At the age of sixty-six, Dierdre Wolownick became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan, the iconic 3,200-foot "big wall" in Yosemite. Earlier that year, her son, Alex Honnold, stunned and terrified the world by climbing the same 1/2 mile vertical wall without ropes—a free solo assent. Should we see Honnald’s climbing as reckless? A sophisticated dance with passive-aggressive self-harm? Or does our strong emotional reaction to his mastery and success in this solitary sport say more about our own...
In this episode of I talk to adventure photographer John Annerino, believed to have run the longest wilderness ultramarathon ever, covering 750 miles of daunting Arizona wilderness from Mexico to Utah.
At the age of sixty-six, Dierdre Wolownick became the oldest woman to climb El Capitan, the iconic 3,200-foot "big wall" in Yosemite. Earlier that year, her son, Alex Honnold, stunned and terrified the world by climbing the same 1/2 mile vertical wall without ropes—a free solo assent. Should we see Honnald’s climbing as reckless? A sophisticated dance with passive-aggressive self-harm? Or does our strong emotional reaction to his mastery and success in this solitary sport say more about our own...