The May 19th team arrived in Talkeetna on May 20th and has been waiting for a weather window to fly onto the glacier. The storm system that has been sitting over the Alaska Range continues to hold things up, and with each passing day, the queue of climbers waiting to fly grows a little longer. Talkeetna has slowly filled up with teams from all over the world, all hoping for the same thing: a break in the weather and a green light from the pilots.

The growing backlog of climbers in town adds another layer to the waiting game. When the weather finally does open up, the pilots will have a long list of teams to move onto the glacier, and flights will be operating around the clock to catch up. It’s not just about waiting for one good window. It’s about waiting for that window to arrive at the right point in the queue. Even so, the May 19th team is taking it in stride, making the most of their time in town, resting, eating well, and keeping their gear ready to fly at a moment’s notice.

Talkeetna may be small, but it has a way of filling time in unexpected ways. There are coffee shops to settle into, a few good restaurants to rotate through, and no shortage of fellow climbers passing through with their own stories about waiting on the weather. By the time the team finally lands on the glacier, they’ll be more than ready. Gear has been packed, repacked, and triple-checked. Systems have been drilled. Climbers have had time to settle into the rhythm of expedition life before the expedition has even truly started. The mountain hasn’t gone anywhere, and when the window finally opens, the May 19th team will be ready to take it.

For now, it’s all about patience. We’re wishing the May 19th team smoother skies, a clear flight path, and the best of luck getting onto the glacier soon. Here’s hoping their name gets called sooner rather than later!

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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.