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Sixth-grade boy takes charity to new
heights on El Capitan
Proceeds from Scott Cory's climb will go to
relatives of rescuers
who died in the collapse of the World
Trade Center
By Kelli A. Phillips
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Sixth-grade boy takes charity to new heights on El Capitan
After almost 14 hours of nimble climbing up the face of
Yosemite's famed El Capitan, 11-year-old Scott Cory was tired,
thirsty and happy to make it over the top, not just for
himself, but for the families he was helping.
After becoming the youngest person to climb El Capitan three
weeks ago, Scott decided to take on the granite giant again
Tuesday -- only faster -- to raise money for the families of
rescue workers killed in the collapse of the World Trade
Center towers.
"When I saw the kids crying on TV, I just decided that I
wanted to help them by climbing," Scott said.
The sixth grader climbed El Capitan the first time on Sept. 9,
taking three days and two nights to complete the route.
Tuesday morning, Scott and his two climbing partners set out
to scale El Capitan's 3,200-foot sheer granite wall without
using climbing aids. They began at 4:20 a.m. and topped out
about 6 p.m. When they finished, the trio had another
21/2-hour walk back down to the valley floor.
"It was a good climb, but tiring. I started to get tired about
seven hours into it," Scott said. "But, it's a great view."
During his four-year career, Scott has made quite a name for
himself with first-place finishes in several national and
international competitions. Some of the top names in outdoor
clothing sponsor him, and he went to Thailand this year for a
catalog photo shoot.
Despite the national attention he's getting, Scott is back to
being a kid, said his mom, Jennifer Cory.
"It was a fantastic climb. Everything went smoothly; it was
perfect," she said. "It's so big for an 11-year-old to do
this, but he's just acting like it's a normal day.
At his Brentwood home on Wednesday afternoon, Scott was
relaxing, eating popcorn while playing computer games and
reading e-mail from fans. Of course he slept in a little, too.
After the climb, Scott's only complaint was a dry throat and
sore shoulders.
"We didn't take a lot of water or gear so we could go faster.
By the time we got to the top, we were out of water," he said.
Scott's ultimate goal is to raise $100,000 for the families of
New York firefighters, police and Port Authority officials who
died while rescuing others after the terrorist attack in New
York.
Jennifer Cory said they don't have an estimate of how much
money Scott has raised so far because it's still coming in.
They hope to have a total by next week and then they'll be
trying to find companies willing to match the amount.
When it was all over, Scott said, "Getting to the top is
always the best part." |
