Denali 2017: Notes from a West Buttress Attempt
From May 13th to June 2nd: Myself, Paul Kaster, Paul Weatherall, Debra, Matt, and Dad (Jim) attempted to summit Denali via its classic trade route, the West Buttress. We spent 8 days on the lower mountain hauling loads of food and gear up to advanced base camp at 14,200', where we spent 11 days acclimating and waiting out bad weather. We finally got a short weather window on the last possible summit day of our schedule, and four of us made a single-push summit attempt from 14,000'. Altitude, poor acclimation, icy conditions, and fatigue kept us from the summit. Matt and Dad made our expedition high point at Denali Pass, around 18,300'. I kept a journal of our expedition, and I've included those notes and musings here in italics. Enjoy!
Denali (20,320') and the Tokositna Glacier from the flight into Basecamp.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/12-5/13: Friday-Saturday
Mike: Arrived in Anchorage @ 2am. Grabbing luggage went smoothly and we made it to our hotel. Slept 4 hours and met our EA driver at 7:45am. Pretty drive to Talkeetna with views of Denali. Ranger briefing was great. We flew into base camp that afternoon.
We had a pretty quick turn around in Anchorage. We hired a company called Exposure Alaska to organize our food for our trip, as well as arrange our flights to the glacier, ranger briefing, and transportation from Anchorage to Talkeetna. Mandy was our driver and she was awesome. Everything went very smoothly, and we arrived at the ranger station just in time for our briefing. We were able to fly out that afternoon, and as always, the flight in/out of the range is one of the highlights of the whole expedition.
The best in the business
Photo: Debra Hasse
The team awaiting weather clearance to fly into the Alaska Range. It's fun meeting the other folks heading in and learning their plans.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Matt and Debra ready to take off
Photo: Mike Hasse
Dad getting a good look at Denali in the distance on the flight in.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/14: Sunday
Mike: Single carry to 7800' camp. What a f****** slog. 6 miles and about 800' of gain. High wind and high loads. Met Jessie bringing her crew back to basecamp to fly out.
Matt: Hardest day ever I think. Carried and pulked over my body weight.
- 4 food bags w/ cold bags
- 2 CMC's
- tent
- sleeping system
- other personal gear
- 12lb sled
Wind was killer, but we preserved. 7600' camp gives us a glimpse of what's to come.
Travel day 1 for us was a single-carry push to Camp 1 at 7800'. In this context, single-carry means we make one push with all of our gear at once, as opposed to a double or triple carry where you haul part of your gear/food up to a high point and then carry the rest up a day later. Single-carrying is hard work when you've got around 130lbs of gear, food, and fuel per person. The route from Basecamp to 7800' camp is long but not technically difficult or steep. First, you descend Heartbreak Hill, a 500' hill that leads out of the Southeast Fork and onto the main Kahiltna Glacier. We were all on skis, so going down Heartbreak Hill wasn't a problem. We were also sort of blessed with high winds, which means that we weren't skinning up in an oven. They were high enough to make things a little challenging however. We ultimately made it to 7800' camp in just over 6 hours. We built up our campsite and set up our sleeping tents and cook tents, since we planned to spend at least two nights here. I personally think 7800' camp is the prettiest camp on the mountain. You're surrounded by towering mountains, and in clear weather you can see Hunter, Foraker, and Denali.
Descending Hearbreak Hill with Mt Hunter in the background.
Photo: Mike Hasse
On the way to 7800' camp on the main Kahiltna Glacier. Heavy packs and heavy sleds.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Recovery food in camp.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Evening light on Denali from 7800' camp. Taken around 10:30pm.
Photo: Mike Hasse
PW getting ready for bed at 7800' camp as the last of the sun lights up Mt Hunter.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/15: Monday
Mike: Carried a load to 9400' at top of Ski Hill. Very hot due to sun and low wind. It was slow. Ski down was fun but harder than expected. Decided we have to move to 11,000' camp tomorrow due to incoming weather.
The next bit of route climbs the Kahiltna Glacier as it falls more steeply now from Kahiltna Pass, around 10,000'. The biggest of the hills on this section of the route is called Ski Hill due to it's ~20 degree angle, which makes for good skiing. Most teams make a double carry here, caching a load of food and gear around 9600' and then continuing on to 11,000' camp with the rest of their stuff the next day. After establishing camp at 11,000' you "back-carry", meaning you go down and retrieve the gear you left at 9600'. This was our plan. Unfortunately it was very hot and we were slow getting organized and out of camp, so we were skinning up Ski Hill in the heat of the day. Not fun. We didn't quite make it to 9600', so we dug a cache at 9400' and transitioned to ski back down. The skiing wasn't bad, but a breakable crust on top and dragging sleds behind made it challenging. We were tired, but the forecast for the next couple days was getting worse so we decided we needed to move camp to 11,000' the next day.
Skinning up Ski Hill.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Dad skiing back down with the cache.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Photo: Matt Tse
Photo: Mike Hasse
PK and the cook tent back at 7800' camp.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Inside the cook tent.
Photos: Mike Hasse
5/16: Tuesday
Mike: Moved to 11k camp. More pleasant than yesterday due to wind. Passed our cache at 9400' and arrived at 11k cold and tired. Making camp was a b****. Sloping hill and deep powder. Resting tomorrow.
Matt: Ramen dinner. I spilled half of it on the ground. Still ate it. Cold ramen is terrible.
The move from 7800' to 11,000' camp was steeper, but not quite as hard as the single-carry to 7800' camp . We arrived and had to build a campsite from scratch, which took us a while due to the deep snow and sloping nature of 11,000' camp. There were big seracs on the walls and huge, open crevasses nearby which made it imperative to probe the campsite to make sure we weren't trying to set up on a crack. Leaving the probed area unroped was a bad idea as well.
Final trek up Ski Hill away from 7800' camp.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Around 9600' on the Kahiltna.
Photo: Mike Hasse
About 10,200', the final push to 11,000' camp.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/17/17 Wednesday
Mike: Rest day @ 11,000'. Colder than 7800'. Spent the day strengthening camp
5/18/17: Thursday
Matt: 9300' Cache Retrieval. Tough, but good day. GPS was necessary, the whiteout was insane.Felt heroic to retrieve. I carried:
- 1 food bag
- everyone else's personal gear
Not scary navigating whiteout, but took a lot of skill for sure. Cold as a witch's tit even though I could see Jim sweating breaking trail. Everyone else rested.
Mike: Matt, Dad, and PK retrieved 9400' cache. I stayed behind due to illness w/ PW and Debra. Sick and Cold.
Not feeling good at 11k'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Matt, Dad, and PK returning to 11k camp in a white out.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/19/17: Friday
Matt: Cache @ 13.6k' . Windy Corner not so bad, but I wish I had an "active" insulating midlayer. Wish I had more layers for higher days. Diode worked OK. Hardshell pants don't really fit waist wise. Harness pinches on the hips. G2 seems to blister 2nd toe knuckle on descent. Debra really saved my feet. Meat and "cheese" dinner, which means 8 slices of salami.
Mike: Carried a load to 13.6k just past Windy Corner. Windy Corner was relatively benign. Made good time but felt the altitude. Finally felt like a real mountain.
Not many pictures from the 19th, the weather was pretty stormy.
5/20/17: Saturday
Mike: Rest day @ 11k. Planning our move to 14k camp. Making a strategy. Going backward:
June 4th - fly home from Anchorage
June 3rd - Must fly to Talkeetna
June 2nd - Must descend to base camp
June 1st - Must descend to 11k camp
May 31st - Last summit day
Raphael Slawinsky moved into camp behind us, as is tradition. He remembered us, which is sweet. Moving to 14k tomorrow. Weather pattern holds until Wed. when potential strong southerly storm cycle moves in.
Matt: Rest Day. Ravioli Dinner (very good). Oatmeal breakfast. Packing for move and cache @ 11k' prep.
Ultamid looking sexy at 11k camp, with Foraker (17,400') and Kahiltna Dome (12,411') deigning to make an appearance.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/21/17: Sunday
Matt: Move to 14k camp. Hard, heavy day. I took the 3 stoves (XGK) and the kitchenware. The literal kitchen sink. Plus my personal gear and the Hilleberg Nammatj 3. We take 5 stops (including the long one).
1. Motorcycle hill ridge
2. Squirrel Hill ridge (long)
3. Strip stop on flat before S.O.B. hill
4. Saddle before Windy Corner
5. 13.6k' cache
We arrive at 14k camp around 8pm just as the sun went under the west buttress. We build tent platforms and sleep around 11:30pm. Mountain house dinner, rice and chicken.
Mike: Moved camp to 14k. Easily the hardest day of the trip for me. Due to illnesses, I carried more than I'd like...~65-70lbs. 3000' of gain to 14k took about 10 hours. Unfortunately we arrived and had to build camp essentially from scratch. Took about 4 hours. As the Brits say "I'm shagged".
What neither Matt nor I mentioned was that this move day was freaking HOT. You'd expect something named "Windy Corner" to actually have some wind, but Denali was being all sorts of backwards on this trip. We baked in the sun, eventually I was completely out of my softshell top and bottoms and down to my mid layers. It was a tough day, made harder by needed to spend 4 hours carving out tent platforms once we arrived in camp. That part was worth it though, we didn't know we'd be spending the next 12 nights in that camp.
Packing up to move to 14 camp without sleds
Photo: Matt Tse
Debra's Cilogear fully packed
Photo: Matt Tse
Taking a rest at the top of Motorcycle Hill (11,700') overlooking Peter's Dome and the northern edge of the Alaska Range
Photo: Mike Hasse
Resting at the top of S.O.B Hill, just before turning Windy Corner. About 13,200'
Photo: Debra Hasse
Planning the tent platforms that would become our camp
Photo: Debra Hasse
Melting water out in the open while we build camp
Photo: Debra Hasse
5/22/17: Monday
Matt: Rest Day/Fortifications. The day is "partly cloudy" as usual and we work to quarry our walls for the coming storm. Jim gets the kitchen setup and its pretty fantastic except that the counter space is on the far-side of the door. I didn't turn my GPS on for our move day and the visibility is too poor to retrieve our cache. I'm fine with the moderate work day. I made spaghetti with butter. There is reindeer sausage sauce that's just a bit too garlicky and peppery for even me. We eat leftovers for dinner. The night/morning is
cold
.
Mike: Rest/camp building day. All accounts suggest storm coming on 5/24. We spent the day acclimating and building walls. Tough work at 14k.
Bit of snow fell on us while building camp. It's coming along, though
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/23/17: Tuesday:
Mike: Gorgeous day at 14k. We retrieved the 13.5k cache and finished building our camp. People continue to pour into 14 camp as I write from the warmth of my sleeping bag. I hope they find somewhere strong to weather the storm, which is supposed to bring 20+ inches of snow and 30-50mph winds.
Matt: We make excellent time and return in just over 2hrs. The descent was 20". PK is feeling better, thank God! Though Debra continues to have 110bpm w/ fevers. Our walls become quite extraordinary over the rest of the day. Mike cooks pasta w/ smoked salmon and its definitely top 2 meals.
Retrieving the 13.5 cache was pretty easy. 20 minutes to lose the 700', then about 1 hour 20 minutes to get back with the goodies. We spent the rest of the day strengthening our camp. Pretty much everyone else was too...camp eventually became a cluster of solid snow fortresses. It looked like we were preparing for the world's most hardcore snowball fight. In the sunlight and with low wind 14k camp was a downright pleasant place to be. For most of the day we saw a blanket of clouds hanging out around 11,500', with only Mt Hunter and Mt Foraker sticking out. Easy to remember why we were here when it looks like that.
Reaching the cache at 13,500', the upper mountain looms behind
Photo: Mike Hasse
Enormous crevasse guarding the way to 14k camp. I named this one City Eater. Scale is hard to tell, so take my word for it.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Returning to camp with the cache
Photo: Mike Hasse
Where's Mr Trump when you need him? I hear he builds the best walls.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Inside the capacious cook tent, which housed our kitchen, pantry, and dining area
Photo: Matt Tse
Cook tent with a view
Photo: Debra Hasse
One of our more successful quarries
Photo: Debra Hasse
Paul Kaster showing off his Alpine Masonry
Photo: Debra Hasse
Home at 14 camp
Photo: Debra Hasse
Even cell service
Photo: Debra Hasse
14k camp is seriously pretty...
Photo: Mike Hasse
...and seriously cold when the sun goes behind the ridge.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/24/17: Wednesday
Mike: Tent bound. Storm doesn't seem so bad, we can move around camp. Good thing for people still trying to move up. Mostly laid in the tent and read books. We have a smidgen of cell service so we're able to make some calls.
Matt: I'm finally writing about expedition pooping. It's quick, efficient, and never as relaxing as an office poop. Some
[timing]
consistency more or less for the last week probably due to the high salt/fat-no fiber diet. Salami has been keeping me warm at night. Though today I opened the sour skittles. Music and writing. Some reading. We're looking for a 6-8hr window to cache @16.2k'/acclimatize. Our turn around day is 5/31, but we are running low on TP already.
Being tent bound is about as exciting as it sounds. There aren't a lot of compelling reasons to get out of your tent, and most of them involve moving to the cook tent for some food. The storm wasn't nearly as bad as predicted: we received less than a foot of snow and I'd guess the highest winds were in the 30-35mph range. The thing we didn't know was that the low pressure system ushered in by this storm would last another 10 days, leaving us stranded in 14 camp for most of it.
Tent bound life...
Photo: Mike Hasse
Remarkably I got a little solar charging in my tent, even in the storm.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/25/17: Thursday
Mike: Woke to clear skies, but it got stormy again. Sounds like there may be a summit window Tue-Wed. We may try to move to 17k on Sunday. Prepping to take cache to 16.2k tomorrow. It has been very cold.
Matt: Our weather window looks like:
Friday - Cache @ 16.2k'
Sat. - Acclimatize to 17k
Sun. - Move/build camp @ 17k
Mon. - Rest/Alpine Start
Tues. - Summit push.
Knoors chicken fried rice dinner.
Still tent bound...
Photo: Paul Kaster
5/26/17: Friday
Mike: Poor conditions turned our cache run into an acclimation hike up to 15.7k. Slow going to the fixed lines which may present a challenge for our group. Forecast for Sun-Mon doesn't look so good. Must cache tomorrow.
Matt: Good hiking day. Pasta w/ smoked salmon dinner.
After a couple days stuck in camp, we finally got to get out and stretch our legs. We planned to take a cache load of food and fuel to the top of the fixed lines at around 16,200', but conditions didn't improve until well into the afternoon. We started up from camp with the goal of getting as high as we could. At around 15,000', Debra decided she couldn't go any higher, so Dad took her back down to camp. Matt, PK, PW, and I continued on to the bergschrund at 15,700' so we could get a look at the fixed lines, which would take us up the last 800 or so feet up the headwall to gain the West Buttress proper. It was very cold up there. I even developed the screaming barfies, which has never happened when I wasn't ice climbing.
About 15,000'
Photo: Mike Hasse
PW in the bergschrund approaching the start of the fixed lines
Photo: Mike Hasse
Descending from the fixed lines back to camp during our acclimation hike
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/27/17: Saturday
Mike: Decent weather, but we got a slow start out of camp and PK and I had to back out of the cache run due to feeling sick. Dad, PW, and Matt carried the cache to 16,200' in less than ideal conditions. They did a very nice job, and Matt really stepped up.
Matt:
We aim for 17, but it proves too tough and cold so we stash at 16.2k'. I carry the K2 shovel, probe, stove, my summit pants, my summit food, and 1 "carry to 17" bag, which includes 2 snack bags and 1 day of food for 6 people. It takes 5 hrs to get to 16.2 and 4 back. PW is having a hard time. Reindeer sausage and "potatoes" dinner.
The weather wasn't good enough for a summit attempt, but we were running out of time to get our cache of food and fuel up high, if we still were going to make an attempt from 17,000' camp. Five of us were planning to go, but PK and I were feeling very poorly. It might have been Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), which is prevalent at high altitudes, but neither PK nor I had ever felt quite like this before. We had been doing a majority of the cooking and water melting, so we wondered if we might be having some carbon monoxide problems from poor ventilation in the cook tent. Either way, we had to stay behind. We also learned that some folks who had continued past us and up the fixed lines the night before developed some severe frostbite and needed to be helped down the mountain. Two of the people were able to descend under their own power after reaching 14k, but one apparently needed airlifting out. The rescue helicopter made an appearance at the semi-permanent Ranger camp and quickly took off again, presumably with the last victim on board.
Rescue helicopter heading out after stopping briefly at the Ranger camp.
Photo: Mike Hasse
PW returning from the cache run looking a bit worn out.
Photo: Mike Hasse
5/28/17: Sunday
Mike: PW decided he was not going to attempt the summit and will stay behind with Debra. I understand his reasons...the weather window is too short and coming too close to the end of our trip to make a high camp at 17k. He doesn't think he's strong enough to make a push from 14k. I'm not sure I'm strong enough for that matter. Still, I'd almost rather nobody summit than have the rest of us make an attempt without him and Debra. Regardless, these are just stewing thoughts as we spend another day tent bound. I'm so sick of the inside of my tent, so sick of waiting, sick of the cold, sick of the uncertainty, and so f****** sick of buttered noodles. I'm ready for the final act, whatever it may be.
Matt: No wake up time, but I barely get 5hrs of sleep at a time. The wind is intermittently
wild,
~35mph? Debra and I out-wait PK and Mike for hot water. I eat 2.5 servings of Mountain House Pasta Primavera and am still hungry. 1 more cup of Ramen holds me over. I am ambivalent having come this far. Temps @ 14 have been regularly -10F and I am ready for a vacation from this vacation, although I can't stop imagining the "climbing". The fixed ropes from the last cache day were exciting.
The constant days in camp were starting to take their toll. We knew a high pressure system was coming, first it was forecasted for Sunday afternoon into Monday, then pushed back to Tuesday, then pushed back to Wednesday. With PW dropping out of the summit push, it opened the possibility that we would make a single-push attempt from 14k. Over 6000' of climbing and a whole lot of thin air awaited us between 14,200' camp and the 20,310' summit. Other teams were getting anxious as well, as people's food stores dwindled and books were consumed.
Tent bound. Again.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Not much to do when stuck in your tent but take selfies...
...and annoy your tent partner.
Photos: Mike Hasse
5/29/17: Monday
Mike: Day 9 at 14,000'. The winds from Sunday have carried over into today. Looks like we may spend yet another day in camp, atrophying body and mind. I bet I've lost 1 lb a day since this expedition started. The limited social interaction with other teams is comforting; sharing tales of other places and the knowledge that this season has been rougher than average. No team has pushed higher than 18,000' in the last 9-10 days. Summit success so far is around 15%, down from a usual season average of 50%. Current forecasts give a short weather window Wednesday to Thursday. We might have a shot of a single push from 14k if we leave 12-2am Tuesday night. The next storm cycle comes Friday and we need to be down and around Windy Corner and at least as low as 11,000' by Friday. Nice to be lower.
Matt: I cooked spaghetti for the second time. This time w/ pesto sauce. It's good.
My weight loss estimate was pretty close (total of 19 lbs lost in 21 days).
5/30/17: Tuesday
Mike: The weather gods have finally answered our prayers. A short (~48hour) ridge of high pressure hit the upper mountain today about mid-day. 2 hours of sun and indescribable views obliterated the melancholy that had grown over the last 7 days. Unfortunately, tomorrow is our last possible summit day. Even if PW wanted to summit, we don't have time to build a high camp at 17k and then summit. As such, the four strongest of us will make a single-push attempt from 14k camp during the height of the high pressure system. Though our chances of success are slim, to give anything less is a betrayal of the effort that got us this far. I want to descend with a smile on my face, content with the knowledge of either a successful climb or that we gave it our all and played the game as best we could with the cards we were dealt.
Matt: We walk to the "Edge" and the views of Hunter/Foraker are stunning. The views of the AK range are seen basically all day. Chicken casserole and another ramen dinner. We will wake at midnight and start at 2AM.
With a few hours of sun and good weather, morale around camp dramatically improved. A couple strong parties near us decided to make their summit attempts that afternoon. We guessed that we'd see them coming back into camp as we were about to set out, so it was nice to know that someone had broken trail for us. We also took a short hike out to the Edge of the World, which is the edge of the basin that holds 14 camp. The Edge of the World is a cliff that spills almost 7000' down to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and offers incredible views.
More beauty at 14,000'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Drying our crap out in the sun.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Fellowship of the Trudge at the Edge of the World
Photo: Debra Hasse
Mt Hunter and the Central Alaska Range from the Edge of the World
Photo: Mike Hasse
Father and Son scoping lines from camp
Photo: Debra Hasse
5/31/17: Wednesday- Summit Attempt
Matt: It's slow and the alpen glow on Foraker is
unbelievable
. I take over the lead ~15.4k'. Mike is cold, wobbly, and having coughing fits. Might be dehydration. We hold for 45min at the shrund to alleviate Mike's cold feet. We're still on schedule by the saddle. The ridge feels so exposed, but I know we can manage safely. We take a quick "Mike" stop just before Washburn's thumb. Jim and I cached our jumars at 16.2, but ascending
[the second fixed lines]
is simple enough. After we break at 17 on the ridge, PK's head says go down...We cache some emergency supplies at 17 and take dumps. It feels like its getting hot. The Autobahn looks so goddam long and it is. We have a good 600ft/hr pace, but our fixed pro doesn't always stretch 30m and the slopes are really exposed side hill crust cramponing. Barely 2/3's a crampon on.
Mike: PK, Matt, Dad, and I left for our summit push at 2:15am on Wednesday. We immediately ran into trouble; it was so cold even with all my layers on I was concerned I'd lose toes. It was indescribably beautiful to climb in the Alaskan twilight. We pushed past the headwall onto the buttress proper and had a lot of fun on the semi-exposed ridge. Unfortunately, around 17,000', PK developed altitude sickness. The three of us played Even and Odd to see who took him down. I lost the game, so Dad and Matt decided to push on. We cut our rope in half, and after a bit of rest, PK and I began the descent down the buttress. The day turned beautiful and our temperature problems completely reversed. On the way up I was concerned about losing toes, on the way down I thought I might die from heat exhaustion. We made it down slowly, and back at camp we learned that Matt and Dad turned around at Denali Pass, around 18,300', due to icy conditions and fatigue.
Not a lot more to say about summit day, other than it was truly, fantastically, beautiful (and really freakin cold). Matt and Dad made a good decision to turn around where they did; it would have taken them 4-6 hours to reach the summit and return and by that point the descent down the icy Denali Pass might have been too dangerous. At some point on our descent, PK and I stripped down as much as we could and just sat in the snow, trying to cool off.
The moon over Mt Foraker at around midnight
Photo: Mike Hasse
Shadow of Denali from about 15,000'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Crossing the bergschrund about 15,700'
Photo: Paul Kaster
Top of the fixed lines, around 16,200'
Photo: Paul Kaster
Matt took over leading and did a great job routefinding on the buttress proper
Photo: Mike Hasse
Despite sun everywhere else in the Range, we were still frozen. Around 16,300'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Navigating the buttress proper, around 16,400'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Around 16,500'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Approaching Washburn's Thumb, the big gendarme blocking the sun. About 16,700'
Photo: Mike Hasse
Past Washburn's Thumb at about 17,000', PK got sick
Photo: Mike Hasse
More recovery food at 17,000'
Photo: Matt Tse
Looking up toward the rest of the mountain
Photo: Mike Hasse
PK beginning the descent back to 14k camp, seen in the basin about 3000' below.
Photo: Mike Hasse
6/1/17: Thursday
Mike: Perfect weather, too bad we need to go down today. If we had one more day of good weather to acclimate above 17k, we would have put people on the summit. Packing camp took forever, but the descent to 11,000' went pretty well. We left 14,000' camp about 4pm and arrived at 11,000' camp around 6:30pm, where our skis and sleds were cached. As a group we decided to transition to skis and descend to 7800' camp. Air is thicker down here. The transition took about 2 hours, but the skiing took a long time. Bad conditions, tired legs, and multiple sled malfunctions had us rolling into 7800' camp at 1:15am. Unbelievably beautiful under the midnight twilight. Very cold.
I haven't mentioned it up to this point, but our group (Fellowship of the Trudge) decided to participate in a new program the NPS developed to help reduce the impact of human waste on the West Buttress. Basically, if you haul out all your crap (literally), you get a cute little flag. Normally teams will toss their waste into designated crevasses at each camp. One of the issues we had with our descent was how to manage the 10 full cans of crap that we had generated while on the mountain. Since we didn't take a sled with us to 14k camp, we improvised by dragging two duffel bags full of crap cans down behind us.
Ready to peace out, cub scout.
Photo: Debra Hasse
Dragging a duffel full of crap between us
Photo: Debra Hasse
Beautiful and cold descent ski descent back to 7800' camp
Photo: Mike Hasse
6/2/17: Friday
Matt: Glad we got on skis because we had so many sled issues. We got the tents setup quickly and crawled in
[at 7800 camp]
. Cache was MIA. Heartbreak hill wasn't so bad since you could see KIA's runway, but the track really took us over the top of the hill. Took forever.
Mike: Took us two hours to break camp and get going. Thought we had a cache at 7800' camp but couldn't find it. Skinning back to base camp was unbearably hot, even going mostly down hill. I've never experienced such drastic temp changes like what happens in the Alaska Range. Heartbreak Hill lived up to its name. Laying around on our luggage now, waiting for the ski plane to take us back to civilization and cheeseburgers. Good trip.
Ready to skin back to base camp
Photo: Debra Hasse
Looking for the cache we thought we left at 7800' camp. Never did find it.
Photo: Debra Hasse
Enjoying some well-earned scotch at base camp
Photo: Mike Hasse
TAT finally comes through to bring us home.
Photo: Mike Hasse
Our Denali-sized mountain of luggage back in Anchorage
Photo: Debra Hasse
This was a great trip. I'm bummed we didn't put anyone on the summit (including me), but I truly believe we did the best we could with the weather we got. There are all sorts of what-ifs that could be asked, but the most important thing is that we had a good time and we made it down with only minor injuries. I will be back to the Alaska Range, no doubt about that. I'm drawn to this place, there's something compelling about the towering ice-covered walls and I just can't stay away for long. It may be a while before I head back to Denali, though. This was a fantastic adventure and a great learning opportunity, but as I get more distance from our trip I realize more and more that heavy, slow expeditions just aren't as fun as going fast and light. Doing so on Denali requires great fitness and great luck, however the two teams that summited during our weather window did so by moving fast and going light. I can't remember where I read this, but you don't climb mountains like Denali; you sneak up on them and sucker punch them when they're not looking. You just need to make sure you're in the best possible position to sneak up there and strike while the weather is good.
I'm collecting opinions from my team now, so stay tuned for another report on what worked, what didn't, and things we would change if we were going to do this again.
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