Jesse calls in to introduce the team. It is warm on the lower glacier this time of year and teams will move at night when the snow bridges spanning crevasses are the most frozen and the temps are the most comfortable. The team started out by flying into Basecamp at 7,200′ (2194m) on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. When the team packed up for their overnight move, they first descended 600′ down Heartbreak Hill (named for the heartbreak of ascending another hill at the end of a long day when returning to Basecamp) where the southeast fork flows down to meet the main body of the Kahiltna Glacier. From here the team traveled up the glacier, gaining about 1,200′ over 5.5 miles to Camp 1. Camp 1 is set at the base of a 1,200′ high hill called Ski Hill. Here, the glacier is compressed by the force of the ice as it flows down the hill and butts up against the more flat expanse of the glacier. This compression helps to create an area with less risk of crevasses, which makes for a good camp.
The team is moving light and fast and plans to skip caching (more on that later) above camp and just move directly to Camp 2 today.
A 2021 team leaving Basecamp
Here’s Jesse:
