A quest by bike, boat, and foot
In 2023, climbers Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold set off from Colorado on
a mission to make it to Alaska’s Devils Thumb with minimal help from motors.
Poor winds up north required the use of a boat engine, but otherwise they
pulled it off: a 55-day expedition, powered by human strength, to reach and
summit one of North America’s most challenging peaks.
Route traveled
Bicycling (2,320 miles)
Sailing (240 mi)
Trekking (20 mi)
Overnight stop
100 mi
100 km
Devils Thumb
9,077 ft
2,767 m
tongass
national
forest
Kayaking across
Scenery Lake
AREA ENLARGED
AREA ENLARGED
Begin trek
Day 48
Day 50
united states
Devils Thumb
climb Day 55
canada
Hollis
Longest day of
biking, 163 miles
Day 40
5 mi
Petersburg
Prince
Rupert
5 km
Begin sailing
Smithers
Day 38
Fraser
Lake
Exchamsiks River
Provincial Park
Prince George
Fraser
Plateau
McBride
Day 30
Jasper
ALASKA
(U.S.)
jasper N.P.
MAP AREA
Climbing the Howser
Towers in the Bugaboos
Days 20–25
Climbing at Lake Louise
Day 28
canada
Lake Louise
Vancouver I.
banff N.P.
North Tower
11,194 ft
3,412 m
Radium Hot Springs
PACIFIC
OCEAN
united
states
Fort Steele
Whitefish
glacier N.P.
Seeley Lake
Helena
Bozeman
Gardiner
yellowstone N.P.
grand teton N.P.
Day 10
Climbing in the
Wind River Range
Days 4-8
Pinedale
Highest elevation of expedition
12,195 ft
3,717 m
Rawlins
Walden
START
Estes Park
Day 1
Rocky mountain N.P.
Soren Walljasper, NGM Staff. Sources:
Green Marble; NASA SRTM
A quest by bike, boat, and foot
In 2023, climbers Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold set off from Colorado on a mission to make it to Alaska’s Devils Thumb with minimal help from motors. Poor winds up north required the use of a boat engine, but otherwise they pulled it off: a 55-day expedition, powered by human strength,
to reach and summit one of North America’s most challenging peaks.
Route traveled
Bicycling (2,320 miles)
Sailing (240 mi)
Trekking (20 mi)
Overnight stop
tongass
national
forest
Enlarged RIGHT
Longest day of
biking, 163 miles
Day 40
Begin sailing
Devils Thumb
9,077 ft
2,767 m
Kayaking across
Scenery Lake
Day 30
united states
Climbing at
Lake Louise
Climbing the Howser
Towers in the Bugaboos
canada
Begin trek
Day 48
Day 50
united states
Day 20
Devils Thumb
climb Day 55
canada
300 mi
300 km
5 mi
5 km
Day 10
Climbing in the
Wind River Range
Petersburg
START
Estes Park, CO
Day 1
Soren Walljasper, NGM Staff. Sources:
Green Marble; NASA SRTM
A quest by bike,
boat, and foot
In 2023, climbers Tommy Caldwell and Alex Honnold set off from Colorado on a mission to make it to Alaska’s Devils Thumb with minimal help from motors. Poor winds up north required the use of a boat engine, but otherwise they pulled it off: a 55-day expedition, powered by human strength,
to reach and summit one of North America’s most challenging peaks.
Route traveled
Bicycling (2,320 miles)
Sailing (240 mi)
Trekking (20 mi)
Overnight stop
tongass
national
forest
Enlarged Below
Longest day of
biking, 163 miles
Day 40
Begin sailing
Day 30
Climbing at
Lake Louise
Climbing the Howser
Towers in the Bugaboos
Day 20
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Climbing in
the Wind
River Range
Day 10
START
Estes Park, CO
Day 1
300 mi
300 km
Devils Thumb
9,077 ft
2,767 m
Kayaking across
Scenery Lake
Begin trek
Day 48
Day 50
united states
Devils Thumb
climb Day 55
canada
Petersburg
5 mi
5 km
Soren Walljasper, NGM Staff.
Sources: Green Marble; NASA SRTM