John Ladd of the May 5 Denali West Buttress Team called in with a short update on the team’s progress on the mountain.

The team retrieved their cache below camp yesterday.

The day started out bitterly cold, John reported, and the team tried their best to keep warm as they descended below 14,000′ to retrieve their cache below Motorcycle Hill. The way back up to camp, however, was a different story.

Today, they will cache more supplies up above camp, to pave the way and save weight for their ascent to High Camp, the steepest section of the route.

Here’s John: