Mountain Trip climber Jaahnavi Sriperambuduru called in with an update on the June 22 Denali expedition, who just arrived to the Kahiltna Glacier yesterday evening and set up camp.

She, under the tutelage of guide Fischer Hazen, learned how to properly set up Mountain Trip’s Mountain Hardware Trango 3 Tent, which will serve as the teams temporary homes for the next 2.5 weeks or so. Guide Kristin Arnold also gave Jaahnavi tips about the expedition ahead.

Jaahnavi said that lead guide Con Sevaris had constructed a veritable “Taj Mahal” to serve as the team’s kitchen tent, and they enjoyed a hearty, hot meal in camp. She mentioned that due to clouds and sporadic visibility, the team was unable to yet catch a glimpse of Denali’s summit, the highest point in North America.

The team, joined by Dr. Krishna Sriperambuduru, Jaahnavi’s father, will spend their first several days on the glacier practicing the skills and learning mountaineering knowledge that will be essential during Jaahnavi’s ascent of Denali. The team will either travel higher tomorrow and practice traveling with a sled and pack, or stay around Base Camp and practice knots, crevasse rescue, self-arrest technique or sharps (ie: ice axe, crampon, snow shoe and pole techniques).

Here’s Jaahnavi with the update: