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How Being Taken Hostage In Kyrgyzstan Made Tommy Caldwell A Better Climber

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“Starvation is a crazy thing.” Earlier this year, Tommy Caldwell completed the first-ever free climb of the Dawn Wall at El Capitan. But he’d never have gotten there if he hadn’t been taken hostage by rebels in Kyrgyzstan. Here’s his story.

Did we mention that this is the guy who accidentally cut his left index finger off with a table saw, had it rebuilt, then had doctors remove it again because he felt the new one impaired his climbing?

IndefinitelyWild is a new publication about adventure travel in the outdoors, the vehicles and gear that get us there and the people we meet along the way. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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