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Hello?
2
00:01:01,570 --> 00:01:03,902
Hey, guys. This is John
Branch from the New York Times.
3
00:01:03,905 --> 00:01:05,157
How's it going up there?
4
00:01:05,449 --> 00:01:06,617
Good, John.
5
00:01:07,242 --> 00:01:08,962
How high up
are you guys right now?
6
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We are about 1,200 feet
up the wall at our base camp.
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This has been our home
for nine days now.
8
00:01:16,460 --> 00:01:19,629
Tommy, I guess
the bottom line question here,
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why are you doing this?
10
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What's the point
of all this for you?
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On the air tonight
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00:01:30,682 --> 00:01:32,351
with a story of two men
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attempting to free climb
the famously steep face
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of El Capitan in Yosemite.
15
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Inch by nerve-racking inch,
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using only their fingertips
to grasp razor sharp edges...
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00:01:49,409 --> 00:01:51,283
Tommy Caldwell
and Kevin Jorgeson
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00:01:51,286 --> 00:01:53,580
attempt the hardest climb
in the world.
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No one has ever
free-climbed the Dawn Wall.
20
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Three-thousand
feet of straight-up granite.
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00:02:08,845 --> 00:02:10,847
A climb watched by the world.
22
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These guys have
captured the world's attention.
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They're trying to make history.
24
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El Capitan's infamous Dawn Wall.
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00:02:36,957 --> 00:02:39,543
As a kid,
Tommy was slow at everything.
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He had a lot of difficulty
in school.
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The teachers actually
at one point told us
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that he was mentally retarded
and would never learn.
29
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I was developmentally delayed
through... Probably still.
30
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I was this very fragile
little kid,
31
00:03:03,191 --> 00:03:04,401
incredibly shy.
32
00:03:05,110 --> 00:03:09,614
But meanwhile, my dad was,
like, the symbol of a man.
33
00:03:12,534 --> 00:03:16,496
He was this big bodybuilder
dude and mountain climber.
34
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Larger than life.
35
00:03:18,331 --> 00:03:20,000
Tommy was small.
36
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He was way behind.
37
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Didn't crawl
until he was over two.
38
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I think my dad felt
39
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the best way to prepare this
fragile little kid for the world
40
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was to toughen him up
a little bit.
41
00:03:34,139 --> 00:03:36,221
So he took me
on all these adventures.
42
00:03:36,224 --> 00:03:38,265
Three years old,
strap on the skis.
43
00:03:38,268 --> 00:03:40,312
Camping in a snow cave
during a blizzard.
44
00:03:41,021 --> 00:03:43,482
Every summer, we'd go
to Yosemite with my family,
45
00:03:44,232 --> 00:03:46,485
and my dad would take me
climbing on these giant walls.
46
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Some of the craziest climbing
stunts you could ever do,
47
00:03:51,740 --> 00:03:53,241
and he did it
with a six-year-old.
48
00:03:56,077 --> 00:03:58,497
The things that
Tommy's dad took him on,
49
00:03:59,164 --> 00:04:01,538
today you would have
Child Protective Services
50
00:04:01,541 --> 00:04:02,542
coming after you.
51
00:04:02,667 --> 00:04:07,255
He basically took hardship
and rephrased it as growth.
52
00:04:07,547 --> 00:04:10,634
He was loving, but
he definitely let me suffer.
53
00:04:11,676 --> 00:04:13,804
The word that was in my mind
was resilience.
54
00:04:15,263 --> 00:04:17,682
It seems to me one of the best
gifts you can give your kid
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00:04:18,058 --> 00:04:20,310
is an ability
to deal with adversity.
56
00:04:24,147 --> 00:04:26,688
By the time I was 14 or 15,
57
00:04:26,691 --> 00:04:29,027
there was climbs that I could
do that my dad couldn't.
58
00:04:30,779 --> 00:04:32,072
Tommy's strong.
59
00:04:32,405 --> 00:04:33,946
Climbing was the
first thing in my life
60
00:04:33,949 --> 00:04:35,948
where I could stand out
a little bit.
61
00:04:35,951 --> 00:04:37,577
All right. Woo!
62
00:04:40,413 --> 00:04:41,540
So Tommy was 16,
63
00:04:41,706 --> 00:04:44,706
and Snowbird held the Snowbird
Invitational that year.
64
00:04:44,709 --> 00:04:46,503
This big climbing competition.
65
00:04:46,628 --> 00:04:49,419
We thought we'd drive over
there and watch the comp
66
00:04:49,422 --> 00:04:50,674
and get some autographs.
67
00:04:50,841 --> 00:04:53,009
We just went there
to be fans, really.
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00:04:53,176 --> 00:04:55,133
And the day before
the big competition,
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00:04:55,136 --> 00:04:57,806
they had a Citizens' Comp that
anybody who shows up can enter.
70
00:04:58,390 --> 00:05:00,851
So I entered that,
my first competition ever.
71
00:05:01,393 --> 00:05:02,978
Well, Tommy won.
72
00:05:04,104 --> 00:05:06,395
And I don't know
if this was an official policy
73
00:05:06,398 --> 00:05:08,689
or just something
they dreamt up on the spot,
74
00:05:08,692 --> 00:05:10,023
but they asked Tommy
75
00:05:10,026 --> 00:05:13,277
if he wanted to enter the World
Invitational the next day.
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00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:14,820
Hello, everyone.
I'm James Brown,
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00:05:14,823 --> 00:05:16,405
and welcome to Snowbird, Utah,
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00:05:16,408 --> 00:05:18,657
for the International
Sport Climbing Championship.
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00:05:18,660 --> 00:05:20,742
Expert climbers
will test their skills
80
00:05:20,745 --> 00:05:23,623
against a man-made
120-foot wall.
81
00:05:24,541 --> 00:05:26,001
There were 12 competitors.
82
00:05:26,126 --> 00:05:29,251
The icons of climbing.
And it was so intimidating.
83
00:05:29,254 --> 00:05:31,965
This will be a very
challenging field.
84
00:05:32,090 --> 00:05:34,840
Looks like Tommy's the only one in
there that we haven't heard of before.
85
00:05:34,843 --> 00:05:36,133
Nobody had ever heard of me.
86
00:05:36,136 --> 00:05:37,971
I was just
this scrawny little kid.
87
00:05:38,096 --> 00:05:40,432
I was videoing Tommy as he goes
climbing up this thing.
88
00:05:40,765 --> 00:05:42,892
Let's hear it
for the 16-year-old.
89
00:05:45,812 --> 00:05:46,855
Come on, Tommy.
90
00:05:47,397 --> 00:05:49,858
Nobody has made it
past that roof.
91
00:05:50,942 --> 00:05:52,944
He got past the final roof.
92
00:05:54,487 --> 00:05:56,239
So Tommy's winning.
93
00:05:58,783 --> 00:06:00,449
All right, Tommy!
94
00:06:00,452 --> 00:06:02,162
And I started shaking.
95
00:06:03,163 --> 00:06:04,706
I can't hold the camera.
96
00:06:06,875 --> 00:06:08,540
I just dropped the camera.
97
00:06:08,543 --> 00:06:10,378
I mean, I completely lost it.
98
00:06:11,671 --> 00:06:13,131
Tommy got to the top.
99
00:06:14,174 --> 00:06:16,718
The only climber
to complete this climb.
100
00:06:17,469 --> 00:06:20,969
So all of a sudden,
Tommy went from nobody at all
101
00:06:20,972 --> 00:06:22,641
to winner of Snowbird.
102
00:06:23,224 --> 00:06:25,268
I mean, that was
just unbelievable.
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00:06:25,435 --> 00:06:26,978
It changed his whole life.
104
00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:29,645
Tommy became known
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00:06:29,648 --> 00:06:31,605
as one of the best
young climbers.
106
00:06:31,608 --> 00:06:32,776
But he didn't grow up
107
00:06:32,901 --> 00:06:34,399
the way most of us do.
108
00:06:34,402 --> 00:06:36,360
Through high school,
he didn't have girlfriends.
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00:06:36,363 --> 00:06:39,115
He didn't have a social life.
He just went climbing.
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00:06:43,703 --> 00:06:45,789
I was doing this
series of competitions,
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00:06:46,414 --> 00:06:47,916
and I met this girl, Beth.
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She just caught my attention
totally. I was like, "Whoa!"
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00:06:52,295 --> 00:06:55,799
Tommy just had this really big,
goofy, endearing grin.
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We both lived and breathed
climbing.
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00:07:00,762 --> 00:07:02,844
Tommy's this climbing savant,
116
00:07:02,847 --> 00:07:06,643
and then he meets Beth,
the female version of himself.
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He's head over heels.
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00:07:09,229 --> 00:07:11,731
I just found ways
to go wherever she was.
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Okay?
Yeah.
120
00:07:14,150 --> 00:07:16,236
I found out she
was going to Yosemite,
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00:07:17,112 --> 00:07:18,405
so I followed her out there.
122
00:07:19,489 --> 00:07:21,783
We ended up climbing
a big wall together.
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00:07:23,076 --> 00:07:25,286
You know, we were next to
each other all the time.
124
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Twenty-four hours
a day together.
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00:07:27,872 --> 00:07:30,664
Sleeping 1,000 feet off
the ground on this portaledge,
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00:07:30,667 --> 00:07:32,210
which is like a hanging cot.
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You sleep head to toe.
There's just more room that way.
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00:07:37,048 --> 00:07:38,171
So I laid down,
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00:07:38,174 --> 00:07:40,215
and then, she laid down
the same way that I was,
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with her head at the same end.
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00:07:42,220 --> 00:07:43,844
And I was pretty excited
by this.
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I was like, "Ooh, goodness.
This is getting exciting."
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I just hadn't been
in love before,
134
00:07:50,979 --> 00:07:54,065
and I just fell hardcore,
right off the bat.
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We just clicked.
136
00:07:58,194 --> 00:08:01,698
We had so many dreams of
traveling and climbing together.
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00:08:04,200 --> 00:08:07,495
And then, we got invited
to go on a big adventure trip.
138
00:08:07,620 --> 00:08:09,247
An expedition to Kyrgyzstan.
139
00:08:10,665 --> 00:08:13,081
Kyrgyzstan is this beautiful,
mountainous country
140
00:08:13,084 --> 00:08:14,335
in Central Asia.
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00:08:14,502 --> 00:08:17,505
We'd seen pictures from
friends that had been there,
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00:08:18,173 --> 00:08:19,924
and it looked like a paradise
for climbers.
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00:08:20,091 --> 00:08:23,050
I was a photographer working
in the outdoor industry.
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00:08:23,053 --> 00:08:26,178
And this amazing opportunity
came about for me
145
00:08:26,181 --> 00:08:29,347
to shoot an expedition
with Beth and Tommy and Jason.
146
00:08:29,350 --> 00:08:31,978
We were just four young climbers
looking for a big adventure
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00:08:32,103 --> 00:08:34,606
in a new and unusual part
of the world.
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00:08:35,565 --> 00:08:38,818
We charter a helicopter
into the Kara-Su Valley.
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00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:40,695
Unbelievably beautiful.
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00:08:41,613 --> 00:08:43,823
Just felt like kind of
a dream come true,
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00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:45,909
out in the middle
of this adventure
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00:08:46,034 --> 00:08:48,161
with this girl that I was
totally in love with.
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00:08:49,913 --> 00:08:51,536
A week-and-a-half into our trip,
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00:08:51,539 --> 00:08:53,455
the four of us were sleeping
in portaledges,
155
00:08:53,458 --> 00:08:54,876
a 1,000 feet up the wall,
156
00:08:55,251 --> 00:08:58,877
and we wake up to gunshots,
157
00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:00,673
these piercing, close gunshots.
158
00:09:01,716 --> 00:09:04,427
The bullets hitting the wall
right between our portaledges.
159
00:09:04,844 --> 00:09:06,051
We're sitting there like,
160
00:09:06,054 --> 00:09:07,803
"Oh, my God,
we're getting shot at."
161
00:09:07,806 --> 00:09:09,513
And you can't run away.
You can't do anything.
162
00:09:09,516 --> 00:09:11,559
We're just sitting ducks
up here.
163
00:09:11,684 --> 00:09:14,354
We look down, and you
could see these figures.
164
00:09:15,230 --> 00:09:17,440
These guys waving
at us to come down.
165
00:09:18,108 --> 00:09:20,107
We rappelled down to the ground.
166
00:09:20,110 --> 00:09:23,696
We're encountered
by four guys, heavily armed.
167
00:09:24,489 --> 00:09:26,074
They took us to our base camp.
168
00:09:26,407 --> 00:09:27,781
All of our tents were cut open.
169
00:09:27,784 --> 00:09:29,699
A lot of our food
was splayed around the meadow.
170
00:09:29,702 --> 00:09:31,621
They had us start
hiding our camp.
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00:09:31,746 --> 00:09:35,708
And so suddenly, it hits us,
we're hostages right now.
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00:09:45,343 --> 00:09:46,967
Later, we learned
that these guys
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00:09:46,970 --> 00:09:49,845
were part of the Islamic
Movement of Uzbekistan,
174
00:09:49,848 --> 00:09:52,764
these rebels that wanted
to overthrow the government.
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00:09:55,228 --> 00:09:57,352
We were caught up in this battle
176
00:09:57,355 --> 00:10:00,150
between these rebels
and the Kyrgyz military.
177
00:10:01,651 --> 00:10:02,649
All of a sudden,
178
00:10:02,652 --> 00:10:04,654
Kyrgyz military helicopters
started to fly over,
179
00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:07,157
soldiers show up
on the hillside,
180
00:10:07,615 --> 00:10:10,031
and this battle breaks out.
181
00:10:10,034 --> 00:10:13,034
The rebels start pointing their
guns at us, yelling, "Hide!"
182
00:10:13,037 --> 00:10:14,995
Then we dive in these trees.
183
00:10:14,998 --> 00:10:17,667
The rebels had taken
a Kyrgyz soldier hostage.
184
00:10:17,792 --> 00:10:19,169
They took the other captive.
185
00:10:19,294 --> 00:10:21,004
And they just shot him
in the head.
186
00:10:23,673 --> 00:10:25,463
I just remember
shaking uncontrollably
187
00:10:25,466 --> 00:10:27,886
and Tommy just holding me
as tight as he could.
188
00:10:28,011 --> 00:10:29,512
Are they just going to
kill us next?
189
00:10:33,183 --> 00:10:36,057
Once it's dark,
the gunfire dies down.
190
00:10:36,060 --> 00:10:39,022
And the rebels start marching
us through the mountains.
191
00:10:43,943 --> 00:10:47,030
It's four rebels,
the four of us.
192
00:10:48,406 --> 00:10:51,156
It's really cold. We're
11,000 feet in elevation.
193
00:10:51,159 --> 00:10:52,741
We don't have warm clothes.
194
00:10:52,744 --> 00:10:54,078
We don't have any food.
195
00:10:54,537 --> 00:10:56,539
We had no idea
where we were going.
196
00:10:57,874 --> 00:10:59,667
We would hike through the night,
197
00:11:01,669 --> 00:11:04,714
and then during the day,
they would hide us.
198
00:11:06,007 --> 00:11:08,176
They hid us in
the craziest spots.
199
00:11:09,093 --> 00:11:11,176
Burying us in
holes in the ground
200
00:11:11,179 --> 00:11:13,473
so that we wouldn't be seen
by the military.
201
00:11:14,849 --> 00:11:16,473
This went on for six days.
202
00:11:16,476 --> 00:11:19,479
Day two or three, hunger
really started to set in.
203
00:11:20,813 --> 00:11:23,271
You know, we're
sort of just wasting away.
204
00:11:23,274 --> 00:11:25,774
At first, I thought they're
taking us back to their base,
205
00:11:25,777 --> 00:11:28,529
or they're taking us somewhere,
there's a purpose to this.
206
00:11:28,655 --> 00:11:30,156
Finally, we realized
207
00:11:30,490 --> 00:11:32,867
they were leading us
in a giant circle.
208
00:11:33,117 --> 00:11:35,036
Like, these guys
clearly don't have a plan.
209
00:11:36,579 --> 00:11:40,246
Jason and John started to scheme
about how we could get away.
210
00:11:40,249 --> 00:11:42,082
I mean, things were getting
super desperate.
211
00:11:42,085 --> 00:11:44,212
They were ready to take
matters into their own hands.
212
00:11:45,004 --> 00:11:47,545
At one point,
two of our captors left.
213
00:11:47,548 --> 00:11:49,068
We never saw them again.
214
00:11:49,676 --> 00:11:51,427
We found out later
that they got killed.
215
00:11:53,221 --> 00:11:56,057
On our sixth night of captivity,
216
00:11:56,849 --> 00:11:58,723
the two captors
that were remaining with us
217
00:11:58,726 --> 00:12:00,976
decided that one of them
would go in one direction
218
00:12:00,979 --> 00:12:02,352
to try and get some food
219
00:12:02,355 --> 00:12:04,190
and then we would head off
with the other one.
220
00:12:09,696 --> 00:12:12,237
So we get left alone
with the one rebel,
221
00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:13,992
climbing up this cliff side.
222
00:12:14,492 --> 00:12:17,161
We were comfortable on the
terrain, and he was not.
223
00:12:17,912 --> 00:12:20,623
If we're going to escape,
this is the opportunity.
224
00:12:21,624 --> 00:12:23,456
Jason and John decided
225
00:12:23,459 --> 00:12:27,377
they would try and push our
remaining captor off this cliff
226
00:12:27,380 --> 00:12:28,589
and then run away.
227
00:12:29,173 --> 00:12:30,797
John and I were trying
to look for a point
228
00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:31,926
that we could throw him off.
229
00:12:32,051 --> 00:12:35,051
But we kept going and
kept going, and... You know?
230
00:12:35,054 --> 00:12:36,848
We just couldn't quite push him.
231
00:12:39,017 --> 00:12:40,098
As we got to the top,
232
00:12:40,101 --> 00:12:42,687
I realized that our opportunity
was going to be over.
233
00:12:49,694 --> 00:12:53,903
And I decided that
this was what I had to do.
234
00:12:53,906 --> 00:12:57,782
I had to go and I needed to
push this guy off this cliff
235
00:12:57,785 --> 00:12:59,245
in order to save our lives.
236
00:12:59,787 --> 00:13:01,831
Tommy came over to me
at this point, and he said,
237
00:13:02,415 --> 00:13:04,167
"Do you think
I should do this?"
238
00:13:04,459 --> 00:13:06,458
I was thinking,
"Yes, no, yes, no."
239
00:13:06,461 --> 00:13:07,670
So I just didn't say anything.
240
00:13:08,629 --> 00:13:11,883
I took that as that
she would be okay with it.
241
00:13:15,386 --> 00:13:19,095
So I just ran up behind him
242
00:13:19,098 --> 00:13:24,062
and I put one hand on his back
and grabbed his gun strap.
243
00:13:24,395 --> 00:13:27,774
And my other hand
went on his chest
244
00:13:28,024 --> 00:13:29,942
and I just gave a push...
245
00:13:34,197 --> 00:13:36,407
to send him flying off
this cliff.
246
00:13:43,122 --> 00:13:44,540
We saw him hit a ledge,
247
00:13:44,916 --> 00:13:47,919
bounce off of it, and just fall
out of sight into the darkness.
248
00:13:51,547 --> 00:13:53,129
Tommy completely broke down,
249
00:13:53,132 --> 00:13:55,259
had his head in his arms
and he was crying.
250
00:13:55,760 --> 00:13:57,640
I couldn't believe
what I had just done.
251
00:13:57,762 --> 00:13:59,055
I had just killed somebody.
252
00:13:59,722 --> 00:14:02,183
The whole world came crashing
down on me all at once.
253
00:14:04,143 --> 00:14:07,102
We were all trying
to reassure him and say that,
254
00:14:07,105 --> 00:14:09,854
"You're not a bad person,
you just saved our lives."
255
00:14:09,857 --> 00:14:11,314
They really tried to comfort me.
256
00:14:11,317 --> 00:14:13,858
But there was a sense of urgency
that we better get going,
257
00:14:13,861 --> 00:14:16,697
because we didn't know if the
other captor was gonna show up.
258
00:14:17,573 --> 00:14:20,031
We knew from hiking in earlier
259
00:14:20,034 --> 00:14:23,079
where there was a military outpost
that we could try and run to.
260
00:14:23,413 --> 00:14:26,082
So even on almost
no food for six days,
261
00:14:26,290 --> 00:14:27,455
adrenaline kicked in.
262
00:14:27,458 --> 00:14:29,207
So we ran for four hours.
263
00:14:29,210 --> 00:14:30,962
Through the darkness
down this valley.
264
00:14:31,212 --> 00:14:33,962
We were greeted by this
man yelling at us with this gun.
265
00:14:33,965 --> 00:14:37,006
Throw up our hands, start
yelling that we're Americans.
266
00:14:37,009 --> 00:14:38,689
And luckily, it
was the Kyrgyz army.
267
00:14:39,345 --> 00:14:42,011
This huge wave of relief
came over us.
268
00:14:42,014 --> 00:14:46,894
I mean, this horrible situation
that we had been in was over.
269
00:14:48,521 --> 00:14:51,691
They gave us food and water,
military fatigues.
270
00:14:52,567 --> 00:14:54,402
And then we got
helicoptered out from there.
271
00:15:00,700 --> 00:15:03,783
From our studios in
New York, here is Jane Pauley.
272
00:15:03,786 --> 00:15:06,581
Four young Americans
face a life or death choice,
273
00:15:07,039 --> 00:15:10,585
with the ultimate question,
to kill or be killed?
274
00:15:11,419 --> 00:15:14,964
When we got home, there
was this crazy media circus.
275
00:15:15,089 --> 00:15:17,216
You guys are walking
with this captor
276
00:15:18,009 --> 00:15:19,802
on a very rocky cliff.
277
00:15:20,261 --> 00:15:21,468
Tell me what you did, Tommy.
278
00:15:21,471 --> 00:15:24,182
We just ended up
pushing the guy.
279
00:15:24,682 --> 00:15:26,347
You pushed him over the cliff.
Yeah.
280
00:15:26,350 --> 00:15:28,433
What happened at that moment
when you realized,
281
00:15:28,436 --> 00:15:30,563
I've actually done this,
I've killed somebody?
282
00:15:31,022 --> 00:15:34,022
You know, I thought that I was
an evil person. I said to Beth,
283
00:15:34,025 --> 00:15:36,611
"How can you love me after I
did something like this?"
284
00:15:37,737 --> 00:15:38,905
And, uh...
285
00:15:41,824 --> 00:15:43,075
After Kyrgyzstan,
286
00:15:43,367 --> 00:15:45,661
Tommy had tremendous
personality changes.
287
00:15:45,912 --> 00:15:47,827
Speaking so softly.
288
00:15:47,830 --> 00:15:50,791
I was like, what is inside me
that allowed me to do this?
289
00:15:53,669 --> 00:15:55,963
I mean, just an entirely
different person.
290
00:16:38,005 --> 00:16:41,092
Yosemite is known as
the Mecca of world rock climbing.
291
00:16:44,845 --> 00:16:48,349
And the crown jewel
of this Mecca is El Capitan.
292
00:16:50,142 --> 00:16:54,105
It's just this iconic
3,000-foot high monolith.
293
00:16:55,398 --> 00:16:57,105
When you see that thing
for the first time,
294
00:16:57,108 --> 00:16:58,651
it takes your breath away.
295
00:17:00,069 --> 00:17:04,862
The steepest, blankest,
most forlorn...
296
00:17:04,865 --> 00:17:06,826
impressive part of El Cap
297
00:17:07,118 --> 00:17:08,536
is the Dawn Wall.
298
00:17:11,372 --> 00:17:14,372
People have done a handful
of free climbs up El Cap
299
00:17:14,375 --> 00:17:15,876
to the right and to the left.
300
00:17:17,587 --> 00:17:20,548
But the Dawn Wall
has never been climbed.
301
00:17:21,882 --> 00:17:25,344
Just the sheer magnitude
of blank rock on the thing...
302
00:17:25,845 --> 00:17:27,680
I mean,
it just looks impossible.
303
00:17:29,390 --> 00:17:31,767
Until Tommy Caldwell came along,
304
00:17:32,184 --> 00:17:34,437
nobody had actually
considered trying it.
305
00:17:36,272 --> 00:17:39,525
If Tommy and his partner Kevin
can actually do this,
306
00:17:40,610 --> 00:17:45,114
it will be the most continuously
difficult rock climb ever done.
307
00:17:47,700 --> 00:17:49,869
Nothing else
is even close to it.
308
00:17:52,580 --> 00:17:54,165
It's December 27th,
309
00:17:54,707 --> 00:17:58,377
and we're planning on heading
up for like two weeks plus.
310
00:17:59,253 --> 00:18:00,463
We'll see.
311
00:18:01,297 --> 00:18:04,425
The goal is climb it
in a single push,
312
00:18:04,884 --> 00:18:06,636
which means we're going to
leave the ground,
313
00:18:07,053 --> 00:18:08,846
live on the wall,
314
00:18:10,640 --> 00:18:12,350
and not come down
until we're done.
315
00:18:16,479 --> 00:18:17,647
We're going for it.
316
00:18:18,105 --> 00:18:19,398
I'm nervous.
317
00:18:20,066 --> 00:18:23,611
We've put in so much work
leading up to this moment.
318
00:18:24,654 --> 00:18:28,029
There's nothing left to do
but take a couple deep breaths
319
00:18:28,032 --> 00:18:29,158
and start climbing.
320
00:18:29,909 --> 00:18:30,951
Day one.
321
00:18:32,620 --> 00:18:33,620
Yep.
322
00:18:36,165 --> 00:18:37,375
This is going to be awesome.
323
00:18:40,503 --> 00:18:43,422
The Dawn Wall itself
is 3,000 feet tall.
324
00:18:44,965 --> 00:18:47,635
The route that they think
they have figured out
325
00:18:47,927 --> 00:18:50,971
is comprised of
32 individual pitches.
326
00:18:51,931 --> 00:18:54,558
Each pitch is its own challenge,
327
00:18:55,059 --> 00:18:56,852
like the stages of a race.
328
00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:03,564
A pitch is a rope-length long,
about 150 feet or so.
329
00:19:03,567 --> 00:19:04,982
And ends of the ledge
330
00:19:04,985 --> 00:19:06,987
are a natural resting place
on the rock.
331
00:19:08,739 --> 00:19:09,907
Yeah, man. Good work.
332
00:19:10,616 --> 00:19:11,823
When you end the pitch,
333
00:19:11,826 --> 00:19:13,744
you anchor yourself
to the wall...
334
00:19:14,453 --> 00:19:16,539
One down,
thirty-something to go.
335
00:19:17,998 --> 00:19:21,293
...and hold the rope or
belay as your partner comes up.
336
00:19:22,753 --> 00:19:24,961
Once you've both done
that pitch without falling,
337
00:19:24,964 --> 00:19:26,424
you can move on
to the next pitch.
338
00:19:29,885 --> 00:19:31,467
When you're free-climbing,
339
00:19:31,470 --> 00:19:33,428
you're using your hands and feet
340
00:19:33,431 --> 00:19:35,725
to climb the natural features
on the rock
341
00:19:35,891 --> 00:19:38,185
without any assistance
from the rope.
342
00:19:39,854 --> 00:19:41,644
Good job.
Yeah, man.
343
00:19:41,647 --> 00:19:44,439
You take turns
leading each pitch,
344
00:19:44,442 --> 00:19:48,112
placing protection in the cracks
to catch you in case you fall.
345
00:19:49,363 --> 00:19:51,157
Yeah, come on.
You got it.
346
00:19:51,782 --> 00:19:53,367
Ugh! Oh!
347
00:19:56,746 --> 00:19:57,872
If you fall,
348
00:19:59,081 --> 00:20:01,917
you just go back down to the
beginning of that pitch,
349
00:20:03,419 --> 00:20:04,962
and then the other guy tries it.
350
00:20:06,589 --> 00:20:08,004
They have a certain
number of pitches
351
00:20:08,007 --> 00:20:09,967
they're trying to get through
each day
352
00:20:10,176 --> 00:20:12,344
to stay on track
to finish this climb.
353
00:20:13,053 --> 00:20:15,473
The first few pitches
are relatively easy.
354
00:20:16,891 --> 00:20:18,476
But as you get higher
on the wall,
355
00:20:22,354 --> 00:20:23,647
the wall gets steeper,
356
00:20:25,858 --> 00:20:27,193
The holes get smaller,
357
00:20:29,069 --> 00:20:31,030
and the climbing
gets way more difficult.
358
00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:38,788
It's hard to articulate
359
00:20:39,580 --> 00:20:41,624
the level of detail
that's required.
360
00:20:44,627 --> 00:20:48,503
You can't make any mistake
in where you grab the hold
361
00:20:48,506 --> 00:20:50,216
and how you place your toe.
362
00:20:51,175 --> 00:20:54,094
You're pushing and pulling
as hard as you possibly can,
363
00:20:55,513 --> 00:20:57,431
always on the verge
of slipping off.
364
00:21:04,188 --> 00:21:05,439
Oh, no!
365
00:21:05,689 --> 00:21:08,400
Oh!
Oh, foot slip.
366
00:21:10,444 --> 00:21:13,113
We climb all day into the night,
367
00:21:13,364 --> 00:21:17,326
trying the same pitch
until we both do it.
368
00:21:24,416 --> 00:21:25,501
Come on, Tommy!
369
00:21:28,045 --> 00:21:29,547
Come on!
370
00:21:31,715 --> 00:21:33,175
Man, I'm getting tired.
371
00:21:34,301 --> 00:21:36,509
Tommy is just a man possessed.
372
00:21:36,512 --> 00:21:38,764
Come on. Finish this.
373
00:21:40,307 --> 00:21:41,307
Yeah, come on.
374
00:21:43,102 --> 00:21:44,311
Yeah, man.
375
00:21:44,562 --> 00:21:46,146
Yee-hoo!
376
00:21:47,648 --> 00:21:48,938
And I'm just trying to keep up.
377
00:21:48,941 --> 00:21:50,734
You got it, Kevin.
Come on!
378
00:21:50,901 --> 00:21:54,235
Come on! Come on! Come on!
379
00:21:54,238 --> 00:21:56,195
Yeah, that was awesome, dude.
380
00:21:56,198 --> 00:21:57,783
Thank God I didn't fall.
381
00:21:59,034 --> 00:22:00,286
Nice, man.
382
00:22:00,619 --> 00:22:02,451
When you're trying
a big wall like this,
383
00:22:02,454 --> 00:22:04,039
the work does not end
384
00:22:04,164 --> 00:22:06,044
once the climbing is done
at the end of the day.
385
00:22:06,959 --> 00:22:09,712
You've got to haul up
hundreds of pounds of gear,
386
00:22:10,546 --> 00:22:12,128
set up portaledges...
387
00:22:12,131 --> 00:22:13,421
This seems pretty good.
388
00:22:13,424 --> 00:22:15,009
Pretty flat, even, I would say.
389
00:22:16,635 --> 00:22:18,426
...and gag down some food.
390
00:22:18,429 --> 00:22:21,515
I actually brought
a bag of kale on the wall
391
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:24,226
to put it in our burritos. Mm!
392
00:22:30,149 --> 00:22:33,024
This is the hardest thing you
could ever do on your fingers,
393
00:22:33,027 --> 00:22:34,445
climbing this route.
394
00:22:34,778 --> 00:22:36,777
It's just grabbing razor blades.
395
00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:39,947
I tape up any wounds
with Neosporin for healing.
396
00:22:39,950 --> 00:22:43,034
Then I wake up probably twice
in the night and reapply.
397
00:22:43,037 --> 00:22:45,539
Getting pretty obsessed
with my lips.
398
00:22:46,624 --> 00:22:49,040
Then you've got to hope
you can get a little sleep.
399
00:22:49,043 --> 00:22:52,671
The next day is going to be
more of the same, but harder.
400
00:22:53,005 --> 00:22:55,296
And it's going to go on
day after day,
401
00:22:55,299 --> 00:22:58,177
two weeks, three weeks.
Nobody knows.
402
00:23:10,773 --> 00:23:12,149
After Kyrgyzstan,
403
00:23:13,901 --> 00:23:16,487
we're trying to absorb
what had happened.
404
00:23:19,073 --> 00:23:21,617
Beth is really traumatized.
405
00:23:21,950 --> 00:23:24,578
I started to have
nightmares and couldn't sleep.
406
00:23:25,287 --> 00:23:27,487
I did not want to be separated
from Tommy at that point.
407
00:23:28,290 --> 00:23:31,335
Beth and I are bonded like,
at the hip. I'm sort of her rock.
408
00:23:31,627 --> 00:23:34,627
We go to church a few times. We
hadn't been to church in ten years.
409
00:23:34,630 --> 00:23:36,965
We're just searching. We're
like, what does this mean?
410
00:23:37,257 --> 00:23:38,506
We go to a therapist.
411
00:23:38,509 --> 00:23:40,886
It's like nobody knows how
to deal with this situation.
412
00:23:42,930 --> 00:23:44,595
I think my way
of dealing with it
413
00:23:44,598 --> 00:23:47,976
was you just get back on that
horse and go climb again.
414
00:23:51,271 --> 00:23:53,482
This has always been
my safe place,
415
00:23:53,732 --> 00:23:55,442
my way to deal with life.
416
00:23:59,863 --> 00:24:02,449
I didn't know what to think
about Kyrgyzstan.
417
00:24:03,909 --> 00:24:05,825
Part of me was feeling
kind of empowered.
418
00:24:05,828 --> 00:24:08,160
I was like, when the shit
really hit the fan,
419
00:24:08,163 --> 00:24:10,496
I was able to do
what needed to be done
420
00:24:10,499 --> 00:24:11,499
to get us out of there.
421
00:24:12,543 --> 00:24:14,545
Tommy jumped
right back into climbing,
422
00:24:14,753 --> 00:24:17,297
and slowly we got back
into our groove.
423
00:24:18,298 --> 00:24:20,426
We're both
professional rock climbers,
424
00:24:20,884 --> 00:24:23,345
doing these really cool climbs
all over the place.
425
00:24:24,430 --> 00:24:26,887
He started
setting these lofty goals.
426
00:24:26,890 --> 00:24:29,017
Trying to climb
harder and harder routes.
427
00:24:30,185 --> 00:24:32,643
And then, about a year
after Kyrgyzstan,
428
00:24:32,646 --> 00:24:34,732
we were remodeling
this tiny little cabin.
429
00:24:37,109 --> 00:24:41,697
And Tommy was using
his parent's old table saw.
430
00:24:42,656 --> 00:24:44,867
Tommy did something
that you should never do,
431
00:24:44,992 --> 00:24:47,327
which is he tried
to pull a small piece of wood
432
00:24:47,536 --> 00:24:48,620
through the table saw.
433
00:24:49,663 --> 00:24:51,078
If the blade catches
on the wood,
434
00:24:51,081 --> 00:24:52,841
it sucks your hand
right back into the blade.
435
00:24:54,460 --> 00:24:55,583
I heard Tommy scream,
436
00:24:55,586 --> 00:24:57,501
"I fucking cut off my finger,
I cut off my finger."
437
00:24:57,504 --> 00:24:59,503
Completely cut his finger off
instantly.
438
00:24:59,506 --> 00:25:00,796
It was over in the bushes.
439
00:25:00,799 --> 00:25:03,340
Beth finds the finger
laying in this pile of sawdust.
440
00:25:03,343 --> 00:25:05,885
We throw it on ice,
drive to the hospital.
441
00:25:05,888 --> 00:25:08,807
My dad comes in, and he's like,
"You have to fix his finger."
442
00:25:09,433 --> 00:25:11,766
And so for two weeks,
they tried to reattach it.
443
00:25:11,769 --> 00:25:12,933
Three different surgeries.
444
00:25:12,936 --> 00:25:16,023
But it became apparent that the
finger wasn't going to survive.
445
00:25:19,485 --> 00:25:21,650
This one doctor
who was a climber
446
00:25:21,653 --> 00:25:24,236
came in and told Tommy
that he was going to have to
447
00:25:24,239 --> 00:25:25,905
come up with a new career now.
448
00:25:25,908 --> 00:25:29,328
There's no way he was going to
make it as a climber any longer.
449
00:25:30,621 --> 00:25:31,872
Oh, that was...
450
00:25:33,165 --> 00:25:35,706
either the wrong thing
or the right thing to say,
451
00:25:35,709 --> 00:25:37,586
because it sure fired him up.
452
00:25:37,711 --> 00:25:39,293
I was like, "Fuck that guy!
453
00:25:39,296 --> 00:25:40,923
He doesn't know
what I'm capable of."
454
00:25:41,882 --> 00:25:43,882
I remember the first
time he tried to climb.
455
00:25:44,843 --> 00:25:45,844
Good, Tommy.
456
00:25:48,764 --> 00:25:50,349
He was like, "Whoa!"
457
00:25:51,558 --> 00:25:52,807
You know, it's going to be hard.
458
00:25:52,810 --> 00:25:54,102
Good job, sweetie.
459
00:25:54,228 --> 00:25:56,108
When I heard
he cut his finger off, I go,
460
00:25:56,230 --> 00:25:58,357
"Well, so much
for Tommy Caldwell."
461
00:25:58,690 --> 00:26:00,064
The grip in climbing is,
462
00:26:00,067 --> 00:26:02,566
you wrap your thumb
over your finger like that
463
00:26:02,569 --> 00:26:04,276
and pull down
on the little edges,
464
00:26:04,279 --> 00:26:07,741
and if there's no finger there,
the physics are all wrong.
465
00:26:11,537 --> 00:26:12,663
I don't know about that.
466
00:26:13,747 --> 00:26:16,205
Everybody around me,
except for Beth and my parents,
467
00:26:16,208 --> 00:26:19,044
looked at me, and they're like, "He's done.
That's so sad."
468
00:26:20,379 --> 00:26:22,169
I knew it wasn't
going to be easy.
469
00:26:22,172 --> 00:26:24,383
But ever since Kyrgyzstan,
470
00:26:24,800 --> 00:26:26,257
I just have this fire in me
471
00:26:26,260 --> 00:26:29,137
that is different than
anything I've had before.
472
00:26:31,265 --> 00:26:34,974
He had all these jars
of rice and beans and gravel.
473
00:26:34,977 --> 00:26:37,393
He's supposed to jam
that nub of a finger in there.
474
00:26:37,396 --> 00:26:39,311
I just abused the thing
475
00:26:39,314 --> 00:26:41,400
to retrain the nerves,
to toughen them up.
476
00:26:44,069 --> 00:26:46,738
Those six days of captivity
in Kyrgyzstan
477
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:51,952
were so profoundly painful.
478
00:26:54,913 --> 00:26:57,249
At first, I felt overwhelmed
479
00:26:57,374 --> 00:27:01,128
with fear and fatigue
and hunger.
480
00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:05,299
But at some point,
I felt something come over me,
481
00:27:05,841 --> 00:27:07,926
this reserve of energy,
482
00:27:09,261 --> 00:27:10,262
this confidence.
483
00:27:11,013 --> 00:27:13,178
I knew I was cold,
I knew I was hungry,
484
00:27:13,181 --> 00:27:14,933
but those things
didn't matter anymore.
485
00:27:21,940 --> 00:27:26,653
I think we all have this idea
of where our limits lie.
486
00:27:27,779 --> 00:27:28,819
If you're hurting really bad,
487
00:27:28,822 --> 00:27:31,408
you get to a point where you're
like, "I can't endure any more."
488
00:27:32,242 --> 00:27:35,537
And it takes something
to force you past that.
489
00:27:36,830 --> 00:27:41,043
In Kyrgyzstan, I realized
that my preconceived limits
490
00:27:41,543 --> 00:27:43,712
were totally off base,
491
00:27:45,797 --> 00:27:47,630
that we're capable
of so much more
492
00:27:47,633 --> 00:27:50,052
than we really
could ever imagine.
493
00:27:56,183 --> 00:27:58,182
There was this really
hard climb nobody had done
494
00:27:58,185 --> 00:28:00,434
that he tried the year
before he cut off his finger,
495
00:28:00,437 --> 00:28:02,105
and he couldn't do it.
Come on, Tommy.
496
00:28:02,731 --> 00:28:04,939
A year later, he came back
without the finger
497
00:28:04,942 --> 00:28:06,401
and he did it.
498
00:28:06,985 --> 00:28:08,904
He cuts off his finger.
499
00:28:09,029 --> 00:28:11,487
"Oh, no big deal. I'll just
get better after that."
500
00:28:11,490 --> 00:28:13,450
I have no idea
how that's possible.
501
00:28:15,994 --> 00:28:19,078
That's when Tommy took his game
502
00:28:19,081 --> 00:28:21,458
to the biggest stage on Earth,
which is El Cap.
503
00:28:22,584 --> 00:28:23,582
At that time,
504
00:28:23,585 --> 00:28:26,752
there were only a few free
climbs that went up El Cap.
505
00:28:26,755 --> 00:28:29,424
Some of the hardest,
big wall climbs ever done.
506
00:28:29,967 --> 00:28:32,091
Just to climb
one of these routes
507
00:28:32,094 --> 00:28:35,219
would have been
a monumental achievement
508
00:28:35,222 --> 00:28:37,015
for the best climbers
in the world.
509
00:28:37,599 --> 00:28:39,640
And then Tommy
walks into the Valley,
510
00:28:39,643 --> 00:28:41,144
missing a finger,
511
00:28:42,437 --> 00:28:45,274
and just started knocking them
down, one after the other.
512
00:28:45,899 --> 00:28:49,069
Over the next five
years, he went on a rampage.
513
00:28:49,653 --> 00:28:52,319
I did basically all
the existing routes on El Cap.
514
00:28:52,322 --> 00:28:54,071
Salathe Wall.
The Zodiac.
515
00:28:54,074 --> 00:28:55,030
El Corazon.
516
00:28:55,033 --> 00:28:56,240
Golden Gate.
The Nose.
517
00:28:56,243 --> 00:28:58,575
Then he starts
speed climbing these routes,
518
00:28:58,578 --> 00:28:59,997
linking one into the other.
519
00:29:00,414 --> 00:29:02,291
Two El Cap routes in a day.
520
00:29:03,208 --> 00:29:05,043
6,000 feet of climbing.
521
00:29:05,460 --> 00:29:06,834
That was unheard-of.
522
00:29:06,837 --> 00:29:09,044
You did it!
Oh, my goodness.
523
00:29:09,047 --> 00:29:11,588
And then I started looking
for new routes.
524
00:29:11,591 --> 00:29:15,175
Tommy started
looking between the lines
525
00:29:15,178 --> 00:29:16,927
for his own first ascents.
526
00:29:16,930 --> 00:29:19,388
It added that
element of the unknown,
527
00:29:19,391 --> 00:29:22,602
this what-if, like,
maybe that could be climbed.
528
00:29:24,104 --> 00:29:26,353
I think Tommy
had become hypnotized
529
00:29:26,356 --> 00:29:29,523
trying to figure out,
where is the ultimate limit?
530
00:29:29,526 --> 00:29:30,777
Oh, shit.
531
00:29:32,571 --> 00:29:35,404
I did the first
ascent of the Muir Wall.
532
00:29:35,407 --> 00:29:37,656
The West Buttress.
Dihedral Wall.
533
00:29:37,659 --> 00:29:38,866
Magic Mushroom.
534
00:29:38,869 --> 00:29:41,413
Anybody that does a
first ascent on El Capitan
535
00:29:41,580 --> 00:29:43,040
has their place in history
forever.
536
00:29:43,623 --> 00:29:45,083
Tommy did five of them.
537
00:29:45,584 --> 00:29:48,250
Anything he could
dream up, he did it.
538
00:29:48,253 --> 00:29:51,423
And everyone in the climbing
world is like, "What the hell?"
539
00:29:53,425 --> 00:29:54,923
He's Mr. El Cap.
540
00:29:54,926 --> 00:29:57,429
The best big wall climber ever.
541
00:29:59,431 --> 00:30:01,975
And Beth was
with him all the time,
542
00:30:02,642 --> 00:30:04,978
climbing all of these routes
together.
543
00:30:05,479 --> 00:30:07,394
We just poured our
hearts into climbing
544
00:30:07,397 --> 00:30:10,397
and supporting each other
on these goals.
545
00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:11,860
It was quite a team.
546
00:30:13,403 --> 00:30:16,198
They were known as the
first couple of climbing.
547
00:30:17,282 --> 00:30:19,368
There was one word,
Beth and Tommy.
548
00:30:22,829 --> 00:30:24,081
We get married.
549
00:30:24,414 --> 00:30:27,793
We ended up buying property
like 20 minutes from El Capitan
550
00:30:28,001 --> 00:30:29,378
and building a house there.
551
00:30:30,212 --> 00:30:31,254
We're nearly there!
552
00:30:32,214 --> 00:30:33,796
We were just
going to live in Yosemite
553
00:30:33,799 --> 00:30:35,926
and raise our kids there
and keep climbing.
554
00:30:36,468 --> 00:30:39,009
I was good friends
with them both,
555
00:30:39,012 --> 00:30:40,844
and we were next-door neighbors.
556
00:30:40,847 --> 00:30:42,304
They seemed so happy.
557
00:30:42,307 --> 00:30:43,931
I'm like, wow, this life
558
00:30:43,934 --> 00:30:46,392
that I never even saw coming
in the first place
559
00:30:46,395 --> 00:30:48,480
is starting to
just magically appear.
560
00:30:50,690 --> 00:30:54,483
Things are going
seemingly really well,
561
00:30:54,486 --> 00:30:56,738
at least from my mind.
562
00:30:58,281 --> 00:31:02,661
But I'm noticing, over time,
little cracks started to form.
563
00:31:04,037 --> 00:31:07,874
The first inklings of almost
hostility towards me.
564
00:31:08,375 --> 00:31:09,960
There was all this
weird tension.
565
00:31:10,710 --> 00:31:11,708
And I was just like,
566
00:31:11,711 --> 00:31:14,420
well, we've been together
for eight years now.
567
00:31:14,423 --> 00:31:16,422
Marriages go through
troubling times.
568
00:31:16,425 --> 00:31:20,637
We'll get through this
and just keep climbing.
569
00:31:22,514 --> 00:31:24,850
I think there was
a natural growing apart,
570
00:31:25,725 --> 00:31:28,353
desires we had
outside of climbing.
571
00:31:30,313 --> 00:31:33,063
I think going through
a super intense experience
572
00:31:33,066 --> 00:31:34,234
like Kyrgyzstan...
573
00:31:36,361 --> 00:31:37,654
I mean, we were so young.
574
00:31:38,363 --> 00:31:41,280
Years later, there's probably a
lot that started to come out,
575
00:31:41,283 --> 00:31:42,701
healing that I hadn't done.
576
00:31:43,034 --> 00:31:47,703
And at some point,
the climbing we had
577
00:31:47,706 --> 00:31:49,791
wasn't enough give
to hold it together anymore.
578
00:31:51,334 --> 00:31:52,624
In Kyrgyzstan,
579
00:31:52,627 --> 00:31:56,506
Beth was extremely traumatized
by those six days,
580
00:31:56,756 --> 00:31:58,925
and Tommy was the person
who saved them.
581
00:31:59,426 --> 00:32:01,341
And so from that, I think
582
00:32:01,344 --> 00:32:04,598
a sort of dependency
probably developed
583
00:32:04,806 --> 00:32:09,186
that isn't necessarily
the same thing as true love.
584
00:32:10,604 --> 00:32:11,768
Eventually,
585
00:32:11,771 --> 00:32:14,441
she started feeling something
for somebody else.
586
00:32:15,859 --> 00:32:16,943
And...
587
00:32:19,571 --> 00:32:21,653
I don't know
how to summarize this.
588
00:32:21,656 --> 00:32:24,409
This is kind of a hard thing
to talk about, but...
589
00:32:24,951 --> 00:32:27,826
that relationship with her and
this other man just solidified
590
00:32:27,829 --> 00:32:29,828
in a way that she couldn't
walk away from that anymore.
591
00:32:29,831 --> 00:32:31,551
And she wanted that more
than she wanted me.
592
00:32:36,630 --> 00:32:39,841
Once the divorce
fully happened, I...
593
00:32:42,302 --> 00:32:44,638
Yeah, I was just crushed.
594
00:32:46,389 --> 00:32:48,850
I drove to the rim
of Yosemite Valley
595
00:32:49,392 --> 00:32:51,728
and was looking across
at El Capitan.
596
00:32:53,897 --> 00:32:57,150
It felt like
El Cap was all I had.
597
00:33:02,531 --> 00:33:03,695
Early in the morning,
598
00:33:03,698 --> 00:33:07,244
there's this one panel of the
Wall that illuminates first.
599
00:33:14,292 --> 00:33:16,545
That's why it's called
the Dawn Wall.
600
00:33:19,756 --> 00:33:22,425
The last unclimbed
big swath of stone.
601
00:33:23,635 --> 00:33:25,926
I had looked at it
a little bit before and knew
602
00:33:25,929 --> 00:33:28,598
that it was way too hard,
I'd never be able to do it.
603
00:33:30,559 --> 00:33:32,432
But I was just hurting so bad
604
00:33:32,435 --> 00:33:34,275
that I had to figure out
a distraction in life.
605
00:33:34,396 --> 00:33:37,983
I couldn't just sit there
and feel the pain.
606
00:33:40,527 --> 00:33:43,443
I decided to go up there alone
607
00:33:43,446 --> 00:33:46,825
and beat myself up on the Wall
as just a way to cope.
608
00:33:51,997 --> 00:33:54,416
I walked around the back
to the top of El Cap.
609
00:33:57,460 --> 00:33:59,504
I started rappelling down
from above.
610
00:33:59,879 --> 00:34:02,215
And I put in a camp
so I could stay up there.
611
00:34:03,883 --> 00:34:06,258
And I started going through
this process
612
00:34:06,261 --> 00:34:10,056
of searching for a way to climb
this section of the Wall.
613
00:34:13,768 --> 00:34:16,479
The specific path
was totally unknown.
614
00:34:18,523 --> 00:34:20,525
You look for weaknesses
in the rock.
615
00:34:21,818 --> 00:34:24,362
Corners that you can wedge
your body into.
616
00:34:25,030 --> 00:34:27,032
Cracks for your hands and toes.
617
00:34:27,699 --> 00:34:29,492
Little edges
for your fingertips.
618
00:34:30,452 --> 00:34:32,659
Anything that you could
possibly grab onto
619
00:34:32,662 --> 00:34:34,497
that would make this wall
climbable.
620
00:34:39,919 --> 00:34:41,671
At first, it was just
hanging on the rope,
621
00:34:43,798 --> 00:34:45,380
analyzing the surface
of the rock
622
00:34:45,383 --> 00:34:46,760
to see if there was holds.
623
00:34:51,848 --> 00:34:54,389
Just finding something
to obsess about
624
00:34:54,392 --> 00:34:56,853
so I wouldn't obsess
about my divorce.
625
00:34:57,979 --> 00:34:59,728
I think it's probably important
626
00:34:59,731 --> 00:35:03,109
that it was an impossible
level of rock climbing.
627
00:35:03,818 --> 00:35:07,653
When you absorb yourself
in some magnificent challenge,
628
00:35:07,656 --> 00:35:11,034
there is no space to be
thinking about anything else.
629
00:35:14,245 --> 00:35:15,622
You know, if you're heartbroken,
630
00:35:15,830 --> 00:35:18,375
just throw yourself
into an impossible wall.
631
00:35:20,251 --> 00:35:22,292
So I was sitting up
there through this storm.
632
00:35:22,295 --> 00:35:24,047
My wife has left me.
633
00:35:24,589 --> 00:35:26,713
She was the only person
I had climbed with
634
00:35:26,716 --> 00:35:29,344
for, like, ten years.
635
00:35:30,595 --> 00:35:32,177
In my portaledge at night,
636
00:35:32,180 --> 00:35:34,933
weeping and really
feeling sorry for myself,
637
00:35:35,767 --> 00:35:37,766
trying to find
this elusive thing
638
00:35:37,769 --> 00:35:39,437
that probably didn't even exist.
639
00:35:42,232 --> 00:35:43,441
I was concerned.
640
00:35:43,566 --> 00:35:45,941
He just seemed to be suffering
at that point.
641
00:35:45,944 --> 00:35:48,193
And I wanted to see
what this was all about,
642
00:35:48,196 --> 00:35:51,324
so early on in the game
I went up there with him.
643
00:35:52,200 --> 00:35:54,577
I convinced my dad to
come up there and belay me,
644
00:35:55,745 --> 00:35:58,623
so I could start actually trying
to climb sections of the route.
645
00:36:01,501 --> 00:36:03,586
What the heck?
646
00:36:04,629 --> 00:36:07,421
I really had my doubts as
to whether it was going to be
647
00:36:07,424 --> 00:36:08,550
a viable climb.
648
00:36:09,426 --> 00:36:10,799
Be safe.
I will.
649
00:36:10,802 --> 00:36:12,676
Get strong.
Yep.
650
00:36:12,679 --> 00:36:14,347
But during that period of time,
651
00:36:14,806 --> 00:36:17,559
he became convinced
that it was somehow possible.
652
00:36:20,562 --> 00:36:22,477
Tommy spent an entire year
653
00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,650
swinging around looking for
a route up the Dawn Wall,
654
00:36:28,570 --> 00:36:30,363
trying to connect the dots
655
00:36:30,572 --> 00:36:33,029
from the bottom
all the way to the top
656
00:36:33,032 --> 00:36:36,286
so you can someday hope
to free climb the whole thing.
657
00:36:37,495 --> 00:36:40,078
Eventually, I found a route
658
00:36:40,081 --> 00:36:42,417
that seemed like
it was theoretically possible,
659
00:36:43,334 --> 00:36:45,587
like I found the path
through the maze maybe.
660
00:36:46,921 --> 00:36:47,878
But I realized
661
00:36:47,881 --> 00:36:50,383
there was no way I was going
to be able to do this alone.
662
00:36:51,134 --> 00:36:53,762
It's just a monumental project.
663
00:36:55,305 --> 00:36:58,391
Without Beth,
I needed to find a partner,
664
00:37:01,102 --> 00:37:02,979
somebody that I could rely on
665
00:37:04,856 --> 00:37:06,524
to help me solve this puzzle.
666
00:37:32,133 --> 00:37:34,219
I should wake Kevin
up with some coffee.
667
00:37:38,389 --> 00:37:39,474
Just stretching.
668
00:37:40,225 --> 00:37:41,392
That's a good idea.
669
00:37:42,143 --> 00:37:44,684
I felt a little rugged
when I first woke up.
670
00:37:44,687 --> 00:37:45,730
But how are you feeling?
671
00:37:46,022 --> 00:37:48,522
Still stuffy and sore throat.
Kind of achy.
672
00:37:48,525 --> 00:37:50,285
Yeah. I think I got
whatever you got.
673
00:37:56,741 --> 00:37:59,699
After the first
couple of days on the Wall,
674
00:37:59,702 --> 00:38:02,285
there's a small little cadre
of people down in the meadow
675
00:38:02,288 --> 00:38:03,706
following their progress.
676
00:38:04,457 --> 00:38:06,748
You can get a telescope
or a pair of binoculars,
677
00:38:06,751 --> 00:38:08,583
look up at this spectacle
happening.
678
00:38:08,586 --> 00:38:10,126
Oh, my God.
679
00:38:10,129 --> 00:38:12,173
Is he naked or what?
680
00:38:14,717 --> 00:38:15,966
My name is Tom Evans.
681
00:38:15,969 --> 00:38:18,513
I've been for many years
photographing climbers on El Cap.
682
00:38:19,180 --> 00:38:20,428
I usually don't come
in the winter,
683
00:38:20,431 --> 00:38:22,392
but this is big news
in climbing.
684
00:38:22,767 --> 00:38:24,894
And we've all been pulling
for him for many years.
685
00:38:25,395 --> 00:38:26,768
I was on a little
vacation from work,
686
00:38:26,771 --> 00:38:28,645
and I decided to come out
from Sacramento
687
00:38:28,648 --> 00:38:30,942
to watch these guys climb
the Dawn Wall.
688
00:38:31,192 --> 00:38:32,902
It's definitely
a moment in history.
689
00:38:33,695 --> 00:38:35,485
To be able to be a part
of that and witness it
690
00:38:35,488 --> 00:38:36,781
is pretty phenomenal.
691
00:38:39,784 --> 00:38:41,035
Pushing forward.
692
00:38:42,412 --> 00:38:46,916
From here on up, every pitch
is pretty legit.
693
00:38:48,835 --> 00:38:50,628
We've got to pace ourselves.
694
00:38:51,462 --> 00:38:53,548
Maybe one or two pitches a day.
695
00:38:55,133 --> 00:38:56,133
Come on, Tommy.
696
00:38:59,512 --> 00:39:00,512
Good.
697
00:39:01,389 --> 00:39:02,640
Good, Tommy. Come on.
698
00:39:05,184 --> 00:39:06,227
Nice.
699
00:39:06,811 --> 00:39:07,854
Yeah.
700
00:39:12,859 --> 00:39:13,902
Come on.
701
00:39:14,485 --> 00:39:15,485
You got it.
702
00:39:16,195 --> 00:39:17,864
Yeah. Yeah, Kevin.
703
00:39:18,197 --> 00:39:19,240
Nice, dude.
704
00:39:20,617 --> 00:39:22,493
Cool.
Dude, that was sick.
705
00:39:22,827 --> 00:39:27,206
It's day three on the Wall,
and we sent pitch 10.
706
00:39:28,124 --> 00:39:29,539
Yeah!
707
00:39:29,542 --> 00:39:31,124
Yeah. Boom.
708
00:39:31,127 --> 00:39:33,087
Things are going good.
Things are going good.
709
00:39:34,797 --> 00:39:36,922
And the forecast is calling
710
00:39:36,925 --> 00:39:39,758
for super cold windy temps
tomorrow,
711
00:39:39,761 --> 00:39:40,929
so we're going to rest.
712
00:39:43,389 --> 00:39:45,141
Urgent weather message.
713
00:39:45,892 --> 00:39:49,812
Winds, 50 miles per hour
with gusts 75 or higher.
714
00:39:50,271 --> 00:39:53,191
Impact... downed trees,
downed power lines,
715
00:39:53,483 --> 00:39:56,110
flying portaledges.
716
00:39:58,696 --> 00:40:00,987
These guys are up there
in the middle of winter,
717
00:40:00,990 --> 00:40:02,367
which is almost unheard-of.
718
00:40:02,867 --> 00:40:05,075
But they need it to be
as cold as possible
719
00:40:05,078 --> 00:40:07,121
so they can stick
to the tiny holds
720
00:40:07,997 --> 00:40:09,540
There's nobody else on the Wall.
721
00:40:10,124 --> 00:40:13,002
Last night, the temperature
dropped 30 degrees.
722
00:40:14,003 --> 00:40:16,419
To be up there
under these conditions,
723
00:40:16,422 --> 00:40:18,466
it's horrendous.
I don't know how they do it.
724
00:40:23,262 --> 00:40:24,844
Carabiners, locked.
725
00:40:24,847 --> 00:40:28,142
The windchill's like
negative 20 or something.
726
00:40:28,518 --> 00:40:30,311
How you feeling over there, KJ?
727
00:40:33,064 --> 00:40:34,732
It's getting pretty rowdy.
728
00:40:35,400 --> 00:40:38,027
On El Cap, the wind
blows straight up the wall.
729
00:40:38,277 --> 00:40:41,739
The ledge would float up
and, bang, back into the wall.
730
00:40:44,993 --> 00:40:46,035
Oh, boy.
731
00:40:46,995 --> 00:40:48,746
Tommy feels right at home.
732
00:40:55,211 --> 00:40:56,626
I don't know
what's wrong with me,
733
00:40:56,629 --> 00:40:57,839
but I love this shit.
734
00:41:02,010 --> 00:41:04,130
It might be smart
to stay in the ledges today.
735
00:41:06,973 --> 00:41:09,684
Because of the
windstorm the day before,
736
00:41:11,602 --> 00:41:13,354
all of this moisture froze,
737
00:41:13,479 --> 00:41:16,315
like salt on a Margarita glass
on the top of El Cap.
738
00:41:17,275 --> 00:41:19,819
And as soon as the sun
hit the top of the Wall,
739
00:41:20,403 --> 00:41:23,239
that ice just started
to shower down
740
00:41:25,867 --> 00:41:26,867
on top of us.
741
00:41:31,664 --> 00:41:34,375
These missiles
flying by our camp.
742
00:41:34,584 --> 00:41:36,419
You hear it before you see it.
743
00:41:37,587 --> 00:41:39,964
I'm like, this is kind of
like a deadly situation.
744
00:41:42,341 --> 00:41:44,924
That was fucked up.
Did you get hit by any big ones?
745
00:41:44,927 --> 00:41:46,763
No, but that was just pure luck.
746
00:41:48,473 --> 00:41:49,557
That was scary.
747
00:41:49,807 --> 00:41:51,097
I hate that shit.
748
00:41:51,100 --> 00:41:53,728
Here come some more big chunks.
Tommy forgot his helmet.
749
00:41:54,604 --> 00:41:55,897
Heads up, Tommy.
750
00:41:58,441 --> 00:42:01,816
Tommy doesn't seem too concerned.
What the fuck?
751
00:42:01,819 --> 00:42:02,820
What's new?
752
00:42:03,696 --> 00:42:06,699
Tommy, he was made
for something like this.
753
00:42:07,033 --> 00:42:09,324
But for me, it took a long time
754
00:42:09,327 --> 00:42:11,662
to get comfortable on the Wall.
755
00:42:12,789 --> 00:42:15,458
You can understand, Tommy
grew up in the mountains.
756
00:42:15,750 --> 00:42:18,416
He'd spent the better part
of his adult life
757
00:42:18,419 --> 00:42:20,421
on El Capitan
trying to do free climbs.
758
00:42:21,422 --> 00:42:25,384
But this guy Kevin, was raised
in Santa Rosa, I think.
759
00:42:25,802 --> 00:42:27,136
You know, wine country.
760
00:42:28,513 --> 00:42:31,971
There's not a lot of rock
climbing in Santa Rosa, California.
761
00:42:31,974 --> 00:42:34,102
First ascent.
Yeah!
762
00:42:34,477 --> 00:42:35,895
Don't fall on the Camaro.
763
00:42:37,605 --> 00:42:40,024
I found climbing
through the local gym.
764
00:42:42,110 --> 00:42:44,442
Bye, honey. Have fun.
Bye, Mom.
765
00:42:44,445 --> 00:42:45,568
Drive careful.
766
00:42:45,571 --> 00:42:48,279
I got really into this
particular form of climbing
767
00:42:48,282 --> 00:42:49,282
called bouldering.
768
00:42:50,159 --> 00:42:52,578
It's typically 30 feet or less.
769
00:42:53,454 --> 00:42:54,914
Doesn't require any gear.
770
00:42:55,998 --> 00:42:58,126
Bouldering's just about
athleticism
771
00:42:58,709 --> 00:43:00,795
and difficulty
in its purest form.
772
00:43:04,632 --> 00:43:05,839
Bouldering is all about
773
00:43:05,842 --> 00:43:07,969
trying the hardest
individual moves.
774
00:43:10,930 --> 00:43:13,808
And Kevin quickly became
very, very talented.
775
00:43:15,518 --> 00:43:17,311
He was one of the best
in the world.
776
00:43:20,189 --> 00:43:21,941
But only up to about 30 feet.
777
00:43:24,443 --> 00:43:28,739
In 2009, I was at the
top of my game in bouldering
778
00:43:29,448 --> 00:43:32,326
and looking for something new.
779
00:43:34,328 --> 00:43:38,288
I kept hearing about
this futuristic thing
780
00:43:38,291 --> 00:43:39,331
that Tommy was working on.
781
00:43:40,334 --> 00:43:42,667
I had zero big wall experience.
782
00:43:42,670 --> 00:43:44,544
Tommy and I
didn't know each other at all.
783
00:43:44,547 --> 00:43:47,005
But I just sent him a message
out of the blue.
784
00:43:47,008 --> 00:43:48,168
"Hey, do you need a partner?"
785
00:43:48,467 --> 00:43:52,263
And to my utter shock, he said,
"Meet me in Yosemite in October."
786
00:43:53,973 --> 00:43:55,683
I knew Kevin by reputation.
787
00:43:55,933 --> 00:43:58,352
He was this amazingly strong
bouldering kid.
788
00:43:58,603 --> 00:44:00,163
And I thought to myself,
"What the heck?
789
00:44:00,438 --> 00:44:02,148
Maybe he could be an asset."
790
00:44:02,982 --> 00:44:04,692
Plus, he was the only one
interested.
791
00:44:04,901 --> 00:44:07,653
Everybody else
thought I was crazy.
792
00:44:09,655 --> 00:44:10,570
Show up.
793
00:44:10,573 --> 00:44:12,488
I remember standing there
with Tommy,
794
00:44:12,491 --> 00:44:14,157
who's a legend figure
in my life.
795
00:44:14,160 --> 00:44:15,953
I feel like such a fucking dork.
796
00:44:16,913 --> 00:44:18,915
Who am I?
I've never climbed El Cap.
797
00:44:19,290 --> 00:44:20,333
What a noob.
798
00:44:20,917 --> 00:44:22,290
Fiddling around on boulders,
799
00:44:22,293 --> 00:44:24,459
that's a far cry
from being on El Capitan.
800
00:44:24,462 --> 00:44:26,672
First thing I had
to do was test him.
801
00:44:28,507 --> 00:44:30,840
I gave him like
an 80 pound haul bag.
802
00:44:30,843 --> 00:44:32,345
A soul crushing load.
803
00:44:32,762 --> 00:44:34,552
We hiked to the top of El Cap.
804
00:44:34,555 --> 00:44:36,098
We spent the night on top.
805
00:44:36,682 --> 00:44:38,100
Woke up early the next day...
806
00:44:38,309 --> 00:44:40,311
It's 3:15 in the morning.
807
00:44:40,645 --> 00:44:42,268
Cooking up a little breakfast.
808
00:44:42,271 --> 00:44:44,511
You never get up at 3:00 in
the morning to go bouldering.
809
00:44:45,733 --> 00:44:47,533
...and start
rappelling down the face.
810
00:44:51,781 --> 00:44:53,574
You start walking backwards.
811
00:44:55,034 --> 00:44:57,870
It's like stepping off
the edge of the Earth.
812
00:45:06,003 --> 00:45:09,298
You instantly have 3,000 feet
of exposure under your butt.
813
00:45:12,969 --> 00:45:14,011
Oh, my God!
814
00:45:16,472 --> 00:45:18,262
How's it going up there, Kev?
815
00:45:18,265 --> 00:45:20,351
Good, I got the bag.
And my shoes?
816
00:45:20,601 --> 00:45:22,645
And your shoes.
Cool, thank you.
817
00:45:24,063 --> 00:45:26,899
It's scary to be a total
beginner again.
818
00:45:27,441 --> 00:45:28,681
I don't know any of this stuff.
819
00:45:30,194 --> 00:45:32,905
Trying to figure out
how to jumar a fixed line.
820
00:45:35,741 --> 00:45:37,410
How to set up a portaledge.
821
00:45:45,584 --> 00:45:47,041
Sorry, Kevin.
822
00:45:47,044 --> 00:45:49,005
I'll just hold
this quarter in. It's cool.
823
00:45:50,548 --> 00:45:53,342
How to take a dump
on the side of the Wall.
824
00:45:53,843 --> 00:45:55,886
They get every moment.
Close up.
825
00:45:59,265 --> 00:46:01,976
At this point, I have
no idea what I'm getting into,
826
00:46:04,061 --> 00:46:06,981
no idea that it's about to
consume six years of my life.
827
00:46:09,150 --> 00:46:11,861
When Kevin joined on with Tommy,
828
00:46:13,195 --> 00:46:15,489
it was the first time
since getting divorced
829
00:46:15,906 --> 00:46:17,533
that Tommy had a partner.
830
00:46:19,160 --> 00:46:21,117
There's two bolts
and then an old bolt.
831
00:46:21,120 --> 00:46:24,165
I didn't know
what we were up against,
832
00:46:24,874 --> 00:46:27,918
but I was going on faith
that this is Tommy's world.
833
00:46:28,502 --> 00:46:31,714
He's got the clear vision
of what this could be.
834
00:46:32,256 --> 00:46:33,924
And I'm just going
to trust that.
835
00:46:37,386 --> 00:46:39,135
The basic strategy early on
836
00:46:39,138 --> 00:46:41,262
was not to climb the route
from the bottom.
837
00:46:41,265 --> 00:46:43,931
It was to identify
the hardest sections
838
00:46:43,934 --> 00:46:45,600
and focus on those first.
839
00:46:45,603 --> 00:46:48,269
There were
all these question marks.
840
00:46:48,272 --> 00:46:49,272
Come on, Tommy.
841
00:46:49,899 --> 00:46:51,108
Okay, take it there.
842
00:46:51,609 --> 00:46:54,150
Oh, I got the pinch with my
right hand instead of my left.
843
00:46:54,153 --> 00:46:55,154
Working it out.
844
00:46:55,821 --> 00:46:56,989
Constantly working it out.
845
00:46:58,616 --> 00:47:01,952
Early on, most of it was
figuring out what didn't work.
846
00:47:08,209 --> 00:47:09,499
Right in the middle of the Wall,
847
00:47:09,502 --> 00:47:11,212
we were gonna have to
traverse it sideways.
848
00:47:12,004 --> 00:47:13,089
Come on.
849
00:47:16,801 --> 00:47:18,135
Come on.
850
00:47:18,803 --> 00:47:20,221
I don't see any holds,
851
00:47:20,638 --> 00:47:23,224
but I try to harness
some of Tommy's optimism.
852
00:47:26,060 --> 00:47:27,225
After the traverse,
853
00:47:27,228 --> 00:47:30,189
there's this eight and a
half foot blank section.
854
00:47:30,648 --> 00:47:32,066
Completely smooth.
855
00:47:32,191 --> 00:47:34,610
Nothing that you could even
get your fingernails behind.
856
00:47:35,236 --> 00:47:37,446
The only way was to just leap.
857
00:47:38,948 --> 00:47:40,574
This crazy dynamic move.
858
00:47:41,117 --> 00:47:42,118
The Dyno.
859
00:47:42,409 --> 00:47:44,117
I didn't really believe
it would be possible
860
00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:45,830
until I saw Kevin try it.
861
00:47:47,123 --> 00:47:49,542
Yeah, man. It was close.
862
00:47:49,708 --> 00:47:51,085
He showed me that it was.
863
00:47:51,585 --> 00:47:53,045
Come on. All you got.
864
00:47:54,588 --> 00:47:57,338
Above the Dyno,
you have pitch after pitch
865
00:47:57,341 --> 00:47:59,093
of have super smooth granite,
866
00:47:59,635 --> 00:48:01,178
extremely polished.
867
00:48:02,096 --> 00:48:04,220
Because of Tommy's
missing index finger,
868
00:48:04,223 --> 00:48:07,518
he's using his thumbs
in crazy ways.
869
00:48:11,772 --> 00:48:12,815
Shit.
870
00:48:16,402 --> 00:48:18,401
Holy crap, that is hard.
871
00:48:18,404 --> 00:48:20,531
13B. 13D.
872
00:48:21,574 --> 00:48:23,865
13C. 14A.
873
00:48:23,868 --> 00:48:26,868
To understand
the difficulty of this route,
874
00:48:26,871 --> 00:48:30,499
you have to understand
climbing grades.
875
00:48:31,458 --> 00:48:33,541
Climbers use a numerical system
876
00:48:33,544 --> 00:48:35,960
to rate the difficulty
of each pitch.
877
00:48:35,963 --> 00:48:38,838
The higher the number,
the harder the pitch.
878
00:48:38,841 --> 00:48:41,719
Once you get into
513 and 514 level,
879
00:48:42,094 --> 00:48:43,888
that's virtuoso territory.
880
00:48:45,806 --> 00:48:48,222
The Dawn Wall
has more hard pitches
881
00:48:48,225 --> 00:48:51,854
than every other route
on El Cap combined.
882
00:49:00,321 --> 00:49:01,569
I always thought it was futile
883
00:49:01,572 --> 00:49:03,237
in terms of doing
the whole thing.
884
00:49:05,326 --> 00:49:07,328
This is a pipe dream, man.
Come on.
885
00:49:08,537 --> 00:49:10,581
The next few years were a grind.
886
00:49:11,457 --> 00:49:16,545
Coming back every spring and every
fall, for months at a time.
887
00:49:19,757 --> 00:49:22,218
Come on.
888
00:49:22,551 --> 00:49:23,594
Whoa!
889
00:49:23,886 --> 00:49:26,263
Living on the Wall
takes a huge toll.
890
00:49:27,514 --> 00:49:29,391
This is what El Cap
does to your feet.
891
00:49:29,934 --> 00:49:32,099
We'd stay up there a few days...
892
00:49:32,102 --> 00:49:34,897
Oh, my God.
That's a lot of air time.
893
00:49:36,065 --> 00:49:38,150
...go down, rest,
894
00:49:38,776 --> 00:49:39,774
try again.
895
00:49:39,777 --> 00:49:42,777
There were always
new problems to face.
896
00:49:42,780 --> 00:49:43,781
Get out of here!
897
00:49:46,408 --> 00:49:48,410
Come on, Kevin. Do it, man.
898
00:49:50,162 --> 00:49:52,036
Really close.
Oh, I sprained my ankle.
899
00:49:52,039 --> 00:49:53,624
Are you okay, man?
Oh, shit.
900
00:49:54,124 --> 00:49:56,085
So many reasons to give up.
901
00:49:57,628 --> 00:49:59,168
Oh, shit.
902
00:49:59,171 --> 00:50:01,799
Man, I think I have
broke or dislocated ribs.
903
00:50:02,591 --> 00:50:04,051
We're heading to the clinic.
904
00:50:04,176 --> 00:50:05,466
Maybe they'll just
pop it back in.
905
00:50:05,469 --> 00:50:07,972
They will, and we'll
go back up later tonight.
906
00:50:09,181 --> 00:50:10,474
But Tommy was committed.
907
00:50:12,977 --> 00:50:14,684
Come on, Kevin!
Come on!
908
00:50:14,687 --> 00:50:17,478
There were times
I thought he was totally crazy.
909
00:50:17,481 --> 00:50:18,481
Come on!
910
00:50:21,652 --> 00:50:23,192
Yee-hoo!
911
00:50:23,195 --> 00:50:25,322
Whoo! Ow-ow!
912
00:50:30,411 --> 00:50:32,171
When we weren't
together on the Wall,
913
00:50:33,330 --> 00:50:35,791
we would go home
to our own worlds,
914
00:50:36,625 --> 00:50:38,294
check in on loved ones.
915
00:50:41,005 --> 00:50:43,674
It's gross. I can see the oil
on your hair.
916
00:50:45,384 --> 00:50:48,053
Okay, I'm just totally
being a mom.
917
00:50:50,222 --> 00:50:52,016
Try to get some good rest
918
00:50:52,850 --> 00:50:57,062
and find motivation for the
next round of attempts.
919
00:51:01,108 --> 00:51:02,648
When I wasn't on the Dawn Wall,
920
00:51:02,651 --> 00:51:04,820
I was living by myself
in Colorado,
921
00:51:06,280 --> 00:51:08,032
training and obsessing.
922
00:51:08,449 --> 00:51:09,867
I was really lonely, honestly.
923
00:51:11,493 --> 00:51:13,203
I met this girl named Becca.
924
00:51:13,954 --> 00:51:15,286
We started dating.
925
00:51:15,289 --> 00:51:17,791
He was thoughtful
and considerate,
926
00:51:18,208 --> 00:51:21,292
but from the beginning,
it was pretty obvious
927
00:51:21,295 --> 00:51:24,965
his mind was completely
occupied by the Dawn Wall.
928
00:51:26,008 --> 00:51:27,301
It wasn't just a climb.
929
00:51:29,011 --> 00:51:30,846
It was all consuming.
930
00:51:32,931 --> 00:51:34,767
We were trying to build
a relationship.
931
00:51:36,143 --> 00:51:39,063
But he would go out to Yosemite
for months at a time,
932
00:51:39,730 --> 00:51:41,398
giving everything
to the Dawn Wall.
933
00:51:44,902 --> 00:51:47,613
For years, Tommy put
his whole life on hold
934
00:51:48,822 --> 00:51:52,659
so he could give every last
ounce of his body and soul
935
00:51:55,120 --> 00:51:56,997
to this impossible quest.
936
00:51:58,499 --> 00:52:01,210
I could never tell
if we were wasting our time
937
00:52:01,668 --> 00:52:04,463
or we were in pursuit
of something grand.
938
00:52:05,089 --> 00:52:06,173
Come on!
939
00:52:10,135 --> 00:52:11,509
I'd go out to Yosemite
940
00:52:11,512 --> 00:52:13,260
and I'd watch him
from the meadow.
941
00:52:13,263 --> 00:52:15,096
It looked completely ridiculous.
942
00:52:15,099 --> 00:52:16,683
Ah, shoot.
943
00:52:17,017 --> 00:52:20,062
I think we all admire people
who are dedicated.
944
00:52:20,687 --> 00:52:23,232
But at some point,
you start to wonder,
945
00:52:23,649 --> 00:52:27,152
where are the lines between
dedication and obsession?
946
00:52:30,989 --> 00:52:33,617
He was going
through emotional agony.
947
00:52:34,535 --> 00:52:36,703
This climb has been
gut wrenching.
948
00:52:37,704 --> 00:52:39,498
I want this for him so badly.
949
00:52:42,584 --> 00:52:44,336
Oh, he fell off.
Oh.
950
00:52:44,670 --> 00:52:48,215
Man. I mean, you've
failed on this thing 800 times.
951
00:52:48,841 --> 00:52:51,552
How can you continue to beat
your head against this wall?
952
00:52:51,885 --> 00:52:53,509
After years of effort,
953
00:52:53,512 --> 00:52:56,306
it didn't feel like we were
any closer to our dream.
954
00:52:57,516 --> 00:52:59,101
He's worked so hard.
955
00:52:59,977 --> 00:53:01,770
Why am I crying right now?
956
00:53:02,396 --> 00:53:03,480
This project! Argh!
957
00:53:04,314 --> 00:53:05,354
This makes me wonder
958
00:53:05,357 --> 00:53:06,856
if he bit off
more than he could chew.
959
00:53:06,859 --> 00:53:08,861
Oh, it's so good
to have you down.
960
00:53:12,030 --> 00:53:14,780
After all this failure,
I started to wonder
961
00:53:14,783 --> 00:53:17,202
if maybe this climb
really was impossible.
962
00:53:19,204 --> 00:53:20,706
Maybe I wasn't good enough.
963
00:53:38,974 --> 00:53:40,601
Morning.
Morning.
964
00:53:45,397 --> 00:53:48,314
Tommy and Kevin have been up
there, this is their eighth day.
965
00:53:48,317 --> 00:53:50,068
They're halfway up the Wall.
966
00:53:50,444 --> 00:53:53,655
They got past 70 mile an hour
winds, the ice falls.
967
00:53:53,989 --> 00:53:55,782
They climbed
a lot of difficult rock.
968
00:53:56,158 --> 00:53:59,119
Now they've got today
a very hard section to do.
969
00:53:59,244 --> 00:54:01,914
They're here. They've got
to go across this traverse.
970
00:54:02,456 --> 00:54:04,038
14D, I think it is.
971
00:54:04,041 --> 00:54:08,128
If they can get that done, uh,
they're well on their way.
972
00:54:11,173 --> 00:54:15,382
The hardest individual
part of this 3,000-foot puzzle
973
00:54:15,385 --> 00:54:16,762
is the traverse.
974
00:54:18,096 --> 00:54:19,470
The bottom section of the route
975
00:54:19,473 --> 00:54:23,477
follows a vague series of
cracks and corners in the rock.
976
00:54:24,394 --> 00:54:27,564
But after 1,000 feet, those
cracks and corners dead end.
977
00:54:29,066 --> 00:54:32,399
300 feet to the left, there's
another series of features
978
00:54:32,402 --> 00:54:34,112
that angles up to the top.
979
00:54:35,822 --> 00:54:36,737
The trick is,
980
00:54:36,740 --> 00:54:39,532
how do you traverse
this 300-foot blank section
981
00:54:39,535 --> 00:54:40,994
right in the middle of the Wall?
982
00:54:41,745 --> 00:54:43,953
There's this band of rock
983
00:54:43,956 --> 00:54:46,038
that's a slightly different
color and texture.
984
00:54:46,041 --> 00:54:47,790
Everything above and below it
985
00:54:47,793 --> 00:54:49,500
is impossible to free climb.
986
00:54:49,503 --> 00:54:51,835
But the composition of that band
987
00:54:51,838 --> 00:54:54,132
is such that it has
a few holds on it.
988
00:54:55,384 --> 00:54:59,263
Over the last six
years, we spent over 100 days
989
00:54:59,930 --> 00:55:02,096
trying to get across
this traverse.
990
00:55:02,099 --> 00:55:04,518
Thousands of tries
on that single pitch.
991
00:55:05,936 --> 00:55:07,104
I've never done it.
992
00:55:08,897 --> 00:55:10,729
Now we have to do it
for the very first time...
993
00:55:10,732 --> 00:55:12,252
Looks like Tommy's
getting ready.
994
00:55:14,111 --> 00:55:16,196
...in the moment,
on the push.
995
00:55:17,656 --> 00:55:18,699
Go get it.
996
00:55:28,709 --> 00:55:30,002
It's really unnerving.
997
00:55:30,586 --> 00:55:32,629
You're just waiting to
slip off at any moment.
998
00:55:42,264 --> 00:55:43,387
It's kind of funny.
999
00:55:43,390 --> 00:55:47,349
This 3,000-foot wall, and it's
coming down to millimeters
1000
00:55:47,352 --> 00:55:49,980
of skin contact
on your fingertips.
1001
00:55:50,522 --> 00:55:53,275
It becomes
such a zoomed-in world.
1002
00:55:53,984 --> 00:55:56,403
There's one way to get across,
1003
00:55:56,820 --> 00:55:59,406
and it is made up of
all these little sequences
1004
00:55:59,573 --> 00:56:01,491
that have to be done perfectly.
1005
00:56:02,326 --> 00:56:04,158
You miss a hold,
it's impossible.
1006
00:56:04,161 --> 00:56:05,161
Yeah, dude.
1007
00:56:06,204 --> 00:56:08,206
You grab it wrong,
it's impossible.
1008
00:56:08,415 --> 00:56:09,708
Nice.
1009
00:56:13,003 --> 00:56:14,963
We're trading attempts.
1010
00:56:16,506 --> 00:56:19,551
Tommy ties in
and just flips that switch.
1011
00:56:20,010 --> 00:56:21,678
All right. Go get it, Tommy.
1012
00:57:11,687 --> 00:57:13,811
You grab these sharp holds,
1013
00:57:13,814 --> 00:57:15,440
like razor blades.
1014
00:57:20,362 --> 00:57:21,362
Come on!
1015
00:57:23,365 --> 00:57:25,325
Span as far as you can.
1016
00:57:27,661 --> 00:57:28,661
Come on!
1017
00:57:30,789 --> 00:57:32,165
So stretched out.
1018
00:57:46,638 --> 00:57:49,224
I suddenly felt this confidence.
1019
00:57:53,979 --> 00:57:57,607
I knew exactly how each finger
was going onto each hold,
1020
00:57:58,525 --> 00:58:01,903
where the little ripples on the
rock were digging into my shoes.
1021
00:58:14,708 --> 00:58:16,752
After years of working
on that pitch,
1022
00:58:17,753 --> 00:58:20,753
it just came together
in this amazing, magical way.
1023
00:58:20,756 --> 00:58:21,840
Yes, come on!
1024
00:58:22,340 --> 00:58:23,383
Come on!
1025
00:58:25,802 --> 00:58:27,137
Whoa!
1026
00:58:27,637 --> 00:58:29,306
Whoo!
1027
00:58:34,686 --> 00:58:36,313
Ow-ow-ow-ow!
1028
00:58:36,688 --> 00:58:38,815
When I heard that
Tommy had done pitch 15,
1029
00:58:39,149 --> 00:58:41,860
that was like,
"You've got to be kidding me!"
1030
00:58:44,404 --> 00:58:45,405
For the first time,
1031
00:58:45,572 --> 00:58:49,117
these guys actually have a shot
at maybe doing this thing.
1032
00:58:51,578 --> 00:58:53,038
When Tommy got across,
1033
00:58:53,830 --> 00:58:55,624
it was a big moment.
1034
00:58:56,208 --> 00:58:59,377
Everything was rolling,
and now it was my turn.
1035
00:59:08,887 --> 00:59:10,928
Over the years, we realized
1036
00:59:10,931 --> 00:59:14,101
sometimes the best conditions
are at night.
1037
00:59:16,186 --> 00:59:17,979
It's colder. It's drier.
1038
00:59:18,438 --> 00:59:20,524
So there's better friction
on the rock.
1039
00:59:22,275 --> 00:59:23,985
At first, it's scary.
1040
00:59:25,070 --> 00:59:28,695
But after a while, you forget
how high off the ground you are
1041
00:59:28,698 --> 00:59:31,785
and you can focus
just on the climbing.
1042
00:59:51,221 --> 00:59:52,681
Tried it a few times.
1043
00:59:53,515 --> 00:59:54,808
I wasn't that close.
1044
00:59:56,810 --> 00:59:59,938
We rappelled back to our camp
below the traverse.
1045
01:00:01,648 --> 01:00:05,277
I was stoked for Tommy,
a little stressed for myself.
1046
01:00:08,530 --> 01:00:10,699
So Tommy's made it
through the traverse.
1047
01:00:11,658 --> 01:00:13,910
He still has to get
past the Dyno
1048
01:00:14,286 --> 01:00:16,621
and the Long Run to Wino Tower.
1049
01:00:22,294 --> 01:00:25,130
But first, he has to wait
for Kevin to catch up.
1050
01:00:39,477 --> 01:00:40,645
Hello?
1051
01:00:40,854 --> 01:00:42,769
Hey, guys. This is John
Branch from the New York Times.
1052
01:00:42,772 --> 01:00:45,022
How's it going up there?
Good, John.
1053
01:00:45,025 --> 01:00:47,733
Tommy, I know that
you made it to 15 last night.
1054
01:00:47,736 --> 01:00:48,734
It's very exciting,
1055
01:00:48,737 --> 01:00:51,057
so I appreciate you guys taking
just a few minutes to talk.
1056
01:00:51,198 --> 01:00:53,530
We're always looking for
stories that are a little bit
1057
01:00:53,533 --> 01:00:55,199
out of the mainstream
sports realm.
1058
01:00:55,202 --> 01:00:56,950
Every time we start
a hard pitch...
1059
01:00:56,953 --> 01:01:00,537
I knew about the Dawn
Wall and Tommy Caldwell's quest.
1060
01:01:00,540 --> 01:01:03,832
And when I heard that
Tommy did pitch 15, I thought,
1061
01:01:03,835 --> 01:01:06,210
if it was ever going to happen,
this might be the time.
1062
01:01:06,213 --> 01:01:07,377
We recognized
1063
01:01:07,380 --> 01:01:09,213
this is not only the best
climbing story of the year,
1064
01:01:09,216 --> 01:01:11,051
but maybe of our generation.
1065
01:01:11,343 --> 01:01:12,802
We talked about
follow-up stories.
1066
01:01:13,303 --> 01:01:14,468
Quickly typed up a story.
1067
01:01:14,471 --> 01:01:15,847
The next day,
it ran in the paper.
1068
01:01:17,933 --> 01:01:19,973
It was on the front
page of The New York Times,
1069
01:01:19,976 --> 01:01:21,516
and it just exploded.
1070
01:01:21,519 --> 01:01:24,937
It was the most
viewed story at nytimes.com.
1071
01:01:24,940 --> 01:01:26,340
Tons of comments.
Lots of questions.
1072
01:01:26,483 --> 01:01:27,483
People care about this.
1073
01:01:27,651 --> 01:01:28,857
When John Branch,
1074
01:01:28,860 --> 01:01:31,693
the Pulitzer Prize winning
journalist, got a hold of it,
1075
01:01:31,696 --> 01:01:33,990
it just got its own momentum.
1076
01:01:34,574 --> 01:01:36,409
And it just got bigger
and bigger from there.
1077
01:01:36,993 --> 01:01:38,870
There was follow-up stories
1078
01:01:39,204 --> 01:01:40,953
and a flood of media requests
1079
01:01:40,956 --> 01:01:43,500
from every major news outlet
in the world.
1080
01:01:44,209 --> 01:01:46,833
Picture this.
Our next guests talk to us
1081
01:01:46,836 --> 01:01:49,670
as they were suspended
high up in mid-air.
1082
01:01:49,673 --> 01:01:52,506
We're sitting in a
portaledge, which is basically
1083
01:01:52,509 --> 01:01:54,970
a hanging cot
with an aluminum frame.
1084
01:01:55,136 --> 01:01:57,469
That's professional
climber Tommy Caldwell
1085
01:01:57,472 --> 01:01:59,471
ten days into what's considered
1086
01:01:59,474 --> 01:02:02,099
one of the world's most
daunting climbing challenges.
1087
01:02:02,102 --> 01:02:03,478
This is crazy.
1088
01:02:04,104 --> 01:02:05,269
Best of luck.
1089
01:02:05,272 --> 01:02:06,439
Great. Thank you so much.
1090
01:02:08,483 --> 01:02:10,110
Guess we hang up.
I don't really know.
1091
01:02:13,238 --> 01:02:15,699
They don't tell us what to do
when it's over.
1092
01:02:18,368 --> 01:02:19,452
Oh, my God!
1093
01:02:20,578 --> 01:02:22,286
How many days does it take?
1094
01:02:22,289 --> 01:02:25,625
All of a sudden, there are crowds
of people congregating in the Valley.
1095
01:02:25,792 --> 01:02:29,129
Let's turn now to this incredible and
historic feat by two American climbers.
1096
01:02:29,254 --> 01:02:31,172
Perched on a cliff
above Yosemite.
1097
01:02:31,298 --> 01:02:33,925
The famously steep face
of El Capitan.
1098
01:02:34,217 --> 01:02:37,551
The whole media thing
was very strange for me.
1099
01:02:37,554 --> 01:02:39,094
The climb of the century.
1100
01:02:39,097 --> 01:02:40,387
It's just been extraordinary.
1101
01:02:40,390 --> 01:02:42,597
A real cliffhanger.
Did I just say that?
1102
01:02:42,600 --> 01:02:44,725
They were just saying
these ludicrous things.
1103
01:02:44,728 --> 01:02:46,351
Two American hikers.
Daredevils.
1104
01:02:46,354 --> 01:02:47,769
Thrill seekers.
Adrenaline junkies.
1105
01:02:47,772 --> 01:02:49,896
Scaling the cliff
known as El Capitan.
1106
01:02:49,899 --> 01:02:51,276
That's not even El Cap.
1107
01:02:51,568 --> 01:02:53,984
Inching up
without any climbing tools.
1108
01:02:53,987 --> 01:02:57,029
I'm wearing pretty much the same gear
as the guys up in Yosemite are wearing.
1109
01:02:57,032 --> 01:02:59,826
I like the second picture, so
we'll hover here.
1110
01:03:00,869 --> 01:03:03,580
The Dawn Wall was
always this personal journey.
1111
01:03:03,955 --> 01:03:05,707
This was a bad idea.
1112
01:03:06,166 --> 01:03:07,164
And obviously,
1113
01:03:07,167 --> 01:03:10,125
this turned into something
very different from that.
1114
01:03:10,128 --> 01:03:11,793
So don't understand
how they could possibly do it.
1115
01:03:11,796 --> 01:03:13,879
I hope they make it,
but I don't understand it.
1116
01:03:13,882 --> 01:03:14,880
It's the challenge.
1117
01:03:14,883 --> 01:03:16,760
Yeah, the challenge of it.
No, thanks.
1118
01:03:18,011 --> 01:03:21,261
Suddenly, the whole
world was watching this climb.
1119
01:03:21,264 --> 01:03:24,642
Which wasn't the best
timing for me personally,
1120
01:03:27,270 --> 01:03:29,272
because I still
had to do pitch 15.
1121
01:03:31,649 --> 01:03:34,608
At this point, they've
established a base camp
1122
01:03:34,611 --> 01:03:36,654
a couple of hundred feet
below the traverse.
1123
01:03:37,030 --> 01:03:38,570
So when Kevin's ready to climb,
1124
01:03:38,573 --> 01:03:41,284
they go up the fixed ropes
to the start of pitch 15.
1125
01:03:44,371 --> 01:03:46,122
Tommy sets up his belay,
1126
01:03:46,956 --> 01:03:49,292
and Kevin tries
to get across this thing.
1127
01:03:50,335 --> 01:03:52,918
Here would be actually
a big moment on the climb.
1128
01:03:52,921 --> 01:03:54,923
Drove all the way out here
today just to see this.
1129
01:03:57,008 --> 01:03:59,928
It was important
to get through pitch 15
1130
01:04:00,178 --> 01:04:02,222
and catch up
to Tommy's high point
1131
01:04:02,430 --> 01:04:03,681
as soon as possible.
1132
01:04:11,481 --> 01:04:12,941
Come on, Kev. You got it.
1133
01:04:19,447 --> 01:04:20,782
Oh!
1134
01:04:21,574 --> 01:04:24,825
Every fall, you go back
to the start of the pitch,
1135
01:04:24,828 --> 01:04:26,663
rest for at least an hour,
1136
01:04:29,499 --> 01:04:30,625
try again.
1137
01:04:33,920 --> 01:04:36,464
Every attempt,
you wear off more skin.
1138
01:04:37,048 --> 01:04:38,448
You run out of
a little more energy.
1139
01:04:40,218 --> 01:04:41,925
Everything was going smoothly
1140
01:04:41,928 --> 01:04:44,928
until Jorgeson
couldn't grasp pitch 15.
1141
01:04:44,931 --> 01:04:46,680
Stopped by the
sheer difficulty of the climb.
1142
01:04:46,683 --> 01:04:48,598
As the razor-sharp handholds
1143
01:04:48,601 --> 01:04:50,016
tore the skin
off his fingertips.
1144
01:04:50,019 --> 01:04:51,393
So everyone's tuning in
1145
01:04:51,396 --> 01:04:53,687
in the middle of guys living
on the side of the Wall...
1146
01:04:53,690 --> 01:04:56,356
History is on hold right
now in Yosemite National Park.
1147
01:04:56,359 --> 01:04:57,719
...and one of them's stuck.
1148
01:04:59,529 --> 01:05:01,448
Kevin Jorgeson is stuck.
1149
01:05:01,990 --> 01:05:04,239
That was close, dude.
I know.
1150
01:05:04,242 --> 01:05:06,523
You just started to
fall apart a little bit there.
1151
01:05:07,412 --> 01:05:08,972
It's a pretty fascinating drama
1152
01:05:09,706 --> 01:05:12,542
unfolding in real time,
literally in front of our eyes.
1153
01:05:13,501 --> 01:05:15,503
People who I'm sure
had no idea what a pitch was
1154
01:05:16,337 --> 01:05:18,756
were now going, "Pitch 15! Come on, Kevin!
You can do it!"
1155
01:05:21,509 --> 01:05:23,592
You'll get it, dude.
That was really close.
1156
01:05:23,595 --> 01:05:25,638
I spent a few days not climbing,
1157
01:05:26,389 --> 01:05:29,642
just belaying Kevin over and
over again on pitch 15.
1158
01:05:35,773 --> 01:05:38,693
It was harder than any pitch
of climbing he'd ever done.
1159
01:05:38,943 --> 01:05:39,943
Fucker!
1160
01:05:40,737 --> 01:05:42,489
He just kept
falling and falling.
1161
01:05:43,698 --> 01:05:46,618
I had honestly started to lose
hope that he was going to do it.
1162
01:05:47,202 --> 01:05:49,787
Last night was my third day
1163
01:05:50,205 --> 01:05:52,996
of battle with pitch 15.
1164
01:05:52,999 --> 01:05:55,793
Still didn't do it.
1165
01:05:57,212 --> 01:06:01,132
After trying so many times,
I've destroyed my fingers.
1166
01:06:02,008 --> 01:06:04,761
So I decided to take a rest day
1167
01:06:06,054 --> 01:06:07,263
and let my fingers heal.
1168
01:06:12,810 --> 01:06:16,523
Meanwhile, Tommy
hasn't climbed for days.
1169
01:06:17,607 --> 01:06:19,105
And he has to be thinking,
1170
01:06:19,108 --> 01:06:21,945
I can't stay up here
indefinitely waiting for Kevin.
1171
01:06:22,529 --> 01:06:24,736
I mean, there's
very few people in the world
1172
01:06:24,739 --> 01:06:26,950
that have ever even spent
that much time on a wall.
1173
01:06:27,867 --> 01:06:30,453
Living on the Wall
just wears you down.
1174
01:06:30,912 --> 01:06:32,080
It's just harsh up there.
1175
01:06:32,497 --> 01:06:33,831
You can't even walk.
1176
01:06:34,249 --> 01:06:36,206
You're not sleeping great
at night.
1177
01:06:36,209 --> 01:06:39,420
You're not eating normal
foods, drinking enough water.
1178
01:06:40,338 --> 01:06:43,550
It's hard to climb your best
under those conditions.
1179
01:06:44,342 --> 01:06:47,425
Every day that goes by,
maybe Tommy suddenly gets sick.
1180
01:06:47,428 --> 01:06:48,885
Maybe the weather changes.
1181
01:06:48,888 --> 01:06:51,099
I felt like I had to continue.
1182
01:06:52,183 --> 01:06:53,726
So they devised a plan.
1183
01:06:54,727 --> 01:06:57,519
Tommy's going to press on
and try the Dyno pitch,
1184
01:06:57,522 --> 01:07:00,942
hoping that Kevin
eventually will get across 15
1185
01:07:01,401 --> 01:07:02,402
and he can catch up.
1186
01:07:02,819 --> 01:07:05,029
That night, we
go up our fixed lines
1187
01:07:05,572 --> 01:07:08,866
and I belay Tommy on pitch 16,
the Dyno pitch.
1188
01:07:10,201 --> 01:07:11,533
I had tried the Dyno move
1189
01:07:11,536 --> 01:07:12,954
hundreds of times
over the years.
1190
01:07:18,001 --> 01:07:18,957
Never done it.
1191
01:07:18,960 --> 01:07:21,713
I'd rebuilt it on the shed
at my home,
1192
01:07:22,046 --> 01:07:25,550
so I could just practice
this one stupid move.
1193
01:07:26,259 --> 01:07:28,008
Just before we went
for our final push,
1194
01:07:28,011 --> 01:07:29,634
I was completely frustrated,
1195
01:07:29,637 --> 01:07:31,848
staring at these photos
of the Wall.
1196
01:07:32,849 --> 01:07:36,603
I started to notice cracks and
edges that go down and around.
1197
01:07:37,312 --> 01:07:39,603
So I came up with this idea
1198
01:07:39,606 --> 01:07:42,606
to do the most
ridiculous pitch of climbing.
1199
01:07:42,609 --> 01:07:45,609
His idea was to
just climb in a giant circle
1200
01:07:45,612 --> 01:07:47,986
around the Dyno.
I was like, "Really?"
1201
01:07:47,989 --> 01:07:50,030
So to get around
about eight feet...
1202
01:07:50,033 --> 01:07:51,193
Yeah, climb like 200.
1203
01:07:52,744 --> 01:07:55,622
Tommy's currently working out
the world's hardest down climb.
1204
01:07:56,914 --> 01:08:00,376
We do hard moves going straight
up, hard moves going sideways.
1205
01:08:01,127 --> 01:08:02,125
I should add a down climb.
1206
01:08:02,128 --> 01:08:05,298
That way, we
just get the full package.
1207
01:08:06,424 --> 01:08:09,049
Down climbing,
it's so unnatural.
1208
01:08:09,052 --> 01:08:10,053
Falling.
1209
01:08:10,428 --> 01:08:12,305
It's like running backwards.
1210
01:08:15,558 --> 01:08:17,185
That felt horrible.
1211
01:08:34,202 --> 01:08:35,202
Good, Tommy.
1212
01:08:37,372 --> 01:08:38,414
Nice.
1213
01:08:45,672 --> 01:08:46,839
Come on. Focus.
1214
01:08:49,676 --> 01:08:50,676
Good.
1215
01:08:53,262 --> 01:08:54,639
This loop pitch,
1216
01:08:54,931 --> 01:08:57,767
it's like walking around
the block to cross the street.
1217
01:08:58,559 --> 01:09:00,687
It is just
a little bit ridiculous.
1218
01:09:02,271 --> 01:09:03,856
But it's also kind of brilliant.
1219
01:09:04,649 --> 01:09:05,689
Come on.
1220
01:09:05,692 --> 01:09:07,068
Come on.
1221
01:09:10,238 --> 01:09:11,986
This thing that had
been shutting him down
1222
01:09:11,989 --> 01:09:13,116
for all these years,
1223
01:09:13,533 --> 01:09:16,786
and then he just looks at it
with a new set of eyes
1224
01:09:17,537 --> 01:09:19,288
and finds a new solution.
1225
01:09:19,872 --> 01:09:21,082
Yeah.
1226
01:09:21,874 --> 01:09:23,084
The Dyno!
1227
01:09:24,168 --> 01:09:25,712
Whoo!
1228
01:09:39,058 --> 01:09:40,309
How is the skin, dude?
1229
01:09:42,270 --> 01:09:44,272
It's not healing very quickly,
1230
01:09:45,481 --> 01:09:47,233
which is frustrating.
1231
01:09:48,693 --> 01:09:51,571
While Kevin's waiting
for his fingers to heal,
1232
01:09:53,156 --> 01:09:55,616
Tommy continued pushing
the route higher and higher.
1233
01:09:57,201 --> 01:09:58,786
What you do every day is,
1234
01:09:58,953 --> 01:10:01,244
you get to a high point,
and then you leave fixed ropes
1235
01:10:01,247 --> 01:10:02,447
that go back down to the camp.
1236
01:10:03,124 --> 01:10:06,458
The next day, you motor back
up the ropes to the high point
1237
01:10:06,461 --> 01:10:07,670
and then carry on.
1238
01:10:08,337 --> 01:10:10,044
So, even though
they might be working
1239
01:10:10,047 --> 01:10:11,716
on different parts of the Wall,
1240
01:10:12,049 --> 01:10:14,591
they're doing it together.
Kevin belays Tommy,
1241
01:10:14,594 --> 01:10:17,472
and once Tommy's done, they
both go back down to the camp.
1242
01:10:21,392 --> 01:10:23,311
Tommy's just forging on.
1243
01:10:32,612 --> 01:10:36,783
Every pitch gets him further
away from where I'm stuck.
1244
01:10:37,950 --> 01:10:39,160
One more down.
1245
01:10:39,494 --> 01:10:42,121
There's so much distance
between our high points
1246
01:10:42,622 --> 01:10:44,462
that I'm not going to be able
to close that gap
1247
01:10:44,624 --> 01:10:46,083
in a reasonable amount of time
1248
01:10:46,667 --> 01:10:47,877
unless I do this.
1249
01:10:48,461 --> 01:10:50,668
Every time I would
look over in his portaledge,
1250
01:10:50,671 --> 01:10:52,754
he would just be following
news updates,
1251
01:10:52,757 --> 01:10:54,467
staring at his fingertips,
1252
01:10:55,009 --> 01:10:56,508
mumbling to himself.
1253
01:10:56,511 --> 01:10:58,831
Trying to convince
myself these actually look good.
1254
01:11:02,892 --> 01:11:04,602
Tommy, do you have
the Ibuprofen?
1255
01:11:06,103 --> 01:11:07,438
Oh, yeah.
1256
01:11:08,064 --> 01:11:11,943
After two days
resting, I felt resolved.
1257
01:11:13,194 --> 01:11:15,196
This was the day
it had to happen.
1258
01:11:18,407 --> 01:11:19,739
It's still pretty warm out.
1259
01:11:19,742 --> 01:11:21,825
And so I'm going to wait
a few more hours
1260
01:11:21,828 --> 01:11:23,660
for the temperatures
to drop even more
1261
01:11:23,663 --> 01:11:26,040
to give myself
every bit of friction you can.
1262
01:11:27,250 --> 01:11:28,414
You ready?
1263
01:11:28,417 --> 01:11:30,044
Ready as I'm ever going to be.
1264
01:11:52,441 --> 01:11:55,987
I've been waiting for days
for the skin to heal,
1265
01:11:57,572 --> 01:11:58,990
for this moment to come.
1266
01:12:07,957 --> 01:12:10,334
There's a nice cold breeze
blowing up the wall.
1267
01:12:11,669 --> 01:12:12,962
I felt weightless.
1268
01:12:14,255 --> 01:12:17,633
I was just floating
across the pitch.
1269
01:12:32,106 --> 01:12:33,190
Hold it together.
1270
01:12:44,660 --> 01:12:46,245
Come on, Kevin. Do it, man.
1271
01:12:46,662 --> 01:12:47,662
You got it.
1272
01:12:48,789 --> 01:12:49,789
Come on.
1273
01:12:50,458 --> 01:12:51,458
You got it.
1274
01:12:52,501 --> 01:12:53,836
Come on. Find it.
1275
01:12:54,128 --> 01:12:55,713
Good. Come on.
1276
01:13:00,259 --> 01:13:02,345
Oh, that was so good, dude.
1277
01:13:04,430 --> 01:13:08,935
Everything was perfect,
and I still didn't do it.
1278
01:13:10,436 --> 01:13:11,436
Come on, Kevin.
1279
01:13:11,646 --> 01:13:13,940
I tried four times that night.
1280
01:13:15,191 --> 01:13:16,317
Fucker!
1281
01:13:16,651 --> 01:13:17,693
He's off.
1282
01:13:18,319 --> 01:13:19,904
I just kept falling.
1283
01:13:24,867 --> 01:13:25,952
Shit!
1284
01:13:26,786 --> 01:13:27,995
Tonight
1285
01:13:30,998 --> 01:13:32,249
didn't go so well.
1286
01:13:35,127 --> 01:13:37,046
It was a battle,
and I didn't win.
1287
01:13:38,297 --> 01:13:39,966
It was pretty clear
that that was it.
1288
01:13:40,633 --> 01:13:42,301
Like, you had your chance.
1289
01:13:43,177 --> 01:13:44,261
You weren't good enough.
1290
01:13:45,262 --> 01:13:46,514
Yeah, it's pretty fucked.
1291
01:13:49,934 --> 01:13:52,019
Now you're the guy that
almost climbed the Dawn Wall.
1292
01:13:53,813 --> 01:13:55,770
So how much did you enjoy
that process?
1293
01:13:55,773 --> 01:13:57,441
Because that's all you get.
1294
01:14:04,865 --> 01:14:06,385
Editors and I started talking.
1295
01:14:06,617 --> 01:14:08,700
Is it now time to do a story
about what happens
1296
01:14:08,703 --> 01:14:09,742
if he doesn't make it?
1297
01:14:09,745 --> 01:14:11,995
We all want happy endings, but
as a journalist, you're like,
1298
01:14:11,998 --> 01:14:13,207
"That's an incredible story."
1299
01:14:14,000 --> 01:14:15,876
What's the ethos in climbing?
1300
01:14:16,877 --> 01:14:18,629
Do you say,
you go ahead without me?
1301
01:14:19,422 --> 01:14:20,631
Do you leave a guy behind?
1302
01:14:21,257 --> 01:14:22,537
Are they having
this conversation
1303
01:14:22,717 --> 01:14:23,926
in the portaledge at night?
1304
01:14:38,024 --> 01:14:39,900
This would be nice
to check the radar.
1305
01:14:43,612 --> 01:14:46,115
The next day, the weather
was starting to get bad.
1306
01:14:49,035 --> 01:14:50,661
And I knew what I needed to do.
1307
01:14:51,912 --> 01:14:52,955
Twenty percent.
1308
01:14:53,497 --> 01:14:54,497
Today?
1309
01:14:54,957 --> 01:14:56,167
Next like four days.
1310
01:14:57,960 --> 01:14:59,667
I'm just going to
throw in the towel
1311
01:14:59,670 --> 01:15:01,756
and support Tommy to the top.
1312
01:15:06,052 --> 01:15:07,133
From here on out,
1313
01:15:07,136 --> 01:15:08,509
Kevin's just
going to belay Tommy
1314
01:15:08,512 --> 01:15:10,181
and follow him up the ropes.
1315
01:15:12,558 --> 01:15:14,515
So they go up
to Tommy's high point,
1316
01:15:14,518 --> 01:15:16,729
where he starts up
the last hard pitches
1317
01:15:17,063 --> 01:15:19,106
of the long run to Wino Tower.
1318
01:15:25,780 --> 01:15:27,948
There I was, watching Tommy
1319
01:15:28,532 --> 01:15:30,409
climb with so much confidence
1320
01:15:30,951 --> 01:15:33,245
toward the completion
of this dream.
1321
01:15:37,333 --> 01:15:40,628
Even if I can't do this,
I was really happy for Tommy.
1322
01:15:44,673 --> 01:15:46,258
What a special moment
1323
01:15:46,550 --> 01:15:48,552
to witness
this piece of history.
1324
01:15:54,433 --> 01:15:57,186
And I was there to help Tommy
realize this vision.
1325
01:16:05,277 --> 01:16:07,321
After everything
he went through,
1326
01:16:10,574 --> 01:16:11,992
so much struggle,
1327
01:16:13,494 --> 01:16:15,454
the injuries, the doubts.
1328
01:16:17,581 --> 01:16:19,834
For Tommy, it was like,
"This is it."
1329
01:16:25,965 --> 01:16:27,049
Come on, Tommy.
1330
01:16:29,802 --> 01:16:30,886
Boom!
1331
01:16:33,264 --> 01:16:35,391
Woo-hoo!
Ah, feels good.
1332
01:16:37,351 --> 01:16:38,474
I'm down in the meadow
1333
01:16:38,477 --> 01:16:41,063
watching Tommy
trying to get to Wino Tower,
1334
01:16:41,188 --> 01:16:42,982
which is the next big feature
above them.
1335
01:16:43,983 --> 01:16:45,898
It's this mythical landmark
1336
01:16:45,901 --> 01:16:48,279
about two-thirds of the way
up El Capitan.
1337
01:16:49,321 --> 01:16:52,867
This three-foot pedestal
2,000 feet up the Wall.
1338
01:16:53,284 --> 01:16:55,533
The first horizontal ledge
1339
01:16:55,536 --> 01:16:58,581
where you can stand up,
sit down, lie down
1340
01:16:58,956 --> 01:17:00,332
on the entire route.
1341
01:17:01,000 --> 01:17:03,919
And it signifies the
end of the hardest climbing.
1342
01:17:06,672 --> 01:17:08,592
One more hard pitch
to get to Wino Tower.
1343
01:17:08,966 --> 01:17:09,967
That's crazy!
1344
01:17:10,342 --> 01:17:14,013
For years, I'd envisioned this
moment of getting to Wino Tower.
1345
01:17:14,597 --> 01:17:16,304
So I'm freaking out inside.
1346
01:17:16,307 --> 01:17:17,641
Good, Tommy. Come on.
1347
01:17:18,100 --> 01:17:21,061
Climbing really tense
and kind of shaking nervous.
1348
01:17:21,520 --> 01:17:22,680
Keep breathing, dude.
1349
01:17:28,986 --> 01:17:30,779
Come on.
1350
01:17:32,239 --> 01:17:33,239
Good.
1351
01:17:37,328 --> 01:17:39,371
Just trying to
calm myself down enough
1352
01:17:40,122 --> 01:17:42,625
to make it through
the final last little bit.
1353
01:17:47,463 --> 01:17:49,882
Yeah!
1354
01:18:22,915 --> 01:18:24,875
Oh! I feel a little shaky.
1355
01:18:25,584 --> 01:18:26,835
Yeah, I might pass out.
1356
01:18:32,132 --> 01:18:33,759
I can't believe
I'm here right now.
1357
01:18:44,019 --> 01:18:48,482
I know it's not over yet,
but that's like, big.
1358
01:18:49,024 --> 01:18:50,150
I'm at Wino Tower.
1359
01:18:59,285 --> 01:19:01,203
What are you feeling?
1360
01:19:01,996 --> 01:19:04,832
I want Kevin to experience
this, too, for sure.
1361
01:19:09,503 --> 01:19:10,879
It was this huge victory.
1362
01:19:11,255 --> 01:19:12,920
But it's totally trumped
by the fact that
1363
01:19:12,923 --> 01:19:14,842
Kevin wasn't going
to do it with me.
1364
01:19:15,801 --> 01:19:17,177
Suddenly, I just felt alone.
1365
01:19:18,929 --> 01:19:21,432
I think Kevin probably did, too.
1366
01:19:25,811 --> 01:19:28,063
What a crazy experience
this has been.
1367
01:19:29,815 --> 01:19:31,400
It crashed down on me
1368
01:19:31,734 --> 01:19:34,862
that going to the top without
Kevin was gonna be devastating.
1369
01:19:36,071 --> 01:19:37,698
Just got to get KJ up here now.
1370
01:19:38,907 --> 01:19:40,364
So I decided in that moment
1371
01:19:40,367 --> 01:19:42,167
that we were going to get
to the top together.
1372
01:19:43,537 --> 01:19:45,857
What will you do?
Everything I can to help him.
1373
01:19:46,707 --> 01:19:47,707
Yeah.
1374
01:19:48,167 --> 01:19:50,252
I'm going to go
into full-on support mode.
1375
01:19:54,715 --> 01:19:58,135
That night, we both
go back down to the camp.
1376
01:20:02,348 --> 01:20:03,640
We were cooking dinner.
1377
01:20:03,766 --> 01:20:04,975
It was real quiet.
1378
01:20:06,810 --> 01:20:09,897
And I knew it was this
emotional moment for Tommy.
1379
01:20:11,857 --> 01:20:14,401
But he's not very good
at verbalizing.
1380
01:20:15,861 --> 01:20:18,614
I wanna do this thing with
you, and I would love for...
1381
01:20:22,117 --> 01:20:25,245
Yeah, it was cool, but...
1382
01:20:30,667 --> 01:20:32,127
I mean, it's awesome.
1383
01:20:32,294 --> 01:20:33,504
But when I take...
1384
01:20:34,004 --> 01:20:36,212
I just really want you
to be with me, you know?
1385
01:20:36,215 --> 01:20:37,338
Yeah, dude.
1386
01:20:37,341 --> 01:20:38,550
Yeah.
1387
01:20:40,094 --> 01:20:42,971
Tommy just told me,
in classic Tommy style,
1388
01:20:43,806 --> 01:20:48,310
I don't care how long it takes
for you to get through pitch 15,
1389
01:20:48,685 --> 01:20:50,896
because I can't imagine
a worse outcome
1390
01:20:51,563 --> 01:20:52,815
than doing this alone.
1391
01:20:55,025 --> 01:20:56,941
I don't want to hold you back,
is the thing.
1392
01:20:56,944 --> 01:20:59,988
You're three days
from the top now or some shit.
1393
01:21:00,239 --> 01:21:01,490
Yeah, but I am...
1394
01:21:01,615 --> 01:21:03,325
'Cause I really
wanna go with you.
1395
01:21:03,659 --> 01:21:04,659
Okay.
1396
01:21:04,993 --> 01:21:06,433
It's a pretty special moment.
1397
01:21:09,415 --> 01:21:10,621
I know I can do that pitch.
1398
01:21:10,624 --> 01:21:12,209
Yeah, for sure.
1399
01:21:13,085 --> 01:21:16,377
And I feel like if I can do that
pitch, I'd be so fucking psyched
1400
01:21:16,380 --> 01:21:17,878
that there's nothing
1401
01:21:17,881 --> 01:21:19,880
that's going to stop me
between there and the top.
1402
01:21:19,883 --> 01:21:22,261
Yeah, I think that's true.
1403
01:21:22,845 --> 01:21:24,388
Just keep stretching.
Make sure...
1404
01:21:24,847 --> 01:21:27,641
I think I need to do
some arm lengthening stretches.
1405
01:21:28,058 --> 01:21:31,520
So we decided that I
would rest two consecutive days
1406
01:21:31,937 --> 01:21:33,230
so that my skin could heal,
1407
01:21:33,772 --> 01:21:34,940
and try again.
1408
01:21:37,443 --> 01:21:39,111
The idea of Tommy waiting,
1409
01:21:39,528 --> 01:21:41,405
to risk your own success
1410
01:21:41,822 --> 01:21:44,783
in the hopes that maybe by
some miracle Kevin can do it,
1411
01:21:45,701 --> 01:21:46,861
that's a partner right there.
1412
01:21:47,911 --> 01:21:49,371
Coffee for KJ.
1413
01:21:50,914 --> 01:21:53,459
But there's no guarantee
that Kevin's ever gonna make it.
1414
01:21:53,876 --> 01:21:57,629
I mean, I thought that Kevin was
maybe not going to make it.
1415
01:21:58,213 --> 01:22:00,254
And I was hoping that,
1416
01:22:00,257 --> 01:22:02,256
since this had been
a dream of Tommy's
1417
01:22:02,259 --> 01:22:04,179
a lot longer than it had been
a dream of Kevin's,
1418
01:22:04,470 --> 01:22:08,307
that Tommy would find a way
to complete this climb.
1419
01:22:08,515 --> 01:22:11,056
As Tommy's friend, selfishly,
1420
01:22:11,059 --> 01:22:12,561
I'm thinking to myself, like,
1421
01:22:13,187 --> 01:22:15,564
"Kevin, dude, time to throw in
the towel and support Tommy."
1422
01:22:16,148 --> 01:22:18,901
Somebody less gracious than
Tommy Caldwell might have said,
1423
01:22:19,401 --> 01:22:20,641
"I've got to go on
without you."
1424
01:22:21,153 --> 01:22:22,821
But he was committed to Kevin.
1425
01:22:23,780 --> 01:22:24,948
"We're doing this together."
1426
01:22:25,365 --> 01:22:28,827
And he wouldn't have been Tommy
if he'd done it any other way.
1427
01:22:30,454 --> 01:22:32,870
This just in.
Those two American climbers...
1428
01:22:32,873 --> 01:22:35,206
Kevin Jorgeson.
Kevin Jorgeson.
1429
01:22:35,209 --> 01:22:37,500
Stuck for seven straight days.
1430
01:22:37,503 --> 01:22:38,959
Caldwell determined to wait...
1431
01:22:38,962 --> 01:22:40,169
One of them
refusing to move higher
1432
01:22:40,172 --> 01:22:42,132
without his partner stuck below.
1433
01:22:42,508 --> 01:22:43,589
So will they make it?
1434
01:22:43,592 --> 01:22:45,508
Can you imagine?
This really is no joke.
1435
01:22:45,511 --> 01:22:47,343
The media started
to sound like a tabloid.
1436
01:22:47,346 --> 01:22:49,598
"Is Jorgeson
spoiling Tommy's dreams?"
1437
01:22:50,182 --> 01:22:52,976
Down below, the
crowd is waiting and watching.
1438
01:22:56,188 --> 01:22:58,108
Hey, Tommy, what's
the weather look like?
1439
01:22:58,649 --> 01:23:01,610
Oh, wait. That's right,
you dropped your phone.
1440
01:23:01,735 --> 01:23:03,442
Dropped my phone last night.
1441
01:23:03,445 --> 01:23:06,031
I had my chest pocket unzipped.
It just fell out.
1442
01:23:06,949 --> 01:23:09,240
Hopefully, I didn't kill anybody
down there.
1443
01:23:09,243 --> 01:23:11,075
I'd heard that Tommy dropped
his phone, and I said,
1444
01:23:11,078 --> 01:23:12,746
"Did he really drop his phone?"
1445
01:23:13,080 --> 01:23:15,290
Or is he just saying, "Don't
call me anymore"? You know?
1446
01:23:15,541 --> 01:23:18,335
So fed up with the media circus.
1447
01:23:18,752 --> 01:23:20,084
I think he didn't drop it.
1448
01:23:20,087 --> 01:23:21,630
He threw it off.
1449
01:23:22,839 --> 01:23:25,551
Yep. Guess we've got to just
enjoy the view now.
1450
01:23:29,888 --> 01:23:31,223
Over the next few days,
1451
01:23:31,515 --> 01:23:34,977
Tommy was content
right where we were,
1452
01:23:35,477 --> 01:23:37,271
for however long
it was going to be.
1453
01:23:38,814 --> 01:23:40,646
He's just stoked to be up there,
1454
01:23:40,649 --> 01:23:43,524
and it's no big deal if it
takes another rest day or two
1455
01:23:43,527 --> 01:23:45,237
or three or five or whatever.
1456
01:23:45,904 --> 01:23:48,696
Yeah, I feel like I've
just been appreciating things
1457
01:23:48,699 --> 01:23:50,534
a little bit more
the last few days.
1458
01:23:52,327 --> 01:23:53,579
Ah, sun.
1459
01:23:54,746 --> 01:23:57,457
Tommy basically said,
"No hurry. I'm patient.
1460
01:23:57,791 --> 01:23:59,671
You're going to get through it.
Don't freak out.
1461
01:24:00,669 --> 01:24:02,668
Don't worry about the rest of the
world that's watching right now.
1462
01:24:02,671 --> 01:24:04,351
Let's tune them out.
It's just you and me."
1463
01:24:04,673 --> 01:24:05,841
It became the two of them.
1464
01:24:06,425 --> 01:24:08,927
I think I have to
try to front-step more,
1465
01:24:09,469 --> 01:24:12,014
because when it comes time
to step on that middle foot,
1466
01:24:12,681 --> 01:24:15,139
I can't front-step it or in-step
it 'cause this foot's in the way.
1467
01:24:15,142 --> 01:24:16,348
A couple of your falls last time
1468
01:24:16,351 --> 01:24:18,892
were just 'cause you couldn't
find that right foot.
1469
01:24:18,895 --> 01:24:20,978
So even if it's a little bit
harder, it's going to be better.
1470
01:24:20,981 --> 01:24:24,151
Tommy's attitude helped
take a bit of the pressure off.
1471
01:24:26,361 --> 01:24:30,407
But I was still gonna have to do
the hardest thing I've ever done
1472
01:24:31,033 --> 01:24:32,200
for this to end well.
1473
01:24:36,079 --> 01:24:37,411
Trying to make history
1474
01:24:37,414 --> 01:24:39,747
on one of the hardest climbs
in the world.
1475
01:24:39,750 --> 01:24:41,165
TJ, what's the story?
1476
01:24:41,168 --> 01:24:42,833
Here's the story.
1477
01:24:42,836 --> 01:24:46,006
I'm only about 30 feet up,
and I've called my momma twice.
1478
01:24:46,131 --> 01:24:47,296
All right? Can you imagine?
1479
01:24:47,299 --> 01:24:49,506
I'm on what's called
a portaledge
1480
01:24:49,509 --> 01:24:50,719
that's secured to this wall.
1481
01:24:51,053 --> 01:24:53,302
These two climbers
are using one of these
1482
01:24:53,305 --> 01:24:56,263
secured to a flat surface,
all right?
1483
01:24:56,266 --> 01:24:58,106
They're having to sleep
on one of these things,
1484
01:24:58,352 --> 01:25:00,559
for weeks possibly, trying
to make an impossible climb.
1485
01:25:00,562 --> 01:25:03,854
And me? I have holds here
I can use to climb the wall.
1486
01:25:03,857 --> 01:25:06,732
Scaling the jagged
cliff known as El Capitan...
1487
01:25:06,735 --> 01:25:07,903
Who is that, Fitz?
1488
01:25:08,820 --> 01:25:10,489
Daddy.
Daddy.
1489
01:25:10,614 --> 01:25:12,574
Getting on the airplane.
1490
01:25:15,744 --> 01:25:17,201
Fitz and I have been home
1491
01:25:17,204 --> 01:25:20,791
waiting for our moment to get
on a plane and get out here.
1492
01:25:21,166 --> 01:25:23,335
And it's finally come.
We're here.
1493
01:25:24,670 --> 01:25:27,089
Hey, Fitz, do you see
way up high on El Cap?
1494
01:25:27,547 --> 01:25:29,424
Yeah.
Yeah? Can you see Daddy?
1495
01:25:29,758 --> 01:25:31,423
After failing for so many years,
1496
01:25:31,426 --> 01:25:34,221
there were times when I
definitely felt like giving up.
1497
01:25:34,638 --> 01:25:37,683
But it was actually Becca
who helped me to keep going.
1498
01:25:38,266 --> 01:25:39,935
Seeing him in his element,
1499
01:25:40,310 --> 01:25:43,605
I saw this focus
and this purpose.
1500
01:25:43,814 --> 01:25:45,771
I just really respected him.
1501
01:25:45,774 --> 01:25:48,235
And we fell in love.
1502
01:25:48,652 --> 01:25:51,405
Becca became
my biggest supporter.
1503
01:25:52,197 --> 01:25:53,153
We got married.
1504
01:25:53,156 --> 01:25:56,034
And then, we got pregnant
shortly after.
1505
01:25:57,869 --> 01:25:58,867
Hi.
1506
01:25:58,870 --> 01:26:01,453
We had a little boy named Fitz.
1507
01:26:01,456 --> 01:26:02,582
Hi, Fitz.
1508
01:26:04,126 --> 01:26:07,376
The first day that I had
this little baby in my arms,
1509
01:26:07,379 --> 01:26:08,964
I was overcome with the emotion.
1510
01:26:09,798 --> 01:26:13,427
I thought, how am I going to
be a good example to Fitz?
1511
01:26:13,802 --> 01:26:16,343
How great it is
to be a Caldwell boy.
1512
01:26:18,724 --> 01:26:21,309
Tommy had always
viewed his dad as a superhero,
1513
01:26:21,768 --> 01:26:24,855
and he wanted to be
a superhero for Fitz.
1514
01:26:26,148 --> 01:26:29,067
I wanted Fitz to look at
me with that same sort of awe.
1515
01:26:34,656 --> 01:26:37,784
I wanted to show Fitz
how to be passionate...
1516
01:26:38,201 --> 01:26:39,201
Boom!
1517
01:26:39,411 --> 01:26:41,326
...and how to dream big.
1518
01:26:41,329 --> 01:26:42,661
He already does.
1519
01:26:42,664 --> 01:26:44,329
The Dawn Wall embodied that.
1520
01:26:44,332 --> 01:26:46,543
And so it made me
want it even more.
1521
01:26:47,419 --> 01:26:49,755
I told him, you can't stop now.
1522
01:26:50,213 --> 01:26:52,549
You have to do everything
to make this happen.
1523
01:26:58,930 --> 01:27:03,351
One, two, three, four, five.
1524
01:27:12,152 --> 01:27:13,442
Sometimes you zoom out
1525
01:27:13,445 --> 01:27:16,323
and you think about
what a process it's been,
1526
01:27:17,282 --> 01:27:20,407
this wild six-year journey
with Tommy.
1527
01:27:20,410 --> 01:27:21,787
Did Kevin start already?
1528
01:27:22,287 --> 01:27:24,122
And now here we are
1529
01:27:25,707 --> 01:27:27,209
at the moment of truth.
1530
01:27:27,667 --> 01:27:29,586
And we've just been mesmerized.
1531
01:27:30,629 --> 01:27:33,295
Hard to put into words
something so big.
1532
01:27:33,298 --> 01:27:34,841
He's not going to give up.
1533
01:27:58,031 --> 01:27:59,196
I couldn't imagine
1534
01:27:59,199 --> 01:28:01,535
what he must have been
going through at that moment.
1535
01:28:33,733 --> 01:28:36,236
I don't remember the
first 50 feet of that pitch.
1536
01:28:42,951 --> 01:28:44,616
I watched him
go into the section
1537
01:28:44,619 --> 01:28:46,204
where he had fallen
so many times.
1538
01:28:47,205 --> 01:28:48,582
I just hold my breath.
1539
01:29:02,554 --> 01:29:05,015
You pull as hard as you can.
1540
01:29:08,101 --> 01:29:09,185
Move your feet.
1541
01:29:17,027 --> 01:29:18,787
You're just trying
not to tip over backwards.
1542
01:29:24,242 --> 01:29:25,493
Put the heel on.
1543
01:29:26,786 --> 01:29:27,954
Slide the hand up.
1544
01:29:28,747 --> 01:29:29,998
Take the heel off.
1545
01:29:30,874 --> 01:29:32,292
Drop the right hand in.
1546
01:29:33,460 --> 01:29:34,586
Heel back on.
1547
01:29:35,462 --> 01:29:36,504
Left hand down.
1548
01:29:41,760 --> 01:29:43,386
Heart rate starts to go up.
1549
01:29:46,598 --> 01:29:48,889
My adrenaline starts going,
'cause he's still hanging on
1550
01:29:48,892 --> 01:29:50,732
in this place that he had
fallen so many times.
1551
01:30:32,519 --> 01:30:34,062
Yeah, Kevin!
1552
01:30:36,398 --> 01:30:38,692
Yeah!
1553
01:30:39,567 --> 01:30:40,607
Yes!
1554
01:30:46,658 --> 01:30:49,700
Watching him do it,
I was just awestruck.
1555
01:30:49,703 --> 01:30:52,288
I was like, "I can't believe
that just happened."
1556
01:30:54,249 --> 01:30:55,249
He did it.
1557
01:30:55,750 --> 01:30:58,253
Freaking guy actually
did this thing, right?
1558
01:30:58,503 --> 01:31:00,338
You're like, "What?"
1559
01:31:02,757 --> 01:31:03,922
After seven days,
1560
01:31:03,925 --> 01:31:06,386
Jorgeson got past
the most difficult...
1561
01:31:06,594 --> 01:31:08,805
...past the
toughest section of the climb.
1562
01:31:09,556 --> 01:31:10,849
Yes, he made it.
1563
01:31:10,974 --> 01:31:12,225
And now it's upward.
1564
01:31:12,350 --> 01:31:15,812
And you start thinking, "Are his
fingers okay? Can he do 16, 17?
1565
01:31:16,020 --> 01:31:17,105
Is this over yet?"
1566
01:31:17,397 --> 01:31:20,272
I had just finished
the hardest pitch of my life,
1567
01:31:20,275 --> 01:31:21,609
and I couldn't even celebrate.
1568
01:31:22,110 --> 01:31:23,778
I just need to catch up.
1569
01:31:24,654 --> 01:31:26,528
The next pitch is this big Dyno
1570
01:31:26,531 --> 01:31:28,196
that's so hard
that Tommy can't do it,
1571
01:31:28,199 --> 01:31:29,531
he's got to climb around it.
1572
01:31:29,534 --> 01:31:30,949
There's no way in hell
1573
01:31:30,952 --> 01:31:33,705
that I'm going to try
Tommy's crazy loop pitch.
1574
01:31:34,038 --> 01:31:38,585
So that same night, I start trying
the eight and a half foot Dyno.
1575
01:31:50,513 --> 01:31:51,514
Yeah!
1576
01:31:51,639 --> 01:31:54,726
Kevin, through some
kind of magic or levitation,
1577
01:31:55,935 --> 01:31:59,606
actually does this Dyno that
Tommy was never able to do.
1578
01:31:59,898 --> 01:32:01,941
So good.
Tonight, Kevin...
1579
01:32:02,233 --> 01:32:04,652
...now just a few
hundred feet behind Caldwell.
1580
01:32:04,903 --> 01:32:06,821
All these hard pitches
just keep coming.
1581
01:32:07,447 --> 01:32:09,196
Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen.
1582
01:32:10,909 --> 01:32:12,702
It was like a fight
to the death.
1583
01:32:14,788 --> 01:32:16,289
Oh, no.
Rock!
1584
01:32:16,456 --> 01:32:18,121
That is a bad hold to rip off.
1585
01:32:18,124 --> 01:32:19,247
Oh, man.
1586
01:32:19,250 --> 01:32:20,730
I think it's a lot harder now.
1587
01:32:22,670 --> 01:32:24,419
That didn't take him too long
to figure it out.
1588
01:32:24,422 --> 01:32:26,004
Nice, KJ!
1589
01:32:26,007 --> 01:32:27,567
It's just a little more tension.
1590
01:32:28,092 --> 01:32:30,220
Like we need more of that
on this route.
1591
01:32:31,930 --> 01:32:33,723
The last pitch
getting to Wino Tower,
1592
01:32:34,265 --> 01:32:36,643
this crazy fog came in.
1593
01:32:38,019 --> 01:32:39,434
Kevin sends
this pitch right now,
1594
01:32:39,437 --> 01:32:40,814
he's going to be
caught up with me.
1595
01:32:49,572 --> 01:32:50,779
Yes!
1596
01:32:50,782 --> 01:32:52,280
Nice one, Kevin.
1597
01:32:52,283 --> 01:32:54,744
I just remember
seeing Tommy at the anchor
1598
01:32:55,119 --> 01:32:59,037
and having such a huge wash
of gratefulness.
1599
01:32:59,040 --> 01:33:01,835
Oh! I can't
believe we're here.
1600
01:33:03,586 --> 01:33:04,963
So good, man.
1601
01:33:06,631 --> 01:33:09,297
We're reunited
at our high points now.
1602
01:33:09,300 --> 01:33:10,593
I can't believe we did it.
1603
01:33:11,427 --> 01:33:14,848
Going up from there on out
together to the top.
1604
01:33:22,272 --> 01:33:24,855
Come on, Jorgeson.
Come on.
1605
01:33:24,858 --> 01:33:27,218
He was sitting on five
days' rest while I caught up.
1606
01:33:27,610 --> 01:33:30,071
Pretty sure he's going to
pull me up the wall today.
1607
01:33:30,905 --> 01:33:33,241
From here on it's just
a matter of grinding it out.
1608
01:33:35,201 --> 01:33:38,496
So we get up and we stay
300 feet from the top.
1609
01:33:43,751 --> 01:33:45,879
We wake up this last morning.
1610
01:33:46,462 --> 01:33:48,464
The sun comes on the Dawn Wall.
1611
01:33:51,551 --> 01:33:52,841
It hits the top
of the Wall first,
1612
01:33:52,844 --> 01:33:55,388
and we're the only thing in
Yosemite actually in the sun.
1613
01:33:56,598 --> 01:33:59,183
So happy.
1614
01:33:59,309 --> 01:34:01,144
This is a good
moment right here.
1615
01:34:01,811 --> 01:34:03,813
Oh, my God.
This is definitely a good moment.
1616
01:34:07,817 --> 01:34:09,694
Does it get any better
than this?
1617
01:34:10,153 --> 01:34:12,614
I'm just enjoying my last day
1618
01:34:12,864 --> 01:34:14,574
being up here with my friend.
1619
01:34:14,908 --> 01:34:16,784
I think we should just stay.
1620
01:34:18,536 --> 01:34:19,993
Just cancel the whole thing.
1621
01:34:19,996 --> 01:34:21,664
We're going to camp here
for another day.
1622
01:34:23,666 --> 01:34:26,333
Living on a wall
where everything is so simple
1623
01:34:26,336 --> 01:34:27,462
for 19 days,
1624
01:34:27,754 --> 01:34:29,339
we were going to miss
that experience.
1625
01:34:30,173 --> 01:34:31,533
Good morning to our viewers.
1626
01:34:31,716 --> 01:34:34,132
It's been an exciting 24 hours
here in Yosemite.
1627
01:34:34,135 --> 01:34:35,967
Tommy Caldwell
and Kevin Jorgeson
1628
01:34:35,970 --> 01:34:37,385
spent 19 days on the Wall.
1629
01:34:37,388 --> 01:34:40,350
There were 15 TV trucks,
reporters from all over.
1630
01:34:40,934 --> 01:34:42,057
There was a webcam.
1631
01:34:42,060 --> 01:34:44,100
Millions of people were
actually watching this live.
1632
01:34:44,395 --> 01:34:45,688
Like a moon landing
or something.
1633
01:34:48,274 --> 01:34:50,114
A lot of their friends
and family had come out.
1634
01:34:52,403 --> 01:34:55,156
A number of people hiked up
El Cap the back way,
1635
01:34:55,907 --> 01:34:58,067
and you could watch these guys
go up the final pitches.
1636
01:34:58,868 --> 01:35:00,028
And they're cheering them on.
1637
01:35:00,703 --> 01:35:02,664
I love you! Whoo!
1638
01:35:04,582 --> 01:35:05,667
It's gonna be awesome.
1639
01:35:07,877 --> 01:35:09,629
Seeing Tommy do the Dawn Wall,
1640
01:35:10,046 --> 01:35:11,506
I was super happy for him.
1641
01:35:12,215 --> 01:35:14,839
Just knowing how much
was emotionally wrapped up
1642
01:35:14,842 --> 01:35:16,469
in the route for him,
1643
01:35:17,637 --> 01:35:19,597
I was really proud of him.
1644
01:35:21,432 --> 01:35:24,227
Actually seeing he was
going to complete this climb,
1645
01:35:24,978 --> 01:35:27,563
it was just, wow.
1646
01:35:30,400 --> 01:35:31,901
After 19 days,
1647
01:35:32,026 --> 01:35:35,485
Tommy Caldwell pulling himself
over the edge of the Dawn Wall.
1648
01:35:40,702 --> 01:35:43,454
Followed minutes later by
climbing partner Kevin Jorgeson.
1649
01:35:59,262 --> 01:36:00,510
And the crowd cheered
1650
01:36:00,513 --> 01:36:04,681
as the two men accomplished a
feat many said was impossible.
1651
01:36:18,489 --> 01:36:20,649
There aren't a lot
of moments that choke me up
1652
01:36:21,075 --> 01:36:22,995
in sports anymore.
I've been doing this too long.
1653
01:36:23,453 --> 01:36:26,497
I'll never forget a scene
of them rejoicing.
1654
01:36:32,503 --> 01:36:35,754
This is the moment that's been
so many years in the making.
1655
01:36:35,757 --> 01:36:37,881
Now forever enshrined
in history.
1656
01:36:37,884 --> 01:36:39,761
Inspiring millions
around the world,
1657
01:36:39,886 --> 01:36:41,054
even at the White House,
1658
01:36:41,220 --> 01:36:43,139
where President Obama
gave a thumbs up.
1659
01:36:47,185 --> 01:36:48,644
It's done. It's done.
1660
01:36:48,936 --> 01:36:50,060
You are shaking like a leaf.
1661
01:36:50,063 --> 01:36:51,770
Are you cold
or are you emotional?
1662
01:36:51,773 --> 01:36:53,441
I'm emotional.
Okay.
1663
01:36:54,025 --> 01:36:55,465
He's worked so hard for this.
1664
01:36:56,486 --> 01:36:59,655
That moment he
describes as "bittersweet."
1665
01:37:01,157 --> 01:37:05,828
This whole experience
that drove him for so long,
1666
01:37:06,746 --> 01:37:07,746
it was over.
1667
01:37:10,083 --> 01:37:12,877
Anything that you'd like
to say about El Cap?
1668
01:37:13,503 --> 01:37:16,089
I've totally fallen in love
with that piece of rock.
1669
01:37:16,506 --> 01:37:18,508
It's been a big centerpiece
of my life.
1670
01:37:19,092 --> 01:37:21,511
And I just feel so thankful
every day.
1671
01:37:38,194 --> 01:37:40,985
Tommy and Kevin
join us now on SportsCenter.
1672
01:37:40,988 --> 01:37:43,404
I know Tommy's lost his voice
a little bit.
1673
01:37:43,407 --> 01:37:45,535
It drove me
every day for seven years.
1674
01:37:46,410 --> 01:37:47,410
Sorry.
1675
01:37:48,913 --> 01:37:52,750
What did your first real
shower in 19 days feel like?
1676
01:37:55,211 --> 01:37:58,256
I, like the entire world,
was watching you.
1677
01:37:58,673 --> 01:38:00,842
And I just thought, "Why?"
1678
01:38:03,427 --> 01:38:07,140
Throwing out today's
first pitch, Kevin Jorgeson.
1679
01:38:11,727 --> 01:38:15,145
Tommy Caldwell's
new autobiography, The Push.
1680
01:38:15,148 --> 01:38:18,860
You were captured
by militants in Kyrgyzstan?
1681
01:38:21,070 --> 01:38:22,110
Turns out
1682
01:38:22,113 --> 01:38:24,532
the militant
actually survived the fall.
1683
01:38:25,491 --> 01:38:27,240
The rebel was put on trial
1684
01:38:27,243 --> 01:38:30,746
and found guilty of terrorism,
murder, and kidnapping.
1685
01:38:32,081 --> 01:38:34,709
♪ I have been to the mountain ♪
1686
01:38:37,003 --> 01:38:39,505
♪ And I have walked on
his shore ♪
1687
01:38:42,091 --> 01:38:46,012
♪ I have seen ♪
1688
01:38:46,929 --> 01:38:49,140
♪ But I can't see him no more ♪
1689
01:38:58,608 --> 01:39:01,277
♪ I have been to the valley ♪
1690
01:39:03,571 --> 01:39:05,862
♪ And I have sung
all her songs ♪
1691
01:39:05,865 --> 01:39:06,866
You can do it.
1692
01:39:08,951 --> 01:39:13,164
♪ Watch me sing ♪
1693
01:39:13,581 --> 01:39:14,624
Look...
1694
01:39:15,082 --> 01:39:16,082
Mantle.
1695
01:39:16,959 --> 01:39:18,711
Mantle. Come on, try hard.
1696
01:39:19,337 --> 01:39:21,339
You've got to work hard
and focus.
1697
01:39:23,799 --> 01:39:25,673
♪ And I have walked
on his shore... ♪
1698
01:39:25,676 --> 01:39:28,012
You can do it.
You're working really hard.
1699
01:39:29,513 --> 01:39:30,803
Focus.
1700
01:39:30,806 --> 01:39:33,226
Come on, Fitz. You got it.
You can do it. Come on, buddy.
1701
01:39:33,851 --> 01:39:34,974
Come on.
1702
01:39:34,977 --> 01:39:36,896
Remember, push up strong.
1703
01:39:37,355 --> 01:39:39,232
Yeah.
1704
01:39:39,690 --> 01:39:40,858
Don't forget to breathe.
1705
01:39:44,820 --> 01:39:47,531
Come on. Yeah.
Try hard. Try hard.
1706
01:39:47,823 --> 01:39:50,701
Come on, Fitz.
You got it. Yeah.
1707
01:39:51,535 --> 01:39:54,080
Way to focus in.
1708
01:39:54,413 --> 01:39:56,290
Good perseverance.
1709
01:39:57,541 --> 01:40:00,086
Whoo!
1710
01:40:01,379 --> 01:40:03,089
Nice mantle, buddy.
1711
01:40:03,756 --> 01:40:04,966
High five.
1712
01:40:06,050 --> 01:40:07,093
Boom!