Monday, October 18, 2021
We pulled up in front of El Capitan, a huge block of granite. The first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of cars parked in front of it. I asked why there were so many cars and he responded “Rocktober!” This is the month for climbing up El Capitan.
Earlier the guide mentioned that when you stand in front of El Capitan, it feels like it looms out at that top, he said that it doesn’t. He was right, it felt like wall came out over us, but it was an illusion. We walked into the meadow to get an unobstructed view of the El Capitan.
El Captain is three times the height of the empire state building. The climbers on the wall looked like small specs, barely visible.
The guide talked about the movie “Free Solo” which was an award-winning documentary about one individual who made the climb to the top with minimal equipment (shoes and chalk), no ropes and no safety harnesses. The guide went on to talk about the various forms or rock climbing and what equipment is used.
I have a fear of heights, I feel uncomfortable looking at people standing on a ledge, if my hotel balcony doesn’t have sturdy railing, I won’t go out on the balcony, the glass skywalk in the Grand Canyon is not on my list of places to visit.
I saw news stories about “Free Solo” and as much as I wanted to see the award winning documentary, there was no way that I could sit through a couple of hours watching this guy climbing up to the top without any safety gear, knowing that wrong move would send him plummeting to his death. I know that other forms or rock climbing is much safer, but this is one sport that I am not interested in!
Recent Comments