Hello Everyone,
Thanks for following our progress on Denali over the last 2 weeks, as Shawn gets credit for stating very early on in our adventure, we were indeed a very "blessed expedition".
With a very fun, and very strong crew of climbers on the team, we got lucky with some excellent weather up there, as well as a team that stayed healthy though out the entire climb. As I like to say, it is sometimes better to be lucky than good. What a great climb!!!
Thanks to everyone on the team, Jaysen (aka Veggie!), Geordie, Mirek, Neil, Patrick, Scott, Sheri, Shawn, and Stina; for all of their hard work on the climb, their willingness to work as a team, and for really sticking together, especially when it came to the late night celebrations of the last two nights in Anchorage!!! Thanks to Geordie for his maturity in this case in particular, and at all other times as well. Mirek, you are the king of the shovel and the master of snow caves, and crevasses. Patrick thanks for all of the tid-bits of random information that you can uncannily produce at altitude, to bad I can not remember them all. To Neil for keeping Geordie straight, and to Scott for keeping him honest. To Sheri for climbing though the pain, without complaint. To Shawn for reminding us of our national holidays, aye. To Stina for keeping us on schedule and going forward, always. And finally to Veggie for eating the chicken and bacon, even after I forgot to keep it out of dinner, all with a smile on his face.
May we all meet again climbing somewhere, sometime!!!
All the Best,
Heidi
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
At Camp 3 and heading down!
The team spent the night at Camp 3 and is now on their way down to Camp 1, where they will sleep this evening. They need to get an early start tomorrow in order to make it back to Base Camp before the sun softens the runway and makes it too soft for the planes.
They should be in Talkeetna for breakfast tomorrow!
They should be in Talkeetna for breakfast tomorrow!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A short video of the views from the summit
Here is some video I shot from the summit in 2007. It was a beautiful day, somewhat like today, but not quite as warm. It should help give you all a sense of what your friends and loved ones are looking at right now. Enjoy!
On the summit!!!
Heidi just called to say that the whole team made it to the summit of Denali!!
Everyone did great and they are spending some time on top taking in the amazing view and snapping quite a few photos. It is an absolutely beautiful day with virtually no wind and warm temperatures.
The route up from High Camp ascends a long, rising traverse known as the Autobahn (named for some Germans who took the "express route" down years ago...). The team traveled roped and clipped their climbing ropes into a series of snow pickets that are driven deeply into the snow to act as anchors. The Autobahn leads to a saddle between the North and South Summits, known as Denali Pass.
Above Denali Pass the trail climbs up some rolling terrain and finally drops a bit onto the broad plateau i mentioned in the previous post, The Football Field. Moderately steep snow climbs slowly up to a spectacular, knife-edged ridge which runs out to the summit. The summit ridge is spectacular, airy, climbing with BIG drop offs to either side. As you climb up toward the top, the entire South Face drops off almost 9,500' to your left!
There is a nice relatively flat spot to regroup and drop ropes before making the final few steps up to the highest point in North America.
Congratulations to everyone!!!
Tomorrow they will pack up and head back to at least Camp 3.
Everyone did great and they are spending some time on top taking in the amazing view and snapping quite a few photos. It is an absolutely beautiful day with virtually no wind and warm temperatures.
The route up from High Camp ascends a long, rising traverse known as the Autobahn (named for some Germans who took the "express route" down years ago...). The team traveled roped and clipped their climbing ropes into a series of snow pickets that are driven deeply into the snow to act as anchors. The Autobahn leads to a saddle between the North and South Summits, known as Denali Pass.
Above Denali Pass the trail climbs up some rolling terrain and finally drops a bit onto the broad plateau i mentioned in the previous post, The Football Field. Moderately steep snow climbs slowly up to a spectacular, knife-edged ridge which runs out to the summit. The summit ridge is spectacular, airy, climbing with BIG drop offs to either side. As you climb up toward the top, the entire South Face drops off almost 9,500' to your left!
There is a nice relatively flat spot to regroup and drop ropes before making the final few steps up to the highest point in North America.
Congratulations to everyone!!!
Tomorrow they will pack up and head back to at least Camp 3.
Heading up to the summit!
We just received a call from another Mountain Trip group that was standing on the summit and the June 23rd team is beginning the final climb up from the large plateau called the Football Field at 19,500'. They should be on top in about an hour and a half!
The report we received was that today is the nicest summit that our other guide has seen in over 20 Denali expeditions! He was wearing a baseball cap and a light jacket.
Hopefully, I will get a call shortly from the team as they stand on the highest point in North America. I'll keep you posted...
The report we received was that today is the nicest summit that our other guide has seen in over 20 Denali expeditions! He was wearing a baseball cap and a light jacket.
Hopefully, I will get a call shortly from the team as they stand on the highest point in North America. I'll keep you posted...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sitting tight at High Camp
The crew woke up early and fired up the stoves, because the weather looked favorable at about 7 a.m. Alaska Time this morning. Not long after, a thick cloud cap settled over the upper mountain and they lost visibility. The weather did not improve sufficiently to warrant a summit attempt, so they sat tight for the day.
Tomorrow's weather forecast looks a bit better, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that they get a shot at the tom in the morning. If I hear that they are heading up, I'll start posting and keep you all updated.
Tomorrow's weather forecast looks a bit better, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that they get a shot at the tom in the morning. If I hear that they are heading up, I'll start posting and keep you all updated.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Resting and acclimatizing at High Camp
Bill Allen just called in from a Mountain Trip team that is now parallel the June 23rd crew. He said that they are taking a rest day at High Camp today. The weather is decent, but a bit too windy higher up to warrant making a summit bid the day after moving up to High Camp. Taking today off should really benefit the crew when they head for the top, as it will also bolster their acclimatization.
Last night some huge thunderheads moved through the range and passed by their camp. Apparently everyone was feeling the electrical charge and many had hair standing on end- literally. This almost never happens on Denali, so it was a pretty wild experience for all involved. During the night a wind squall passed through, but the winds died off by morning.
The TAT webcam has not been much help of late because of a thick layer of smoke from some nearby fires. Bill said they could smell the smoke for a while yesterday, but that a shift in wind from the north has blown it off the mountain for the time being.
They were able to move into existing camps yesterday, which helped out a lot. they made some improvements to the existing walls, and cleaned up the tent platforms, but all in all, it was a freal treat to not to have to build their own walls.
Tomorrow they will wake up early and prepare for a summit push. If the weather permits, they should be heading out shortly after 8 am Alaska time. I'll keep you posted!
Last night some huge thunderheads moved through the range and passed by their camp. Apparently everyone was feeling the electrical charge and many had hair standing on end- literally. This almost never happens on Denali, so it was a pretty wild experience for all involved. During the night a wind squall passed through, but the winds died off by morning.
The TAT webcam has not been much help of late because of a thick layer of smoke from some nearby fires. Bill said they could smell the smoke for a while yesterday, but that a shift in wind from the north has blown it off the mountain for the time being.
They were able to move into existing camps yesterday, which helped out a lot. they made some improvements to the existing walls, and cleaned up the tent platforms, but all in all, it was a freal treat to not to have to build their own walls.
Tomorrow they will wake up early and prepare for a summit push. If the weather permits, they should be heading out shortly after 8 am Alaska time. I'll keep you posted!
At High Camp!
The team moved up to High Camp yesterday (Saturday, July 4). They packed up their kit and climbed up to the steep headwall, clipped in to the fixed lines an d made their way slowly up to the top of the ridge that makes up this part of the West Buttress. As they passed by the cache of supplies that they left Thursday, they picked up some of their kit and proceeded up the ridge.
The ridge to High Camp provides some of the most fun and exciting climbing on the route. The climbers weaved in and out of rocky sections, and clipped snow pickets and slung rocks for protection against slips when they climbed through some of the more exposed bits. Another short bit of fixed rope protects some tricky climbing around a large rock feature called Washburn's Thumb.
Upon reaching high Camp, the team needed to get to work fortifying a camp site. High Camp can be buffeted but extremely high winds, so the tents need to be protected by thick walls built from blocks of snow. They cut the blocks out or firm snow with snow saws and stack them atop each other until they feel satisfied that they have adequate protection. Moving to High Camp is difficult enough, but adding the workload of building walls makes for one of the hardest days on the climb.
The report I received was that they might make a summit bid today, if the weather looks favorable. smoke and haze are obscuring the view from the TAT webcam, so it is hard to say whether they are going for it today or not. the weather forecast looks OK, but not perfect, however; the weather forecast is often quite wrong.
I'll update today as often as I receive information.
The ridge to High Camp provides some of the most fun and exciting climbing on the route. The climbers weaved in and out of rocky sections, and clipped snow pickets and slung rocks for protection against slips when they climbed through some of the more exposed bits. Another short bit of fixed rope protects some tricky climbing around a large rock feature called Washburn's Thumb.
Upon reaching high Camp, the team needed to get to work fortifying a camp site. High Camp can be buffeted but extremely high winds, so the tents need to be protected by thick walls built from blocks of snow. They cut the blocks out or firm snow with snow saws and stack them atop each other until they feel satisfied that they have adequate protection. Moving to High Camp is difficult enough, but adding the workload of building walls makes for one of the hardest days on the climb.
The report I received was that they might make a summit bid today, if the weather looks favorable. smoke and haze are obscuring the view from the TAT webcam, so it is hard to say whether they are going for it today or not. the weather forecast looks OK, but not perfect, however; the weather forecast is often quite wrong.
I'll update today as often as I receive information.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Up the fixed lines
The team carried loads of food and supplies up the steepest section of the route yesterday (Thursday), in preparation for their move to High Camp tomorrow or the next day. They had beautiful weather and made good time.
The "Headwall" is a 600' (260m) snow and ice face that reaches 40 degrees in steepness. The climbers clip themselves into fixed lines with mechanical ascenders to protect themselves in the event of a slip. It is fun and exciting climbing that leads to a spectacular ridge, which they will follow when they move to High Camp.
The "Headwall" is a 600' (260m) snow and ice face that reaches 40 degrees in steepness. The climbers clip themselves into fixed lines with mechanical ascenders to protect themselves in the event of a slip. It is fun and exciting climbing that leads to a spectacular ridge, which they will follow when they move to High Camp.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
At Camp 3
The team moved up and around Windy Corner yesterday. They are tucked into camp at 14,200' in on a large glacial shelf known as Genet Basin. The basin is ringed by huge snow faces and iconic routes and features such as the Messener Couloir, the Orient Express, the Upper West Rib and the Rescue Gully. The team has a great view of the next section of the route, which ascends moderate snow slopes to gain a steep ice face, known as the Headwall. 600' of fixed lines run up this stretch, and the climbers will clip into these lines with ascenders to protect themselves in the event of a slip.
Today is another "active rest day." The crew will sleep late, eat a huge breakfast and then run down hill for about 20 minutes to pick up the cache of food and gear that they left at about 13,500' yesterday. It will take just over an hour to climb back up to camp, so all in all, it will be a pretty mellow day.
Today is another "active rest day." The crew will sleep late, eat a huge breakfast and then run down hill for about 20 minutes to pick up the cache of food and gear that they left at about 13,500' yesterday. It will take just over an hour to climb back up to camp, so all in all, it will be a pretty mellow day.
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