DLNews Recreation:
He is only eight years old – and has already made history.
Papa Joe and Sam on the wall of the El Capitan
Little Sam Baker is the youngest person to climb the monster rock "El Capitan" in the famous Yosemite National Park, California!
They ended the joint climbing tour on Friday, his father said on Facebook. The duo began scaling the gigantic rock on Tuesday. The rock wall is 1000 meters high, more than three times the height of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
As usual, they slept directly on the wall itself, hanging!
From the bed, Sam lowered a love message to his mom from hundreds of feet up
Papa Joe was over the moon after the dizzying tour: "What an incredible week! I'm so proud of Sam. He completed the recent rope ascent of El Cap!”
Naturally, he believes in further success from his offspring, writing: "In a few years he might break new records again."
His father had written in advance that his son had already got it in his head two years ago to climb the giant rock face.
El Capitan towers monumentally over Yosemite National Park in California, also made famous by the Oscar-winning documentary film "Free Solo," in which Alex Honnold (37) climbs the monster rock without a safety device.
More than 30 people died on El Capitan.
The tour had also drawn criticism for Joe letting his young child scale the huge, steep cliff. He replied that his son had a knack for climbing and knew how to progress safely. He spent two weeks preparing for the ascent.
Sometimes the climbers only hang with their fingertips on the often tiny ledges of El Capitan! As a result, more than 30 people fell to their deaths on the wall.
The dad in advance: "You don't get on the El Capitan if you're not an expert in this sport. We train a young man who is an expert in this sport. He can really do anything the big climbers can do.”
Climbing icon Emily Harrington (36) had given the all-clear. Twice she scaled El Capitan WITHOUT a fuse. Harrington: "If he's looking forward to being up there and going on an adventure with his dad, I don't see any problem regarding safety and risk. It's not a dangerous form of climbing."
Mom Ann told CNN that Sam "seems really happy to be up there, and the vibes are good."
The father-son duo dedicated a special message to her. Sam lowered a banner on the stone wall at one stop that read, "I love you, mom, almost there."
This climbing excursion will probably be remembered by the whole family FOREVER.
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