The May 16th team had a productive day on the mountain, back-carrying their cache from the Windy Corner site and bringing all their supplies safely back up to 14 Camp. With those loads now consolidated, the team has everything they need together and is well-positioned to focus on the next phase of the climb.

Back-carrying is a familiar rhythm on Denali by this point in an expedition. The team heads down to where the cache was buried, digs out the supplies, repacks everything into sleds and packs, and hauls it all back up to camp. The loads are heavy on the return leg, but the route is ground the team has already covered, which makes the day feel more manageable than a brand-new push. There’s also a quiet kind of satisfaction that comes with reclaiming supplies stashed days earlier. It’s a tangible sign that the slow, methodical approach to expedition-style climbing is working.

Windy Corner, sitting at around 13,500 feet, is a section the team has now traveled multiple times. Every successful trip through that part of the route builds the team’s confidence and familiarity with the terrain higher up. With the back-carry behind them and their gear all in one place, the team can now turn their attention to the upper mountain and what comes next.

For now, the May 16th team is settled in at 14 Camp with another solid day of work in the books. Each day like this builds the foundation for what comes after, and the team is in a great spot heading into the next phase of the expedition.

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