From Callen | Climbing El Cap With Jordan Cannon | Yosemite National Park

It was one of those lofty objectives, the kind that lies dormant but is always on the table. I mean, it's The Big One, and pretty much anyone that rock climbs has dreamt of being on El Capitan, especially if they've been lucky enough to visit Yosemite National Park and see it with their own eyes. It's the birthplace of climbing, "the center of the universe." The 3,000 ft face can be a little intimidating, especially for a self taught Texan adventurer...but there I was 2,500 ft off the deck with my good friend Jordan Cannon, cuddled together in our sleeping bags waiting out a snowstorm before pushing to the summit. It was truly an adventure. 

I supported Jordan as he free climbed The Freerider. It was a 4 day quest, hauling water, food, and our portaledge into the vertical world of Yosemite. I definitely wasn't aware of what I had agreed to over a phone call a few weeks prior. Jordan, a real dirtbag climber, lives out of his van and makes just enough money working odd jobs to fuel his passion (and his van) to the next climb. He's the real deal no doubt, and he's quite the salesman... "Dude, it's gonna be tight. We're gonna be hanging out on the wall watching Netflix, you'll love it," he claims as I agree to the climb. Seems legit I guess...

We were rained on our first night with only a rain jacket each, down sleeping bags soaked through, and the portaledge life turned out to be a terrifying cot at 1,000ft. Who knew? Over the next 3 days however, something rad happened. I learned to slightly curb fear such that I could perform the tasks at hand. Incessant manual labor was complimented nicely by learning new big wall skills on the spot without an option for retreat. I watched Jordan go straight "Hero Mode" time and time again as he battled his way up pitch after pitch. I was out of my comfort zone and overall stoked on it. It was the greatest challenge of my aspiring roll as an adventure documenter, and we didn't watch a single episode of The Office as implied. 10/10 would climb again.

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The Hearnes Adventure Photography is run by Abbi and Callen Hearne, a husband & wife wedding photography team with an emphasis on adventure. They live on the road as full-time nomads in their big white van, allowing them to serve a large portion of the western US including California, Utah, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming. They believe love is the greatest adventure and strive to create photos that are epic, romantic, true, and timeless.

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