The May 19th team is officially settled in at Camp 2! After working their way up from Camp 1, the team is now established at 11,200 feet and ready for the next phase of the expedition.

We received the team’s standard satellite dispatch today, but additional communications beyond that were limited, so we don’t have a lot of extra detail to share. A quiet sat phone day isn’t unusual after a big move. Between getting camp set up at the new elevation, digging in tent platforms, building snow walls, and getting the kitchen running, the work doesn’t stop just because the climbing day is done. By the time things settle down for the evening, most climbers are focused on food, rest, and warmth rather than reaching for the satellite phone.

Camp 2 is an important waypoint on any West Buttress expedition. From here, teams typically begin caching toward Windy Corner and eventually relocate to 14 Camp higher up the mountain. It’s also a great place to spend a little time. The elevation is high enough to keep the body acclimatizing, but low enough to recover from the work of the lower mountain before tackling the more demanding terrain above.

For now, the May 19th team is exactly where they should be: tucked into Camp 2, settling in, and getting ready for whatever the next day brings. We’re looking forward to the next update.

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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.