On top, again

May 25, 1999

Gerry Bloch takes a breather after scaling El Capitan Sunday. The octogenarian is the oldest person to climb the famous granite outcropping in Yosemite National Park in California. He last scaled El Capitan, one of the most popular challenges for serious rock climbers, in 1986. Then, he took a relatively easy route - up The Nose. This time he ascended the more difficult Aquarian Wall, rising 2,500 feet to the summit.