When Alex Honnold completed his astonishing free solo ascent of El Capitan's 3,000 feet of sheer granite June 3, 2017, it marled one of the greatest moments in climbing history. Here his friend Mark Synott provides an inside track on this feat of bravery, while reflecting on his own obsession with climbing since he was a teenager, a process that has taught him about living life to the fullest. Synnott's historical survey of what makes climbers tick includes profiles of various Yosemite heroes, while also delivering anecdotes of climbing exploits in Pakistan, the Borneo jungle, and the Chad desert.

"Synnott's narrative plasters you on a 3,000-foot granite cliff and doesn't let you go until the climb is done. It is one of the most compelling accounts of a climb and the climbing ethos that I've ever read."—Sebastian Junger