The May 14th team made it up to high camp today! After all the work it took to get here, reaching high camp at 17,200 feet is a major milestone and a huge step toward the summit.

The move from 14 Camp to high camp is one of the more demanding days on Denali. It involves climbing the fixed lines above 14, navigating the long, exposed ridge that leads to high camp, and finishing high on the upper mountain with all the gear needed to live and climb at altitude. It’s a long day under any conditions, and getting the team into high camp ready to settle in is a real accomplishment.

The plan from here is a rest day tomorrow to recover, hydrate, and acclimatize before lining up for a summit attempt later in the week. Summit day on Denali is one of the longest and most demanding days of any expedition, often pushing 12 to 16 hours of climbing in extreme cold and thin air. Going into it well-rested and fully acclimatized makes a real difference, and the team is doing exactly the right thing by taking a day at high camp before making their push.

For now, the May 14th team is at high camp, getting tents pitched and settling in for the next phase of the climb. The summit is in view, the team is in position, and we’re feeling great about how they’re set up heading into the biggest days of the expedition.

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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.