Welcome to the dispatch blog for Mountain Trip's June 27, 2010 West Buttress of Denali Expedition. Our climbers are flew to the glacier last night and are headed up to Camp 1 at about 7,800 feet today.
The team met in Anchorage on Sunday, June 27 and had a team meeting and thorough equipment check with our guides, Joe Butler and Jared Vilhauer. They made the rounds to the local gear shops, picking up last minute items and upgrading a thing or two before settling in at the very cozy Earth Bed and Breakfast for the night.
Yesterday morning they loaded up in one of our Mountain Trip vans and packed a trailer full of bulging backpacks and dense duffels for the 2.5 hour drive north to the village of Talkeetna, where they registered with the National Park Service and participated in a brief orientation that all Denali climbers are required to sit through. The marginal weather then cooperated and they loaded up in a couple of single engine Otter aircraft and flew the 35 minute flight into Base Camp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna glacier!
Last night was a bustle pitching tents and readying sleds for today's five mile hike to Camp 1, so I expect there will be some tired climbers who call in this evening.
Speaking of which- let's meet the climbers!
Guides:
Jacob Schmitz sometimes from Bend, OR
Sean McManamy from Hope, Alaska
Climbers:
George Atkinson
Ben Bradford
Alexandre Carrier
Alastair Burns
Gabriel Viti
Pierre Deroi
KC Agrelius
We have a lot of fun with these dispatch blogs and hope you enjoy them as well. Please keep in mind that we will post as soon as possible after we hear from the team, but due to time zones, changes in daily on-mountain schedules, etc, we might not post until the following morning. Also, please heed the age-old axiom of "No News Is Good News!" For some reason we always hear when something unexpected happens on the mountain, but occasionally the team is just busy making dinner and dealing with the chores at hand, and does not make the evening call to our office. Also, there are some places on the route where high ridge lines prevent the team from good satellite phone connections, and making daily calls can be challenging.
Lastly, we will try to pass along comments, but this is generally not an easy task to orchestrate. We encourage you to post comments, as the climbers will really appreciate reading them when they get off the mountain. Their knowledge that you all are supporting them and wishing them well is very important, so please do post your thoughts.
If you ever need to contact a friend or loved one, don;t hesitate to call or email our Colorado office at: 970-369-1153 or info@mountaintrip.com We are in The Mountain Standard Time Zone, which is GMT-7 for all you folks in the UK and beyond.
KC, It's been 5 days since you left and you are sorely missed. After sleeping in a tent in the hallway, the boys have audaciously moved into our bedroom. I had to take one of the kid's bikes to the repair shop since all-things-bicycles is strictly your job. Even Pearl, the pug, has extra worry-wrinkles in her forehead.
ReplyDeleteI'm finding solace in Doritos and cheesy vampire love stories.
On a light note, Ruben, the Marriott Vacation Club planner (and my new BFF), has booked a family vacation for us in sunny California! So, you must come home spiritually fulfilled (and with all your digits) so we can enjoy it together.
I pray without ceasing for your safe return.
Love you dearly,
Ash
Hi Alastair, you will now know that I've mastered 'the blog'. Wonders will never cease! The kids now think I'm 'very of this century' which I think is a compliment.
ReplyDeleteEwan had a great swimming gala today. After not really wanting to take part he then proceeded to win 2 of this 3 races and only misses winning the 3rd by a mm.
All is well. Not having to supply a constant steam of meals to help you 'bulk' is proving to be a bit of a holiday but we are missing you very much.
Keep warm.
W,G & E xxx
PS Google Account is obviously in your name which is why it's starting 'Alastair said' Oooopppss