He trained for more than a year, working out four or more hours a day, just to scale El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
On Monday, Steve Wampler, 42, not only succeeded scaling the 3,000-foot rock and over six days, but he also reached the goal of being the first person with cerebral palsy to make the climb.
"I'm very, very, very sore and very tired," he said in a phone call Monday morning from the park.
"I haven't really slept that well in 8 or 9 nights so I'm mentally exhausted," he said.
The father of two pushed his body to its limit, making more than 20,000 pulls to scale the peak that's twice the height of the Empire State Building.
"I'm wonderful but I'm cold," he said. It's very cold right now."
Confined to a wheelchair, Wampler has a chronic condition affecting his body movement.
Relying solely on upper body strength, he will be the first person with cerebral palsy to make the climb.
He decided to make the climb for something much greater than bragging rights. He's raising money for camps for kids with disabilities.
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“Basically I think the biggest reason I am doing this climb is to show kids they can do anything they want to do mentally and physically,” he said.
Wampler is trying to raise $2 million. Find out more information here.
