Gustavo Ziller called in from Team Brazil’s camp in the broad Genet Basin at 14,200 feet on the West Buttress of Denali. The team rested today and organized themselves for moving up to 17,200 feet where they will establish their final camp of their ascent.
Tomorrow, they will pack up camp and shoulder their backpacks for the steep climb back up the Headwall, clipping themselves into the 600 feet of fixed ropes to gain the stunning ridge, which will lead to High Camp. Tomorrow will be a challenging day, both physically and technically, as the ridge is tricky in spots. It is also one of the most fun sections of the route to climb!
Gustavo – I accept your apology! My cell phone rang at my home in Colorado late in the night. The caller ID told me it was Team Brazil’s satellite phone, but I only heard a little bit of someone speaking before the line went dead. Sat phone calls to my cell during the night are rarely good, so my adrenaline spiked as I started reaching out to our Alaska Operations Director and to our teams on the mountain to see if everything was OK. It took a while, but I was eventually assured that all was well and that they inadvertently called me, rather than the dispatch number. Whew..!
Most of their call is in Portuguese, so I’d appreciate it if anyone out there can help translate! Eu não falo portugues!
(Todd Rutledge, Director – Mountain Trip)
