Tom Evans, a climber and photographer, has been chronicling Kevin Jorgeson, 30, of Santa Rosa,
California, and Tommy Caldwell, 36, of Estes Park, Colorado, as they scale their way using only their
hands and feet.

El Capitan, the largest monolith of granite in the world, rises more than 3,000 feet above the Yosemite
Valley floor. The first climber reached its summit in 1958, and there are roughly 100 routes up to the
top. Of those, the hardest and steepest is called the Dawn Wall, which faces east toward the rising sun.

Many have climbed Dawn Wall, which has been described "as smooth as alabaster, as steep as the
bedroom wall," but the pair would be the first to free climb it using ropes only as a safeguard
against falls.

The men eat, stretch and sleep in hanging tents suspended to the Dawn Wall. They don’t have the creature
comforts of home, but they have kept in touch with the outside world thanks to social media — tweeting,
posting on Facebook, feeding information for blogs and keeping in touch with a bevy of supporters on the
ground.

"The guys are doing great," said Josh Lowell with Big Up Productions, which has been
chronicling their climbs for the last six years. "(Monday) they are resting and trying to grow skin
back on their fingertips so they can continue to do battle with the hardest climbing sections, which
involve grabbing tiny, razor-sharp edges of rock."

If all goes as planned, the duo could be at the top as soon as Friday or Saturday, Lowell said.

"But that’s best-case scenario. It could take several more days just to get through the difficult
section where they currently are. If any weather moves in, that could also delay things, but the
forecast is looking good for now," he said.

Evans said the two have a cellphone on their ascent, but they weren’t taking calls Monday because they
were resting and "want no distractions while on the cliff." The two also weren’t answering
emails from roughly 1,500 feet above the ground.

There are 32 sections of the climb. On Sunday night, Lowell said Caldwell, climbing in the dark,
completed the last of the three hardest sections of climbing, which was a major breakthrough.

"He still has 1,500 feet of hard, scary climbing ahead, but mentally he is feeling really confident
right now, and incredibly excited. (Jorgeson) is extremely close to completing pitch 15, one of the
hardest. (Tuesday) he will try to complete it and catch up to Tommy so they can continue forging
ahead," he said.

In 1970, Warren Harding and Dean Caldwell (no relation to Tommy Caldwell) climbed Dawn Wall using ropes
and countless rivets over 27 days.

The duo prepared for at least six years for the climb, according to friends and their personal websites.
John Long, the first person to climb El Capitan in one day in 1975, said he speaks to the climbers
several times a day.

"It’s almost inconceivable that anyone could do something that continuously difficult," he said
Monday, adding that he believes they spent the equivalent of a year’s time on the wall in preparation
for the climb.