George Whitmore passes at 89
Sonora, CA – Legendary climber George Whitmore one of the original three that scaled El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and a conservationist who devoted his life to protecting the Sierra Nevada, has died.
Whitmore died on New Year’s Day from complications caused by COVID-19. He had tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 13th, after developing an occasional cough and subsequent fever. Whitmore was hospitalized for the virus and then moved to a Fresno rehabilitation facility. He sadly died a week later from damage to his lungs.
Whitmore was the last surviving member of the trio that was first to reach the top of El Capitan on Nov. 12, 1958. In 2008, Whitmore gathered with climbers from around the world at Yosemite to celebrate the 50th ann
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Laura L. Clark took this photo of George Whitmore during a hike at Mariposa Grove in Yosemite National Park on 7/8/2018.
The last living climber on the first team to scale Yosemite’s El Capitan has died from complications of COVID-19. George Whitmore, 89, is best known for his historic climb in 1958 with his partners, Wayne Merry and Warren Harding. His pioneering techniques helped the group get safely to the top.
“They enjoyed having done it. It was a great adventure to them but none of them ever really had a big head about it, so to speak,” says his widow, Nancy Whitmore, 76.
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George Whitmore, one of the first climbers to reach the top of El Capitan, dies at 89
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Warren Harding, far left, George Whitmore, far right, and Wayne Merry, who is just coming over the edge, complete their ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Also pictured is George Whitmer, second from left, who is a member of the support party which greeted the climbers in 1958.UPI/San Francisco Chronicle File 1958Show MoreShow Less
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Wayne Merry, George Whitmore and John Whitmer, enjoy a hot meal after scaling El Capitan in 1958. Merry and Whitmore were the successful climbers while Whitmer is from their support party.Associated Press/San Francisco Chronicle File 195Show MoreShow Less
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