Off the Glacier and back in Anchorage!

The team flew off the glacier this morning, ate like kings at the world famous Talkeetna Roadhouse and decided to head on back to Anchorage. They are all back, a bit tired, but quite happy, all in all.

Here is a call they made from the van on their way into town:

Descending to basecamp

We've recieved four satellite phone calls from Pi today, and every one of them has been dropped before we could really talk. The team is on the lower glacier heading to basecamp, and they are motivated to make the plane tonight if everything lines up and travel proves to be agreeable. We're standing by here in Anchorage to launch the van to Talkeetna, but are waiting to see what Pi's plan is- many teams appreciate a night in Talkeetna to adjust to civilization before jumping back into it. Most of you reading this may know when the team reaches town before we do as cell phones get turned back on and everyone reestablishes contact with their loved ones. Good luck to the expedition on this final leg of the journey, and hope for good weather for flying.

Summit!

The team summitted yesterday and have made it back to high camp safely after a 16 hour summit day- Sean said it was a 'full value summit day', which meant they got a little of everything Denali can offer (wind, whiteouts) but not too much. They got back to the tents, ate a hot dinner and went straight to sleep, and Sean said no one has woken up yet- 16 hours is a long day but it sounds like the team handled it well and everyone is excited to move on down to more friendly locales. The plan is to move down the ridge and fixed lines today to stay at 14 camp, then get up early tomorrow and head to basecamp!

Hanging tough at 17,200'

This call just came in from the team. It sounds like they are hunkered down in some pretty blustery weather. They are hopeful for a summit bid tomorrow, but are in good shape to wait for a while, so we'll see what the skies look like when they poke their heads out of their tents tomorrow. Enjoy the podcast:

Hangin tough

As I type this Pi and Sean are on the phone from high camp, sitting cozy in their tent waiting down another weather day. Pi reports few clouds overhead but high winds aloft. A weather day at high camp usually means the normal bouts of eating as big as appetite allows and drinking snowmelt, and usually by this time on a Denali trip people have finished their books and have swapped with a fellow climber. Sometimes a person with a thicker book will shave off individual chapters, so two or three climbers can all be reading the same novel in different stages. The group is in the best spot possible and are waiting down the weather, willing the winds to slack off and give them a window.

Denali Weather Forecast

I just found the following weather forecast widget, which is pretty interesting:

Weather by meteoexploration

Warm, dry fed and hydrated at 17k camp

Sean tells me the group powered up from 14k, taking 8 1/2 hours to move about 3,000 feet up Denali. The move is a big day so today the group is laying low, conserving energy in preparation for summit day. Life at 17k isn't always comfortable, but now the team just needs to keep up the nutrition and get rested and, most importantly, get a good enough weather window for their shot at the summit.

Rest day at 14k

The team took a rest day yesterday in preparation for their move to high camp today. 14k is a great place to rest because it is a good elevation where climbers can acclimatize for the upper mountain but still maintain their strength. At high camp it can be difficult to maintain strength for long periods due to the elevation and the related decrease in appetite, but the report came in that the team walked over to the Edge of the World to looked into the northwest fork of the Kahiltna, sunbathed in the afternoon sun and ate fried chicken and cornbread prepared by our southern backcountry chef/guide Sean McManamy. Not too shabby.

One Thing About Denali...

These came through last night. Apparently the team would like to pass along some insights they have gleaned from their experience thus far. Listen and learn the secrets of Denali climbing!



And one last bit:

"The 14 hang"

Sean reported in last night, our group backcarried from 14k camp in a snowstorm yesterday and plan to carry up to the ridge above the fixed lines today, Sean said they were 'feelin fine'.

The fixed lines are put up by the National Park Service in conjunction with various guide services to help safeguard a notoriously icy section of the route; climbing them involves using a rope ascender to clip into the lines and using lots of mountain technique (rest-stepping and pressure breathing). Climbers don't use the ropes to directly aid their descent, they are more used as a redundancy if someone loses their footing.

Many teams cache their gear immediately at the top of the fixed lines, but most of the time Mt. Trip groups carry up a little higher to avoid the masses and get a better view. We'll see what our team does, but I know a few days laying low in weather has made this expedition excited to move up higher.

Spending time at 14k camp is important- it is high enough to have climbers acclimatize adequately but not so high that they are getting weaker. Many expeditions spend 4 to 5 nights at 14k in order to get strong for the upper mountain and stage the expedition for the move to 17.

They made it!

Just got a call from guide Sean McManamy- the group has pulled into 14 camp and are all crawling into tents. Sean said it was an easy day, and reported that Windy Corner was surprisingly.......windless! Everyone moved strong all day and now the group is looking forward to sleeping in a little later than usual tomorrow and walking back down the trail a bit to pick up their cache. Let's hope for a few more days of good weather....

Moving to 14k camp

Pi called this morning as the team was gearing up to move out of 11k camp and get on the trail towards 14k. The weather has hesitated to cooperate for the last few days but the team waited it out comfortably in a fortified camp below Motorcycle Hill and finally got the window they were looking for. 11k camp is mostly sheltered from the sometimes very high winds that come through Kahiltna Pass below and across the polo fields and over Squirrel Point above, so deciding to move up often involves trying to guess how strong the winds are across the terrain above camp.
The move from 11k is a big day because of the distance and altitude gain; having a good rest step and pressure breathing help to keep fatigue at bay, as well as always drinking lots of water and eating lots of food. The climb for the day involves moving up Motorcycle Hill right out of camp perimeter. Motorcycle Hill is a moderately angled climb that eventually flattens out after 40 minutes or so to a nice break spot with breathtaking views of the Peters glacier. The route then heads up another shorter steep section that leads to what climbers have informally named the 'polo fields', mainly because the trail is mostly horizontal for a short distance. The trail then traverses at the base of a precipitous ice and granite face named Washburn's Face before taking a left at the aptly named Windy Corner. A steep sidehill leads to flatter ground which meanders up to the flatter bench that is 14k camp. From there climbers can see so many iconic Denali features: the fixed lines, Washburn's Thumb, the Messner couloir, the upper West Rib route and the Edge of the World.
Another Mountain Trip expedition led by Robert Durnell (Durny) has been in contact with Pi's group and have arranged a kitchen swap, which is when an expedition moving to a higher camp leaves up the kitchen tent for a lower group to move into. Durny left 14k this morning to move to 17k camp after waiting out the same bad weather cycle and was more than happy to help out. Any work saved in building camp is greatly appreciated by team members tired from a long day, and makes it that much quicker for the guides to get hot water and food going for dinner..

A Group Howdy, Bon Soir, G'Day, etc from 11,200'

I'm not sure what the team ate for dinner, but it apparently made them frisky! Here is a podcast from what sounds like most everyone on the team!

Podcast from 11,200 feet!

This sounds like it was called in from the cook tent, after way too much coffee! I think Peter Inglis is doing most of the talking, and the hoorays at the beginning seem to be from a good portion of the team. Have fun translating this!

Tucked in at 11,200 feet

Henry called in last night to report that the team pushed up glacier in near whiteout conditions. This is a classic example of Kahiltna Glacier weather. The team looked up into thick clouds, but experience told them that the chances were good that the clouds were a relatively thin layer, streaming in from Kahiltna Pass, a low point between the West Buttress of Denali and the Northeast Ridge of Kahiltna Dome, a 12,000' peak on the east side of the Kahiltna Glacier. They felt they had a good chance of pushing through the thick soup and climbing above it when they turned the corner at the head of the Kahiltna and climbed up into the beautiful basin at 11,200'.

Sure enough, the weather at 11,200' was clear and sunny, and they could look down on the thick layer below as they set up their camp.

Thew basin is a stunning place, ringed with big ice cliffs to the southeast, a moderately steep snow field called Motorcycle Hill to the east and dark rock bands interspersed with snow gullies to the north. The basin opens out to the west with views of the heavily glaciated Kahiltna Dome and Mount Crosson to the southwest. Towering above Motorcycle Hill is the true start of the West Buttress, rising as if a pyramid of ice and granite. The north summit of Denali is almost visible around the left side of the Buttress.

The team will spend four nights at this camp, back carrying today, carrying loads up and around the infamous Windy Corner tomorrow, and then moving up to the big camp at 14,200' the following day, if weather permits.

Today's back carry involves dropping back down to their cache site at about 10,000' with empty packs and sleds. This is a quick hike of about 20 minutes. They will dig up the supplies they buried in a deep snow pit the other day, load them into their packs and sleds and move it back up to their current camp, involving a hike of a bout an hour. All in all, today is sort of an "active rest day," allowing the team to better acclimatize through light effort and get all their supplies in place at the same time.

Camp I

The team checked in last night to report having made it to Camp I at 7800 ft. The travel conditions were fine despite some snow, wind, and low visibility. Tuesday evening found the team tucked into a nice camp enjoying PI's Halibut Stir Fry for dinner.

The first travel day is quite strenuous. There is not too much elevation gain, some up and down, but almost 6 miles of distance with very heavy loads. This is the heaviest day of the trip, as the team single carried out to Camp I. A single carry involves one trip from one camp to the next. Everything that will be needed for the next 20 days is in just one load. After this, the food, fuel, and gear will be shuttled to the next camp in two loads. This program will help with acclimatization as well as make the travel weight much more manageable.

Everyone did well with this first big challenge. On Wed. the team plans to make a carry up to 9700 or 10,500. They will drop some of their food, fuel, and gear to be picked up later. The team will then return to Camp I for a good night's rest.

Until next time...happy trails!

On to the glacier!

The May 9th West Buttress Team met Sunday in anchorage for a gear check and meet & greet. The day is exciting for both guests and guides. Everyone has prepared very hard physically and emotionally for what lies ahead. During this day, things really start to sink in. The transition is occurring from prep and planning to being on the mountain. Everyone arrived in Anchorage quite well prepared and ready for the challenge of their lives.

Monday morning found the team checking out of the B&B, loading the van, and headed for Talkeetna. A brief stop in Wasilla offers our guests an opportunity to check out the hometown of "near vice president", Sarah Palin. Certainly one of the high points of the trip thus far.

Upon arrival in Talkeetna the team checks in with the air taxi service that will provide transportation to the glacier. Following that the crew will visit with the National Park Service for a mandatory briefing before attempting to climb on Denali. Then back to the airstrip for final preparation before flying onto the glacier.

The weather on Monday was a mixed bag for flying. The entire crew made it safely to Basecamp and will spend the evening preping for travelling on the glacier so they can depart Tues morning for Camp 1.

Everyone is excited and a little nervous for the climb ahead. Please check back regularly as we expect frequent updates from the mountain.

Happy Trails!