
Kevin Jorgeson, 30 (left), and Tommy Caldwell, 36 (right), prepare their climbing gear for the climb. (Associated Press)
Tommy Caldwell, 36, climbed to a ledge 2,000 feet (610 meters) up on Thursday, said Tom Evans, a photographer and climber who has been chronicling the journey.
Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson are relying completely on their physical strength and dexterity to make their way up the Dawn Wall, a vertical face on one side of El Capitan. Caldwell could become the first to accomplish the feat.
After struggling, Jorgeson completed Friday a particularly difficult section lower down the wall.
The men have been climbing toward the 3,000-foot (915-meter) summit for two weeks.