Denali, in all her glory.
Denali Basecamp
The June 15th team is officially on the mountain! The team flew into Basecamp today and, after getting their gear sorted, is planning to head up toward Camp 1 tonight once the temperatures drop a bit.
Before heading up, teams take care of an important piece of housekeeping at Basecamp: digging a cache to stash supplies they’ll want for the very end of the trip. These supplies get buried in the snow at Basecamp and wait for the team to dig them up weeks later when they descend off the mountain. It’s a small but meaningful ritual, and after a long expedition, getting back to that Basecamp cache is always a welcome moment before flying back to Talkeetna.
There’s also a bit of a day-one tradition worth mentioning: the big Basecamp meal. Since the team is about to spend the coming weeks living off of carefully rationed expedition food, day one is a chance to eat well while they still can. Many teams treat themselves to a hearty, hot meal at Basecamp, sometimes including fresh food flown in with them, before settling into the rhythm of dehydrated meals and melted snow for the rest of the climb. It’s a fun way to kick off the expedition and fuel up before the real work begins.
Waiting for the cooler evening hours to travel is one of the smartest approaches on the lower glacier. As temperatures drop, the snow refreezes and the snow bridges that span the crevasses below firm up significantly. Moving during these hours is the safest way to cross the lower glacier, and it lets the team avoid the heat of the day, when hauling loads across the snow can feel especially draining.
The move from Basecamp to Camp 1 covers about 5.5 miles, starting with the descent down Heartbreak Hill before stretching across the relatively flat lower Kahiltna Glacier. It’s a long, grinding day with heavy loads in tow, and getting it done on day one is a strong way to open an expedition.
For now, the June 15th team is at Basecamp, getting ready for tonight’s push to Camp 1. With the climb officially underway and good momentum building, the team is off to a great start on their Denali expedition.
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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.
