June 8, 2011
Hello and welcome to the expedition blog for our June 12th Team. The team will assemble beginning on June 12th in Anchorage for a gear check, team meeting, and make any last purchases that are necessary. The following day they will drive up to the sleepy little town of Talkeetna,
June 8, 2011
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!
June 8, 2011
[audio:http://mountaintripdenali2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/audio-post-2011-06-08-07-31-32.mp3|titles=Audio Post]
June 7, 2011
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
June 6, 2011
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.
June 6, 2011
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
June 5, 2011
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
June 5, 2011
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,
June 5, 2011
The weather didn't cooperate today, and the team stayed at 11 in hopes of acceptable conditions in the near future.
June 5, 2011
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
