Trip Reports
They are moving on up! The June 15 Team left 11 Camp, ascended Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill, rounded Windy Corner and arrived in the beautiful Genet basin. It sounds like the weather was a bit spicy around Windy Corner, but the team pushed through and they are happy and settled in 14 Camp, enjoying Philly…
It sounds like Windy Corner lived up to its name today, but the team was able to push through and they made it to 14 Camp. From 11 Camp, the team ascended Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill, crossed the Polo fields then made a big left hand turn up and around Windy Corner. They passed their…
The team made the quick jump from 10,000′ to Camp 2 at 11,200′ today. It sounds like the team is moving well and enjoying the relatively stable weather. The plan is to cache a load of equipment and supplies tomorrow, weather permitting. Here’s Ahmad with today’s report:
Guide Eli Potter called in an update for the 65 North team, who returned to High Camp from the summit at around 12:30 a.m., in the alpenglow. They were able to sleep for the night and awoke to descend to 14,200′, where they were having breakfast and coffee at the time of the call. The…
Mountain Trip guide Nick Nason with the June 15 Denali West Buttress expedition called in an update from Camp Two at 11,200′. The team spent yesterday caching up around Windy Corner at 13,500′ in a bit of a snowstorm. They returned to camp to warmer temperatures. If the weather permits they will likely move up…
Today the crew made a big push up the steepest part of the West Buttress route, carrying loads of equipment and supplies to a cache site 16,400′. They started out early, climbing moderate snow slopes for approximately 1,400′ above 14 Camp. At roughly 15,600′, they reached the Headwall, a steep ice and snow slope that…
They are moving on up! The team made a single carry to a camp located at 10,000′. A “single carry” happens when a team moves camp with all of their belongings, as opposed to a “double carry” which implies that the team caches a load of equipment and supplies and then picks up the cached…
From 11 Camp, the team made a short descent to retrieve their cache. This system of caching allows the team to move manageable loads up the mountain and acclimate at the same time. The team arrived on the glacier with an incredible amount of food and supplies to take care of themselves for 21 days…
The team spent a good chunk of the day practicing skills that they will use on the upper mountain, right out of 14 Camp. It was also a day for the team to rest, relax, and hydrate before heading tomorrow to altitudes exceeding 16,400′. The physical exertion combined with the thin air at high altitude…
Through hard work and sheer will, the team made it to the top of Denali. Congratulations, everyone!