Mountain Trip guide Yoshiko Miyazaki-Back called in an update on the private May 24 expedition, who have made the long trek down from 14-Camp at 14,200′ to Base Camp.

The team walked all through the night, descending 7,000 vertical feet and crossing the lower glacier at the darkest point of the night, which allows for the deepest freeze and the most secure conditions when crossing snowbridges that may become fragile and melted during the heat of the day.

Now, the team is catching up on some much-needed sleep as the wait for the clouds to break and a Talkeetna Air Taxi plane to arrive, to bring them back to civilization.

Here’s Yoshi with the quick update: