Mark wellman biography
Mark wellman biography
Mark wellman congress.
Paraplegic climber reunites with El Capitan 30 years after summiting
YOSEMITE, Calif. (KFSN) -- It was daring, daunting and it was exactly three decades ago.
"1989, July 26."
Mark Wellman knows that date well because he lived this experience.
One that made him the first paraplegic to ever climb El Capitan.
It is a mountain twice as high as the tip of the Empire State Building, and 100 times as tall as the Statue of Liberty.
"The night before we were going to blast off I remember I was so nervous that I couldn't sleep," said Wellman.
The then 29-year-old Wellman spent six months preparing for this journey with the help of his friend and lead climbing partner Mike Corbit.
They developed specialized equipment for Wellman who was paralyzed after a tragic climbing accident in 1982.
"It was down by a mountain called Seven Gables which is near Mt.
Humphries," said Wellman.
But this time he was at Yosemite National Park and h