Two mountain climbers managed to reach the peak of Yosemite National Park's El Capitan on Thursday, after nearly three weeks of free climbing their way through a hard uphill route named the Dawn Wall.

Tommy Caldwell and Kevin Jorgeson finished scaling the 3,000-foot rock and pulled themselves up into the summit on Thursday early evening. Forty relatives, friends and reporters greeted them at the top. They arrived at the summit through a 13-kilometer hike circling the mountain backside.

Like Us on Facebook

The finished climb was dream come true for Caldwell, who was bent on scaling the Dawn Wall, which started seven years ago, when started taking a closer look at the popular granite cliff. The Wall is seen as too high and does not have enough seams or cracks in the rock for free climbing.

Free climbing refers to solely relying on hands and feet to scale a naked rock, using gear and ropes only to stop a fall. At more than 900 meters high, 32 rope-lengths or "pitches" were needed to ascend the Dawn Wall.

The duo's goal was to free climb without returning to the ground or falling. If one of them hit the ground while trying a pitch, he would have to return to the start again.

Jorgeson said on Twitter the climb is not an attempt to "conquer," but about realizing a dream. He sent the message from more than 600 meters up into the Dawn Wall.

Th6ey started their climb on December 27 and focused on free climbing every pitch in succession without leaving El Capitan's side.

Three portaledges hung from their base camp -each a 2-meter by 1-meter ledge supported by nylon straps with tent fly and suspended from bolts in the rock's granite surface.

In the first week of the climb, they quickly made their way through 14 rope-lengths - the most difficult part of the ascent. In their previous attempts to scale the Dawn Wall, they never went past pitch 12. When they managed to climb through pitch 14 on New Year's Day, it was taken as a sign the climbers could make it all the way to the top. 

TagsEl Capitan, mountain climbers, Tommy Caldwell, Kevin Jorgeson