Camp 1 from Ski Hill

Life in Camp 1

The June 15th team got an early start today, caching gear up on Kahiltna Pass before returning to camp. It’s an important early milestone on the West Buttress and sets the team up nicely for their next move up the mountain.

Caching at the pass is a key step on a Denali expedition, helping the team start shifting the weight of their supplies higher up the route. By stashing gear partway up and returning to a lower camp to sleep, the team follows the time-tested mountaineering principle of climb high, sleep low, which supports acclimatization while steadily moving supplies up the mountain. Getting an early start also takes advantage of the firmer, more stable snow conditions in the cold morning hours, which makes for safer and more efficient travel on the glacier.

Looking ahead, the team is planning to make the move up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The move to Camp 2 is a significant push on the lower mountain, gaining elevation as the team works its way up the Kahiltna Glacier toward 11,200 feet. With supplies already staged higher up the route from today’s cache, tomorrow’s move will be more manageable, and the team is in a great position to keep building momentum.

For now, the June 15th team is back at camp with a solid day of work behind them. With the cache in place and Camp 2 on the horizon, the team is off to a strong start on their Denali 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.