Mountain trip guide Jason Denley called in from 7,800′ on the Kahiltna Glacier, after the team carried all their equipment and supplies about five miles up glacier from Base Camp today.

Jason reports great conditions on the lower glacier, meaning a firm trail and low crevasse hazard, so the guys were psyched!  After establishing camp, they all gathered in the group kitchen tent for a curried shrimp dinner, which was a crowd pleaser.

The route from Base Camp actually descends as the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna flows downhill to join the main Kahiltna Glacier.  At the juncture, there are a lot of crevasses, but the recent snow combined with cold temperatures really minimized that risk.  The route then turns north and follows the gently rising Kahiltna until it meets another tributary glacier, the Northeast Fork.  At this point, the main Kahiltna has just dropped down a 1000′ hill, so the ice tends to be very compact at the base of the hill, which is why it is our camping area of choice.  Compact = few crevasses!

Here’s Jason: