Up until about a year ago, Coronado resident Steve Wampler had never been out of a wheelchair for more than 24 hours. But last September, he left his wheelchair for more than six days to dangle from the face of a mountain more than twice the height of the Empire State Building.

“At times it was almost like torture, but I never had a mindset of giving up,” Wampler said.

Wampler was the first person with cerebral palsy to climb El Capitan. Throughout the journey, communicating via walkie talkie, his wife and two kids offered him words of encouragement. He was also motivated to raise money for children with disabilities who weren’t getting a chance he once did.

“I went to a camp when I was 9 years old that really inspired me,” Wampler said. “I discovered that it wasn’t receiving funding a while ago, so I set up a foundation that gives kids the opportunity to camp and experience the outdoors like I did at no cost to their family.”

Wampler’s unlikely feat began when he asked Encinitas resident Tommy Thompson, an avid outdoorsmen with more than 30 years of climbing experience, to train and guide him.

Thompson had previously helped his former climbing partner, who became quadriplegic after a car accident, climb El Capitan.  Even with that trip to draw from, Thompson questioned whether it would be possible for Wampler to scale 3,000 feet.

“It was two totally different cases,” Thompson said. “The person I was climbing with before was already an experienced climber and had more use of his body. Steve was as green as they come. He can’t do things like tie a knot or blay and requires a lot more care. He can’t feed himself, for example.”

Despite the risks, Thompson agreed to coach and guide Wampler.

“I could see from the start that he was fully driven,” Thompson said. “His energy was infectious and he would stop at nothing.”

To prepare for the journey, Wampler trained for more than a year. Thompson also designed a special chair and pulley system that allowed Wampler to ascend El Capitan.

To document the adventure ahead, Wampler enlisted the services of Thompson’s good friend Tommy Baynard, an Encinitas photographer and videographer who’s filmed and produced segments for the Discovery Channel, among other networks. Initially, Baynard too had misgivings.

“They wanted me to make a documentary,” Baynard said. “I knew it would be difficult because of the sheer amount of logistics. Yet I knew I had to when I first visited one of Steve’s camps that he’s raising money for. Seeing these kids who never get the chance to see nature, play in the water, look at the stars and camp, I’m not ashamed to say that Tommy and I cried like babies. We left camp, dried our eyes and said let’s put together a game plan.”

According to Baynard, the documentary explores the nitty-gritty of Wambler’s struggle.

“It wasn’t pretty at times, and I wanted to show that,” Baynard said. “Around the mid-way point he was extremely dehydrated, wasn’t sleeping and was shaking a lot at times. You can get see someone push the bounds of what’s possible.”

For his dedication and perseverance, Wambler has received a string of national and international awards. Currently, he’s one of three finalists in Sports Illustrated’s sweat for greatness contest. And Wall: The Journey Up, has been entered into several film festivals, including South by Southwest and Sundance. It will be shown in Encinitas for the first time at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12.

“Tommy and I have lived in Encinitas for 20 plus years,” Baynard said. “We love La Paloma and are really excited to share the movie with friends, family and the community.”

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story listed the wrong date for the first showing in Encinitas. It is Nov. 12, not Oct. 12.