Rock climbers closer to unprecedented feat at Yosemite

Two rock climbers are steps closer to achieving an unprecedented feat Monday morning. For more than two weeks, they've been working their way up a 3,000-foot wall of granite at Yosemite National Park's El Capitan and have now made it past the most difficult part of the climb, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy.

After a week-long battle with El Capitan's razor thin ledges, 30-year-old Kevin Jorgensen conquered Pitch 15 over the weekend. It's considered one of the toughest sections of the climb.

"Over the course of seven days, I made 11 tries and finally did it, and this is a view I will always remember, but I'm not sad to be moving past," Jorgensen said.

His partner, Tommy Caldwell, made it past Pitch 15 last weekend and has been waiting for Kevin to catch up with him at a section called Wino Tower.

The men are hoping to complete the first-ever free climb of the Dawn Wall, using only their hands and feet to scale a practically flat surface higher than two Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other. The route is usually climbed by ascending on specialized equipment to inch up the cliff. Caldwell and Jorgeson are climbing the rock itself. The ropes and gear don't help them reach the top, they're simply a protective measure. The rock is so smooth and featureless, the route is one of the most difficult in the world.

The two began their ascent more than two weeks ago but have been trying to conquer this climb for much longer.

"It's taken them years of choreographing the moves, getting strong enough to do each of these moves and sort of getting them down to muscle memory," Outside Magazine senior editor Grayson Schaffer said.

Sunday was a day of rest for both men. Monday, Kevin will start working his way to Caldwell at Wino Tower.

If all goes well, and the men are reunited, they could reach the summit and the history books, by Wednesday night.