May 12, 2026

After what sounds like an extremely physical day of wading through knee deep snow for almost 4.5 miles, our May 9th Team has made it to Camp 1!

Upon arrival at Basecamp, it sounds like our May 9th team had a good weather window and was able to make the push to Camp 1. Teams on a Denali expedition carry very specific amounts of supplies that are in direct relation to the time they estimate it will take them to climb. When things like weather throw off their schedule, the team will look for safe windows to make up time where they can.

On a “standard” Denali trip, teams will look to land at Basecamp and, depending on the time of day, most elect to spend one night in Basecamp and make the move to Camp 1 the following morning. Since our May 9th team experienced some weather delays flying in, they took advantage of their safe window to make the move to Camp 1. With this forward-thinking mindset, our May 9th team has kept themselves on track to the summit!

Below is a satellite phone recording sent from our May 9th Team. The contents of these recordings will vary with the team’s schedule, camp chores, and energy levels, so expect to hear new messages throughout the length of their trip.

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Interested in more information about conditions and happenings on Denali? Be sure to also check out the Denali National Park’s Denali Dispatches Blog where they post weekly Field Reports.