These are the pictures taken during Salathe Wall climbing.Before starting to Salathe Wall we took a picture of us. Inje is our great supporter. We promised over and over again to meet at the top in three days.
Investigating the route of El Capitan.
Before starting to the "Salathe Wall"
We wished our successful summit. Jinwook and Seojin are doing some performance.
Taking a picture at the bottom of El Capitan.
Ascending with jumar. Four pitches to the Heart ledge
Our jumaring had begun around 6 o'clock in the evening. Our plan was to get to Heart ledge first and bivouack there. I had still trouble in jumaring and got completely wet with sweat. Actually I worried about upcoming climbing because it would be my first time to try hauling the piggy bag.
Sungkyoon belonged to the support team. We climbed to the lung ledge by four pitches of jumaring. This shot was taken at the third pitch of ascending.
Sungkyoon and me. At the middle point of our destination. He almost made a big mistake when he climbed down from the Heart Ledge. He didn't know that his rope was a little bit short at that time. He was literally astonished to find it out. Anyway after that, he got relaxed and have a pleasant moment with me.
Here, we had a final dinner. I strongly insisted on having good meal, so we enjoyed two chicken. It already got dark even though it's not time to turn in yet. But we worked out enough to reach here and we were tired to enough to fall asleep. I personally had a happy dream.
We finally reached the lung ledge. Hyochul and me. What about our messy stuffs? It was a wonderful place in which to bivouack compared with that of 11th pitch of Half Dome.
The above photo was brought from some web site.
Unfortunately, I do not have pictures from Heart ledge to 23rd pitch. There were many memorable events during those times. First we had to pass Hollow Flake, Second The Ear. In addition to that 19th pitch seemed very torturous to Kyounghoon. Still can't I forget his completely tired visage. We had another night at El Cap Spire, which was wide and very good place to bivouack in. But I was so anxious about our delayed schedule, which I had never expected at the beginning. I had expected that we would be able to reach El Cap Spire in time and work out another two or three pitches. But that turned out to be my miscalculation. Salathe Wall was not so easy place to climb. Rather, it became more and more difficult as we went up further.
Anyhow, I began my leading on the second day.
Climbing El Capitan is not like the one in Insu or Sunin peak. First of all we have a lot of piggy luggages and we cannot eat at our will. Second, the rock itself is very slippery. So-called friction climbing is not possible. There cannot be any retreat once we pass some point. Chances are it's nonsense or crazy to imagine to go back. We have no choice but to go up and up. That was the destiny assigned to us.
Leading the 23th pitch
At the 25th pitch. I spent all my energy at that moment and was completely exhausted. I look much older than what I am. I have lots of wrinkles on my face!
It was so hot that I could not help taking off all the clothes but underwear.
I am recovering little by little....
This is 25th pitch, bivouack site. After I arranged the site, I fell asleep. I did not feel guilty at all about my sleeping while other guys were working hard though. They did the same thing while I was working like a dog. Actually, sleeping under the burning sun itself was not such a easy thing to do.
Waiting for my colleagues to climb, I arranged my surrounding and set up bivouac site. Doesn't it look like a spider web?
The sight from the 25th pitch. Kyounghoon made a mistake in finding a correct route and now climb the other side to try again.
Kyounghoon. Under the "Head Wall"
At 30th pitch. I started climbing the "Head Wall".
Aid climbing is not only a struggle against oneself but also a precious time for meditation. One can become entirely alone when he leads the pitch. Murmuring something incessantly, recalling some memory of the past day, he makes a small progress little by little. He talks with wind. He talks with rock. At this moment nothing is more important than the present situation. Every delicate movement of the body is readily transformed into a sort of signal and stimulates his own mind, sometimes paralyzes it.
Somebody says climbing enables us to throw away oneself. But I could not get rid of my ego from myself. Instead I could realized what my ego really wanted. I could see my naked mind there. All kinds of love, hatred, hypocricy were mingled together and showed themselves up in front of me. I could neither affirm nor negate them since they all belonged to me. My rational and emotion were separated out of me and I could face with them. And I could also realized that they were just strifles. They were nothing but strifles. Here am I. Here I exist. I could clearly understand what I, this creature, wanted.
This "Head Wall" crack was as much as 150 feet. I spend almost 3 hours here. In addition, the worst thing of this wall was that it was slightly overhang!
I finally reached the end of 30th pitch.
At 31th pitch. I fell off three times at the upper part of this crack, finally gave up and ask Kyounghoon to lead.
What am I doing? Looks funny...
On the other hand, Kangwoo is waiting for his turn with the piggy bag at the 30 th pitch. This picture was taken by some professional photographer living in Yosemite.
Taking a rest at long ledge(31th pitch)
It appears that Hyochul was still in good condition. I was entirely knocked out.
Kyonghoon and me at long ledge.
After we succeeded in summiting the "Salathe Wall". we were very tired but happier than anybody else. Nothing could take away what we got, which was present inside each heart of ours.
Next day in the early morning. I could not eat anything in the previous day but was very happy.
This is the top of El Capitan. As a matter of fact, there remained no extra energy for us to walk down to the camp site. So we took a rest, taking pictures.
The happiest guys in the world.
Looking at the tree standing in the rain I forget the sunshine and the blue sky
Nobody looks for or waits for me.
In the oblivion I don't care about the monotonity
I don't care about my desire.
My silence, which has neither beginning nor end, nothing can disturb.
Nothing can intimidate me.
Expecting gratitute from nobody I just feel ecstacy about myself.
I'd just like to grow and fly up to the end of the sky.
I'd just like to spread dense branches and cool shadow over the world.
The face of the happiest man in the world.
