Our lead guide Eli Potter called in a nice introductory post from Base Camp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. This is Eli’s second trip up Denali for Mountain Trip this season and he is joined by some friends from Japan, with whom he has worked previously through his own company, Wild Alpine.
Eli is joined by Takaji Ito and Yoshitoshi Matsumoto from across the Pacific, as well as by his old friend Keizo Funatsu, who moved from Japan to Alaska two decades ago. Rounding out the team is our summer intern from the terrific outdoor program at Alaska Pacific University, Ed Moore. Mountain Trip has worked closely with APU for years to provide educational opportunities for young, aspiring guides and we have several guides who have worked for us for years who came up through the program.
The team will spend tomorrow reviewing glacier and climbing skills before heading up the broad, Kahiltna Glacier on Thursday morning.
Here is Eli: