It must have been a warm day moving up the glacier yesterday; climber Julien called in an update on the May 20 West Buttress team from Camp One, which he noted felt like a beach–except for the team was “only missing margaritas.”
While the move from Base Camp at 7,200′ to Camp One at 7,800′ doesn’t have as much vertical rise as the move between other camps higher on the mountain, the route winds through a vast, heavily crevassed basin for several miles, through gradually rolling terrain. The team’s packs were the heaviest they will ever be throughout the expedition (and perhaps the heaviest packs they have ever carried!) with all of their supplies for 22 days on the glacier loaded onto their backs and into their sleds.
The team will likely spend today caching above Ski Hill near Denali Pass to prepare for their move up to Camp Two at 11,200′.
Here’s Julien!
