The granite monolith of El Capitan rises about 3,000 feet and – once considered impossible to climb – has for at least six decades lured climbers determined to reach its top.

But none has ever done what climber Alex Honnold did June 3.

He scaled the formation in Yosemite National Park without any safety gear. No ropes, nothing but sticky rubber shoes and a bag of chalk.

It took him just under four hours. And it took him 20 years to gain the climbing experience to tackle it.

The feat drew immediate praise from fellow climbers. “This has never been done before … and it’s hard to imagine anybody ever coming close to what he’s done,” Daniel Duane, author of “El Capitan: Historic Feats and Radical Routes,” told Time magazine, adding, “He is totally alone at the top of his game.”

Read more at The Loveland Reporter-Herald.