A group of climbers from different hemispheres have gathered in Anchorage to forge themselves into a team that will attempt to climb the highest peak in North America.  Denali, at 20,310 feet (6190 m), is arguably the hardest of the famed Seven Summits, due in part to it’s location just south of the Arctic Circle, and also due to the famously huge loads that climbers need carry on any attempt of the mountain.

Today, the following climbers are meeting a guide team from Mountain Trip to finalize their preparations for an attempt on the classic West Buttress route.  This route climbs a full 13,000 feet (3962 m) from Base Camp in the remote Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, to the south summit of Denali.  The guides will check their gear and clothing, as Denali requires high quality kit.  The climbers will pack almost 20 pounds of snacks for their ascent, under the tutelage of the guides and run around Anchorage picking up last minute items or upgrades to their kit.

Let’s meet the team!

Aparna Kumar has joined us from India
Linda Wohlgemuth has traveled from Colorado
Nicolas Broily is from Canada
Mauricio Calderon is from Argentina

The Mountain Trip guides for this expedition are both Alaskans – Adam Smith and Ryan Gould.

Today will be busy in Anchorage, where they will spend the night at the Lakefront Hotel.  Tomorrow morning, we’ll pick up the climbers and drive a couple hours north to the end of the road, the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska.  There, the team will check in with the National Park Service Rangers at the South District Ranger Station before loading their equipment and supplies onto ski-equipped planes for the 40 minute flight into the Alaska Range.

We will post updates as team members call in from the field.  Please understand that making a satellite phone call from deep in the rugged Alaska Range is not always easy or even possible, so there could well be gaps between updates.  We encourage everyone to hold firmly to the age old, “No News Is Good News!”  Lastly, we encourage you to append your comments to the team’s updates.  While the climbers won’t see your comments until they are off the mountain, we have heard over and over again how much it means to them to read of your thoughts and good wishes.

Enjoy!