The May 16th team is on the move down the mountain! The team left 14 Camp around 11:30 this afternoon and is making the long pull down the lower glacier toward Basecamp, with plans to arrive early tomorrow morning.

The descent from 14 Camp down to Basecamp is a big day in its own right. Teams cover the same terrain they worked so hard to climb, only this time with summit day behind them and the trip home in sight. Traveling overnight is the smartest approach for the lower glacier, since the cold temperatures of the late hours refreeze the snow and firm up the snow bridges that span the crevasses below. It’s the same reason teams typically fly into Basecamp and head straight up in the early morning hours, and the same principle applies on the way down.

Of course, traveling overnight isn’t easy. Climbers are moving when their bodies want to rest, pushing through fatigue and cold while staying sharp on terrain that demands attention. After summit day, the descent, and now the long pull down the lower mountain, the team is putting in serious work to get themselves off the glacier safely. It takes discipline and grit, and the team is up to it.

For now, the May 16th team is on the rope and steadily working their way toward Basecamp. We’re so proud of everything this team has accomplished, and we’ll be excited to welcome them off the glacier in the morning!

Digging up caches

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