Guide Rob Caldwell called in an update on (part of) the May 27 West Buttress team from High Camp. Rob and Terry are taking a rest day to prepare for tomorrow, which will hopefully be their summit day! They will pair up with the May 30th West Buttress Team for an attempt on the summit. They spent the day at camp at 17,200′, resting up for a long day tomorrow, weather permitting. Usually summit day takes teams up to 12 hours. The team will depart camp in the morning and head up the infamous (and notoriously cold) “Autobahn” section of the route, a long traverse with snow pickets for protection, to Denali Pass. From there, the steepness relents a bit as the team winds up through “Zebra Rocks,” black, volcanic rock that stands out starkly against the white snow. They’ll then reach the “Football Field,” a large basin from which the summit is in sight! One last stout push up “Pig Hill” will put them on the summit ridge and eventually the top of North America. Generally teams try their best to call in an update from the summit, so hopefully we’ll hear from them there! These guys have really stuck it out up there, we wish them the best of luck on their summit attempt.
A Mountain Trip guide on Denali’s summit ridge, after topping out Pig Hill.
Here’s Rob:
