The June 26 Denali team called in (Ross, I believe?) after today’s rest and acclimatization day at the broad 14,200′ camp. Today they took a short hike over to “The Edge of the World.” This spot truly feels like such, with a stomach dropping view of 1000m of nothing between you and the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier below. It is a memorable thing to scramble up a granite rock at the glacier’s edge and poke your head off the other side. Yowzer!!!
The plan is to make a carry of supplies up the steepest part of the West Buttress, referred to by Ross (?) as “The Wall.” This 600′ section of 40-50 degree snow and ice guards access to the spectacular ridge that will take them an additional 1000′ up to their High Camp, located at 17,200′. The Wall is reached after the climbers ascend 1,400′ of slightly less steep snow, over the course of an hour and a half of climbing.
