The June 22nd team back-carried from below 14 Camp today, bringing the rest of their supplies up the route and consolidating their gear at camp. With everything now in one place, the team has completed another important step on their Denali ski expedition.

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 them into sleds and packs, and hauls everything back up to camp. The loads are heavy on the return leg, and after the steady grind of moving up the mountain, days like this can take a lot out of a team. It sounds like the crew is feeling the effort of the past several days, which is completely normal at this stage of the climb, and a good night’s rest at 14 Camp should have them feeling recharged and ready for what comes next.

Rest and recovery are just as important as the climbing itself on Denali. Time spent at 14 Camp lets the body continue acclimatizing to the altitude while giving climbers a chance to eat, hydrate, and sleep. For a ski team carrying the extra weight of their ski gear up the mountain, those recovery days go a long way toward keeping everyone strong for the upper mountain.

We may not get a call in from the team this evening due to some connectivity issues, but no news is good news on Denali. The team is settled in at 14 Camp, and we’re looking forward to hearing from them once they’re rested up and back in touch.

For now, the June 22nd team is at 14 Camp with another solid day behind them, focused on rest and recovery before the next phase of the climb.

Back carry from 14k

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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.