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The daredevils of Yosemite

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Yosemite National Park Top 10 American adrenaline rushes

The country is a playpen of diverse terrain

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  • rock climbing, yosemite national park, california
  • rock climbing, yosemite, yosemite national park, california
  • rock climbing, yosemite, yosemite national park, California
  • rock climbing, yosemite, yosemite national park, California
  • rock climbing, yosemite, yosemite national park, California
  • rock climbing, yosemite, yosemite national park, California
  • rock climbing, yosemite, yosemite national park, California
  • rock climbing, yosemite national park, california
    A true cliff-hanger

    In California’s Yosemite National Park, a new breed of daredevil climbers practice the sport of free soloing -- rock climbing without a rope and relying solely on hands and feet wedged into the cracks to ascend the park’s massive granite obelisks. When the 2,130-ft tall Half Dome (pictured in the distance) was first climbed in 1957, it took Californian Royal Robbins and his teammates five days to reach the top – and that was with the aid of ropes. Today, free solo climbers summit in just a few hours. Pictured is free solo climber Dean Potter ascending a route on Yosemite’s Glacier Point. (Mikey Schaefer/National Geographic Stock) _____________________________________________________________________________________ Purchase this image as a print at Cafepress.com

A true cliff-hanger

In California’s Yosemite National Park, a new breed of daredevil climbers practice the sport of free soloing -- rock climbing without a rope and relying solely on hands and feet wedged into the cracks to ascend the park’s massive granite obelisks. When the 2,130-ft tall Half Dome (pictured in the distance) was first climbed in 1957, it took Californian Royal Robbins and his teammates five days to reach the top – and that was with the aid of ropes. Today, free solo climbers summit in just a few hours. Pictured is free solo climber Dean Potter ascending a route on Yosemite’s Glacier Point. (Mikey Schaefer/National Geographic Stock) _____________________________________________________________________________________ Purchase this image as a print at Cafepress.com

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