Denali Sunset

The May 11th team seems to be handling life in the snowstorm well.

Tent life during a Denali storm is its own kind of art form. The day gets broken up by small routines. Boiling water for hot drinks, swapping shifts on cook duty, digging out tent entrances after fresh snow piles up, and the occasional venture outside to stretch the legs or wave at the neighboring teams across camp. The pace is slow but rarely boring, and the long hours give climbers a chance to settle into the expedition mindset, get to know their teammates better, and rest up for the days when the weather finally breaks.

For one climber on the team, being tent-bound has also brought back some unexpected memories. There’s something about a heavy snowstorm and a day with nowhere to be that feels a lot like a snow day as a kid — watching TV from under a pile of blankets, reading for hours, bundling up to play in the snow, and the simple freedom of having no responsibilities for an entire day. Storm days on Denali aren’t quite that carefree, but the parallels are there, and it’s a fun reminder that some of the best parts of being stuck inside as a kid still apply in adulthood, even on the side of North America’s tallest mountain.

The transmission is a bit broken at the beginning but stick with it and join in with the May 11th team. Below are some photos from their trip so far!

Life in Camp 1

Flying onto the glacier

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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.