Rest of team poised for a summit bid!

Hey all,  according to the RMI postings and the NOAA forecast, it looks like the best opportunity for a summit bid will be Saturday (Day 24).  If weather is good enough (diminishing winds), they will try to summit tomorrow (Day 23).  If they go tomorrow, the earliest that they will be off the mountain is likely Sunday (that gives them Saturday to travel to Base Camp).  If they Summit on Saturday, they might not be off until Monday.  It all depends on how fast they move coming down after reaching the summit and flying conditions at Base Camp--it took us 10 hours from Camp IV without much break time and without having reached the summit and then we had to wait until the next day for good fly-out conditions (plus, the team will have to dig out their cache at Camp IV).  Base Camp seems to be plagued by low clouds and fog.  Either way, both Friday and Saturday look very promising for a summit!  I have my fingers crossed for them!  It is now Day 22 on the mountain, and I know that lunch food is a little scarce up there, but I know that they can hold out until the weekend.  Go team!  Be safe!  Half my head is still up there with you!

Denali Journal, Day 19: Base Camp to Talkeetna

We woke up to a beautiful day at Base Camp today--a pure blue sky!  Shortly after 10:00, the beautiful site of the Hudson Air Service ski plane was upon me--it landed and picked me up along with some other guys from the Climbers for Christ group.  We got in to Talkeetna at about 11:00ish.  Once at the hanger, it felt really awkward to get out of the ski plane with down booties on and a big puffy -40 degree down jacket on, but I managed!  After tidying up some things at Hudson, I went straight for the Roadhouse to get a "Full Standard" breakfast, coffee, and my fill of goodies.  I also stopped in at the Park Service to let them know that I was back early and to give them an update.  

I can't stop thinking about the rest of the team up at Camp IV--I hope they summit and that they are don't push it too hard.  Also, I worry about the 2 missing Japanese climbers.  I have to admit also, that coming back to civilization, with all its creature comforts, stings a bit while my team is still up there--I miss Dan and the rest of the gang already!  I guess it's just the "post-expedition/race" funk--I used to get it a lot after adventure races, where I would feel worn out, a bit emotional, and with an empty "what next" feeling in my gut.  Something tells me it won't be long before that void is filled!

Denali Journal, Day 18: Camp IV to Base Camp

[Midnight]  This morning it was probably the coldest morning at Camp IV of all the days so far, and it was still a bit windy, but good enough for a departure to Base Camp!  I roped up with the Alpine Ascents International (AAI) team for the slog to Base Camp.  They were kind of dilly dallying and having trouble getting going, so we didn't actually leave until about 10:00 a.m.  I was on a rope of 4 climbers, and there was another rope of 5 more, and two of us (a woman named Sandra from Florida) were just clipping in to get to Base Camp.  They guy in front was named Alex, and he right away reminded me of the biker dude in the "Everest-Beyond the Limit" series on National Geographic Channel, boasting that he was supposed be on Everest right now, blah blah blah--he even had the same build.  But he seemed nice enough and anyways, I just needed to get along for a day and make the best of the situation since the AAI team was kind enough to take me with them to Base Camp.  The AAI guides seemed really friendly and "with it."  Alex was pulling a sled full of shit, and I wondered to myself why they had so much gear with them at Camp IV, while we had cached our sleds and heavy stuff at Camp III at 11,200 ft to avoid dealing with sleds up the steep Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill, and Windy Corner (the express route to the Kahiltna if you should fall).

Everything was fine until we got to Windy Corner and Squirrel Hill.  Since I had to prevent the sled from slamming into Alex's heels on the descent, it required some concentration to provide the backpull and taught rope necessary, but that much is normal.  The problem was that it was really windy on Windy Corner (go figure) and in fact, the high winds persisted all the way from Windy Corner to Kahiltna Pass just below Camp III.  It was so windy that I had to lean into my ice axe on some of the steeper parts.  Combine that with holding a sled back, heavy focus on keeping traction on steep terrain (two climbers on the other rope slipped and caught themselves, thankfully), having Alex pull me forward with an unmanageable pace despite my repeated warnings to him, stinging cold, fogged up glacier glasses, a very high heart rate, and you have a recipe for, well, not a lot of goodness, that's for sure!  Alex yelled at me several times for letting the sled bump into his heels and the last time I fired off a few f-in-heimers at him to let him know just how serious I saw the situation.  I think he "got it" at that point, but by then, we were almost to Motorcycle Hill.  He reminded me of adventure racers who give great lip service to teamwork but fail in that practice miserably.  We went from Camp IV to Camp III without a break!

Once we got to Camp III, I dug up some snowshoes per Walter's instructions and then the AAI guides, having witnessed the exchange between Alex and I, switched it up so that one of the guides took Alex's place.  I wasn't sad to see his demotion!  From there, we left Camp III and headed down, yielding to teams coming up hill.  There were so many teams coming up that we ended up breaking a lot of trail, which is a lot of extra work.  Visibility wasn't the greatest, so it was wand-to-wand travel for awhile until we got to clear skies at about 8,500 ft, which was a welcome site.  We stopped briefly to pull off our puffy jackets, but after that we didn't stop until Camp I at 7,800 ft.  At that point, the pace got more manageable.  We rested again just below Heartbreak Hill, which is a 400 ft. ascent to get to Base Camp.  

Heartbreak Hill was a huge heartbreaker!  It took over an hour to slog up that bastard, but we knew we were almost there.  Once we got to Base Camp at 8:00, we were too late to fly out and at any rate, it wasn't good flying weather.  It was all-in-all a 10-hour slog!  The AAI guides were total rock stars and made us bean and rice burritos and dug out a cache of beer for us!  I still don't know where they got it, but all guides have their connections!  We didn't get to sleep until after midnight.  I dreamt of nothing but getting off that big lump of ice and rock and of the team still up high.

Denali Journal, Day 17: Camp IV (Holding Pattern)

[3:00 p.m., Camp IV Day 8]  The wind battered our tent all night long, although we were "heads-down" deep in our sleeping bags with the draw strings pulled to keep warm and to muffle the noise.  Every time I popped my head out to drink or pee in my pee bottle, I could see frost build-up everywhere in the tent, thicker than normal.  We slept in until about 10:15 a.m., when we got the call for "hots."  Shortly after breakfast (when I actually got served my first cup of real coffee in 3 or 4 days, thanks to Billy!), we got the new forecast for high on the mountain (Camp V and higher): 40-60 mph winds on Monday, increasing to 60-90 mph through Wednesday; today is supposed to be even worse, with winds up to 110 mph!!  Walter talked to several other guides and the ranger early this morning.  There is a lot of concern for those at Camp V (High Camp).  They are in for an even more serious beating today and it's turning into a serious survival situation.  There are also high winds at Windy Corner, so no one is moving up or down today.  We are, in a sense, pinned.  To the left, the LAMA on the day we arrived at Camp IV, picking up a Korean HAPE victim.

We have group food through Sunday, but Walter is working out solutions, including getting our cache at 16,200 ft and some unofficial assistance from the rangers, with whom Walter has great relations.  The high winds may prevent a cache run, so we'll see what happens.  "Tell your kids not to become a guide," Walter said, indicating to me that he is bumming and/or a bit stressed out by the situation (he handles it really well though).  

There is a Japanese team of 2 climbers that is 4 days overdue--they were climbing the Cassin Ridge, a technically challenging route, and no one has heard from them.  We found out today also that on the day that we arrived here (Saturday 5/17), the helicopter that we saw (the LAMA, a stripped down lightweight chopper) was here to evacuate a Korean climber with an advanced case of HAPE; the Korean teammates failed to tell the rangers until late in the game, but thankfully, the climber was able to be evacuated.  They had simply gone to Camp IV too fast!  

The mood around here isn't the super greatest but the team is holding out and making the best of it!  If we hadn't stayed at Camp II so long, we would have already made the summit and been in Talkeetna drinking beers!  Hindsight is 20:20, and I would venture that our guides would have a different opinion.  

I don't know how this is all going to play out, but for me, the window for a summit bid is gone and I need to get off the mountain.  Hopefully Walter can come up with something.

[9:16 p.m.] Walter arranged for me to depart with one of the AAI teams tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.  He will come and get me in the morning just to confirm and than make me a quick breakfast (yeah, Mike Walter rocks!).  I have most of my stuff packed right now and Walter will give me a freeze dried meal just in case we need to spend the night at Base Camp (heaven forbid!).  I will have Hudson Air Service call me as soon as they have an ETA for the group in Talkeetna and then drive back up to meet them for Ice Axe ales!  

We heard that there are still 25 people at High Camp getting battered and that a German team lost their tents in the wind and are now huddling with other teams.  It just sounds fucking miserable up there!  Also, no word on the Japanese Team yet either; it doesn't look good for them, unfortunately.  Their friends are waiting for them in Talkeetna... it's been a rough week on Denali!!

Denali Journal, Day 16: Camp IV (Forced Rest)

[Camp IV Day 7] High winds started at around midnight last night and have been getting steadily stronger all day--supposedly the max wind speed here at Camp IV was 50 mph today.  Several of our snow block walls fell over and our tent vestibule completely filled up with snow (as you can see from the photo of Dan--the vestibule is normally about 2 feet deep so that you can stand up in the vestibule).  So we went and dug ourselves out and fortified our walls and sealed off our entryway from the wind.  We also tightened the wind-raped tent flies.  

The wind at Camp IV would come in huge gusts.  It was so bad that I had to put on my goggles and balaclava to deal with it head on.  During short respites, the sun would warm you up, and you could hear the wind scouring the mountain up higher--it sounded like a loud waterfall.  The nearby slopes were turned into nearly naked and glaring ice above the bergschrunds--like big mirrors, they reflected the blue sky.  The snow floor at Camp IV was scoured and drifted in interesting forms.  The woman climber "scupture" that Wes made (Helga) had a nice drift around it, making it look more like a Virgin Mary.  The penis sculpture was completely vaporized (go figure!).  

We thought of the teams at High Camp at 17,000 ft that are locked down and in survival mode.  These teams ignored all warnings--even the rangers left that camp.  That should be a red flag for anyone!  Winds up there are probably upwards of 70 mph today.

Above: Quick video of the gusty winds up above today!

Denali Journal, Day 15: Camp IV (Rest)

[Camp IV Day 6] Today we are still in a holding pattern.  It is nice out today, but the forecast is calling for high winds again tomorrow and Saturday (50-70 mph with higher winds up higher).  This is our sixth day at Camp IV and we are stretching to find things to do to occupy our brains other than the eat->sleep->hot drinks->dinner, etc. routine.  Some of the guys spent the afternoon building an igloo, which is really quite impressive!  To the left is Wes, one of the lead igloo instigators, inside the structure itself.  The front of the igloo has the letters "RMI" engraved on it--pretty styling for Camp IV!  

I talked to Walter about my schedule difficulties and the trials and tribulations that I was going through in my brain.  He could sense that something was up, and just asked that I keep him informed of my decision on what I want to do.  The right thing is for me to be  back at work by mid-week at the latest. 

The high wind forecast has the entire camp fortifying their tent snow walls--it almost looks like a war zone here, with everyone dug-in!  Two other RMI teams arrived today and they built their walls right up to the igloo, which looks pretty cool.  I'm 2/3 done with "The Odyssey" already.  There is a big lenticular cloud hanging over the summit and you can see spin drift all along the ridge.  We are bracing for a nuclear winter!

Denali Journal, Day 14: Camp IV (Rest)

[Camp IV Day 5]  This morning, Walter woke us up to a breakfast of freeze dried eggs and real bacon!  He announced that it was too windy on the ridge leading to High Camp to make a move.  We dubbed it "Disappointment Morning" because it meant at least FOUR more days at Camp IV (today, Thursday, and 2 predicted 50-70 mph wind storm days).  That would put our earliest summit day at Monday, Day 18, with a fly-off on Wednesday (throw in a weather day and it will take the entire week).  This doesn't look good for my schedule, since I had expected to be back in the office by mid-week.  Billy said that they could hook me up with another guided group to get me out if I needed to get back sooner, but I will have to think hard about this.  In the big picture, is it better for me to extend or go back?  

Wes and company built some sculptures today, including a woman climber named "Helga," complete with a climbing harness!  Since there were no women on the climb, they created one!  

The LAMA helicopter flew in today to get the Spanish women that had frostbitten toes.  I hope that she doesn't loose them all, but it will nonetheless change her life.

Above: Video of the LAMA rescue.

I started reading "The Odyssey" by Homer today.  I'm getting tired of Camp IV and all the sitting around!  Another day in paradise! 

Denali Journal, Day 13: Camp IV (Rest)

Today we slept in until about 10:00 a.m. and all of us agreed it was probably our best 12-hour sleep we'd ever had camping!  In the mess tent, our guides fired up a breakfast of eggs and bacon, which was awesome!  It was another beautiful and sunny day, but the weather forecast is for high winds (50-70 mph) starting on Friday on the upper mountain (High Camp to the summit).  Mike announced this evening that, if the weather is good, we will move to 17, 200 ft High Camp tomorrow and then we will try to make our summit attempt the following day and come back down on Friday.  That would put us back in Talkeetna on Saturday, which would be perfect!  So, we've been working on separating our gear into what we will carry up and what wee will cache here at Camp IV.  My to-cache pile is about 15 pounds, so that's 15 pounds less to carry up the headwall!  In the photo (from left to right) is Dan, John, and Jerry in front of the ranger station.

Resting today has been great!  We napped, ate, drank, and recuperated!  My cough is slowly subsiding as is my big side ache!  Hopefully, tomorrow they will be nothing but nuisances!  

Today we also witnessed a few things that put our RMI guides into action.  The first was the rescue of a frostbite victim.  NPS rescue personnel met the Spanish team just below the headwall and then transported the female victim via sled tied to two skiers to the medical facility here at Camp IV.  Our guides assisted where requested by the rangers at Camp IV.  She will likely loose 3 digits on each foot.  Mike reassured us that he intends for all of us to go home with all digits in tact.  While it was interesting in a crude sense to watch the scene, it was also very sad to see another frostbite victim.  Her injuries will be quite life changing for her.  

The second thing that happened was that Jerry from MN cut his finger while doing some foot care--not a big deal in itself, but it won't heal up here.  And then, while Jerry was opening the mashed potato bag in the mess tent, he started bleeding all over the bag, which could be an obvious hazard.  Jerry obviously felt bad about it.  He was asked to leave the mess tent, and then Wes went to put his EMT skills to use with a liquid suture that he had in his first aid kit to seal the cut.  Billy sanitized the bag with Purell and life returned to normal, as normal as it can be here on Denali.  Billy (RMI) almost "lost it" for a second there, since we had overheard him explain to Jerry how important it was that we not get blood in the mess tent.  But everyone is human and we all make mistakes and we are all a team!

Time to crawl into my -40 degree sleeping bag and dream of the summit and an nice Ice Axe Ale!

Denali Journal, Day 12: Camp IV to High Cache at 16,200 ft; Hike to the Edge of the World

Above: Me at the Edge of the World.

Above: Dan in "anchor position" en route to the Headwall from Camp IV.


Above: A quick video shot of our approach to the Headwall.

Above: Approaching the Headwall at about 15,500 ft.

Above: A video glimpse into our Headwall approach, with lots of heavy breathing!

Above: Dan, the Photo Nerd (but we love him for it!).

Above: Fede's rope team arriving on the ridge at 16,200 ft, above the Headwall.

Above: Video of another happy climber on the ridge.

Above: Curtis with his back to a great view from the ridge.

Above: Billy's team arriving on the ridge at 16,200 ft, above the Headwall.
I opted out of the group hot drinks tonight in the mess tent in order to have some hot tea with solitude and finish today's log entry.  Sometimes group talk can degenerate into useless banter, while the sun dips further below the ridge, sending the temperature plunging--by then, you have to write all bundled up and with liner gloves on or your hands will loose all writing dexterity.  

It was day twelve today!  Talkeetna seems so long ago!  My makeshift beard is becoming annoying and I miss my alone time, my friends, my bed, good beer, a movie... you get the idea!  Long outings are good for the soul though, giving you time to think, reflect, experience, push your boundaries, enjoy the smallest of life's little pleasures, and shut the door on the rat race of the big money economy that has stolen so much of our free time and given so little in return!

We woke up this morning to a frigid but clear and cloudless morning.  The wind-polished white caps of Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter were clearly visible as well as the lower Alaska Range and the Kahiltna.  Wes woke up to about a half inch of pure icy fuzz on his sleeping bag.  

We were all roped up and ready to go by about 11:00 a.m., with our ascenders, poles, avalanche transceivers, a backup sling with a carabiner, and our cache loads.  Mike had given us a refresher yesterday on what to do on the Headwall, a 500 ft, 50 degree wall of hard ice.  Your ascender is clipped to the rope on  your left hand side, and your backup sling is clipped below the ascender (the ascender grips the rope in the downward direction but allows upward movement).  Your partners are short-roped to you and that rope should be taught or nearly taught since it is your backup to the fixed line system.  The leader is the guide.  

Going down is a different story.  You wrap your left arm around the rope, clip your sling behind your arm, and pigeon-walk slowly with small steps, keeping your weight forward and directly over your crampons.  The guide is last and uses a backup ascender for safety.

So, at around 11:00 a.m., we headed up the 30-40 degree snow slopes that lead up 1,500 ft. towards the bergschrund, where the Headwall starts.  It was a hot and sunny day and there was a slight breeze.  Once we got to the headwall, we dropped our poles and loaded up on the fixed lines to start our ascent up the 500 ft. wall.  It was hard work and often it felt like a push-pull motion: "push" in that you would push your ascender forward and then take a step up and "pull" in that your partner below would keep (by necessity) his short rope taught such that your right leg would run into it while taking a step up and you felt like you were lending a bit of a hoist to the person below.  The pace was hard but we would get short breather points at the anchors while each of us was getting around them.  The ice below our crampons was brittle and hard but there were small ledges (about 2" deep) kicked out in most places, which made the footing a bit more stable than I expected.

At the top, Walter anchored us to a picket, told us to be careful not to drop anything, and after the rest of the teams arrived, he had a "huddle" with Billie and Fede to decide if we should cache at the top of the fixed lines or go further, possibly to Washburn's Thumb.  The decision was to cache at the fixed lines.  We hung out there for about 30 minutes and enjoyed the awesome view from 16,200 ft. while Fede, Billy, and Walter dug the cache.  

The previous RMI guide from the first expedition had left a can of fuel for us at the RMI cache site.  One of the Mountain Trips guides, who was a total ass, almost stole it from us.  He would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for Walter intervening.  I've heard more bad stories about these Mountain Trips jokers on this trip to know that I'll never use them!

Coming down was uneventful and easier than it sounded--except when Yury sat down for some reason (he was on another rope team).  The guides just coached him up and everyone made it down without incident.  

Total Time: 5 hrs, 45 min.

Total Gain: 2000 ft.

Total Loss: 2000 ft.

After we came down and had a 30 min. rest, we roped up again to traverse the crevasse field to the east to the "Edge of the World," a rock platform that hangs 6000 ft. over the Kahiltna Glacier and the Valley of Death with near vertical exposure.  You could see for miles!  We took a great group photo with Dan's camera . 

Dinner was turkey and stuffing with mashed potatoes!  Tomorrow is a rest day and hopefully I will kick this cough.  I also polished off my first novel today!  Time for bed!

Denali Journal, Day 11: Camp IV (14,300 ft)

[4:00 p.m., Entry for 5/17] If you are reading my journal, you'll notice that the entry from yesterday (5/17), was the move from Camp III to Camp IV, conspicuously missing. It was, for me, the hardest day so far. My pack, was big, bulky, and heavy (with stuff like the tent fly, group food, my food, parka, sleeping pads, -40 degree bag, 3 liters of water, and lots of other stuff that needed to be hauled up). Since we had done the carry to the cache site at 13, 700 ft yesterday, I had the leftovers of a small side ache still (from the pack position more than anything), but no headache or other unmanageable ailments; my cough was still around and bothering me a tad though but no big deal. It was promising to be very gusty, and that meant that it was possible that we would freeze our nuts off along with any outlying extremities, so I wasn't about to mess around--so I grabbed my big Mountain Hardware mits for upper Windy Corner and the lower part of the route ending at the 13,700 ft cache site, where we knew we would be stopping for a break. To the left, a lenticular cloud hangs over Kahiltna Dome, as seen from Camp IV.

The hike up Motorcycle Hill from Camp III was very manageable and fun, and even the first part of Squirrel Hill to the first break point was pretty descent. We had a crystal clear view of the Peter's Glacier that was pretty stunning from our rest vantage point! From there, we stashed one ski pole and took out our ice axes for the steep and rather icy part of Squirrel Hill.

We slowly ascended that part, and then switched back to using both poles on the flatter part of the route leading to Windy Corner. At that point, I was really starting to feel worked to the upper edge of what I felt was a manageable pace for me (and I was wishing I'd left a ton more stuff that I really didn't need in the cache at Camp III!). I was in the "anchor position" on the rope (last in line, carrying the rope coil), and one thing that irritated me was when we would have these "surges," speed-ups that would mysteriously start on the upper parts of inclines when the lead climber would reach a flat spot, ripping me clear out of any rest step rhythm or any possibility of maintaining that, lest I be drug up the slope like a pack mule. A rest step pace, combined with some pressure breathing, is important to success. I could not maintain either, and that worried me a bit!

We stopped and rested below the final corner leading to Windy Corner, and after that, I felt completely recovered and ready to go, but damn it was frigid! I wore my parka during the rest period, and then donned my balaclava, mitts, and my helmet for Windy Corner. We headed up at a blistering pace--we even passed teams! I thought to myself "what, is this a race?" I couldn't understand the rationale behind it, nor the surges, and so once we were clear of a frigid and windy Windy Corner, where my eyelids wanted to freeze shut and where the exposure could send you to the Kahiltna via the "express route" should you fall, I mentioned my complain to Fede, our rope team leader. He agreed to work on a more steady pace for the hour or so left to Camp IV, but at this point, I already had a huge headache, a bad side ache, my shoulders wanted my beast removed, and my left hip bone was bruised from the pack strap. I could not believe I was falling apart like this! I sucked it up, got back on rope after the break, and the fast pace returned to my dismay, whereby we passed every team that we saw on the way to Camp IV. I just put myself in a 3 foot by 3 foot box and tuned out all unwanted misery by focusing on putting one foot in front of the other, matching speed with my rope mate John in front of me. No time to enjoy the crystal clear views of Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter, and Denali!

We arrived at Camp IV and all I could for a while was just to relax, unclip, breath, and make my headache go away. I really felt crappy for a while there. I did less than I had wanted when we were building camp. Wes and Dan were easy going about it, and really, they were rock stars getting everything in place! I really appreciated it!

Once I had a chance to "take it all in," I took some photos of Denali--you could see the rest of the climb from here! We also had clear views of Kahiltna Dome, Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter, and the lower Alaska Range. It was absolutely beautiful! Camp IV has a ranger station and a designated area to use as a helicopter landing pad. It also has two full latrines--a luxery, to be sure!

The NPS rangers are friendly guys. One stopped over to our camp today to tell us about a French climber who, because he wasn't taking care of himself, had to be flown out with frostbitten toes--he will likely loose both big toes; he had started the day dehydrated and with wet socks!

I caught Walter in the mess tent working on dinner and hots, and he asked me if I was feeling OK. So we chatted about my cough and about the pace. He wanted to make sure that I was communicating with him, especially if the cough got worse or started to degenerate into full-blown HAPE (heaven forbid that from happening!). He's a great lead guide!

Dinner was beef stew (still frozen in some spots, a total bummer!) and ramen with veggies! Ramen never tasted so good! Not since my college days!

Total Time for 5/17: 4 hrs, 45 min.

Total Gain for 5/17: 3,100 ft.

Total Loss for 5/17: 0 ft.

[8:45 p.m.] This morning, we got up late after a great sleep. I guess Wes was cold for most of the night and so was Dan (I luckily was in the middle sleeping bag slot, so I was generally always warm). I suggested pushing the sleeping bags closer together to the center of the tent and borrowing from Ed Viesture's spooing rules: spooning is allowed, but forking is not. We chuckled about that but really, why be cold when you have two warm bodies lying next to you on their own "islands"?

We headed out mid-morning with nearly empty packs and a partly cloudy sky to do a back-carry from our cache at 13,700 ft. to Camp IV. It took us a mere 16 minutes to get to the cache site and another hour or so to get back to Camp IV. Easy! Since it was our "active rest" day, everyone took it very easy going back to Camp IV.

I feel a ton better today! No headache! I'd say I'm on the up-and-up and looking forward to what comes next! Tomorrow, with the possibility of some pretty bad weather on Tuesday, we will probably climb the Headwall and get our high cache of supplies in place at 16,200 ft. or higher (even possibly to High Camp at 17,200 ft.). It would be nice to get one more rest day in, but we have to work around the bad weather forecast! Git 'er done!

Denali Journal, Day 9: Camp III to Windy Corner Cache at 13,700 ft.

[6:45 p.m.] We left Camp III after breakfast with descent sunny to partly cloudy skies to carry supplies to the cache site just beyond Windy Corner at 13,700 ft. We climbed up Motorcycle Hill, the twisty and steeper Squirrel Hill, and around Windy Corner where the cache site is located. We endured the cold up there with some significant layers since it was much colder than at Camp III at 11,200 ft. And it seemed to take forever up there to dig the cache, but that was understandable since our guides were doing all of the work and we were just sitting down roped up watching all of their efforts! 

Coming down was a sort of comedy at first and we laughed about it later. Billy (RMI) took off before I was even ready and yanked me all over the place and, on top of that, my fingers were so cold going around Windy Corner that I was concerned about frostbite (I should have had my big mitts!). Billy was also trying to catch up to Walter's group, but in the process we really flew down fast without much warning down and around Windy Corner and Squirrel Hill--I tripped twice in the deep snowpack that we were trampling down (it's usually easier on the knees to go in fresh snow down the mountain), so that was a little disconcerting! But we got down really fast and did indeed catch up to the rest of the group. We got from the cache site to Camp III in less than an hour! It felt good to move though, and hopefully we can get to Camp IV tomorrow and have clear skies to enjoy the view this time!

Total Time: 4 hrs. 20 min.
Total Gain: 2,500 ft.
Total Loss: 2,500 ft.

Denali Journal, Day 8: Camp III (Rest)

[10:30 a.m.] I woke up this morning with a huge headache and a full bladder, with modest winds whipping our tent and creating drifts all around the campsite. Since I had already filled my pee bottle, I suited up and made my way to the designated camp pee site--it is up this off-camber trail that is really hard to walk up with my down camp booties on! Plus, the drifts were a bit deep in parts!

I went back to the tent after but could hardly sleep anymore. I had already had 8 hours of sleep since we hit the hay at 9 p.m. last night.  There is still a large amount of condensation snow inside the tent that comes down whenever the wind hits us. Once 9 a.m. rolled around, I decided to pop 600 mg of Ibuprophen, one aspirin, and 500 mg of Diamox. My throat still feels like crap, right under my larynx, and I think it is just irritation from the very cold and dry air. Billy (RMI) said that he gets much the same thing quite often. He warned me about watching for pink or bloody sputem in whatever I'm caughing up, since that is a symptom of HAPE. Ugh!

I'm sitting in the tent right now pounding down water like there is no tomorrow and staying out of the cold. The pressure is 29.58 inHg and rising fast, so that is a great sign for the weather possibly improving. The sun has started to show itself once in awhile, and we will probably do the carry to the cache site at 13,700 ft. tomorrow. I don't really mind the delay this time since it gives me time to get over this crazy cough.

I forgot to mention the dead bird at Camp II in my log entry from yesterday. He had joined us during the perfect weather to Camp II, and when the weather socked us in, so did it sock in the poor bird--he was taking shelter between the tent fly and the tent of Eric's group. Too bad--yet another sign of the raw and unpredictable Denali weather. We said our quick vigils under our breath and went about our business of getting the hell out of Camp II!

[9:15 p.m.] The weather sucked today! One group from AAI climbed Motorcycle Hill to do their cache, only to be turned around at the top due to very high winds. Not so good! The plan tomorrow is the same as it was today, and we may even make a second run to Camp IV and move if the weather is really good and we feel good. Who knows!? Ok, I'm off to get some zzz's!

Denali Journal, Day 7: Camp II to Camp III at 11,200 ft.

[6:00 p.m.] We got up this morning at 7:00 a.m. to a nice day! Clear skies tinged with a few clouds in the south! We were fed and watered, like overgrown cattle, and ready to go by 9:30, about the time that the sun was finally coming over the ridge to warm us up! It was chilly out (I'm guessing about 5-10 degrees), but we were very ready to move after three days of unwanted rest this early! It was a welcome day!  To the left, Dan approaching Camp III at the start of a break.

My friggin headache was back by morning, went away, and then came back again en route to Camp III at 11, 200 ft. I decided to start a regimen of Diamox to combat the altitude. It worked on Kili, and I didn't want to risk altitude issues if I had the means by which to combat them this early. Diamox makes your blood slightly more acidic and in doing so, increases your respiratory rate and thus increases the amount of oxygen in your blood (especially at night, when a lot of folks get headaches). It allows you to acclimate faster. The unfortunate side effect is that it is a raging diuretic, so I will have to make sure that I watch my fluid intake closely!

The hike to to Camp III in snowshoes was steeper than travel to Camp II and a sled-hauling slog. You could see for a long way today and get a view of the tundra! Very cool! At Camp III, we are now camped right below Motorcycle Hill. We built a veritiable fortress by sawing blocks in a "snow quarry." We also built a business lounge (where the CMC is and where we can do our "business" in private and out of the wind); it is a true work of art! Wes was the main designer!

We saw two dudes climb up and then ski down the crevasse infested hill to the right of Motorcycle Hill. They were roped up, but it still looked kind of nutty!

OK, off to "hots" and food!

[8:40 p.m.] We had burritos again tonight--with the last of the veggies! Walter told us about his previous summit last year. He had to navigate in a total whiteout from 19,000 ft. down, justifiably very stressful and not very fun for him. After that, not a single climber reached the summit for 3-4 weeks due to crappy weather.

The other RMI team (the first one on the mountain for the season) is at High Camp at 17,200 ft. right now, suffering in the cold and wind. They have food for 6 days, so they are in wait mode for a good weather window in which to make their summit bid.

It's a tad cold here and windy. The plan for tomorrow is to make a carry to 13,700 ft., just past Windy Corner. The forecast has a system moving out with higher winds moving in up high. This may not affect us down here, so hopefully we will only spend two nights here. For the carry, we will pack the stuff we are caching (fuel, food, stuff for Camp IV) and use crampons and ice axes instead of snowshoes due to the steeper slopes and exposure at Windy Corner. We will also leave the sleds here for the rest of the climb.

The Diamox is kicking in and I feel better already! I have the pee bottle handy! It's great to be up here! The route tomorrow goes up Motorcycle Hill to the north, and then turns right (east) at the start of Squirrel Hill, which winds it's way towards Windy Corner.

Total Time: 3 hrs.
Total Gain: 1,400 ft.

Denali Journal, Day 6: Camp II (Rest)

[Noon] The snow is building up around our tents. There is snow even lodged between the fly and the sides of the tent, but I suppose that will add some warmth to our abode away from home! I had a a splitting headache this morning but drank two hot coffees and a liter of water. It has to be dehydration, so from now on, I will pound four liters a day whether we move or not, plus electrolytes and one aspirin to help the blood circulation. Wes, our tentmate and firefighter medic, taught us the aspirin thing. The drifts outside are a little crazy, especially on the south side of camp. Shovelling is required.  To the left, Fede (RMI) serving up some hot food in the mess tent!

A guide from Mountain Trips, who was hauling a climber down today, popped his head into the mess tent totally at random while we were devouring our freeze dried eggs and bacon. He had a message from the other RMI guide up higher. They are still at Camp IV at 14,300 ft. due to high winds up higher on the mountain. Camp III, at 11,200 ft., is apparently experiencing better conditions right now than we are at Camp II.

We may do a carry to Camp II today since taking everything while breaking trail would not be the best of ideas per Walter. Some of us would just rather move since the route is reportely very well wanded. We shall see what the day holds.

Oh yeah, and I dreamt very vividly last night that I was back at the office being asked how the climb was. In my dream, I couldn't remember anything above Camp II! Then I woke up! Since I normally don't see the future in my dreams, I'm sure it was only a nightmare!

[1:45 p.m.] Two teams were passing by about an hour ago, and Walter went to chat them up. They were doing carries from the base of Ski Hill to just above our camp. He is resisting the idea of doing anything today but we still might end up doing something.

Walter helped me change the CMC since it was full (ugh!) and then I shovelled out the path to our CMC dug-out. Call it my contribution for the day because after all, regularity is important!

Wes compared these rest days to days in a nursing home: wake up, drink your hots, get served breakfast, drink water, take a nap, eat lunch, pee, get hots, etc. Geez!

[4:00 p.m.] I just finished more of my book, constantly distracted by Wes' heavy breathing in his sleep, the Russian conversation in the tent next door between Yury and Brian, and the mild stench of our multi-day wait and an open bag of beef jerkey in the tent. I can hear another group outside probing a camp site with Walter's help. There are no pre-built/abandoned sites anywhere near here, but they are obviously looking for one. They are probably tired of moving and the blowing cold out. Although inside the tent, it is a sauna, with the sun delivering a good dose of radiant heat.

I am developing a dry air cough but nothing unmanageable. The air pressure is slowly rising. I'm feeling hydrated again and am on liter number three so far today! Oh where is my respite from this respite?

[8:30 p.m.] At around 7:00 p.m., with the pressure still rising, the clouds lifted briefly, like a stage curtain opening for the next act in a play. The omnipresent white blurb around us gave way to an irregular wave of nearly untouched white terrain across the Kahiltna, and the new campsites to the north popped out of the snow like colorful lunar outposts! The blue sky revealed itself and the sun exposed the nearby slopes, but within short order it disappeared again and a light snow started. Walter is confident that we will get to Camp III tomorrow and possibly even do a carry up towards Windy Corner, again all weather-dependent! We will end up leaving our snowshoes at Camp III in a cache and then switch to crampons for the rest of the climb. The real climbing starts after Camp IV at 14,300 ft., and we hope to arrive there on Thursday.

Tomorrow, we will get an earlier start, so I consolidated the messy abyss in my corner of the tent to a few stuff sacks and stashed another 2-day ziplock bag of food in my backpack and mixed up a gatorade in one of my nalgene bottles. We all can't wait to get out of Camp II!

Oh yeah, and dinner tonight was zesty chicken and rice. Yumm! I'm stuffed! In fact, I think that I'll be lucky if my zipper on my sleeping bag shuts all the way tonight!

Denali Journal, Day 5: Camp II (Rest)

[10:00 a.m.]  The weather is at least as bad this morning.  We will be lucky if it breaks so that we can head to Camp III.  The canopy in the mess tent was dripping on me like a high school biology weather experiment, and I therefore decided to go outside and freeze the droplets that had gathered on my -40 degree puffy jacket and descend into my tent to write this entry.  To the left, my evening accommodations!

There is so much time to think up here!  I've spent a fair amount of time thinking about friends and family back in MN and wondering if moving to Alaska was the right thing purely in that context.  In a year or so, I will hopefully be in Seattle, still working for WWT, and closer to my sister and nephew.  Alaska at that point will have been at least awesome therapy, a good outdoor experience, and a good career move.  WWT respects work-life balance in a way that previous employers have not.  I have to say also that there is a possibility of me staying in Alaska and there is also a possibility that I could move back to Minneapolis.  The cool thing is that I feel the freedom to do what I choose.  Ideally, staying with WWT and later moving to Seattle is ideal at this point.  The world is my oyster.

The snow is pelting my tent and the birds are even taking shelter in the vestibules - not a great sign!  As I've always said to those that I have spent time teaching or mentoring: "Patience, Grasshopper!"

[8:00 p.m.]  Keeping it short but sweet: the weather has deteriorated even more.  We huddled all day and I read half of my book.  Some other climbers tried to invade our small probed and wanded camp site but were repelled by Walter.  Waiting is becoming harder!

Denali Journal, Day 4: Camp II (Rest)

A low cloud system worked its way onto us today and has kept us at Camp II all day.  At times, you could almost see the eclipse-like outline of the sun.  Walter was surmising that camp at Camp III and higher was likely sunny.  This morning, we huddled in our tents after packing to await Walter's call: we will stay at Camp II, and so we moved back into the tent.  It was windy and kind of cold, and nearing total white-out.  You could barely see the next wand on the route and at times not at all.  The only features we could see were our tents and wands marking the camp perimeter, all against a big white omnipresent blurb.  To the left, our tent anchor system (snowshoes).

I helped the guides build a mess tent area, which is dug by cutting big blocks of snow in an "O" shape around a center snow table and cutting and digging snow benches all around, upon which we would put foam sleeping pads for seating.  It all works very well!  A huge canopy top keeps us sheltered.

Eric and Billy (RMI) provided us some comic relief tonight at a dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, with Rice Krispy bars for dessert.  Billy has this uncanny ability to remember every episode of South Park and the good old days of Saturday Night Live and re-enact scenes verbatim!  I even indulged in some coffee tonight!  Mmmm!  It's the next best thing to Ice Axe Ale at the Roadhouse!

Earlier, we all got a good nap in, and I slept as long as I could until the pressure in my bowels became unbearable and I suited up to head to the CMC, only to find Wes starting his "run."  To make it worse, I had lost my hat in the abyss the pile of crap in my sleeping bag and had gone out with just a shell, so I scurried over to my snow-covered backpack to get my balaclava while I waited for Wes.  Once the CMC was free, I hurried over and did my deed in the deep, dark, and cold snow hole under the yellow ski pole-staked canopy that was ripping in the wind like a flag at full staff!  It didn't take long, but it was long enough for total shrinkage!  Then I went and hid under my -40 degree sleeping bag and finished another chapter in "One Hundred Years of Solitude."  

Tomorrow, if the weather breaks, we will head for Camp III!

Denali Journal, Day 3: Camp I to Camp II at 9,800 ft.

My hand is strangely tired so I might keep this short!  It was a pretty tough day!  I woke up to the snow raining down onto my icy forehead--snow from a full night of breath condensing and freezing on the tent roof above us.  The sun was out in full force and the sky was blue like the ocean.  Breakfast was a granola bar and a toasted bagel.  I used two coffee packs to get a "real" cup today, although it was already 9:00 a.m. and we had slept a full 10 hours.  The hike was another long, hot slog and my pack was much heavier, so I had to work out some kinks still in the hip placement.  I moved most of the weight to my pack to get about 60 lbs in my pack and about 40 lbs in my sled to make pulling a lot easier (which it was).  Ski Hill got steep in sections, and I tried to zone in on thoughts of family and friends while staring at my 8 limbs lurching up the slope--2 arms, 2 legs, and their shadows.  The last two "pushes" were hard and my left hip was giving me grief so I tightened up my shoulder strap to provide some relief.  I ran across Matt from AMS a few yards from our campsite--it's always nice to see another familiar face out here.  Wes proceeded to build his "office", or crapper hole and it was sure a palace!  I took my first stab at the CMC and it was a clean shot right in  This morning, someone crapped all over the plastic liner, unleashing a reminder from Mike Walter, our lead guide.  No one fessed up, but RMI warned us that fecal matter in the kitchen will get us all sick.  Dinner was awesome tonight: stir fry with chicken!  Fede, one of our assistant guides, stopped in our tent to check on us.  He also talked a lot about Aconcagua and his guides there, since he is from Argentina.

Total Time: 5 hrs, 44 min.
Total Gain: 1975 ft.

Denali Journal, Day 2: Base Camp to Camp I at 7,800 ft.

It was a great and sunny morning!  We woke up late to a high sun.  Hot water was ready before I was even out of the tent but I really slept good and my lower back is responding to this great sleeping bag therapy!  By noon, we were ready to go after our breakfast of coffee and granola with hot water and dried milk.  We learned how to load our sleds: webbing is run and tied at waste level around your pack, an overhand knot is tied at the end, and the webbing is clipped onto a carabiner that is also clipped to perlon cord that runs to the sled; the rear of the sled is also tied to the rope that connects to the climber behind you using a prusik knot so that in the event of a crevasse fall, the sled remains above you.  All gear has to be secured!  The climb took us 450 feet down Heartbreak Hill starting at noon.  It was like walking on the surface of Pluto, with pristine white and blue terrain everywhere you looked.  It took us 6.5 hours of slog to get to the base of Ski Hill with hourly breaks. I drank 2 liters of water and will need more tomorrow.  The previous group had put up a latrine on a snow bridge over a crevasse but Mike found it while probing.  Dinner was quesadillas--yum!  The radiant heat of the sun can bake you but as soon as the sun ducks under the ridge, frigid temperatures return fast!  Mike s showed us the various routes: West Rib, West Buttress (our route), Cassin, Valley of Death, Orient Express, etc.  All of them are visible from here.

Total Time: 6 hrs, 30 min.
Total Gain: 853 ft.
Total Loss: 509 ft.

Denali Journal, Day 1: Arrival at Base Camp at 7,200 ft.

The team meet for breakfast at the Roadhouse again this morning at 8:00 a.m. I had a huge cinnamon roll and "The Seanjard" plus some extra bacon and lots and lots of coffee.  We then headed right to check out of the "tee pee" and go right to the Hudson Air hangar at 9:00 a.m.  By 11:00 a.m. or so, no one had flown out due to fog at Base Camp.  Then some pilots picked up a site seeing crew and Billie (Assistant Guide) flew up with the crew with the possibility of landing.  He did land, but fog later rolled in, so no one else could go until almost 5:00 p.m.  Most of the afternoon was spent drinking coffee, meandering town, eating lunch at Junita Del Norte's, playing some ridiculous puzzle at The Cafe, and WAITING!  Dan flew with group 2 at around 5:00 p.m. and I waited behind.  Once the two Cessnas got back, we all loaded up again and once taxi-ing, the fog at Base Camp returned.  So we went back to the hangar and had to wait until 8:00 p.m.--the last possible take-off time.  We flew up to some amazing views, flying very close to Mount Hunter and landing on the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.  It was a pretty smooth landing.  We had beef stew and mash for dinner and headed for the tents.  Everything is more difficult up here and I'm still working on my "system".  The team is gelling good.  Brian is very pensive and quiet and Curtis from NYC is also quiet but seems strong and determined.  Eric, the youngest, talks a lot but is a good guy.  I am sleeping in my -40 degree sleeping bag with my booties, baby wipes, and most of my layers in my stuff sack as a pillow.  Tomorrow should be relatively flat--down Heartbreak Hill and up towards where the northeast fork meets the southeast below Ski Hill.  ETA is about 5 hours.  We get up when we get up.  We are all excited!

Denali Journal: Preparations in Talkeetna

[8:15 p.m.] I am at the Talkeetna Motel, otherwise known as the "tee pee", reflecting on our day today.  I'd say that overall, I'm less nervous but still am experiencing some anxiety for the unknown.  However, I'm more relaxed.  We met this morning at The Roadhouse for breakfast, spent a lot of time at the Hudson Air hangar, and attended a presentation at the National Park Service.  We watched a crow kill a gull in mid-air and it later was eating it alive--I'm not sure if this is good or bad karma for our trip or just a sign of the raw nature around us.  We ate a big cheeseburger at the West Rib and dessert at The Roadhouse.  More than two weeks is going to seem like a really long time in sub-zero temperatures.  The team is good, I think--some good experience and personalities are adding up to a good dynamic, although I have lingering concerns about a few of the members.  I called mom and dad and could not help but worry about the risk I was taking and if this was fair to my loved ones.  I called my friend Scott in Valdez also, who I feel a true sense of warmth and friendship from and already miss.  Tomorrow we will meet at 8:00 a.m. and will start shuttling to Base Camp at 9:00, but it will take four trips to get everyone there.  The forecast high above calls for lows of -15 degrees.  If we land tomorrow at base, we will start up and probably get to Camp I at 7,800 feet.  It should be an interesting first day.