Some people have a driven ability to do amazing things…

…however it’s not achieved without earning the skills and honing their abilities through 10’s of thousands of hours focusing on pushing through the plateaus that are the high points for many of the greatest of all time at anything in the physical world.
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(Lonnie Kauk Tuolumne-Meadows-Matthes Crest 2016)

Lonnie Kauk, son of Ron Kauk and Yosemite Valley native, this is his reality. Known for his hard sends, limit-pushing free solos, and passionate attitude, Lonnie has followed in his father's footsteps and established himself as one of the world's most respected climbers.

For some people it really is in their DNA 🧬

Native American and son of legendary rock climber Ron Kauk and Lucy Ann Parker. A direct descendant of Chief Tenaya of the Ahwhneechee tribe of Yosemite.

I wish I could have 1/100th of the skill to earn these kind of experiences. I just can’t imagine how much pressure it was/is to be the scion of one of the the worlds best free climbers in history (and definitely one of the greatest US free climbers) I imagine that you either embrace the things that you’re taught from an early age or you take your own route (no pun intended). I have always been impressed by people that can find a way to do both their parents specialty as well as plow their own line, both figuratively and literally.
Professional climber and professional snowboarder. Backcountry wizard and legend in his own time.
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Dreamcatcher (Eastern Sierra backcountry 2022?) Hard evidence that dedication to your craft(s) can put some people on another level entirely. Lonnie Kauk b. March 16, 1982.

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2cool4school · 46-50, F

@bleach

Marc-André Leclerc (October 10, 1992 – March 5, 2018) was a Canadian rock climber and alpinist

This guy impressed Alex quite a bit before he was killed trying to make another amazing ascent.

On March 5, 2018, Marc-André Leclerc and his climbing partner, Ryan Johnson, reached the narrow summit via a new route on the North Face of the Mendenhall Towers (North of Juneau, Alaska

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The Alpinist (2021) would have been a similar exposure and catapult for his career but he was killed in an avalanche so it’s his only documented climbing on film and it’s an amazingly beautiful and unfortunately tragic account as well.

And he was relatively unknown outside of the core climbing community though he pushed alpinism to unseen heights and feats that may never be repeated and seen again. He was doing things for his own personal enjoyment that were not only career defining worlds firsts but he also was able to accelerate his development in the short time that he was alive and he didn’t seem to like the attention that his own feats of legend brought.
I personally looked up to Lynn Hill as she was actually the first person that was able to free climb the nose on El Capitan

She set for herself the challenge of free climbing The Nose of El Capitan, her greatest climbing feat. Hill continues to climb and has not stopped taking on ambitious climbs.

She was born in Detroit and grew up in Southern California and I felt like she embodies the spirit of a climber who is dedicated to her craft and she was able to surpass others that had the skills but not the drive.

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2cool4school · 46-50, F

@bleach Anything is possible. I think it’s easy to learn indoor and progress as well as compress the strength training but it’s a much different experience than actually being outside on real rock in the elements and I feel fortunate to have started outside and only climbed indoors when I was working in places where there was little to no outdoor climbing or partners available but I was actually almost always within 20-45 mins away from decent places to climb outdoors even when I wasn’t yet focused on getting better at climbing and I feel fortunate that I was able to get to my high point in my early 20s especially now that I don’t have the abilities to climb due to injuries and chronic pain and I’m just so glad and grateful for the 5-7 years I was able to get most of my best abilities back and apply them to the “unfinished business” I had been waiting to get back to in my mid 30s to early 40s. I’m less than 1 month away from turning 45 and it is making me feel very introspective and analytical of my life so far.

2cool4school · 46-50, F

@bleach just remember that nothing in life or climbing can be achieved without risk no matter how big or small risk is always present.

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2cool4school · 46-50, F

@bleach I don’t feel like it would be tragic for me but I’m aware that it’s going to be hard for my family and I don’t want that in any way and it’s often been my biggest motivation when I have been in a situation that could turn out to be drastic and I’ve pushed myself to get back and give myself the best chance to return to my family if possible. I’m not a parent and I’m not going to be but I’m aware that it’s incredibly difficult and stressful for parents no matter the age of their children, to watch them and live with their choices and decisions to push themselves into areas of risk in pursuit of their dreams.