Getting to know 14,000 camp

John called last night, still hanging at Camp 3. Philip and Larry are calling it quits, and coming on down with Ian, they should be in base camp today (Tuesday) and in Talkeetna right away. It's been a long hang, and everyone hopes the weather cuts everyone a break pretty soon. Vance is sticking around with John, and Nick and they are things are looking promising for a chance to move to high camp today. I hope to get a call from high camp tonight.
They were stuck again yesterday (Monday) in a storm that seemed to be letting up a bit in the evening. Chris has high hopes of being able to carry a load today up to about 13,500 ft up around Windy Corner. They are in good company at Camp 2, with another Mt Trip group, and several other teams waiting out the weather together.

Here is a view of the upper route that I was able to get from a plane recently. The climbing route comes from the lower left corner(12,000 ft) working up to the right, around the rock buttress (Windy Corner) and up into the basin in the middle of the picture (14,200/Camp 3)

Waiting out the weather

John called this afternoon, and nothing much has happened at Camp 3 for several days now. Nobody going up, and nobody going down. They are doing fine, but going just a little crazy with the wait. It's the theme all over the mountain right now, everyone trying to wish away the weather.

Waiting out the weather at Camp 3

The team is at Camp 3 still, waiting out the current wind and snow. They are camped comfortably, but certainly ready to get on with the hard work and climbing. They'll move up to high camp as soon as they get a break. You can check out the forecast from the link to the right, but remember it's just a guess at the weather, and often not the reality.

Carrying Loads

The crew carried loads up to high camp today. John and Ian carried some food and fuel all of the way to high camp at 17,200ft, and the rest of the team cached some gear at 16,400ft on the ridge, and will grab it on the way to high camp. The plan will be to rest tomorrow, and then they'll be ready to move to high camp, and go on to the summit as soon as the weather cooperates.

At 14,000'

The team had a successful move to the 14,200' camp yesterday. They made it into camp in the early afternoon and found a nice new home which only required small modifications to existing tent platforms. This is always nice as building a new camp from scratch at 14,200' is hard work. 

Today is a rest day for the team. The camp at 14,200' often feels like a small town. On a nice day you can wander around in down booties and socialize with other teams. The park service's medical facilities are also at this camp and this provides another social hub.  The weather is posted here daily on a white board and climbers often congregate around this point. 

The group plans to carry to 16,200' tomorrow. This is a major transition point of the trip where you switch from walking up the lower glacier dragging heavy sleds to more technical climbing involving climbing the fixed lines. The good news is the sleds get left behind at 14,200'. After the carry the team will take another rest day on Wednesday and then they will be ready to move up to 17,200 (high camp) weather permitting. 

We will keep you posted. 

Moving to 14,000!

John called in last night to report that the team had successfully completed their carry to 13,500', just above Windy Corner. Nick and Ian, the assistant guides, took all of the food and fuel from 13,500' to 14,000'. This will save the team from having to back carry after their move into 14K. The weather has continued to cooperate and they are planning to move to 14,000' today. 

Now that they are off of the lower glacier the team's schedule will return to a more standard one. They do not have to worry about the warm daytime temps softening crevasse bridges anymore, instead they are moving into an elevation where staying warm is a bigger concern. On the upper mountain they will travel during the daytime hours to take advantage of the warmth of the sun. 

The team also wants Cindy to know that they all miss her!

Back Carry Day

Still doing great. They had a relatively easy day by Denali standards today. They went down the trail just a little over 1/2 hour, and carried loads for less than 2 hours back up to camp. Carrying a big backpack for 2 hours would probably qualify as hard work anywhere else, but on Denali it's a rest day...