said her son could have reached the top several days ago, but he waited for his friend to make sure they got there together.
"That's a deep, abiding, lifelong friendship, built over suffering on the wall together over six years," she said.
President Obama sent his congratulations from the White House Twitter account, saying the men "remind us that anything is possible."
Each trained for more than five years, and they have battled bloodied fingers and unseasonably warm weather. The men often climbed at dusk or later, using headlamps to see, because the rock needs to be cold to keep fingers and hands from sweating and slipping.
Jorgeson fell 11 times over seven days trying to get past one particularly tough section. He took to Facebook on Sunday to publicly celebrate his victory.
"It took everything in my power to stay positive and resolved that I would succeed," he wrote.
The climb began Dec. 27 and was expected to take two weeks. It is the realization of a dream that began seven years ago when Caldwell first began climbing the monster rock formation, he said.
If the men finish Wednesday, they will have been on the wall close to three weeks. They've slept in portaledges — tents attached to the face of the wall.
El Capitan, the largest granite monolith in the world, has about 100 routes to the top. The first climber reached the summit in 1958.
In 1970, Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell — no relation to Tommy Caldwell — climbed Dawn Wall using ropes and countless rivets over 27 days. That duo turned down a rescue attempt by park rangers in a storm.
Contributing: William M. Welch in Los Angeles; Associated Press
