Don’t say it’s not worth the feeling

We're rushing to the west along an American highway down to the valley that is the climbing mecca. There is, by far the some of the best rock climbing in the world there. And it’s us that are speeding right to it. We are about to cross TAIOGS PASS. As we’re going uphill. The road starts twisting. The air is cold, like in the mountains. We open the car window to expose our feel the mountain air.

"It must be near."

"What?"

"My dream, my dream is within the reach." .

“What does it look like?”

“It’s high. It’s fu….. very high."

Honza Říha is probably the second blind person in the world to climb El Captain in the Yosemite National Park in California, via the Nose. On 17 – 19th August we managed to climb up this legendary route. Of course, due to his handicap he climbed on the second, he was clearing the rope lengths removing the belaying devices and helped with lifting up the gear bag.

We bivouacked twice in the wall and spent the last night on the top. On the first day we climbed the first four lengths on the Sickle Ledge where we left our belongings, the gear bag, and abseiled down. Four days of climbing altogether. Because of the weight we’ve decided to sleep only on natural rock ledges. We spent the first night on the ledge of the Dolt Tower (11th pitch), the second night on the ledge of Camp V (24th pitch) and the last night on the top.

The first time the Nose was climbed up in a single push ascent it took12 days in 1958 by Warren Harding, James Whitmore and Wayne Mary. In 1960 the real single push ascent took the team of Joe Fitschen, Chuck Pratt, Tom Frost and Royal Robbins six days. The route is usually climbed in 19 to 32 pitches. The Nose is classified as VI 5.13+ or 5.9 C2. We joined some of the pitches and so the route took us, by estimation, about 28 pitches. We climbed some lengths 5.9 to 5.10c, including Stoveleg Crack or Pancake Flake, free. The event was supported by the Czech Mountaineering Association.

Other team members:Janek Bednařík (Mountain guide) and Vojtěch Watt Dvořák (Singing Rock)

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