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Most seven-year-old children celebrate their birthdays with family and friends, eating cake and having festivities.
But Joey Danger Evermore enjoyed his according to his name — by climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.
Joey began the climb last weekend as a six-year-old child and finished the climb Thursday a year older, becoming the youngest person to summit the infamous 7,573-foot stone landmark.
It was a six-day feat, according to his father Joe Evermore, where he and his family had to deal with wind storms, exposure to the elements, food and water rationing, exhaustion and fear.
Much of the climbing techniques Joey had to navigate himself, said the father, using ropes to slowly scale up El Capitan while attached to the wall during the entire climb.
“Joey is gaining so much more than a record. He’s got a new identity. I can see his confidence building,” Joe said.
Joey completed the climb alongside his older brothers, Sam Evermore and Sylvan Evermore, his father, and a documentary crew. The family is from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Photos and video shared by the family reveal stunning views of the landscape down below while Joey is scaling the practically vertical surface of El Capitan. The child wore a blue coat and a bright red-and-blue helmet that has a mohawk-style decoration during his climb.
Joey looks clearly unafraid in the videos, bouncing off the surface with ropes attached thousands of feet in the air. At one point during a rest stop, the brothers are playing chess on the ledge of a small cliff.
Fans of Joey came to cheer for him from Yosemite Valley as he neared completion, and the feat was completed while the family is expecting a new baby girl. Fans sang him “happy birthday” from down below, according to a video shared by the father.
Prior to last week, the youngest to climb El Capitan was actually Joey’s brother Sam, who accomplished the feat at age 8 in 2022. Before that, 10-year-old Selah Schneiter did her historic ascent in 2019.
The towering monolith in Yosemite National Park was deemed un-climbable until 1958 — and the first ascent, by Warren Harding, took 45 days. Many have died in doomed attempts in the years since.
At least 31 people have died climbing El Capitan in Yosemite National Park since 1905, according to park records. Accidents typically stem from falls, rappelling errors, or rockfalls. El Capitan is particularly difficult to climb due to its sheer drop and technical difficulty.
Some in the public have criticized the Evermores for bringing children into such a dangerous environment.
“Maybe you’re just forcing your kids to be into what you’re into at TOOOOO early an age,” one social media user commented at Joe.
The father responded to criticisms by saying children are far more capable than what adults expect when they are trained, challenged and protected. As for Joey, he found the climb funny enough in the end to crack a joke, according to Joe.
“I summited at six-seven,” Joey reportedly said.
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