Joe Butler called the office yesterday to report a change of plans.  Altitude sickness necessitated a descent from their attempt to move to high camp.  Ariel Tyler had symptoms that made continued ascent impossible, and our guides recommended descent from camp 3 to camp 2 to have her benefit from the decreased altitude.  Upon descent to camp 2 the decision was made to continue down to basecamp and end the expedition.  Joe, Karen, Ariel and Isaac both traveled down the Kahiltna in good time and arrived at 2:30am this morning, and are currently awaiting their flight out of the range.

Altitude illnesses are somewhat like a crap shoot, in that you often cannot predict when they might present themselves.  In this case, the Tylers made the prudent decision to descend, and ultimately decided to just keep heading back down.  When you’ve not been feeling well for a few days, a Denali expedition can quickly become an experience that sure doesn’t feel much like a vacation anymore…

Ariel will be fine after spending some time in the thick, humid air of Talkeetna.  We wish her all the very best.