But you can spend only so much time in Yosemite Valley before feeling the need to climb El Capitan.

WSJ: Training for the Big Wall | By Michael J. Ybarra

He's also asked controllers for routings that offer great views of Half Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe.

WSJ: Airline Pilots Pick Some Favorite Scenic Routes

That would be the Nose: the 3, 000-foot-tall prow where El Capitan's two massive walls meet the sum of all my hopes and fears on this evening.

WSJ: El Capitan's Nose in a Day | By Michael J. Ybarra

He quickly established himself as one of the world's best climbers, in 1964 making the first ascent of the North America Wall of Yosemite's El Capitan--regarded at that time as the most difficult climb in the world.

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