Alex Honnold has already accomplished more physical feats than almost anyone else alive. The 47-year-old rock climbing pro first made major headlines thanks to the Oscar-winning documentary, Free Solo, that focused on his ascent of the national park’s El Capitan peak without any harnesses or ropes.
Now, a new production, The Devil’s Climb, showcases Honnold (and Tommy Caldwell) on a 2,600-mile journey across North America through some of its most stunning natural wonders by way of bike, kayak, sailboat, and off-trail hiking. The trip culminated in a final stop at the Devil’s Thumb, a 9,000-foot-tall summit in Alaska amid a jagged mountain range even many experienced climbers wouldn’t dare to scale.
Most climbers attempting to scale the Devil’s Thumb get there via helicopter. But for the film, Caldwell and Honnold spent 38 days biking 2,320 miles from his home in Estes Park, Colorado, to the tiny town of Prince Rupert, British Columbia, where the roadway ends. Then, the duo sailed for ten days up the Alaskan Panhandle, before trekking 20 more miles to reach the peak.