The May 17th team made their descent from high camp back down to 14 Camp tonight, beginning the journey off the mountain after their successful summit. Rather than spending a long stretch at 14, the team is planning to keep moving and depart later this evening, with the goal of arriving at Basecamp early tomorrow morning.

Traveling down the lower glacier in the late evening and overnight hours is one of the smartest approaches on Denali. 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’s the same approach used by countless teams coming off the mountain. It also gets the team into Basecamp at a great time to catch a flight back to Talkeetna and start the wind-down of the expedition.

That said, traveling overnight has its own challenges. Climbers are moving when their bodies naturally want to rest, pushing through fatigue and cold in the small hours of the morning, all while staying sharp and focused on terrain that demands attention. It takes discipline and mental toughness, especially after the work it took to summit and descend back to 14. The team is up to it, and they’re putting themselves in a great position to get off the glacier quickly and safely.

For now, the May 17th team is at 14 Camp, taking a brief break before stepping back into their harnesses for the long pull down the lower mountain. We’re so proud of this team and looking forward to welcoming them off the mountain soon. We’ll have more to share once the team arrives at Basecamp.

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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.