The May 9th team officially made the move up to 14 Camp today! After several weather days at Camp 2, it’s a major step forward and a welcome return to upward momentum on the mountain.

The team’s lead guide checked in with a brief and telling report from camp: “Good day out moving and shaking the legs.” On Denali, those kinds of understated guide updates often say more than they let on. After being tent-bound for several days, getting back on the rope and putting in a long day of climbing is exactly what climbers need to shake off the cabin fever and remind their bodies what expedition travel feels like. By all indications, the team handled the move well.

Reaching 14 Camp is a significant milestone on any West Buttress expedition. Sitting at 14,200 feet, it’s the staging ground for the upper mountain and the launching point for summit pushes in the days ahead. Now that the team has relocated, the focus shifts to settling into the new camp, recovering from today’s effort, and acclimatizing to the new altitude.

After a long move day, the team will most likely take a well-earned rest day tomorrow. Rest days at 14 Camp serve a few important purposes: giving the body a chance to recover from a demanding day of climbing, continuing to acclimatize at the higher elevation, and resetting before the next big push on the route. After several days of weather delays followed by a hard day of work, an easy day at 14 is exactly what the team needs to set themselves up for what comes next.

For now, congrats to the May 9th team on a strong day and a well-earned arrival at 14!

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