This 8-year-old boy could become the youngest to scale Yosemite's El Capitan
Sam Baker hopes to become the youngest ever to scale Yosemite's El Capitan. Photo credit: Joe Baker via Facebook.
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. - An 8-year-old boy from Colorado could become youngest to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Sam Baker set out Monday on a 5-day trek to conquer ‘the Captain,’ one of the most popular formations in the world for climbers.
Sam isn't alone in the challenge; he's tackling the 3,000 vertical feet of granite rock with his dad, Joe.
"Sam has had it in his mind to climb this wall for the last two years," said Joe Baker in a Facebook post. "And we are finally here."
He said their journey will take at least four days and three nights living on the wall. They will be "hanging either our fingers or our anchors" the entire time.
"Just imagine walking for a mile of sidewalk on your fingers, but strait up," said Baker. "But then we also have to drag up everything that they need to live, including hundreds of pounds of just water."
If successful, this will be a historic achievement for an 8-year-old.
Joe and Sam Baker in a plane headed to conquer El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Photo credit: Joe Baker via Facebook
"I understand that this trip is not for everybody," said Baker. "There are lots of people talking about the risks and so it’s important to also be discussing the rewards which far outweigh the risks."
Among the rewards mentioned in the post, the joy of being in nature on a rock with your dad.