Our June 24 Team is feeling very strong and pushed a load of supplies up and around Windy Corner today. They climbed up a series of moderately steep slopes and along a a long, gently rising stretch of route that leads to the Corner. The features is a steep rib of rock that acts somewhat like a gate to the next camp, the big basin camp at 14,200′. Winds that pass along the south face of Denali can accelerate as they deflect around Windy Corner, and occasionally, teams can be held up for days, waiting for the opportunity to pass around the gate. Not this team!
They departed early in the morning, to take advantage of colder nighttime temperatures, and made good time as they carried supplies up to roughly 13,700′. After burying their cache to protect it from the relentless efforts of the resident ravens, which have been know to dig several feet down in the snow to get a taste of climbers’ cookies, the team descended back to 11,200′ to spend the night.
They’ll follow a similar schedule tonight, but will climb higher with their camp packed up, so as to establish themselves at the 14,200′ camp, their home for the next several nights.
Here is Viviane with the report:
