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Burning Down the Dawn Wall

1/8/2015

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Gather round kiddies. Grampa Gypsy is gonna tell ya a story. Once upon a time there were two men. These men did something wonderful.

Are doing, actually. Right now. As you read these words.

Magic is happening in Yosemite Valley.  I say magic because what these two men are doing?

It is impossible.

They are attempting to free climb the Dawn Wall.

Somehow. Someway. Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson are figuring out a way to do the impossible. In this very moment, they are as alive as any two humans have ever been. They are living on the very edge of human possibility and potential.

They are burning.

They aren't torches, or bonfires, or headlamps. They are volcanoes, and they are erupting in front of our eyes.

And it is glorious. (read more)

I am an above average climbing fan with below average talent. I spend my summers with my two boys "playing" on the rocks and in the trees of Northern Arizona. I have climbed my whole life. Anything and everything I could find. Trees, balconies, the underside of stairways. I built my boys a climbing wall in the back yard. We play on it 300+ days a year. Climbing is inside, outside and all around me...

...and I can't even begin to imagine what Tommy and Kevin are going through right now. 

Today we basked in the California sun and took a very pleasant skin healing day. Here's to sending tomorrow. Photo @coreyrichproductions @bigupclimbing

A photo posted by Tommy Caldwell (@tommycaldwell) on Jan 1, 2015 at 9:05pm PST

I don't know know how to describe this adventure with words. I can't find anything to compare it with. It's harder than Everest. It's harder than racing the Tour de France. People climb Everest and race the Tour every year. Sure, it is a challenge. Sure, it is beyond my capabilities. But what is happening on the Dawn Wall right now is not only the stuff of legends, it is the stuff of the imagination. Caldwell and Jorgeson are doing something that no one has ever done before, and they are doing it 1500 feet above the ground.

You can do like me and live vicariously through them by following along via their social media accounts. They have mini solar chargers and surprisingly good cell phone service up there!
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Kevin Jorgeson Twitter
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Kevin Jorgeson Instagram
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Tommy Caldwell Twitter
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Tommy Caldwell Instagram
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