May 20 Team – Preparing for the Headwall

Our May 20 Team climbers called in on the radio tonight while their Mountain Trip guides showed off their gourmet chef skills in the cook tent. From what we hear, the dining at Camp 3 14,200 ft (4328 m) has been especially good! The team is enjoying excellent weather and is looking forward to moving higher on the route tomorrow after some rest.

Up next on their travel plan will be to ascend the Headwall’s famous fixed lines with harnesses, crampons, and technical climbing gear. This section is so steep it is set with ropes by the Denali National Park Service climbing rangers for climbers to use each season. The team has been running through rope systems and ascension skills on their rest days so this will be an exciting opportunity to apply what they’ve been learning!

From the top of the headwall, the team will haul their heavy packs to the popular cache site at 16,000 ft (4877 m) also known as the “16 Ridge”. The team will “climb high and sleep low” to help them acclimatize to the thinning air and increase in altitude that their bodies will need to adapt to before they push higher on the route. We’re excited to hear that this team is in high spirits and we look forward to their next dispatch!

recording

Share Button

2 Comments

  1. Fantastic news and great picture of the team!! Onward and Upward Sue!! We are in awe as usual!!

    Laura, Kim and your Cali friends!! 💕

  2. Thanks for the update Susan! Gorgeous view and “gourmet” chow sounds good. Good luck as you ascend!

    👍 Danny

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.