It took us six and a half hours to get up (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

A whirlwind of emotions overcame me as I reached the summit.

I’d made it.

It was September 2021, and I’d just climbed El Capitan in Yosemite National Park to celebrate my 70th birthday. 

Peering at the rocky terrain surrounding me, my group of 11 friends were as equally mystified by the expansive valley below us. 

It took us six and a half hours to get up, and then six and a half hours to get back down. I was exhausted, but extremely proud of myself.

I’d broken a world record by becoming the oldest woman to climb the 7,500ft granite monolith a second time.  

It’s not something for the faint hearted (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

I first climbed El Cap in 2017 with my son, Alex Honnold, whose own ascent (without ropes) was captured in the 2018 Academy award-winning documentary, Free Solo. 

Climbing without ropes isn’t something a novice climber would do, and many have died trying. It’s not something for the faint hearted.

Though I was always active as a kid – I loved rollerblading and cycling – I didn’t pick up climbing until I was 59.

By that time, Alex was famous, with magazine features, sponsors, and trips around the world. There was all this lingo I’d hear when Alex and his friends talked about climbing, and I’d no clue what any of it meant.

Climbing without ropes isn’t something a novice climber would do, and many have died trying (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

So one day, when Alex was home, I had him take me to our local climbing gym in Sacramento.

I figured I’d get halfway up one wall, let fear get the best of me, and head back home. But I ended up scaling 10 or 12 walls. I loved it and didn’t want to stop. 

By 66, in 2017, I felt ready to climb El Cap for the first time, with Alex by my side. 

We took the Lurking Fear route, which usually takes people four days to complete – but we did it in 19 hours; 13 to go up and six to come back down. 

I’d adhered to a strict training schedule for 18 weeks – three days per week in Yosemite, and the remaining days devoted to the gym or running. 

It was brutal – physically, mentally, and emotionally. 

When I climbed El Cap last September, it was more to prove to myself I could still do it, if anything. 

I’d been dealing with agonising pain in my left foot. It was a lifelong deterioration that had reached the point where I could no longer ignore it. I had surgery to alleviate it that greatly affected my climbing.

Living with the pain would have been preferable to the results of the surgery, but it can’t be undone. Now, when I climb, I have to figure out alternative techniques, other ways to do what everyone else does simply and easily. It makes me slower and more thoughtful.

It was brutal – physically, mentally, and emotionally (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to climb at all. I decided to do El Cap again when I was wondering how to celebrate my 70th birthday. 

It’s a milestone (I know many people who sadly didn’t make it to 70), but Covid limited my options. Climbing was the perfect solution! 

To my delight, a group of 11 friends from all over the country agreed to do the climb with me. We were a mix of ages, so it was reassuring to have younger people in our squad who could help us older folks carry equipment and provide assistance during rough areas. 

We started on a clear day in early autumn. The East Ledges Descent route, our path up, has three sections.

For the first two to three hours, we scrambled on our hands and feet over rocks and boulders, and trekked through streams and forests. This part was hard, and I was already overcome by an all-encompassing exhaustion. 

I was already so drained, but I knew I’d done it before, and could very well do it again (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

In the second section, we jumared, which I’d done many times before. This means we went up the fixed ropes that hang alongside El Cap. Thankfully, jumaring didn’t require much foot manipulation, and this is what I’d consider the easy part of our ascent. 

For the last stretch, we climbed solid slabs of rock that don’t have places to attach. If that sounds terrifying, it’s because it was! You can’t use rope, even though it’s very steep in spots. You have to basically free solo it, with no gear to tether you to the wall, just in case. 

The fear of stumbling down into the valley to your death is very real. 

By this time I was already so drained, but I knew I’d done it before, and could very well do it again. 

It’s all worth it – so I have no plans to stop climbing anytime soon (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

After six and a half hours of pushing our bodies to full capacity, we reached the top! I was incredibly proud of myself. 

Unlike the other times, when we came straight back down, I wanted to know what it was like to sleep at the top of El Cap. So we camped, rang in my birthday (with champagne and cupcakes, of course!), and came down the following day. 

Climbing El Cap is an enormous feat of stamina that requires every bit of your energy. Not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. 

You learn to withstand all kinds of discomfort, and recovery depends on how much you prepare.

You’ll be amazed at what you can do (Picture: Dierdre Wolownick)

But in the end, it’s all worth it – so I have no plans to stop climbing anytime soon.

In fact, I just wrapped up a month-long tour throughout Italy, Switzerland, and Greece, where I spoke at climbing festivals.

Afterwards, I went climbing in the Dolomite and the Alps – a lifelong dream!”  

Society and the media flood us with fear-propagating messages, that we need to wear this or eat that – but there’s also this idea that we can no longer do something because we’ve reached a certain age. 

I want people to know that when they just give it a try, they’d be surprised at how much they can do. 

It’s all about getting out of your comfort zone and taking that first step, especially as we age.

You’ll be amazed at what you can do.

*As told to Brina Patel

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The fear of stumbling down into the valley to your death is very real.