When Tommy Caldwell finally completed the first free climb of the Dawn Wall in 2015, it wrote him into the history books as one of climbing's all-time greatest. He's often described as "superhuman" – but a recent return to El Capitan may be an indication that even the most legendary big wall climbers eventually return to earth.
On Tuesday, October 25, Caldwell posted on Instagram that he and Alex Honnold, of Free Solo fame, had spent three days on the Heart Route in Yosemite, which entails 31 pitches of 5.10 - 5.13 climbing including a nine foot down dyno move.
Needless to say, Honnold sent the route, but Caldwell revealed that, despite setting the sub two-hour record on The Nose as a duo with Honnold just five years ago, he was unable to send this time.
"Alex is so impressive and fun (to) climb with up there. He pretty much hiked everything, while I struggled to keep up," he wrote, adding: "I was a bit sad to feel like I have slipped from my peak up there."
Then again, Caldwell also noted that he's still recovering from an injury (he ruptured his Achilles tendon last year, requiring surgery) so perhaps this is just a blip in an otherwise perfect 20-year career.
Either way, his supporters were quick to jump in and lend words of encouragement, with one commenter writing, "It's not always about sending but coming back to your loved ones after living a good life experience."
The dynamic climbing duo have recently made headlines by trading their climbing shoes for wheels and biking 2,000 miles from Colorado to Alaska, which Caldwell also revealed in the post has been documented for an upcoming special on NatGeo TV, news that's sure to delight climbing fans.
