This is one story you’re going to want to read the rest of. DarkSyd tells of climbing The Nose.
DarkSyd: “After a week or so of getting the techniques down, we found ourselves at the base of the Mighty El Capitan before sunrise, looking up in awe at the pink granite face looming 3400 feet over head. I don’t mind saying, I was pretty nervous about it. If someone gets injured up there, even a minor sprained ankle or a broken finger, or if it rains hard, or if an earthquake hits, and so on, it’s a serious problem for everyone. It’s not like the short Texas routes I was used to where you can just lower down to the ground in a few seconds and walk away! Getting down from a one or two thousand feet off the deck is a huge headache, especially injured or in foul weather, and that’s usually where climbers make fatal mistakes.”
Note: My apologies. I originally attributed this story to Brent when it was his colleague DarkSyd. Sorry for any misunderstanding.