Lead guide Brian Muller called in an update from the June 3 West Buttress team, settling in at their new home for a few days, Camp Three at 14,200′! Reaching 14,000′ on the route is a bit of a milestone, and you get the sense that you are truly making your way up the mountain rather than approaching. The team was lucky enough to experience the sensation of being above the clouds at camp, staring out on the expanse of the Alaska Range, with many peaks already far beneath them. The team will spend a few days here acclimatizing and preparing for the upper mountain. Tomorrow, they will likely head back down to Windy Corner to retrieve their cache, and practice some skills pertinent to the upper mountain and summit day, like ascending a fixed line and passing running protection as a team.
The crew had just enjoyed a hearty dinner of pizza (at 14,000′!) hot drinks, and everyone was settling in for some well-deserved rest. Nice work, team! Just a little over 6,000′ to go to the summit!
Have a listen here!
