Column: History made on Yosemite’s Dawn Wall

In our modern world, exploration can be done from the comfort of a couch. The new and exotic can be seen in the palm of your hand. In spite of the unlimited access granted, there still exists a spark in humanity that demands limits be pushed.

Last week, limits were pushed once more, in a place that doesn’t often see new advances.

Yosemite National Park is home to some of the world’s most legendary rock formations. The park hosts millions of visitors each year. For some, Yosemite is a nice place to visit or a destination to check off a list.

In the eyes of a select few, Yosemite is a realm of exploration and the edge of the achievable. For two men, Yosemite is the site of a staggering achievement. Last week, they completed a seven-year project of reaching the top of the Dawn Wall on the face of El Capitan.

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson made history in our rapidly-shrinking world on Jan. 14. Together, they scaled the summit of El Capitan, using nothing but their fingers and toes to stay on the wall. They lived for 19 days on the face of the granite monolith as they attempted to free climb each of the 32 pitches that comprise the Dawn Wall.

The world is still reeling at the achievement. President Obama commented on their success. Articles were published in major papers and magazines. A film crew from Big Up Productions accompanied the duo and documented hours and hours of nocturnal attempts to summit.

In response to all the attention, Jorgeson posted via Twitter, “This is not an attempt to ‘conquer.’ It’s about realizing a dream.”

What a dream they’ve realized.

In the wake of such a huge accomplishment, the climbing community has exploded. Climbers like Alex Johnson and Daniel Woods both completed long-time projects of their own and gave some credit of their success to the inspiration they received watching Caldwell and Jorgeson give their all to one of the hardest routes in the world.

As small as the world has grown, these two men have proven that there is room to grow, room to explore and room to dream. Hundreds of days were given in the name of the Dawn Wall, all for the sake of a dream.

This raises one question: what would you give to achieve your own dream?

There exists in the life of each human being a Dawn Wall. It stands resolute, unmoving, unforgiving and enormous. It will crush your spirit or it will teach you a lifetime worth of wisdom. There remains one option, then: find your Dawn Wall. Whatever it may be, give it your soul and you’ll be surprised at how far you go.

— Andrew Simpson is an avid climber and outdoorsman. He’s still not sure what his Dawn Wall is but wants to know yours. Post about it on Instagram with the tag #whatsyourdawnwall. Email him at simspon.andrew.p@gmail.com.