Tommy Caldwell, right, and Kevin Jorgeson started their ascent on Dec. 27. But the quest and the planning began nearly a decade ago when Caldwell rappelled the Dawn Wall to see if its near-featureless face could be free-climbed. Jorgeson joined Caldwell in the single-minded pursuit in 2009.

The base camp for Caldwell and Jorgeson was suspended 1,200 feet above the valley floor. After completing sections by free-climbing, the climbers used ropes to make their way back to camp, where they ate and slept. When it was time to attempt to free-climb the next sections, they used ropes to take them to where they left off.

Tom Evans via Associated Press

On New Year’s Day — Day 6 of the climb — Caldwell and Jorgeson completed Section 14, which they thought was the toughest section. But Pitch 15 proved to be a bigger challenge for Jorgeson. He tried and failed many times over several days to conquer this sideways traverse, which has almost nothing to hold.

The cold weather and the razorlike granite had conspired to make Jorgeson’s fingertips raw and bloody. While he rested his fingers, Caldwell moved on. Then, after falling on 10 attempts, Jorgeson finally conquered 15. “I’ll always remember that battle,” he said. He then set his sights on catching up to Caldwell.