With its steep granite walls and extensive valleys, Yosemite National Park is a mecca for climbers and all people who love nature.

Once filled in ancient ice fields, this is the story of how Yosemite got its name, and helped pave the way for the US National Park system. We skipped watching a sunset over iconic Half Dome to watch climbers attempt El Cap instead. Binoculars in hand, we sat on folding deck chairs at the base of the giant slab of exposed granite, squinting up at the humans who were just dots on rock. Yosemite Valley is a mecca for climbers that has long attracted the best of the best, from famous athletes to dirtbags, as well as their enthusiastic supporters.