Though I suspect Henry rigged the game, here is Jerry reporting in from camp at 11,200′.  It sounds like the weather was a real challenge today, which is interesting, because the report from our team just 3,000′ above was that it was calm, though a bit foggy.

Today the team made their “back carry” down to the cache they had left at about 10,200′ two days ago.  This means that they descended with relatively empty packs to the site of the cache, dug up their supplies from the deep hole in which they were buried and then carried them back up to camp.  It takes about 20 minutes to get down to the cache and another hour to get back up.  I’m unclear as to whether the entire team made the journey or if the guides made the run.  I’ll not blame it on the accent, lest I further offend my Irish friends whom I already slighted by accidentally calling subjects of the Queen in a previous (edited) post.

Tomorrow, they plan to make a carry up the moderately steep Motorcycle Hill that leads up out of the basin in which they are camped.  They will then ascend a series of shorter, but slightly steeper hills collectively called Squirrel Hill and make their way alongside the immense West Buttress proper.  A key feature ahead is a shoulder that comes down from the West Buttress that is infamously known as Windy Corner.  This can be a challenging place and many a team has had to wait some time to pass it.  The goal is to make their next cache at about 13,500′ on a flat stretch of glacier about an hour below the site of their next camp at 14,200′.

Here are the lads:

[audio:http://mountaintripdenali2011.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/audio-post-2011-04-30-04-04-56.mp3|titles=Audio Post]