8-year-old boy becomes youngest person to climb California’s El Capitan
Laurie Strobel
6:06 PM, Jan 9, 2014
6:06 PM, Jan 9, 2014
Copyright Getty Images
6:06 PM, Jan 9, 2014
6:06 PM, Jan 9, 2014
This is the year that a 6-year-old boy became the youngest person in the world to conquer Yosemite’s El Capitan, making the hike between the rock face and the lake an arduous 2½-hour trek with steepness ranging from 3 to 10 percent.
His name is Ryan Caulder, and he has his sights set on becoming the world’s youngest summit of all time—or, more specifically, the youngest to climb in the United States.
Ryan came from a family of climbers, having his grandpa climb the El Capitan in 1981. Ryan’s family traveled to Yosemite with him every year.
According to the National Park Service, Ryan spent most of 2014 trekking from San Francisco to Yosemite National Park to hike the El Capitan for the 50th time, which means he’s been climbing the popular rock climb for at least a little over four years.
“The idea is to hike as many times as possible,” a proud Ryan says in a message shared with the media by his mother, Anna, and a friend. The final stop on Ryan’s journey is an upcoming trip to the Canadian Rockies, so the last few months were filled with training.
In an Associated Press article, Ryan’s mother says she’s most proud of her son being “a man and a man”—something he credits to his strong family relationships, and to his brother’s strong work ethic.
Ryan has been taking the most difficult part of his hike seriously; he’s been studying his book of climbing terms and his route notes, and practicing his safety skills
