Climb or Die!
Five years ago, we looked at the salmon and how they have to “Try or Die” as they encounter waterfalls several times their own height. Overcoming these obstacles usually takes multiple maximum effort attempts that last just a few seconds. Let’s take a look at another fish that puts the salmon to shame: Just think what this fish could do if it had arms and legs with hands and feet like you do!!! Sometimes there is a big huge wall in our way. And we may not be able to see the top. I guess that is something like a long hill, like the one on Gibson Rd Challenge where the top is hidden behind many switchbacks. A couple of years ago, I saw a documentary of the Sierra Club and how the first few of them climbed El Capitan decades ago. It amazed me that it took days and they actually camped out and slept on the side of the rock, thousands of feet in the air. Here is a recent climber and how he wakes up in the morning while dangling from this wall – if you are afraid of heights, you might want to close your eyes: El Capitan
Can we now look at any wall and say that it is not impossible to climb with the right equipment and sufficient time? Let’s go a step further. Let’s take away the equipment (free climbing) and see how fast it can be done decades later: Free Solo
Was that less than 4 hours? That is faster than many runners can complete a marathoner! Will we get past the mind-set that things we think are impossible are not impossible? For those that want on your own time, here is a 13 minute clip on Alex Honnold. You can be assured that there will be some trivia questions in the near future regarding content in this video.