The May 9th team is on the move! After days of watching the sky and waiting for the right window, the team pushed up the route today to drop a cache just shy of 14 Camp before turning around and heading back down to Camp 2. This is a major step forward and a welcome change of pace after a long stretch of weather holds.
Caching just below 14 Camp is no small feat. Sitting at 14,200 feet, 14 Camp is the heart of any West Buttress expedition. It’s the staging ground for the upper mountain, the launching pad for summit pushes, and the place where teams settle in for the most pivotal stretch of the climb. By dropping their cache so close to 14 today, the May 9th team has done the hard work of moving supplies up the steep, demanding terrain between Camp 2 and 14 — and when they make the move themselves in the coming days, they’ll be doing it with lighter packs and the satisfaction of knowing their gear is already waiting for them just up the route.
After what felt like an unrelenting stretch of weather across the entire mountain, today’s progress feels especially good. Storm cycles like the one we’ve been watching can stall expeditions in their tracks, and seeing the forecast finally crack open is exciting for everyone — climbers, guides, and the folks at home following along. With the May 9th team team leading the charge and other teams beginning to make moves of their own, momentum is finally building across the mountain. Weather permitting, the next push is up to 14 Camp itself — and from there, the upper mountain comes into view.
Camp 2 View
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