Huge Fresno Bee Article, Conquest of El Capitan

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Conquest of El Capitan Climbing enthusiasts will gather to remember the moments that led up to taming of a landmark.

Warren Harding, Wayne Merry and George Whitmore, left to right, wave their handkerchiefs in elation in 1958 after scaling what until then had been the unclimbed face of El Capitan. The picture was taken by Fresno Bee staff photographer Loyal Savaria within a few minutes after they walked up to the summit. About three hours before the climbers edged up over the rim of the sheer face, they ate breakfast before going on up to the top.

 

Nose: Whitmore prusiks the last pitch

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Nose: Whitmore prusiks the last pitch

Wayne Merry photo.

Nose hammer

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Nose hammer

This hammer was used on the first ascent of the Nose of El Capitan, 1958. It was made from a modified center punch. The handle broke during the climb and was replaced by John Whitmer with local oak hardwood for the final pitches. The hammer was tossed off after the climb with other gear and the handle broke once again and was replaced.

Harding Bivy

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Harding Bivy

Warren Harding bivying during the first ascent of the Nose of El Capitan in 1958. Photo by Wayne Merry.

Batso Statue at Mill Creek

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Batso Statue at Mill Creek

Lower Cathedral Spire

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Lower Cathedral Spire

Richard Leonard, Jules Eichorn and Bestor Robinson on the summit of Lower Cathedral Spire during the first ascent on Labor Day weekend, 1934.

While the men are climbing Lower Cathedral Spire, three men, Herbert B. Blanks, Elliot Sawyer, and Boyton S. Kaiser complete the second ascent of Higher Cathedral Spire
using the pitons left in place by the first asent team four months
previously. The Higher Spire team take pictures of Leonard, Eichorn,
and Robinson on the top of Lower Cathedral Spire before descending.

El Capitan, from page 184 of the 1959 American Alpine Journal

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El Capitan
WARREN J. HARDING

l SUPPOSE this article could be titled “The Conquest of El Capitan.” However, as I hammered in the last bolt and staggered over the rim, it was not at all clear to me who was conqueror and who was conquered: I do recall that El Cap seemed to be in much better condition than I was.

The above mentioned last bolt marked the conclusion of a venture that began in July, 1957. Mark Powell, Bill “Dolt” Feuerer and I met in Yosemite Valley intending to make an attempt on the North Face of Half Dome. We discovered that an excellent team of climbers from southern California was already at work on it and had the situation well in hand. In our disappointment, we became a bit rash and decided to “have a go” at El Cap.

I’m sure no climber ever considered El Cap impossible-the term “impossible climb” having long since become obsolete. The fact that, previously, there had been no serious attempts to scale the sheer 2900-foot face was simply due to the common belief among rock climbers that techniques were not sufficiently advanced to cope with such a problem.

From Chris Jones Climbing In North America

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from Chris Jones Climbing In North America

Yosemite Valley. It is the Fourth of July weekend in 1957. The heat is oppressive, and the campgrounds are overflowing. The roads are crowded with cars that make their way from viewpoint to store and back to viewpoint. Tourists idly drink Coke and tap time to the radio as they cruise up and down. They are in Yosemite for a good time. The scenery may be a bonus, but many of them would just as soon be at Las Vegas. They look upon Yosemite as an outdoor amusement park. There is a sense of bored pleasure seeking in the air.

This sense of ennui contrasts with the urgency of three grimy young men. They, too, seem oblivious to the scenery, but they are not bored. Harding, Feuerer, and Powell have just been aced out of Half Dome and are earnestly discussing their next move. A climbing revolution is about to take place in Yosemite, a revolution that in less than ten years will put American climbers at the forefront of the sport and influence mountaineering all over the world.

After grumbling around the valley in a "fit of egotistical pique," Harding decided to cap the Half Dome climb by a harder one. He looked across at the 3,000-foot south buttress of El Capitan and emphatically stated, "I'm gonna climb that god-damn line."

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