Right now I'm the oldest guy to lead the whole Nose route in a day. The guy who held the record previously was 44.
Posted by Ken Smith on November 11, 2009 at 9:53 PM
Mark, I thoroughly enjoy lurking at supertopo. Esp fun to read your tr and see your photos. You climbers are a unique breed. Great text, informative and insightful into your approach to prepare ...both physically and mentally. Congrats on a smashing success!!! 54!! Wahoo! There is a symphony of sounds from people in the valley ...folks excited to "be" there. Whether climbing, day hiking or simply pedaling along the blacktop. The music is people reconnecting to the natural world. Esp young people. Cool. Thanks for sharing.
I'm about as familiar with the world of climbing as i am with the technicals of quantum physics, but I do know that climbing El Cap in a day is a pretty impressive feat! I watched a PBS documentary on the history of climbing El Cap a while back, and the video alone was enough to give me the willies. Its gotta be one hell of an experience doing it for real.
Great story, and great photos, both new and old. And congrats on the accomplishment. I bow down at your Old Dude bad-assed-ness.
Posted by Jack Graham on November 12, 2009 at 2:14 AM
Mark,
I'll be climbing Bald Peak with the dogs tomorrow morning---perhaps 200'... and I am going to get a good nights rest tonight.
Kudos to you. You should be very proud!
I'll call you over the weekend!
JG
Posted by Mark Hudon on November 12, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Thanks, it was pretty fun. Believe it or not, I'm planning on doing it again (not leading the whole thing though) next year. I really want to do it in less than 10 hours.
Posted by Greg Vaughn on November 12, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Wow, very impressive, Mark! As the Aussies say, Good on ya, mate!
Posted by John Williams on November 13, 2009 at 5:57 PM
That rocks Mark, very impressive. I've been limping all week after nailing my foot playing racquetball on Sunday, cursing my age (a wimpy 46). I guess I'll quite whining.
Keep it up man; I'm a big fan of people who forget about their age in calendar years.
Posted by David Cobb on November 14, 2009 at 1:21 AM
Love it Mark! Great shots of you before, way before, during, and after. Keep it up and congrats on making your goal.
Big smiles on my face reading through your tale of the climb, Mark. Smiles because of your achievement and for your enthusiasm, which radiates from your words. Many hearty congrats!
Discussion
9 repliesClimbing El Capitan
Right now I'm the oldest guy to lead the whole Nose route in a day. The guy who held the record previously was 44.
Great story, and great photos, both new and old. And congrats on the accomplishment. I bow down at your Old Dude bad-assed-ness.
I'll be climbing Bald Peak with the dogs tomorrow morning---perhaps 200'... and I am going to get a good nights rest tonight.
Kudos to you. You should be very proud!
I'll call you over the weekend!
JG
Keep it up man; I'm a big fan of people who forget about their age in calendar years.
David M. Cobb