Being the mother of Alex Honnold is likely a difficult task at times. He, after all, spends his time doing things that are likely to kill him, and no matter how good at climbing she knows her son is, that thought has still got to sit somewhere in her brain. But Alex Honnold had to get his grit and determination from somewhere, and it appears he got it from his mother.
Dierdre Wolownich wrote a book recently called The Sharp End of Life: A Mother’s Story. Oh, and side note: she is the oldest woman to climb El Capitan in Yosemite. At age 66, she dragged herself over the top and proved that her son ain’t the only one in the family who’s got a mind as strong as their body. The Sharp End of Life shares the journey to the top of El Cap, and how that achievement reflects a broader story of persistence.
At the age of 54, after a rocky marriage that ended in divorce, she started running. Soon, she’d completed a few marathons. Four years later, Alex took her on her first rock climb, and “a world of friendship and support suddenly opened up to her within the climbing ‘tribe,’ culminating in her record-setting ascent of El Cap with her son.”
The folks over at Climbing Daily caught up with her for an interview at the Kendal Mountain Festival where she was giving talks about her new book. And to say she’s an interesting woman is an understatement.
