The May 30th team got a cache in on Kahiltna Pass today, completing an important early milestone of the expedition. Caching at the pass is a key step on the West Buttress, helping the team start shifting the weight of their supplies higher up the route and setting them up for a smoother move when it’s time to relocate camp.

It was a long day on the route, with the team taking around seven hours to complete the cache. The early caching days on Denali are some of the most demanding days of an expedition. Climbers are still adjusting to the rhythm of glacier travel, the weight of the loads, and the altitude. A longer day on the rope is common at this stage, and the team’s guides used the day to read how everyone was moving and to start dialing in pace and technique.

As is often the case in the early days of a trip, some climbers found the final push to the cache site challenging. That’s a completely normal part of the learning curve for expedition-style climbing, and the team’s guides will be working with everyone to get them dialed in and ready for the bigger days ahead. The lower mountain is, in many ways, where the team’s foundation gets built, and the work going in now will pay off as the team continues up the route.

For now, the May 30th team is back at camp with another caching day behind them. The team is climbing, finding their rhythm, and steadily working their way up the mountain.

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