Trip Reports
The May 8th team descended to the airstrip on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and has been waiting for a flight out of the Alaska Range. They were rapidly running out of time, food and fuel, and were looking at a substantial storm that had taken up residence over the Alaska Range. Faced…
It was a cold, windy, snowy day in the Alaska range, but the May 22nd team dug deep and moved from their Camp 1 at 7800 ft to their Camp 2 at 11200 ft. It was a long day with full, heavy packs but the team did a great job and they feasted on a…
The May 16 Team spent the day today practicing skills that they will use on the upper mountain. The weather was snowy and windy, a good day to stay hunkered down at 14 Camp and refine their climbing skills. It sounds like the team is in good spirits and looking forward to moving up. They…
Mike called in the Rib Team’s report today. It sounds like it’s cold and snowy, and the team has spent some quality tent time. But spirits remain high and the team is hoping for a break in the weather to continue their ascent. Mike sends out a hearty greeting to the team’s friends and family.…
Someone in the group went all out and rented a house for the expedition while they wait for the weather to let them fly into the Alaska range. Ian called after having cooked his basecamp meal for the team; they had hamburgers. Still waiting for the low pressure system to move on out and let…
Patiently waiting for the weather to break: think positive and maybe we can get the weather to lift enough to get our team back to civilization!
Caitlin called in after tucking everyone into their tents for the evening. Sounds like the team put forth a strong effort and single carried all of their gear and food to 10,200′, dropped a cache and proceeded on to camp 2, where they met up with another Mountain trip team. She was very proud of…
Adam Smith called to report that, despite a motivated team, what at first appeared to be a break in the weather turned out to be temporary; instead of finally moving onward and upward the team had to again change plans to accommodate the whims of the notorious Denali weather. After moving out of camp for…
The team traveled in typical glacier conditions today: windy, snowing and low visibility. They pushed up the Kahiltna as planned despite the less-than-ideal weather and cached their gear at around 9,900′. They returned to camp uneventfully and are ready to go at it again tomorrow.
Denali. “The Great One.” Mount McKinley. By any name, the behemoth that dominates south central Alaska is something to behold in awe and to treat with the utmost respect. For climbers, the mountain presents what many might consider the challenge of a lifetime, as they pit themselves against brutal winds, arctic temperatures and the thin…