美国国家公共电台 NPR World-Renowned Rock Climber On Constantly Pushing The Limits

 

LAKSHMI SINGH, HOST:

In Yosemite National Park in California, a famous mountain called El Capitan beckons¹ climbers around the world, a sheer granite² rock face called the Dawn Wall seemed impossible to ascend³ without equipment. In 2015, Tommy Caldwell along with Kevin Jorgeson became the first to climb the Dawn Wall using only their bloodied⁴ hands and feet inching along the crevasses⁵, a rope tied to their waist was used to keep from free falling thousands of feet.

And as difficult as that climb was, Caldwell has experienced even more dangerous situations. Back in 2000, he was kidnapped by militants⁶ along with three other American climbers in the Kyrgystan mountains. So what keeps him going? Caldwell answers these questions in his new autobiography⁷ "The Push: A Climber's Journey Of Endurance, Risk And Going Beyond Limits." Tommy Caldwell joins us from community station KGNU in Boulder⁸, Colo. Welcome to the program.

TOMMY CALDWELL: Thank you very much.

SINGH: You are considered a legend in the rock climbing world, but as a child, you describe yourself as small and socially awkward. Can you tell us about that time in your life? And how it geared you toward climbing?

CALDWELL: I mean, I was - I would say quite small physically⁹, and I had eye coordination¹⁰ issues as a child which kept me in remedial reading classes. And I just didn't fit in in a normal social environment, and that is probably one of the things that drew me to climbing because in climbing, you can just go out into nature. If you don't have to worry about socializing because you don't like it, you can more fully¹¹ immerse yourself in climbing.

SINGH: You've talked a lot about your dad. You wanted to be just like him.

CALDWELL: Yeah, I mean, my dad was a bodybuilder when I was a young child and then a mountain guide. Around the time I was 4 years old, he really took up rock climbing. When I was super young, we were hiking to the top of the 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado. You know, when I was in my early teens, we went to Bolivia and climbed to the tops of the highest mountains in the Alps. You know, those experiences were so exciting that when I came back to school, I was actually quite bored.

SINGH: As a teenager, you decided¹² to skip university and climb full time making money through competing, I guess, in climbing competitions. But you lived in a van - right? - long before that was, of course, Instagram cool because now it is so - it sure did not seem easy at the time. There must have been stuff that you had to give up in order to pursue the most important thing it seemed in your life at the time which was climbing.

CALDWELL: Yeah. I had to give up any semblance¹³ of a normal life. Like, I lived on about $50 a month. So I didn't have much in terms of materialistic¹⁴ items, but the climber ethos, the climber culture is all about sacrifice and full immersion¹⁵ into climbing. And so thats what I was all about.

SINGH: OK. And then, of course, that takes us to an interesting chapter in your life, this sense of adventure that sort of led you to an expedition in a remote area of Kyrgyzstan. It became national news. Many of us will recall when you and three other climbers were held hostage by rebels who were associated with the Taliban and al-Qaida. Tommy, could you take us back for a bit? Tell us a little bit about what you remember from - what was it? - 17 years ago?

CALDWELL: I was young. I was idealistic. I would say I was relatively¹⁶ naive¹⁷, but extremely adventurous¹⁸. So there was some warnings about going into the area, but as climbers we sort of have this idea that if we pay attention to all the potential dangers, we'd never go climbing in the first place. So we decided to just change our location and climb up the (unintelligible) valley and hope that everything went OK. And it didn't. There was a war that broke out while we were there.

The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan sort of moved over these mountain passes, and they walked up this valley and found us. And we were captives for six days until we eventually escaped. And the way that we escaped is that I actually ended up pushing one of our captors off a cliff, and we ran for it. And this was truly a coming of age moment for me in kind of a life inflection point.

SINGH: Do you think a lot about that moment of having to push one of the captors off the cliff knowing that you needed to survive?

CALDWELL: I initially²⁰ wanted to write this book because I wanted to go to that place. You know, I've kind of - I think most people who know me view me as a very focused person. I tend to walk through life sort of looking through a pair of binoculars²¹, and I focus on certain things and push out the rest. And I wanted to change that. You know, I wanted to understand how that experience shaped me and what it did.

And so the first scene that I wrote in this book was that moment when I pushed the guy in Kyrgyzstan. And it was really a personal meditation²², and it was super powerful. And so really a lot of my climbing life since then has been an effort to understand more about that. And so I've picked these big objectives and then pursued them very vigorously. And in a way, that climb of the Dawn Wall was just trying to pick the biggest objective that I could find so that I could live this life of pursuit which I absolutely love.

SINGH: So this led you to your most famous climb, the Dawn Wall of El Capitan, along with free climber Kevin Jorgeson. The trek²³ took 19 days, but I understand the planning took like seven years.

CALDWELL: I'd spent more time on El Cap than probably anyone. And so I recognized that I was the one person that could view this section of the wall that looked so blank. Like, from the ground it seemed as though there was nothing to hold to. And it was so big and so steep. That's what inspired me, the doubt of whether it could be done. And so I spent a year plotting the route, swinging around on ropes, feeling the holes, linking together the individual moves and really viewing it on this microscopic²⁴ level. The eventual¹⁹ 19 days was the push. It was like everything before that was the rehearsal²⁵. And then that 19 days was the performance.

SINGH: What kinds of emotions did you experience after you knew you completed this major lifelong goal?

CALDWELL: Really the most powerful moment was the morning before we topped out. I knew that success was inevitable²⁶, and I was there with just Kevin and me, the sun rising and there was this very beautiful moment of just like all your dreams have come true. You've worked towards this thing for so long. The other side is when we topped out, we were surrounded by reporters and all of a sudden I felt like I was being pulled in a million different directions, and it hit me that the pursuit of this thing was actually over. That was hard for me, and it was also sad.

SINGH: So what's next for you?

CALDWELL: You know, I think I spent seven years working on the Dawn Wall and then after that I jumped right into writing this book and then I had a daughter. So I have been quite busy.

SINGH: Yeah.

CALDWELL: Yeah. And I have a son as well.

SINGH: You know, I was just curious. Are you one to do with your kids what your dad did with you?

CALDWELL: For now, yes. I think I will probably contemplate²⁷ the risk side of it a little bit differently than my father did.

SINGH: In what way?

CALDWELL: I think he almost killed me a lot a lot of times when I was a child (laughter) unintentionally. I mean, we did some pretty crazy things. So the fact that I learned to go out on these big adventures and love that so much made it so that I viewed risk differently. I thought that exposing myself to really risky²⁸ things was absolutely worth it. I think I want my kids to think a little more deeply about that because I love them so much, and I don't want them to get killed off, you know?

SINGH: I think we would all understand your feelings and your trepidation²⁹ about this. That was Tommy Caldwell, world renowned³⁰ rock climber from Colorado. He joined us from community station KGNU in Boulder. His new book "The Push: A Climber's Journey Of Endurance, Risk And Going Beyond Limits" is out May 16. Tommy, thank you so much for coming on the program.

CALDWELL: Thank you.

1 beckons   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He sent his ships wherever profit beckons. 他将船队派往赢利的那些地方。 来自辞典例句
• I believe history beckons again. 我认为现在历史又在召唤了。 来自辞典例句

2 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

3 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

4 bloodied   

v.血污的( bloody的过去式和过去分词 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• his bruised and bloodied nose 他沾满血的青肿的鼻子
• His pants leg was torn and bloodied when he fell. 他跌交时裤腿破了，还染上了血。 来自辞典例句

5 crevasses   

n.破口，崩溃处，裂缝( crevasse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Splays are commonly formed by currents from crevasses in levees. 嗽叭形堆积通常由堤防决口的洪流所形成。 来自辞典例句
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses. 冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。 来自辞典例句

6 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

7 autobiography   

n.自传

参考例句：

• He published his autobiography last autumn.他去年秋天出版了自己的自传。
• His life story is recounted in two fascinating volumes of autobiography.这两卷引人入胜的自传小说详述了他的生平。

8 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

9 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

10 coordination   

n.协调，协作

参考例句：

• Gymnastics is a sport that requires a considerable level of coordination.体操是一项需要高协调性的运动。
• The perfect coordination of the dancers and singers added a rhythmic charm to the performance.舞蹈演员和歌手们配合得很好，使演出更具魅力。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 semblance   

n.外貌，外表

参考例句：

• Her semblance of anger frightened the children.她生气的样子使孩子们感到害怕。
• Those clouds have the semblance of a large head.那些云的形状像一个巨大的人头。

14 materialistic   

a.唯物主义的，物质享乐主义的

参考例句：

• She made him both soft and materialistic. 她把他变成女性化而又实际化。
• Materialistic dialectics is an important part of constituting Marxism. 唯物辩证法是马克思主义的重要组成部分。

15 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

16 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

17 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

18 adventurous   

adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的　

参考例句：

• I was filled with envy at their adventurous lifestyle.我很羨慕他们敢于冒险的生活方式。
• He was predestined to lead an adventurous life.他注定要过冒险的生活。

19 eventual   

adj.最后的，结局的，最终的

参考例句：

• Several schools face eventual closure.几所学校面临最终关闭。
• Both parties expressed optimism about an eventual solution.双方对问题的最终解决都表示乐观。

20 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

21 binoculars   

n.双筒望远镜

参考例句：

• He watched the play through his binoculars.他用双筒望远镜看戏。
• If I had binoculars,I could see that comet clearly.如果我有望远镜，我就可以清楚地看见那颗彗星。

22 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

23 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

24 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

25 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

26 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

27 contemplate   

vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视

参考例句：

• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate.战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。
• The consequences would be too ghastly to contemplate.后果不堪设想。

28 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

29 trepidation   

n.惊恐，惶恐

参考例句：

• The men set off in fear and trepidation.这群人惊慌失措地出发了。
• The threat of an epidemic caused great alarm and trepidation.流行病猖獗因而人心惶惶。

30 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。