The four members of Mountain Trip’s June 21st team descended from 14,200 feet the evening of June 3rd and arrived down at the 7,200 foot base camp early the following day. The glacier was very soft and they determined that it would be imprudent to try to land a ski plane on the soft, heavy…
Lead guide Harrison Lewis called in with another update! The team has made it all the way down to Basecamp at 7,200′ (2194m). They are enjoying the lower altitude and warmer temps while they await a weather window for their 20 minute ride out to Talkeetna! Audio Recording
June 15 Rapid Ascent “Never again in my life” Was the answer Victor gave Grace at the upper runway of basecamp when she asked if he would ever climb Denali again. We had just finished the ‘death march’ an all-night push down the mountain starting at high camp (17,200’) and ending in base camp (7,600’).…
Well, we have some rather unexpected news – last night, our June 21st team made the decision to descend to base camp. There are numerous reasons behind the decision, including an unsettled weather forecast and team dynamics. Lastly, the National Park Service began breaking down and flying out their camp from 14,200 feet. They planned…
Congratulations!! Yesterday evening the team stood on top of the highest point in North America at 20,310′ (6190m)!! Great job to everyone. It’s a big push to have a long day at this altitude. Not to mention the gratifying culmination of a couple of weeks of climbing up this mountain. Last night they spent the…
Yesterday, everyone enjoyed a rest day at 14,200′ (4328m). They spent the day napping, reading, eating all of their snacks, and hydrating. On these days guide teams will often whip up a tasty lunch for everyone in addition to a nice dinner. Rest days allow the team to recover from their journey and acclimatize to…
Assistant guide Joe Kinner called in from High Camp yesterday! The team is doing well. They enjoyed another rest day at 17,200′ (5242m). There isn’t too much else to report or to add! They hope to be going to be going for a summit attempt today! Audio Recording
Harrison called in from High Camp at 17,200′ (5242m) last night! They enjoyed a rest day yesterday. Harrison reports it is a little windy but actually feels warm all the way up there. The team went on a walk and had incredible views of Camp 3 way below them. They have been hydrating, fueling, and…
Unfortunately we were not able to hear anything in this recording! But we have heard from the team in other capacities and we know that yesterday they retrieved their cache from Windy Corner around 13,500′ (4114m). This is a relatively short day, and more of an “active rest day” to help the team acclimatize to…
The June 18th West Buttress team made it to High Camp! Yesterday morning they left Camp 3 at 14,200′ (4328m) and started up a slope fondly referred to as Bunny Hill. After tackling Bunny Hill, they made it to the bottom of the Fixed Lines and the bergschrund there. A bergschrund is where steep snow…