1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 2 00:00:07,966 --> 00:00:10,635 - This morning, Free Solo's Alex Honnold, 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:10,844 --> 00:00:15,015 climbing in an unexplored rock formation deep in the Amazon known as "tepui." 5 00:00:18,768 --> 00:00:20,145 And... and I worked with the team on this, 6 00:00:20,311 --> 00:00:23,273 and have followed their journey. They brought along scientist Bruce Means, 7 00:00:23,356 --> 00:00:26,901 who believes these tepuis are teeming with biodiversity. 8 00:00:27,027 --> 00:00:30,822 He likened it to a hidden Galapagos, full of undiscovered species, 9 00:00:31,031 --> 00:00:32,615 and wants to see them protected. 10 00:00:35,285 --> 00:00:39,581 - All these tepuis, almost every one, has sometimes up to 1000-foot-tall 11 00:00:39,873 --> 00:00:41,332 fringing summit cliffs. 12 00:00:42,083 --> 00:00:45,211 And none of those have been explored for new species. 13 00:00:54,763 --> 00:00:58,641 - I think most people are pretty surprised when they find out 14 00:00:58,767 --> 00:01:03,104 that there are crazy towers out in the jungle. 15 00:01:07,150 --> 00:01:09,027 It's like this mythical place, you know, 16 00:01:09,110 --> 00:01:14,157 where there's stuff that's wilder than anything that you could make up, 17 00:01:14,407 --> 00:01:16,910 and it really exists. 18 00:01:25,251 --> 00:01:28,004 - Doing first ascents, I mean, it really is modern exploration, 19 00:01:28,088 --> 00:01:30,215 because you are going onto, you know, 20 00:01:30,298 --> 00:01:32,342 in this case, a piece of rock that no human has ever touched. 21 00:01:32,425 --> 00:01:35,345 And so, you really don't know what you're gonna find. 22 00:01:45,230 --> 00:01:47,315 You have to rein in the fear, rein in the uncertainty, 23 00:01:47,398 --> 00:01:51,528 and then just remain calm as you literally step into the unknown. 24 00:02:28,064 --> 00:02:29,899 - We're on an expedition 25 00:02:30,108 --> 00:02:34,154 into the glorious heart of South America, the tepuis. 26 00:02:36,030 --> 00:02:37,991 - I've been here with Bruce before. 27 00:02:38,741 --> 00:02:45,456 The last time I was here was... was 2006. So, it's been 15 years, 28 00:02:46,374 --> 00:02:48,459 and I've been trying to get back ever since. 29 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,305 - When Bruce and I did our first expedition here, 30 00:03:00,513 --> 00:03:04,142 I witnessed this passion that he had for science. 31 00:03:08,855 --> 00:03:13,484 I know on one of the trips, I think he found nine new species. 32 00:03:15,069 --> 00:03:21,242 And I was like, "Oh. Holy..." Like this... this... what he's doing, 33 00:03:21,826 --> 00:03:25,538 he's basically on a one-man mission to save this entire area... 34 00:03:26,831 --> 00:03:31,336 by finding and cataloging enough new species to prove to the world 35 00:03:31,502 --> 00:03:34,505 that it's this unrivaled biodiversity hotspot 36 00:03:34,589 --> 00:03:36,090 that must be protected. 37 00:03:38,134 --> 00:03:40,136 But he's nearly 80 years old now. 38 00:03:40,970 --> 00:03:44,515 And there's one final place he has never been able to get to 39 00:03:44,599 --> 00:03:46,267 to complete his work. 40 00:03:48,311 --> 00:03:50,605 High on the cliff walls themselves. 41 00:03:54,817 --> 00:03:57,946 -So, I called Alex Honnold. 42 00:03:59,989 --> 00:04:02,825 - Alex is one of the boldest, 43 00:04:02,909 --> 00:04:05,536 if not the single boldest climber in the world. 44 00:04:06,788 --> 00:04:12,752 I told him what we were gonna try to do. And Alex loved the idea 45 00:04:12,835 --> 00:04:17,757 of getting Bruce up the cliff, and Alex is a can-do kind of guy. 46 00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:20,134 And he wants to make it happen. 47 00:04:21,552 --> 00:04:23,846 - A trip like this with a renowned biologist, 48 00:04:23,930 --> 00:04:25,890 with a great team, with a cool objective. 49 00:04:25,974 --> 00:04:28,268 I mean, it's not the kind of thing that comes along all the time. 50 00:04:28,851 --> 00:04:30,645 It's something that I've always wanted to do in my life. 51 00:04:31,562 --> 00:04:34,983 My role on the trip is to make sure that we successfully climb the wall. 52 00:04:35,608 --> 00:04:38,319 And I think that, you know, particularly with an 80-year-old man, 53 00:04:38,403 --> 00:04:40,405 I mean... ...we're gonna be pretty careful about it. 54 00:04:41,072 --> 00:04:42,740 But I think it'll be really scary. 55 00:04:43,283 --> 00:04:45,159 -- Four thousand feet, 56 00:04:45,243 --> 00:04:50,498 I had us veering off down at 3,750, which is the closest to the wall, or... 57 00:04:50,581 --> 00:04:52,500 - But that's, like, 2,000 feet of vertical, huh? 58 00:04:52,792 --> 00:04:54,711 -Bruce, is that adequate for you? -- Oh, yeah. Yeah. 59 00:04:54,794 --> 00:04:56,212 I should be able to get specimens. 60 00:04:56,379 --> 00:04:59,299 They have to be in museums to document that you found them, 61 00:04:59,590 --> 00:05:01,467 and I need to get a little DNA from them. 62 00:05:01,926 --> 00:05:05,638 And then don't you think, they have to deal also with a small area? 63 00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:06,806 -- Yeah. -- Small. 64 00:05:06,889 --> 00:05:09,684 -If we can just get you to the top... -- Yeah. Then we'll know. 65 00:05:09,809 --> 00:05:13,271 ...and, uh, you can do the full survey. 66 00:05:14,564 --> 00:05:17,567 The very best-case scenario would be that the wall is steep enough 67 00:05:17,650 --> 00:05:20,320 that the rope basically hangs freely down in a plumb line. 68 00:05:20,445 --> 00:05:23,239 And then we basically haul him the way that you would haul a bag, like... 69 00:05:23,323 --> 00:05:25,199 he would basically just be sitting on a little chair, 70 00:05:25,283 --> 00:05:28,661 just slowly levitating up the wall, enjoying the view, looking for species. 71 00:05:29,078 --> 00:05:31,831 Okay, but what if... what if it's not overhanging? 72 00:05:32,248 --> 00:05:33,875 Then we'll have to do some improvising. 73 00:05:33,958 --> 00:05:35,918 Thankfully, you brought a climber with you, and we'll sort it out, 74 00:05:36,002 --> 00:05:37,795 -you know? -Yeah, well, I have Honnold to take. 75 00:05:37,879 --> 00:05:39,505 But the problem is that Honnold, 76 00:05:39,589 --> 00:05:42,508 even though he's all gung ho, he can't haul Bruce himself. 77 00:05:42,592 --> 00:05:44,719 -No, no, but that's why we have a team. -He's gonna need some help. 78 00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:46,763 -Yeah, that's probably true. 79 00:05:49,098 --> 00:05:52,268 - Our climbing objective is deep in the Amazon jungle. 80 00:05:59,150 --> 00:06:01,152 This is what the view looks like ahead. 81 00:06:02,904 --> 00:06:05,073 Thirty-five miles of jungle trekking. 82 00:06:17,960 --> 00:06:19,128 Well done, Bruce, cruising. 83 00:06:20,463 --> 00:06:23,341 Being with Bruce in the jungle is an incredible way to appreciate 84 00:06:23,424 --> 00:06:25,301 the diversity of life around. 85 00:06:25,426 --> 00:06:27,387 I mean, he just knows the backstory of everything. 86 00:06:28,054 --> 00:06:30,723 Oh. Look! Right there. Isn't that cool? 87 00:06:31,724 --> 00:06:33,851 It's like going to a party with someone who knows everyone. 88 00:06:33,935 --> 00:06:36,396 He's like, "That guy used to date that girl, and then they hung out, 89 00:06:36,479 --> 00:06:38,439 "and then that person..." You know, he knows all the relationships. 90 00:06:38,523 --> 00:06:41,526 And I think that as you appreciate the complex web of relationships 91 00:06:41,609 --> 00:06:44,195 in the jungle more, it makes it much more engaging. 92 00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:47,615 - Oh! Oh! Oh! Something good, y'all. 93 00:06:48,741 --> 00:06:52,078 Spiders are predacious, and they usually eat each other, 94 00:06:52,161 --> 00:06:53,663 so they're usually solitary. 95 00:06:53,955 --> 00:06:58,418 But there are some that are colonial. And this is one of them. 96 00:06:59,043 --> 00:07:01,087 That is cool. Wow. 97 00:07:02,505 --> 00:07:06,968 His passion for nature is so inspiring to me. 98 00:07:07,468 --> 00:07:10,430 Inspiring... not only as a biologist, 99 00:07:10,596 --> 00:07:15,143 but as a person. And I'm honored to be in an expedition with him. 100 00:07:17,228 --> 00:07:20,731 - This expedition is, uh, sort of the culmination 101 00:07:20,815 --> 00:07:22,733 of all my work in South America. 102 00:07:25,528 --> 00:07:30,283 This all started, you know, as a child when I began to appreciate nature 103 00:07:30,366 --> 00:07:32,535 and wonder about the meaning of everything. 104 00:07:33,035 --> 00:07:37,123 And I soon became fascinated by nine or ten years old with evolution. 105 00:07:37,832 --> 00:07:42,587 So, I caught lizards, and snakes, and tarantulas, and scorpions. 106 00:07:42,712 --> 00:07:44,005 Kept them in jars. 107 00:07:44,505 --> 00:07:48,176 Oh. This is cool. You see the little yellow tail tip? 108 00:07:48,634 --> 00:07:49,635 He's coming up. 109 00:07:49,719 --> 00:07:52,597 And ultimately, it led me to this wonderful region... 110 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:54,807 -No, no, don't jump. -...and then fell in love with tepuis. 111 00:07:54,891 --> 00:07:56,476 Don't jump off. There we go. 112 00:08:01,397 --> 00:08:03,733 - Tepuis are sort of islands in the sky. 113 00:08:05,651 --> 00:08:09,947 They were probably eroded into the sandstone from Africa 114 00:08:10,364 --> 00:08:12,658 when South America and Africa were connected 115 00:08:12,742 --> 00:08:14,619 millions and millions of years ago. 116 00:08:17,371 --> 00:08:23,753 This expedition's the first expedition to attempt to look at the walls of tepuis 117 00:08:23,836 --> 00:08:28,591 to see whether there are unique flora and fauna growing on those walls. 118 00:08:33,137 --> 00:08:36,474 Hopefully, by assessing the species' richness 119 00:08:36,682 --> 00:08:40,895 of this particular area, may compel government leaders 120 00:08:40,978 --> 00:08:42,188 and the people of Guyana 121 00:08:42,647 --> 00:08:46,776 to want to conserve this fabulous, beautiful place. 122 00:08:47,735 --> 00:08:49,570 - This is his dream come true. 123 00:08:49,862 --> 00:08:53,741 This... this trip, you know, could be kind of his magnum opus. 124 00:08:54,951 --> 00:08:58,829 - That is cool. Wow. 125 00:09:00,706 --> 00:09:02,625 - He's been on, uh, 126 00:09:02,750 --> 00:09:06,546 33 tepui expeditions. He's never been on the cliff. 127 00:09:07,797 --> 00:09:12,593 And so, that's what we're here to do, is to take Bruce on a journey 128 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:16,973 up to the top of the tepui itself to look for new species, 129 00:09:17,139 --> 00:09:22,270 and to catalog, you know, what exists in this really, you know, 130 00:09:22,353 --> 00:09:26,357 unique place in the world that scientists haven't really explored. 131 00:09:38,953 --> 00:09:41,205 - Hey, Troy, how's the weather today? 132 00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:48,838 -- It's uh, we... -Yeah. Yeah. 133 00:09:50,006 --> 00:09:51,215 -Yeah. -- No problem? 134 00:09:55,886 --> 00:09:58,264 - Hiking through the jungle to approach the tepuis 135 00:09:58,347 --> 00:10:00,683 is sort of an interesting experience, 'cause you start in the rainforest, 136 00:10:00,766 --> 00:10:04,854 which is technical hiking, you know, stepping over roots, crossing streams. 137 00:10:06,230 --> 00:10:08,232 And then each day gets progressively harder and harder 138 00:10:08,316 --> 00:10:11,652 as you get closer to the tepuis, closer to the, uh, actual big walls, 139 00:10:12,069 --> 00:10:14,989 because the terrain gets steeper and more vegetating. 140 00:10:15,072 --> 00:10:17,617 You know, it just steadily builds on you the whole way. 141 00:10:17,700 --> 00:10:19,118 You're like, "Oh. It just keeps getting worse." 142 00:10:19,201 --> 00:10:20,411 "It keeps getting worse!" 143 00:10:22,038 --> 00:10:25,458 - It's a war of attrition against the mud and saturation 144 00:10:25,541 --> 00:10:29,045 when you're in these forests. So, it's hard. 145 00:10:30,796 --> 00:10:32,798 Getting a little tiring now. 146 00:10:33,758 --> 00:10:35,926 I think I've been doing this today... 147 00:10:37,511 --> 00:10:39,055 ...almost six hours. 148 00:10:41,891 --> 00:10:43,768 - I'm a little concerned about Bruce. 149 00:10:44,143 --> 00:10:48,022 Because the terrain is getting steeper and more complicated. 150 00:10:50,524 --> 00:10:55,321 Bruce is, you know, just moving more slowly than we all anticipated. 151 00:10:55,404 --> 00:10:58,115 With more difficulty. I think even he's, like, surprised 152 00:10:58,199 --> 00:10:59,992 at how hard he's getting his butt kicked. 153 00:11:01,786 --> 00:11:03,204 -Okay there, Bruce? 154 00:11:04,205 --> 00:11:05,581 -I'm all right. -You okay? 155 00:11:05,665 --> 00:11:07,083 -Yeah. -Okay. 156 00:11:08,709 --> 00:11:10,461 It's hard, you know, not to worry 157 00:11:10,544 --> 00:11:12,171 whether we're gonna be able to pull this off. 158 00:11:15,257 --> 00:11:16,425 Keep on trucking! 159 00:11:18,761 --> 00:11:20,680 -Only four more days to Double Drop. -- Yeah. 160 00:11:23,391 --> 00:11:24,850 - Then we get to the gnarly part. 161 00:11:49,041 --> 00:11:50,501 Careful, take it slow. 162 00:11:56,590 --> 00:11:59,593 Oh. This is gonna be so treacherous for Bruce. 163 00:12:03,055 --> 00:12:06,434 He just got to the steepest part. So he's putting on a harness, 164 00:12:06,517 --> 00:12:08,352 and Mark is gonna maybe put him on belay. 165 00:12:10,104 --> 00:12:12,106 It's like, in a way, it's kind of easy, 166 00:12:12,356 --> 00:12:15,860 but in a way, it's... if you fell, you would possibly die, so... 167 00:12:17,153 --> 00:12:21,198 - The Akawaios built this rickety ladder. 168 00:12:23,284 --> 00:12:24,493 - Going one at a time. 169 00:12:24,869 --> 00:12:25,995 - Yeah, they're big steps. 170 00:12:26,078 --> 00:12:27,371 - Yeah, I see that. 171 00:12:30,833 --> 00:12:34,253 That's a problem for me, is, uh... is bending my knees. 172 00:12:34,545 --> 00:12:36,714 Yes, I can see what I'm doing. 173 00:12:39,508 --> 00:12:42,720 Let's see here. 174 00:12:44,054 --> 00:12:45,347 - Awesome, Bruce. 175 00:12:46,223 --> 00:12:47,224 We're almost there. 176 00:12:48,184 --> 00:12:49,310 You're a trooper. 177 00:12:52,271 --> 00:12:53,272 - Hey. 178 00:12:53,606 --> 00:12:55,399 Dude, that was an... that was an incredible effort. 179 00:12:55,608 --> 00:12:57,109 -Now, you just gotta slip and slide... -We made it. 180 00:12:57,193 --> 00:12:58,736 ...through the mud for about ten more minutes. 181 00:12:58,819 --> 00:12:59,862 Oh, mud I can do. 182 00:13:04,408 --> 00:13:07,077 - There's a bit of misery and there's some suffering, 183 00:13:08,871 --> 00:13:15,044 but the payout, it's stuff that completely blows your mind. 184 00:13:39,151 --> 00:13:40,569 -Oh. I love it! 185 00:13:40,945 --> 00:13:43,030 I can't wait to get in that water. 186 00:13:43,364 --> 00:13:45,282 -- Welcome to Double Drop! -Hot dog. 187 00:13:55,334 --> 00:13:58,003 - That was a... a really big moment for Bruce. 188 00:13:58,087 --> 00:14:01,465 I know it's one of his favorite places on Earth. 189 00:14:01,590 --> 00:14:03,968 And I know it was part of his dream just to get there. 190 00:14:08,681 --> 00:14:10,349 - This is my Shangri-la! 191 00:14:11,267 --> 00:14:12,268 It's... 192 00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:16,105 the most wild, pristine... 193 00:14:17,231 --> 00:14:21,485 remote, beautiful place I've been on the planet. 194 00:14:22,570 --> 00:14:24,446 I can't believe I was able to return... 195 00:14:25,406 --> 00:14:26,615 one last time. 196 00:14:33,914 --> 00:14:36,542 - It was an awesome moment, but at the same time, 197 00:14:36,625 --> 00:14:41,046 we were getting deeper and deeper into the middle of nowhere, 198 00:14:41,422 --> 00:14:45,968 and getting, you know, committed to a scary degree. 199 00:14:47,303 --> 00:14:49,722 I was looking at the approach and thinking, 200 00:14:50,014 --> 00:14:54,101 "How in the world are we gonna get Bruce through this terrain?" 201 00:14:55,853 --> 00:14:57,021 Oh, my God. 202 00:14:58,772 --> 00:14:59,815 - Mark, what have we got? 203 00:15:00,691 --> 00:15:02,026 - There's Wei-Assipu. 204 00:15:05,446 --> 00:15:08,407 - That looks... gnarly. 205 00:15:09,950 --> 00:15:12,870 -Like, climbing that is not gonna be easy. 206 00:15:13,996 --> 00:15:16,290 Especially not bringing an 80-year-old up it. 207 00:15:32,348 --> 00:15:35,351 All the porters are helping Bruce 208 00:15:35,809 --> 00:15:40,147 to get all the frogs, lizards, snakes, spiders. 209 00:15:40,898 --> 00:15:44,985 -Uh. It's madness in camp. 210 00:15:47,780 --> 00:15:49,573 - Oh. You got a big tarantula. 211 00:15:49,740 --> 00:15:52,910 The goliath spider, the largest spider in the world. 212 00:15:55,579 --> 00:15:57,206 In this particular part of the world, 213 00:15:57,456 --> 00:16:02,378 the original inventory of the animals and plants here has not been completed. 214 00:16:03,337 --> 00:16:05,798 -This snake eats snails. 215 00:16:07,675 --> 00:16:12,096 And now, we're starting to find that as we discover more and more species, 216 00:16:12,304 --> 00:16:16,058 it's becoming a more and more important biodiversity hotspot. 217 00:16:17,851 --> 00:16:19,520 The final piece of the puzzle 218 00:16:19,603 --> 00:16:22,481 is discovering what lives up on the tepui walls. 219 00:16:23,899 --> 00:16:26,694 It's such an extreme place to get to. 220 00:16:27,111 --> 00:16:29,738 Scientists have simply not been able to explore it. 221 00:16:34,868 --> 00:16:37,579 - So, I've been promising Bruce that he's gonna get up the wall, 222 00:16:37,830 --> 00:16:40,624 but I don't really know how it's going to happen yet. 223 00:16:41,625 --> 00:16:42,835 I mean, it's probably gonna involve 224 00:16:42,918 --> 00:16:46,213 some hybrid combination of techniques and strategies. But at this point, 225 00:16:46,296 --> 00:16:48,590 the challenge is trekking through the jungle as an 80-year-old. 226 00:16:55,973 --> 00:17:01,270 After we saw how bad Bruce got beaten up, Alex, Fuco, and I 227 00:17:01,395 --> 00:17:03,605 were already like, "Wow." 228 00:17:04,481 --> 00:17:07,359 -- And it became apparent 229 00:17:07,443 --> 00:17:12,656 that it was going to take him a lot longer than we had anticipated 230 00:17:12,823 --> 00:17:15,117 to get to the base of the wall. 231 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:22,374 What we're going to do, I think is we're going to halve the distance 232 00:17:23,125 --> 00:17:26,211 that we were going to be covering each day. 233 00:17:27,087 --> 00:17:31,216 So, that does mean that the approach is gonna take twice as long. 234 00:17:31,508 --> 00:17:33,927 But, no, it means that Bruce can do half the distance, 235 00:17:34,011 --> 00:17:36,346 but maybe we still do full distance for some of it 236 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:37,931 to make sure that the weight of the wall... 237 00:17:38,015 --> 00:17:39,683 I mean, we can divide and conquer a little bit. 238 00:17:39,808 --> 00:17:41,643 Yeah, we have to... we have to... 239 00:17:41,769 --> 00:17:42,978 That's what we should talk about at dinner. 240 00:17:43,062 --> 00:17:45,105 -Yes, I guess. Yeah. -'Cause there's definitely a world 241 00:17:45,189 --> 00:17:50,235 in which the gear and the climbing team sticks to the same schedule. 242 00:17:50,527 --> 00:17:53,906 Bruce takes whatever pace he needs, and it all works out fine. 243 00:17:56,492 --> 00:18:02,498 My biggest fear would be that my age and my physical ability might deter 244 00:18:02,581 --> 00:18:07,169 or might somehow slow up the expedition. That bothers me, worries me a lot. 245 00:18:10,255 --> 00:18:16,053 The one thing that we could do is, we move forward 246 00:18:16,553 --> 00:18:20,349 with the porters, you know, with the line cutters. 247 00:18:21,308 --> 00:18:22,851 And we blaze the trail 248 00:18:23,060 --> 00:18:25,562 to the base of the cliff while Bruce stays and does his stuff 249 00:18:25,646 --> 00:18:26,647 -at Double Drop. -- Hmm. 250 00:18:26,730 --> 00:18:30,984 Then the trail is in, and then either we double back, 251 00:18:31,151 --> 00:18:33,695 maybe to spend some time with him, 252 00:18:33,946 --> 00:18:36,198 -or we just start working on the climb. -- But... 253 00:18:36,281 --> 00:18:38,158 -And he's catching up. -- It makes sense. 254 00:18:38,283 --> 00:18:43,664 I think half-camps make sense, at least for, you know, the majority of the team. 255 00:18:43,747 --> 00:18:45,666 Um, you know, 'cause safety I think is the... 256 00:18:45,749 --> 00:18:47,209 -- For sure. -...really has to be a priority. 257 00:18:47,292 --> 00:18:51,130 - I'm for whatever you guys wanna do. I'm not pushing for anything. 258 00:18:51,797 --> 00:18:55,300 I mean, I'm okay with doing a little, single thing, 259 00:18:55,384 --> 00:18:57,594 'cause I like to be out a little, out in the woods all alone, 260 00:18:57,678 --> 00:19:01,473 and I've done that for years and years. But I'm 80, almost 80, you know? 261 00:19:01,557 --> 00:19:05,435 Yesterday, I had several potential bone-breaking falls. 262 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:09,523 -And... -We need to reduce that down to nil. 263 00:19:09,606 --> 00:19:11,692 -- Yeah. Yeah. -And that's... 264 00:19:11,775 --> 00:19:13,777 It seems like we all agree that we're gonna split legs, 265 00:19:13,861 --> 00:19:15,445 you're gonna pace yourself. It's gonna be great. 266 00:19:15,529 --> 00:19:17,197 -- That's it. -- So, we have a plan 267 00:19:17,281 --> 00:19:18,282 for the next couple of days. 268 00:19:18,407 --> 00:19:19,950 -- Cool. Let's go to bed. -- Sure. 269 00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:21,243 -Yep. -You gotta get to sleep. 270 00:19:21,326 --> 00:19:22,578 We have another big day tomorrow. 271 00:19:22,661 --> 00:19:24,288 -Okay. -Let's wrap it up. 272 00:19:28,792 --> 00:19:32,796 - The kind of research I do, you could call it alpha level science. 273 00:19:33,380 --> 00:19:36,842 I'm going out in nature, and I'm looking to see what I can find there. 274 00:19:37,551 --> 00:19:39,887 It'll be a real delightful surprise 275 00:19:39,970 --> 00:19:43,557 if we were to find something new to science on a cliff. 276 00:19:44,308 --> 00:19:47,019 I mean, I couldn't ask for better than Mark and Alex Honnold 277 00:19:47,227 --> 00:19:48,979 to try to get me up that wall. 278 00:19:59,281 --> 00:20:01,200 -See you, boys. 279 00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:02,868 -- All right. -All right, we'll see you up there. 280 00:20:03,368 --> 00:20:05,204 -- Oh, yeah. Here we go. -- Today's the day 281 00:20:05,287 --> 00:20:09,666 when we are hopefully getting to the wall, at long last. 282 00:20:10,125 --> 00:20:12,502 Total unknown. No one has ever been up there. 283 00:20:12,878 --> 00:20:16,381 Today's a really big, important day for the expedition. 284 00:20:18,759 --> 00:20:23,555 The Amerindians are specialists of the jungle. 285 00:20:25,057 --> 00:20:26,850 - They're just good at moving through the terrain. 286 00:20:26,934 --> 00:20:30,145 And then at the other end of the spectrum, you have our whole team, 287 00:20:30,312 --> 00:20:31,980 and we don't even know how to hike through the jungle. 288 00:20:32,064 --> 00:20:34,733 I can't orienteer in the jungle at all. I don't know where we're going. 289 00:20:41,782 --> 00:20:44,493 They've got a plan and let's just let them, uh, execute their vision. 290 00:20:50,916 --> 00:20:53,168 You guys see that orange wall right there? 291 00:20:53,252 --> 00:20:54,253 Yeah. 292 00:20:54,336 --> 00:20:55,420 -On the left. -On the left. 293 00:20:55,504 --> 00:20:56,838 -Yeah. -- That's where we're trying to get. 294 00:20:56,922 --> 00:20:57,923 - Okay. 295 00:21:06,390 --> 00:21:08,684 -You guys wanna see the ridge? 296 00:21:14,398 --> 00:21:16,525 -- Look at that thing go! -- Goodbye, drone. 297 00:21:18,068 --> 00:21:20,279 - We saw the wall from the trail, 298 00:21:20,570 --> 00:21:23,991 and we started planning where we could climb. 299 00:21:25,826 --> 00:21:27,244 Think I can go lower, too. 300 00:21:30,914 --> 00:21:33,208 Yeah, this is... this is the ridge wood turning around. 301 00:21:33,292 --> 00:21:34,418 -- Mm-hmm. -And it's over this side, 302 00:21:34,793 --> 00:21:37,170 to the right side, it's straight down and over the side. 303 00:21:39,131 --> 00:21:40,924 - Better to cut down and cut more in front of Bruce. 304 00:21:41,008 --> 00:21:42,217 - It's fricking tall, dude. 305 00:21:42,301 --> 00:21:46,179 Well, look at all the veg along to the right of the orange face. 306 00:21:46,263 --> 00:21:48,348 -You see that with the sun now? -- Well, see... that's the shelf 307 00:21:48,432 --> 00:21:51,184 that we were talking about. Maybe there's a traverse. 308 00:21:51,268 --> 00:21:53,312 -You could just sort of see it. -- Yeah. 309 00:21:54,187 --> 00:21:58,942 - When we saw the features that we were trying to recognize, 310 00:21:59,318 --> 00:22:01,862 we pretty much knew where to go. 311 00:22:06,283 --> 00:22:08,118 -Success! 312 00:22:10,162 --> 00:22:12,831 - You look out to the distance and it's like a whole little island, 313 00:22:13,081 --> 00:22:15,417 but getting to the wall is actually incredibly complicated. 314 00:22:17,502 --> 00:22:22,174 - It's like if you imagine just the thickest, like, deep, deep, 315 00:22:22,257 --> 00:22:23,800 like, peat moss or something. 316 00:22:26,136 --> 00:22:27,262 - Watch out for holes. 317 00:22:35,729 --> 00:22:37,856 You're balancing on this skinny little log, 318 00:22:37,939 --> 00:22:41,401 and if you slip on this, you're falling down into this deep crevasse. 319 00:22:41,860 --> 00:22:44,654 I don't know how we're gonna get Bruce up through this. 320 00:22:44,905 --> 00:22:46,531 - It's pretty crazy right there. 321 00:22:46,698 --> 00:22:48,867 -- Just simply the most treacherous... 322 00:22:48,950 --> 00:22:50,827 ...stuff that I've ever had to move through. 323 00:22:57,793 --> 00:23:00,170 -- So, this will require more... 324 00:23:00,253 --> 00:23:04,633 more than a chainsaw for making it easy for Bruce. 325 00:23:05,384 --> 00:23:07,177 -Or a helicopter. -- Yeah. 326 00:23:14,559 --> 00:23:16,770 - All of a sudden, the jungle opens up, 327 00:23:16,853 --> 00:23:19,147 and this wall of rock appears. 328 00:23:19,689 --> 00:23:22,567 Holy... 329 00:23:36,540 --> 00:23:39,584 -Dude, this is so sick! -- This is insane. 330 00:23:41,128 --> 00:23:42,754 - It was crazy. It was crazy, 331 00:23:42,838 --> 00:23:45,382 but, uh, here we are, deep in the jungle, so, I guess, 332 00:23:45,465 --> 00:23:47,426 at this point, I guess, we're actually gonna climb the wall. 333 00:24:13,660 --> 00:24:18,290 After what we just went through today, it's kind of impossible for me to... 334 00:24:18,874 --> 00:24:21,585 to picture Bruce coming up that. 335 00:24:22,210 --> 00:24:27,382 That was beyond anything that I've ever done. 336 00:24:28,758 --> 00:24:30,594 So, yeah. So, that's a problem. 337 00:24:50,113 --> 00:24:53,033 Oh, my gosh! 338 00:25:01,833 --> 00:25:05,253 Well, this definitely, today... was, uh... 339 00:25:07,047 --> 00:25:09,049 ...right up there with the most strenuous day 340 00:25:09,132 --> 00:25:10,759 because I was going uphill all day. 341 00:25:11,176 --> 00:25:14,721 Yeah. I'm worried, Bruce. It's my gut feeling that... 342 00:25:15,847 --> 00:25:17,933 if we push on, we're risking your life. 343 00:25:19,184 --> 00:25:20,227 Oh, boy. 344 00:25:22,479 --> 00:25:27,234 Can we wait to see what Mark says? 345 00:25:28,026 --> 00:25:30,612 Absolutely, you know, I think this will need to be a team decision. 346 00:25:30,695 --> 00:25:33,949 -But my opinion is that... -Well, yours is... 347 00:25:34,032 --> 00:25:35,367 -That this is... -...you're the medical one. 348 00:25:35,450 --> 00:25:36,910 ...not worth risking your life for. 349 00:25:36,993 --> 00:25:38,286 -And that we're really... 350 00:25:39,079 --> 00:25:40,747 ...going into a territory that... 351 00:25:41,748 --> 00:25:43,625 has hazards that we can't mitigate. 352 00:25:48,922 --> 00:25:50,131 - Mark, Mark. 353 00:25:50,465 --> 00:25:54,511 Hey, Bruce, great to hear your voice, man. How you doing? You sound a little beat. 354 00:25:55,095 --> 00:25:56,680 - I need to hear from you, but, 355 00:25:56,888 --> 00:26:00,016 let's see what your point of view is about me coming up there. Over. 356 00:26:00,892 --> 00:26:06,690 Yeah, so, the terrain, um, in between us and you 357 00:26:07,148 --> 00:26:12,654 is... is just way too, too serious, and, um... 358 00:26:13,029 --> 00:26:15,949 ...too dangerous really, I think... 359 00:26:16,074 --> 00:26:19,661 for... for us to feel good about you moving up through it. 360 00:26:19,744 --> 00:26:22,122 We're just worried, you know, that... that... that you get hurt. 361 00:26:22,205 --> 00:26:25,917 There'd be no real way for us to evacuate you. Over. 362 00:26:28,920 --> 00:26:30,964 - I understand. I'm not happy about it, 363 00:26:31,047 --> 00:26:34,092 but the, uh, success of the expedition 364 00:26:34,175 --> 00:26:37,887 depends on me and everybody else not getting terribly injured. 365 00:26:38,430 --> 00:26:42,225 You guys can continue the elevational transect. 366 00:26:42,309 --> 00:26:45,228 So, anything you guys obtain, and Fuco especially, 367 00:26:45,353 --> 00:26:49,649 who knows the herpetofauna pretty well, if you can grab it and bag it for me. 368 00:26:49,733 --> 00:26:51,276 And when you get back down here, 369 00:26:51,610 --> 00:26:53,862 we will have completed the entire transect. 370 00:26:54,321 --> 00:26:59,284 I will send a drawing of a species of Stefania up there 371 00:26:59,826 --> 00:27:03,038 that is new to science, and you're very likely to get. 372 00:27:03,663 --> 00:27:06,541 So, anything and everything that you guys do 373 00:27:06,916 --> 00:27:09,586 while you're on the wall and on the summit 374 00:27:09,919 --> 00:27:14,424 will benefit our expedition greatly, even if I'm not up there myself. 375 00:27:15,008 --> 00:27:19,638 Okay, Bruce. I'm gonna do my best to try to find the... the lucky Stefania. 376 00:27:20,347 --> 00:27:23,558 - Fantastic, Fuco. I know if anybody can do it, it'll be you. 377 00:27:23,933 --> 00:27:24,976 Over and out. 378 00:27:26,936 --> 00:27:30,940 I've already found several new species of frogs in the genus Stefania 379 00:27:31,149 --> 00:27:32,817 at the base of the tepui. 380 00:27:33,193 --> 00:27:37,113 My theory is that we should discover a new species of Stefania 381 00:27:37,322 --> 00:27:40,241 that evolved on the top of the tepui. 382 00:27:42,285 --> 00:27:46,206 I... ...felt like I was letting the team down. 383 00:27:47,374 --> 00:27:51,503 Because I wanted to do it myself, but I respected their... 384 00:27:53,505 --> 00:27:54,506 their advice. 385 00:27:55,840 --> 00:28:00,011 Hopefully, to the likelihood of me getting home alive. 386 00:28:13,942 --> 00:28:18,446 Oh, my God. Holy... 387 00:28:19,656 --> 00:28:23,076 The clouds just lifted out for the first time in forever. 388 00:28:23,576 --> 00:28:25,954 Rainbow! Rainbow! 389 00:28:26,246 --> 00:28:28,790 -Rainbow! Rainbow! 390 00:28:31,459 --> 00:28:33,420 God, this kinda makes it all worthwhile. 391 00:28:35,088 --> 00:28:38,133 -- You pumped to see some blue? -Best view so far. 392 00:28:38,675 --> 00:28:39,676 - Rainbows! 393 00:28:43,471 --> 00:28:46,683 This is absolutely breathtaking. 394 00:28:47,308 --> 00:28:51,396 The most dramatic scene I... I think I've ever witnessed in the mountains. 395 00:29:01,865 --> 00:29:04,409 Packing for the wall. We're finally launching. 396 00:29:08,163 --> 00:29:11,958 -Fuco, that just came up with the porters. -Let me take a look. 397 00:29:12,333 --> 00:29:15,128 Is that... Oh, that's the sketch for the frog we're looking for? 398 00:29:15,378 --> 00:29:16,379 Yep. 399 00:29:17,881 --> 00:29:19,507 -Oh, wow. -- Wow, that's so cool. 400 00:29:20,258 --> 00:29:23,678 This is the frog that Bruce wants us to look for up on the wall. 401 00:29:23,803 --> 00:29:26,639 -- Mm-hmm. -- New species of Stefania... 402 00:29:26,765 --> 00:29:28,725 -Sounds like a... -...from the summit of Wei-Assipu. 403 00:29:29,726 --> 00:29:34,939 I do have some degree of expertise in... in the field of biology. 404 00:29:35,482 --> 00:29:41,696 So, I feel the responsibility... to be an eye for Bruce on the wall. 405 00:29:44,073 --> 00:29:45,700 We're gonna start the route. 406 00:29:48,077 --> 00:29:49,454 Time to don the helmet. 407 00:29:50,789 --> 00:29:55,543 Harness on. Get racked up. Yeah, it's awesome. 408 00:29:57,796 --> 00:29:59,172 - Okay. Climbing. 409 00:30:00,048 --> 00:30:01,090 - On the way. 410 00:30:03,009 --> 00:30:04,594 - This cliff has never been climbed. 411 00:30:05,762 --> 00:30:09,307 So, the plan is to work our way up the rock, and find the route as we go. 412 00:30:10,850 --> 00:30:14,521 After about 800 feet, there's a ledge where we can hopefully set up camp. 413 00:30:16,356 --> 00:30:19,359 From there, we'll traverse the ledge all the way to the summit plateau, 414 00:30:19,818 --> 00:30:22,529 searching for frogs and other creatures all along the way. 415 00:30:26,616 --> 00:30:29,911 - A little bit higher up, there's a nice horizontal crack 416 00:30:29,994 --> 00:30:31,830 where you might just get a bomber pin. 417 00:30:32,789 --> 00:30:35,875 Let me know if you've come across anything sketchy. 418 00:30:36,417 --> 00:30:40,547 - Yep. This is actually a little sketchy. 419 00:30:40,630 --> 00:30:41,756 -- Okay. 420 00:30:45,426 --> 00:30:48,096 -This is all loose here. -- Yeah. It seems like it. 421 00:30:56,896 --> 00:30:59,315 - Yeah. It's crazy, like, how the rock is both, like, 422 00:30:59,399 --> 00:31:01,067 so bad and so good in some ways. 423 00:31:02,318 --> 00:31:03,444 - You have to be careful. 424 00:31:05,321 --> 00:31:09,492 - On a... on a first ascent, there's going to be loose rocks. 425 00:31:12,245 --> 00:31:13,997 - A lot of stuff like that going on, you know? 426 00:31:14,789 --> 00:31:18,626 - That's probably the biggest hazard that you face when you're, you know, 427 00:31:18,710 --> 00:31:20,461 pioneering a new route. 428 00:31:21,004 --> 00:31:22,797 I mean, we're talking things that can be huge, 429 00:31:22,881 --> 00:31:25,174 like pieces of rock the size of a school bus. 430 00:31:25,425 --> 00:31:27,594 You know, something like that comes off 431 00:31:27,719 --> 00:31:30,305 when you're climbing could definitely kill you. 432 00:31:33,099 --> 00:31:34,851 Just don't know what you can trust. 433 00:31:39,063 --> 00:31:41,316 -Watch me good, Fuco. -- Yep, got you. 434 00:31:46,613 --> 00:31:47,614 - Okay! 435 00:31:54,203 --> 00:31:57,916 - Yeah. 436 00:31:59,250 --> 00:32:01,085 -Yeah! 437 00:32:01,169 --> 00:32:06,007 -That's hard. -- It was. 438 00:32:06,549 --> 00:32:11,220 First patch. ...So cold. Whoo! 439 00:32:12,263 --> 00:32:14,599 Nice job! 440 00:32:16,184 --> 00:32:18,978 - Wow. So, did they say where they're going up? 441 00:32:19,145 --> 00:32:21,064 Right... right up the middle there, I guess. 442 00:32:22,273 --> 00:32:26,402 I've seen this scene from the air in satellite photos. 443 00:32:26,903 --> 00:32:29,030 But to actually be here 444 00:32:29,572 --> 00:32:33,743 is more breathtaking than any aerial shot could ever be. 445 00:32:34,494 --> 00:32:40,041 It's really exciting to me that the cliff itself has ledges, 446 00:32:40,124 --> 00:32:42,001 and other places, cracks, and fissures 447 00:32:42,085 --> 00:32:45,546 where vegetation grows. And those are very likely spots 448 00:32:45,630 --> 00:32:49,384 where some of the animals I'm interested in could live. 449 00:32:49,926 --> 00:32:54,681 And if Fuco, and Mark, and Alex are able to find any animals on the cliff, 450 00:32:54,764 --> 00:33:00,103 like frogs or lizards, it'll be a really great discovery. 451 00:33:00,937 --> 00:33:06,526 Nobody's ever... ever done any work on the cliff, as you can see why. 452 00:33:11,447 --> 00:33:13,116 - As disappointed as I am 453 00:33:13,199 --> 00:33:16,244 that I won't be able to personally continue the transect 454 00:33:16,327 --> 00:33:19,539 to the summit of Wei-Assipu, I'm very happy 455 00:33:19,622 --> 00:33:23,167 that colleagues are doing that for me. 456 00:33:23,292 --> 00:33:28,006 And, uh, I'm going to be able to spend a week in this paradise 457 00:33:28,089 --> 00:33:30,049 right here by myself, 458 00:33:30,466 --> 00:33:36,139 looking at all those amazing organisms that occur in this site. 459 00:33:36,889 --> 00:33:43,646 And here I am situated for maybe a week to be able to go out at night and look at, 460 00:33:43,730 --> 00:33:47,859 and study, and photograph, uh, creatures I love. 461 00:34:07,378 --> 00:34:10,006 Our search zone extends from my jungle camp 462 00:34:10,089 --> 00:34:11,591 to the top of the tepui. 463 00:34:13,843 --> 00:34:17,805 This entire area is full of undiscovered species. 464 00:34:18,639 --> 00:34:22,518 And that little frog, right there, I've never seen anything like it. 465 00:34:23,728 --> 00:34:27,982 So, here we got another new species. 466 00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:29,817 - It's so cool. 467 00:34:30,068 --> 00:34:31,277 -- Yeah. -- Congrats. 468 00:34:32,487 --> 00:34:33,696 - This will help add 469 00:34:33,780 --> 00:34:37,408 to the biodiversity inventory we're making of the area, 470 00:34:37,492 --> 00:34:41,287 and, uh, could aid in its conservation ultimately. 471 00:34:42,622 --> 00:34:45,958 Pretty cool. A field biologist's dream. 472 00:34:52,173 --> 00:34:54,634 -- How does it look? -- Pretty wild! 473 00:34:57,178 --> 00:35:00,181 - One of the most challenging things in climbing, in general, 474 00:35:00,264 --> 00:35:02,016 is fear of the unknown. 475 00:35:02,225 --> 00:35:05,061 And basically, keeping your mind under control 476 00:35:05,686 --> 00:35:08,106 as you encounter difficulties. 477 00:35:08,856 --> 00:35:12,276 And first ascents are basically an amplified version of that experience, 478 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:15,488 because when you're doing a first ascent, you really don't know what's there, 479 00:35:15,571 --> 00:35:17,990 could be anything above you. It's like, who knows what's gonna happen? 480 00:35:20,993 --> 00:35:25,164 We are up here, belaying Mark on what might wind up 481 00:35:25,248 --> 00:35:29,669 being one of the cruxes of this route. He uh... he's leading this big roof. 482 00:35:33,422 --> 00:35:37,677 - A roof is an overhang that juts out from the cliff face. 483 00:35:37,927 --> 00:35:43,224 This one is about 200 feet up the route, and there's really no easy way around it. 484 00:35:46,936 --> 00:35:49,105 -Watch me. -- Watching you. 485 00:35:57,029 --> 00:36:01,367 - The roof is really, uh, not looking good. 486 00:36:02,076 --> 00:36:04,328 It's... it's... it's kind of extreme. 487 00:36:04,745 --> 00:36:07,373 I'm trying to think what you would do if you were here. 488 00:36:08,249 --> 00:36:09,500 But I'm not really sure. 489 00:36:09,959 --> 00:36:12,044 Okay, well, you gotta do what you think is best, but... 490 00:36:12,712 --> 00:36:16,465 Well, the main thing is where you think you can penetrate the roof, you know? 491 00:36:16,716 --> 00:36:21,804 - There's a crack going out the roof, but it's wicked thin, 492 00:36:21,888 --> 00:36:24,557 kind of like barely there, and that's where we want to be, 493 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:27,935 is over there. You should probably come up and have a look. 494 00:36:28,186 --> 00:36:30,188 - Okay. I mean, yeah, that's fine with me. 495 00:36:32,857 --> 00:36:34,066 - Alex took the rope. 496 00:36:34,317 --> 00:36:37,445 And then the next thing we know, he's, like, just hanging... 497 00:36:37,570 --> 00:36:38,738 ...like a sloth. 498 00:36:38,946 --> 00:36:41,532 And he just... We're like, "Oh! I guess, he's going for it." 499 00:36:42,074 --> 00:36:43,743 - All right, Mark. Here we go. This is the crux. 500 00:36:44,410 --> 00:36:45,411 - Okay, I got ya! 501 00:37:09,101 --> 00:37:10,895 -- Nice, Alex! -- Yeah! 502 00:37:35,419 --> 00:37:36,963 - He just totally 503 00:37:37,171 --> 00:37:40,675 did one of the most impressive pieces of climbing 504 00:37:40,758 --> 00:37:44,220 that I've ever seen actually just on-site, first ascent, 505 00:37:44,512 --> 00:37:49,767 dangling out a roof at a really high degree of difficulty. 506 00:37:51,352 --> 00:37:52,937 And it ended up being 507 00:37:53,396 --> 00:37:57,608 really, the key to the whole route, getting out this giant roof, 508 00:37:57,900 --> 00:38:01,862 and, um, put us in the perfect position, you know, to continue on from there. 509 00:38:03,155 --> 00:38:04,532 Yeah, dude. Nice work! 510 00:38:10,288 --> 00:38:14,625 Now, where the... do I go? 511 00:38:15,710 --> 00:38:17,378 - Just because you have a rope and equipment 512 00:38:17,545 --> 00:38:20,840 doesn't mean that you're actually safe. You know, you are way out there, 513 00:38:20,923 --> 00:38:25,011 you are on a remote wall in the far corners of Guyana. 514 00:38:25,428 --> 00:38:26,721 If you injure yourself, you know, 515 00:38:26,887 --> 00:38:28,973 there's no real way that you're going to be rescued or helped. 516 00:38:29,932 --> 00:38:31,058 How is it down there, Fuco? 517 00:38:33,185 --> 00:38:35,604 - ...Whoa! 518 00:38:44,989 --> 00:38:46,532 -- Did something rip? 519 00:38:46,615 --> 00:38:48,451 - Did you pull gear out or you just fall off? 520 00:38:48,951 --> 00:38:50,619 -- Just fell off. -- Oh, yeah. Cool. 521 00:38:50,786 --> 00:38:55,583 - Feels slippery. Whoo! 522 00:38:56,208 --> 00:38:58,044 - You have to make sure that things are totally safe. 523 00:38:59,211 --> 00:39:01,964 This is a, you know, a scary position to be climbing in. 524 00:39:02,798 --> 00:39:05,009 And you feel like it's a scene from Cliffhanger or something. 525 00:39:08,763 --> 00:39:10,765 -- Yeah, Fuco! -- Whoo! 526 00:39:11,390 --> 00:39:13,142 -- Campeador. 527 00:39:13,851 --> 00:39:16,187 -- Wow, look at what Alex did. 528 00:39:16,270 --> 00:39:18,564 - Can't believe how overhanging this... is. 529 00:39:19,106 --> 00:39:20,649 -- You're like... -Quite overhanging. 530 00:39:20,733 --> 00:39:22,610 ...30 to 40 feet out from the wall. 531 00:39:24,195 --> 00:39:27,239 - From here, it's still another 600 feet of sheer rock 532 00:39:27,698 --> 00:39:29,992 to reach a ledge where we can set up camp for the night. 533 00:39:41,420 --> 00:39:46,592 This expedition, unfortunately... this is probably my last... 534 00:39:47,551 --> 00:39:48,761 trip involving... 535 00:39:49,678 --> 00:39:51,555 you know, jungle hiking. 536 00:39:52,098 --> 00:39:53,724 I like to walk along... 537 00:39:54,934 --> 00:39:58,312 slowly... uh, looking at the moss, 538 00:39:58,938 --> 00:40:01,857 looking... I'll find an insect, I'll see an animal I wouldn't have seen 539 00:40:01,941 --> 00:40:03,609 if I was cruising along fast. 540 00:40:04,151 --> 00:40:06,904 And sure enough, just a minute ago, this little guy hopped up. 541 00:40:07,905 --> 00:40:12,701 It's a toad. Toads are frogs, not all frogs are toads. 542 00:40:13,244 --> 00:40:17,623 What's not to love? 543 00:40:24,672 --> 00:40:27,675 This is as pristine as it gets. 544 00:40:28,050 --> 00:40:33,222 Uh, only our feet have been here that I'm aware of. It's wild, and remote, 545 00:40:33,305 --> 00:40:35,683 and beautiful can... as can be. 546 00:40:38,936 --> 00:40:41,105 I just wanna be quiet and love it. 547 00:40:42,356 --> 00:40:43,566 Let it sink in. 548 00:40:49,613 --> 00:40:51,323 I'll be leaving the planet... 549 00:40:52,950 --> 00:40:55,619 ...sometime. 550 00:40:58,080 --> 00:40:59,206 And I'll miss it. 551 00:41:23,147 --> 00:41:26,233 I'm about to head into the unknown here. We're a bit in a cloud, 552 00:41:26,317 --> 00:41:28,194 so everything's a little wet, which is unfortunate, 553 00:41:28,360 --> 00:41:30,237 and makes it obviously a little harder for climbing, 554 00:41:30,321 --> 00:41:31,447 because all the holds are wet. 555 00:41:31,655 --> 00:41:35,034 But, um, we're just gonna keep going, and see how things play out. 556 00:41:37,661 --> 00:41:42,666 That was, like, the hardest crimp today. 557 00:41:54,762 --> 00:41:55,888 - Nice, Alex! 558 00:41:56,597 --> 00:42:00,601 - Yep. Wanna make sure that it feels like a pleasure cruise up here. 559 00:42:11,320 --> 00:42:12,821 -Fuco and I at the belay here. 560 00:42:13,155 --> 00:42:15,866 Fuco's belaying Mark, who... let's see. Can we see him below here? 561 00:42:15,950 --> 00:42:17,159 Oh, yeah, there he is. 562 00:42:17,243 --> 00:42:19,578 He's still climbing up out of the crazy clouds. 563 00:42:20,037 --> 00:42:22,122 I guess, this is why they call it a cloud forest. 564 00:42:22,581 --> 00:42:24,124 The wall above us looks... 565 00:42:24,667 --> 00:42:27,294 Well, we'll just see. It looks very interesting. 566 00:42:31,757 --> 00:42:35,177 - Oh, my God. It's full-on, literally Jenga. 567 00:42:36,178 --> 00:42:37,304 Rock! 568 00:42:40,349 --> 00:42:41,392 Rock! 569 00:42:44,562 --> 00:42:46,522 Rock! 570 00:42:52,736 --> 00:42:55,364 -It's a little scary, Fuco. -- Yeah, I know. 571 00:42:56,282 --> 00:42:59,493 There was this lip that I had to turn to get up to the ledge, 572 00:42:59,702 --> 00:43:03,706 and almost every single hold was removable. 573 00:43:04,748 --> 00:43:08,836 And the thing that was so challenging and scary for me 574 00:43:08,919 --> 00:43:11,171 was that I had to remove it all without falling off. 575 00:43:13,882 --> 00:43:15,801 Okay, Fuco, I'm questing on. 576 00:43:32,067 --> 00:43:35,237 Whoo! ...Yeah! 577 00:43:37,781 --> 00:43:42,202 This is the exit to my pitch. 578 00:43:42,620 --> 00:43:44,038 -- What's up? -- That was scary. 579 00:43:45,956 --> 00:43:48,167 All right. We... did it. We're on the ledge. 580 00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:52,546 One, two, three! Pull. 581 00:43:53,839 --> 00:43:54,882 - Okay, underneath that. 582 00:43:55,758 --> 00:43:56,759 Three! 583 00:43:56,842 --> 00:44:00,929 - It's getting dark on us, and we're still hauling giant bags. 584 00:44:02,097 --> 00:44:05,267 -It's so much stuff. -One, two, three! 585 00:44:05,476 --> 00:44:08,854 Now, it's going to get interesting from the biology perspective 586 00:44:08,979 --> 00:44:11,690 because I'm be... I'm gonna be looking for frogs. 587 00:44:19,740 --> 00:44:21,408 - We're erecting our wall camp. 588 00:44:21,742 --> 00:44:25,162 Basically, we're just trying to settle into our new home, 589 00:44:25,537 --> 00:44:27,247 up toward the top of the cliff. 590 00:44:28,123 --> 00:44:32,002 So, the plan for tomorrow, we're gonna quest off in this traverse, 591 00:44:32,086 --> 00:44:35,422 across this thing, and try to get to the summit, 592 00:44:35,506 --> 00:44:39,635 and it's... I guarantee that it's gonna be a... a wild adventure. 593 00:44:40,052 --> 00:44:42,304 Ex... exploration, that's what it's gonna be tomorrow. 594 00:44:42,388 --> 00:44:47,142 Exploration in the name of science. On behalf of Dr. Bruce Means, 595 00:44:47,434 --> 00:44:50,312 we've gotta try to find the frog. It's not gonna be easy. 596 00:45:07,329 --> 00:45:09,790 - We've been checking in from the expedition with Michael Strahan 597 00:45:09,873 --> 00:45:11,125 from Good Morning America. 598 00:45:11,792 --> 00:45:13,293 Giving updates via satphone 599 00:45:13,377 --> 00:45:15,587 of the progress of the expedition and what we're doing. 600 00:45:15,754 --> 00:45:18,215 It's pretty cool to be able to share this experience 601 00:45:18,298 --> 00:45:20,259 with the world as it happens. 602 00:45:20,843 --> 00:45:24,596 - Hey, Alex. How you doing, man? How is it going out there? 603 00:45:25,139 --> 00:45:30,185 Hey, it's going great. We've successfully climbed a portion of this giant tepui. 604 00:45:30,269 --> 00:45:33,439 We've made this large ledge system which will connect to the actual summit. 605 00:45:33,522 --> 00:45:35,315 And so, things are going great. 606 00:45:35,441 --> 00:45:37,526 - I heard the unfortunate news about Bruce. 607 00:45:37,609 --> 00:45:40,738 So, what happened? And most of all, is he okay? 608 00:45:41,155 --> 00:45:45,576 He has remained in one of the mid camps on the approach to the wall. 609 00:45:45,743 --> 00:45:48,370 We do have radio communications with the camp that he's in. 610 00:45:48,746 --> 00:45:50,372 - Roger. I'm here. 611 00:45:50,914 --> 00:45:52,833 I'm as good as can... good can be. 612 00:45:53,041 --> 00:45:57,671 We're finding all kinds of wonderful, exciting, and exotic new species... 613 00:45:58,046 --> 00:46:01,049 ...that adds to the world's biodiversity 614 00:46:01,216 --> 00:46:03,302 but also brings attention to this area 615 00:46:03,385 --> 00:46:06,555 as being a significant biodiversity hotspot. 616 00:46:06,805 --> 00:46:10,934 So, it's a team effort. Uh, it's not over yet. 617 00:46:11,435 --> 00:46:16,231 The search continues, and I am ecstatic. Over. 618 00:46:16,523 --> 00:46:19,151 All of this sounds absolutely incredible. 619 00:46:19,359 --> 00:46:22,696 But, you guys, you stay safe on the final push to the top, okay? 620 00:46:22,988 --> 00:46:24,656 We are... we're rooting for you guys. 621 00:46:26,408 --> 00:46:28,577 - At the elevations where the vegetation occurs, 622 00:46:28,660 --> 00:46:29,787 it's very wet, 623 00:46:30,120 --> 00:46:34,166 and prime habitat for all kinds of frogs and other animals. 624 00:46:34,583 --> 00:46:38,712 To find a vertebrate animal that's endemic to the cliffs themselves 625 00:46:39,171 --> 00:46:42,758 would be outstanding, would be a wonderful find. 626 00:46:45,511 --> 00:46:46,512 - This looks dangerous. 627 00:46:48,180 --> 00:46:54,520 ...I'm gonna go up through this little tunnel here. Get along. 628 00:46:54,603 --> 00:46:57,189 I think the key is gonna be to stay near the base of the cliff. 629 00:47:01,610 --> 00:47:03,737 Holy creepy crawly. 630 00:47:04,696 --> 00:47:09,326 Tarantula city. 631 00:47:09,576 --> 00:47:14,748 There was spots where it was just impenetrable thickets like this, 632 00:47:14,832 --> 00:47:17,000 where you're just, like, tearing your way through. 633 00:47:20,546 --> 00:47:25,843 Then eventually, we popped out onto the Wei-Assipu summit plateau. 634 00:47:33,308 --> 00:47:34,560 - Oh, my God. 635 00:47:35,352 --> 00:47:38,397 - This is freaking crazy-looking. 636 00:47:44,444 --> 00:47:47,781 Look at that tree right there, that's like full-on Dr. Seuss. 637 00:47:52,953 --> 00:47:56,164 Because Bruce couldn't make it up, it was our job on the summit 638 00:47:56,248 --> 00:48:01,420 to help him complete his life's work by searching for new species of frogs. 639 00:48:02,045 --> 00:48:04,464 We're up on the plateau. We're not on the highest point, 640 00:48:04,548 --> 00:48:07,843 but we've basically made it to the top. 641 00:48:09,303 --> 00:48:10,470 Keep your eyes out. 642 00:48:11,346 --> 00:48:13,599 We're definitely, like, in froggy terrain. 643 00:48:15,309 --> 00:48:17,978 This is where now we really need the weather to be good, 644 00:48:18,103 --> 00:48:19,605 because now we have no shelter, 645 00:48:19,688 --> 00:48:21,732 and we're out in the open, and, of course... 646 00:48:25,068 --> 00:48:28,363 the clouds just come up over the side of the tepui. 647 00:48:28,530 --> 00:48:31,658 And then we're back into the fog. 648 00:48:31,825 --> 00:48:36,204 We can't see anything, and it starts raining. 649 00:48:37,372 --> 00:48:38,373 - No. 650 00:48:39,791 --> 00:48:42,794 - Are you cold? Come sit right here, Fuco. 651 00:48:45,130 --> 00:48:49,301 - I was almost hypothermic. I had to crawl with Mark 652 00:48:49,801 --> 00:48:52,512 inside a poncho, beneath the rock. 653 00:48:53,138 --> 00:48:56,308 - Got two guys under one poncho in this space. 654 00:48:56,391 --> 00:48:59,436 Wanna get... trying to stay warm on the summit here. 655 00:49:03,398 --> 00:49:07,110 - Yeah, this isn't exactly the summit glory we were hoping for. 656 00:49:07,903 --> 00:49:10,864 And we haven't been able to find the frog, and I'm soaked to the bone. 657 00:49:17,371 --> 00:49:19,873 -Looking for frogs. 658 00:49:21,792 --> 00:49:23,794 Sort of like finding a needle in a haystack. 659 00:49:23,877 --> 00:49:28,048 Bruce seems to find them, no problem, but... ...it's not that easy. 660 00:49:35,555 --> 00:49:37,057 Sounds like it's in the trees up here. 661 00:49:37,140 --> 00:49:38,183 -Maybe. -- Yeah. 662 00:49:41,103 --> 00:49:46,316 I had an idea that we... we should look mostly on the bromeliads, 663 00:49:46,692 --> 00:49:50,737 which is the perfect environment for a frog to... to hide. 664 00:49:50,904 --> 00:49:51,989 But I couldn't find it. 665 00:49:56,493 --> 00:49:59,329 -- Oh! I... Holy... -- What's that? 666 00:49:59,454 --> 00:50:00,455 - Creatures! 667 00:50:00,914 --> 00:50:02,624 -- What kind? -- Tadpoles! 668 00:50:03,959 --> 00:50:05,877 -- Oh, you got one. -- I got one. 669 00:50:06,336 --> 00:50:09,297 Oh, my God. I found a tadpole. 670 00:50:09,381 --> 00:50:13,719 I mean, obviously, that's a sure sign that there's frogs around here. 671 00:50:14,136 --> 00:50:16,680 -- Hey, Bruce. It's Mark. Do you copy? 672 00:50:16,930 --> 00:50:20,517 Hey, Mark. Where art thou? Have you made it? Over. 673 00:50:20,892 --> 00:50:23,979 - We are indeed up on the top. We're on the plateau. 674 00:50:24,146 --> 00:50:30,485 We found a puddle that was just absolutely filled with tadpoles. 675 00:50:30,819 --> 00:50:33,196 - Fantastic. 676 00:50:33,447 --> 00:50:37,576 I could not be more excited. It'll be interesting to see what you got. 677 00:50:37,909 --> 00:50:41,705 If you can grab it and bag it for me and when you get back down here, 678 00:50:41,997 --> 00:50:44,082 we will have completed the entire transect. 679 00:50:44,332 --> 00:50:45,959 Be safe. Over and out. 680 00:50:47,419 --> 00:50:48,545 - Okay, sounds good. 681 00:50:48,628 --> 00:50:51,381 We'll check back in with you soon. Okay? Over and out. 682 00:50:57,137 --> 00:50:59,848 The goal was to get Bruce up to the top of the cliff. 683 00:51:00,932 --> 00:51:04,519 It didn't go, you know, perfectly according to plan. 684 00:51:04,895 --> 00:51:07,439 Um. But we did the climb. 685 00:51:07,939 --> 00:51:12,819 A first ascent up a tepui that has never been climbed before. 686 00:51:14,988 --> 00:51:18,158 - We got to the top, we completed the elevational transect, 687 00:51:18,241 --> 00:51:23,955 and we found the tadpoles to bring down to Bruce which might be a new species. 688 00:51:25,165 --> 00:51:26,625 That's what we came here for. 689 00:51:27,375 --> 00:51:29,002 And that's really important to me, 690 00:51:29,169 --> 00:51:32,964 because I have seen what happens in other places out here, 691 00:51:33,507 --> 00:51:35,050 the logging and the mining. 692 00:51:35,258 --> 00:51:39,513 And I think if people know about this place and how magical it is, 693 00:51:39,721 --> 00:51:40,847 they'll protect it. 694 00:51:45,685 --> 00:51:47,229 -Hey, guys. Hey. -- Hey! 695 00:51:48,438 --> 00:51:50,107 -Hey. -Hey! 696 00:51:50,190 --> 00:51:52,734 -Good to see you. High five. -How you doing, bud? 697 00:51:52,818 --> 00:51:54,778 -Oh. Don't get too dirty. I'm so wet. 698 00:51:54,861 --> 00:51:55,862 - Hey, dude. 699 00:51:55,946 --> 00:51:57,072 -There you are. -How are you, bud? 700 00:51:57,155 --> 00:51:58,615 -- Oh, my God. -- I'm pretty famished, so... 701 00:51:58,740 --> 00:52:00,742 You look like you've lost about 20 pounds. 702 00:52:00,826 --> 00:52:02,160 -Hey, Bruce! -Fuco! 703 00:52:02,244 --> 00:52:04,412 -I think we captured it. 704 00:52:04,913 --> 00:52:06,957 -Wow. Let's see what you got. -So good to see you, man. 705 00:52:07,124 --> 00:52:08,125 - Likewise. 706 00:52:08,208 --> 00:52:12,546 This expedition's elevational transect has been hugely successful. 707 00:52:12,629 --> 00:52:17,050 We have the entire transect now, and this part of it that, from the summit, 708 00:52:17,134 --> 00:52:21,555 all the way down to Double Drop, is the part we needed to establish. 709 00:52:21,638 --> 00:52:25,600 And, boy, did we do that in spades. So, I wish I'd been up there with you. 710 00:52:25,684 --> 00:52:28,395 That was something I had deep in my heart. 711 00:52:28,562 --> 00:52:30,897 However, you did it, and you did it for us. 712 00:52:40,365 --> 00:52:43,160 - Bruce has an infectious passion for biology. 713 00:52:44,786 --> 00:52:46,913 I feel like we did something that matters. 714 00:52:48,290 --> 00:52:52,043 To collect new species, to study them, to take DNA samples, 715 00:52:52,794 --> 00:52:55,088 and to basically see something that no one has ever seen before. 716 00:52:58,633 --> 00:53:00,802 You know, I mean, science has brought us a long ways, but, I mean, 717 00:53:00,886 --> 00:53:04,389 we're still barely scratching the surface of what we understand in this world. 718 00:53:09,644 --> 00:53:13,690 - The tepuis are special places on the planet. 719 00:53:14,649 --> 00:53:18,236 And they're part of my life, my love, my career. 720 00:53:18,987 --> 00:53:22,574 And so, this trip is one of the great gifts to me. 721 00:53:23,909 --> 00:53:26,203 And I'd love to do more. 722 00:53:26,703 --> 00:53:30,457 But if I don't get to do it, this will be a highlight of my life.