May 14 Team – Descending

Our May 14th team, which summitted just two days ago, rested yesterday morning at High Camp, after a long, hard summit day.  They packed up and left High Camp at about 2:00 pm local time, and descended the beautiful ridge down to the top of the fixed lines about a thousand feet lower.  They then descended the headwall, clipping into the fixed lines and made their way back to the big 14,200′ camp.

We did not hear from the team last night, as they got into camp fairly late, but from the timing of their descent, the weather slowed them down a fair bit.  The weather has been a mixed bag of snow, wind and whiteout conditions at the 14 Camp, and it seems like the team dropped into that band of inclement conditions.

They will continue their descent today, but the weather below them has not been much better, so it’s somewhat uncertain how far they will get today, which is their planned extraction date.  That’s all part of climbing big, cold mountains – you have to remain flexible!!!

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8 Comments

  1. Sounds like the weather has not been your friend for this climb. Looking forward to hearing your voice and seeing some pics. Not sure what I’m going to do next week without having your team to follow. What fun we have had checking up on the whole team. What an incredible experience you have had. Each one of the team should be so PROUD of what they have achieved. We are so PROUD of you!!!!xoxo

  2. Jim
    Be safe… We are all so proud of you .
    Can’t wait to hear all about your trip.
    Susan and Mike

  3. Safe travels on your descent and all the way back to Wisconsin and other destinations. Congratulations on a spectacular achievement!

  4. How proud you can all be…and I have learned so much about another facet of life on our planet…thanks for this amazing education and the means to follow your journey!! Bless all of you as you move to your next journey and CONGRATULATIONS!!!

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