Mountain Trip guide Nick Nason called on behalf of the June 15 Denali West Buttress team, who are happy to be on the Kahiltna Glacier after a weather delay in Talkeetna.

The team called during dinner in the kitchen tent; everyone seems to be in good spirits and excited to get higher on the mountain. They moved shortly after landing on the glacier from Denali Base Camp at 7,200′ to Camp One at 7,800′. While not particularly steep, the trek up to Camp One is long and heavy; the team will be fully loaded will all of their supplies for the 21-day expedition–packs upwards of 70 pounds and sleds with up to 40 pounds.

The snow continues to fall on the team but the weather is fairly mild otherwise. The team hopes to cache up above Ski Hill at around 10,000′. They are moving on a night schedule and sleeping during the day, to decrease the likelihood of crevasse fall due to snowbridges being softened in the heat of the day. Traveling in “expedition style,” carrying and retrieving caches on their way up the route, will enable them to transport a lot of supplies without carrying all of their gear at once.

Here’s Nick!