Climber Sean Karls called in an update on the June 6 West Buttress team! The climbers spent the day bringing a cache up to “Windy Corner” a notoriously crevassed–and you guessed it, windy–section of the route. It sounds like yesterday that the team had pleasant weather and did not have to deal with that wind. This cache day can be quite challenging, as the team ascends steep Motorcycle and Squirrel Hill directly out of Camp Two, making their way through a high alpine basin called the Polo Field, and then donning their helmets and watching out for rockfall around Windy Corner.
This cache will put them in position to move camp up to 14,200′, a milestone for climbers on the route! They will spend three days at “14-Camp,” also known as Camp Three, acclimatizing, backcarrying to retrieve their cache, and practicing skills for the demands of the upper mountain. The team is moving right along and making great progress up the route!
Here’s Sean:
YAY Sean! You sound cold but excited. 🙂 We miss you!! xoxo
Wait…no shout out to his awesome sister who put Sean on the path of mountain climbing after the remote incident? What about his awesome BIL who stands ready and always has his six? What about Karnie and her breakfast sandwiches. I get the whole family thing…but come on! Denali is just the other side of the coin in this family!!!
Run thru the tape Lt
Windy Corner sounds brutal! Congrats on the progress. Can’t wait for the pics — I’m sure the views have been (and will be) epic up there. Love you!!
Ya Baby! Onward to 14k camp! And glad to see Kays, aka KT-22, chimming in. 🙂
Congratulations on another milestone! Can’t wait to hear more. Love and good wishes to all!