Flashback: When two men climbed El Capitan in 1970

In this 1970 “CBS Evening News” report, climbers Dean Caldwell and Warren Harding make history as the first to climb El Capitan’s “Wall of Early Morning Light.” Now known as “Dawn Wall,” it's the same cliff face that Kevin Jorgeson and Tommy Caldwell free-climbed in an equally historic feat. While both had their challenges, the 1970 climb would prove to be more controversial thanks to a spat between the climbers and the National Park Service.

[@endeavorstitchworks]

i was a bartender in the mt room for a number of years and i had the pleasure of serving Harding drinks one night. And he was a funny old man, warm and loveable. He drank a lot but he sat and he gave me life advice. He told me i should be a bartender on a cruise ship. i had me Bridwell, Chounard, Ben Moon, Croft and others but i think Harding made me laugh the most. I told him he didnt need to tip me and his response was fuck you and he over tipped me. I felt like i was in the presence of not only climbing history but yosemite history and greatness but also of kindness and warmth.

[@trailnscaleRC]

Big respect to these 2. Harding...what a character of epic proportions! Need to find a copy of his book....

[@juansorroza3267]

"because we're insane!"

[@itsmeagain766]

If they’re the first to get there then how are there people already up there

[@AlexanderSiassi]

Listen in at 0:25. You can hike up

[@SoundsSilver]

Crazy to think it took these pioneers a month and it took Honnold 4 hours to free solo

[@NYpaddler]

@@jaybee7890 Anything that can be free climbed can be free climbed without a rope, too. The only question is if and when somebody will try it and not fall.

[@8aron]

@@NYpaddler I don’t think it would be humanly possible to free solo the dawn wall

[@maxpower19711]

@@8aron probably true, but they said that about freerider too

[@baileyayyy5085]

It didn't really take them a month to do the climb, it took them a month to setup the route. They climbed it in a few days but the past 45 had been spent incrementally working the fixed ropes up and planning a viable way up. If you want it to be a more direct comparison it took these two 45 days and it took Honnold over 60 years.