The expedition has returned from the field and have said their goodbyes to each other after a successful expedition. By all accounts it was an extraordinary trip. Look soon for the final blog entry by lead guide Jacob Schmitz. Thanks for following along!
The traverse team is now poised to summit Denali and continue over to the north side of the Alaska range. They are currently in a new camp at 17,800′ on the upper Harper glacier, just over Denali Pass and are planning on making an attempt for the summit today if conditions permit it.
Justin Overdorff called in with the latest, greatest news from the beautiful basin camp at 11,200′ on the West Buttress. He also had a (somewhat sheepish?) request for Jules out there. [audio:http://mountaintripdenali2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/audio-post-2011-06-07-04-25-45.mp3|titles=Audio Post] (Editor’s note) Jules, you gotta understand that a Denali climb takes lots of mental and psychological preparation. Some things can’t help but…
Lead guide Rob (Durny) Durnell called in to let us know that the team carried gear around Windy Corner today. Windy Corner is a prominent rib of rock that drops down from over 15,000′ on the West Buttress and creates a challenging zone for climbers to pass on occasion. It sounds like today it was…
Chris and Greg called to report that they all carried a load of gear to about 18,500′, up and over Denali pass to the upper Harper glacier. They stood out among the rest of the West Buttress crowd because they pulled sleds full of gear up the ‘autobahn’, where most parties only have light packs. …
The May 31 team pushed up the Kahiltna from camp 1 to establish camp 2, which is traditionally at 11,200′. This camp is up off the main flow of the Kahiltna glacier, tucked in a smaller tributary valley that is relatively sheltered from weather systems. Crevasses run throughout the area, so a lot of time…
The weather didn’t cooperate today, and the team stayed at 11 in hopes of acceptable conditions in the near future.
The May 20 expedition has made it safely to Kahiltna basecamp! After traveling the lower glacier from camp 1 to basecamp, the team is waiting by the airstrip, eating food from the basecamp cache and celebrating the end of carrying heavy packs and sleds (at least for this expedition). The weather is still non-flyable at…
Another Mountain Trip team relayed a message from Jacob, reporting that this expedition was asleep in their tents at camp 1 preparing for the last leg of their journey down the Kahiltna glacier to basecamp. Traveling at night this time of the year on the lower glacier is very important, so they are resting during…