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Today was the start of the “real mountaineering”. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I guess that’s why I came. I knew from reading about Denali that we were going to get to meet Squirrel hill, Wendy corner, and the Polo fields. I also knew that there was a tragic fall just a couple of weeks ago at Squirrel hill. One tries not to think, or especially dwell, about this stuff, but it does stick in one’s head. We were up at 5:20 am for a 6:30 start. Our goal today was to cache our food and stuff we need later in the trip just shy of 14,000ft camp. Between us and there was almost 3,000ft, and those renowned aspects of the mountain. Today was our first day wearing crampons, carrying an ice axe in hand, and wearing a helmet. The helmet is really a head scratcher. On steeper sections its goal to is protect us from stuff climbers ahead of us might drop – water bottles most likely. In other sections, such as today’s, it is to protect us in the case of a rockfall. I wonder about this, a big boulder thundering down from Windy Corner, and my little helmet is all I need!!!

Out of camp it was a testing start, 1,000 feet up Motorcycle hill. Not sure why the name, but a motorcycle surely would be handy, except there’s no way a motorcycle is getting up this! I used all the steps – mainly the duck-step, and occasionally the side step – to minimize muscle pain and fatigue. The other key trick is the break step, which allows you to take micropauses between steps to rest the non-load bearing leg. I reckon today I am carrying 40 – 50 lbs. I don’t look up, I’m taking it one step at a time, ensuring I take the micropauses, don’t stand on the rope, and only lift my head occasionally to ensure I’m in Andrew’s trail. We did well, and in no time we were traversing Squirrel hill, with the Peter glacier thousands feet below our left side. Once we hit the Polo field, a large fairly flat section, the sun was beginning to hit. Before we reached Windy corner we were in base layers. The temperature was about 20, but it was so hot. Windy corner it was not, so across an icy section with exposure to the right, threading the path between some crevasses, and we reached the cache site. From there we had great views of the various routes up Denali, including the Messner route, named after the famous climber, which is rarely attempted. We could see people making their way out of Camp 3 towards the 17,000ft camp.

A relatively quick turnaround and we were on the way back. Squirrel hill showed its true exposure on the return leg. I try not to think about the person who died here just a couple of weeks ago. He was doing this section on skis, so not roped in to other people. We were back at camp at 1pm. 6.5 hours round trip. Dom was happy – always a good sign. He constantly is monitoring the fitness and movement of the team, understanding what, and what not, we are capable of, and how fast we can move. Critical aspects of conditions were to change suddenly.

An afternoon of rest, reading and 2 episodes of Clarkson’s Farm. Dinner was Jambalaya – 6 lbs of minced beef with rice and some vegetables. Today I had seconds.

Tomorrow is a rest day, with breakfast at 9:30. Woohoo!

Today was a supposed “rest day”. We slept in ‘til 5:30am, which was welcome after some of our earlier starts. We were now at a height where snow melt and crevasse bridges was less of a concern, meaning we did not need to travel through the night. On the other hand the heat of the day was significant, despite the temp being in the 10’s or 20’s, so moving before it got too hot when we had full sun in the sky was important.

The rest day entailed going back to our cache at 10,000 ft to collect our stuff. We left camp at 6:30 am. It was cold, probably 15-20F. Despite our best estimate to cache half our stuff, the half left in the cache was heavier, or at least appeared to be, so the carry back up to 11,000 ft was tougher than expected, but it was relatively short. We were back by 8am.

Shortly thereafter, it was a feast of bagels, cream cheese, and bacon. A few hours of rest, followed by 2 episodes of Clarkson’s farm season 4, and then a refresher in uphill walking techniques in crampons with Dominic. I hate walking side step, but on steeper ground it provides some relief from the normal duck step. Doing either in crampons, and avoiding stumbles or slashing one’s gaiters, does necessitate some practice. My legs haven’t done either since late November in Antarctica.

Different teams on the mountain have different strategies on assaulting Denali. Some bypass Camp 1, and stop somewhere between Camp 1 and Camp 2, and maybe not cache until above Camp 2 – so they carry all their gear in one carry. That’s hard! However, they will also need to have a different rest day strategy, to acclimatize.

We had a group charcuterie lunch Al fresco in the afternoon, looking at these glorious mountains, getting to know each other better, and unfortunately watching the clouds gather on Mt Foraker to our south. Dominic says it’s not a great sign, but weather up here is unpredictable

Dominic says the real climbing starts tomorrow. So far had been ‘approach work’. Before going to bed tonight we pack our backpacks assuming we will move tomorrow and cache somewhere below 14,000ft. The cache will be our heavy layers, and lots of our food. Food remains the big question, it weighs a lot, and it seems like i brought too much. The consolation is everyone is in the same boat. I can leave some here at 11,000 and collect it when we descend, but the fear is running out, or running short.

So far it’s been pretty hot. While day temps may be on the mid 20’s to mid 30’s, the sun and the reflection make it feel like the 70’s or 80’s. Sitting outside is so hot. Most of the time we lay in our tents or sit in the Posh (cooktent). Lying in the tent, we put the sleeping bags on top/outside of the tent to keep the tent cool. It really works!

From Camp 2 we can see a large part of the next day. ‘Ski hill’ is the beginning of our next stage. We sit and watch other teams ascend, like little tiny columns of ants. It is steep, so will be a test, but so far so good!

Tonight after dinner the whole camp enjoyed the spectacle of a few guys skiing down, with sleds and duffles. Some were spectacularly successful, and some were a train wreck. As we watch we think skis would be nice, being able to descend in minutes versus hours. However, this is not simple skiing- no groomed runs here!

Night time temps are still manageable, so haven’t had to increase the nighttime layers yet. Sleeping has been ok. I am struggling to get to sleep, but I have to be woken each morning. The pee bottle is the savior in the middle of the night

We are at Camp 2, at 11,003ft. The view here is stupendous, and very turned around from the view yesterday. We now look at Foraker to the southwest, Thunder Rudge is right in front of us, as is our path to Camp 3, which is to our east. Just beside camp is a mountain with these huge seracs. I just stare at it and wander what’s keeping them from falling. These seracs are the size of multiple houses, thousands of tons of ice, glistening in the sunshine. It’s incredible.

The hike today was for the first part the same as yesterday, and then we passed our cache and swung east uphill, serious uphill, for a further hour and a half. The final pull up to Camp 2 is tough. Finally at about 9:30 amWe broke camp at Camp 1 at 4 am, having got up at 2. Finally at 9:30 am we crested the hill and we were at Camp 2. Today I listened to podcasts, as we tackled the hill beyond on the cache. I needed distraction. There is a reasonable crowd in Camp 2. We spent a couple of hours establishing camp. Ben, our 2nd guide, said to make it comfortable, as there is a risk of weather change, and we could be here a while. Andrew and I have a good spot. We took advantage of a previous tenant. The site needed some flattening, but it has an awesome boot hole in the porch. After setting up, I got a solid 2 hours of sleep. Then I helped get the posh built. It’s pretty elegant.

The temp outside is mid 20’s, which I cannot believe. Standing outside is very hot, almost too hot. Sunscreen is essential, as is wearing a hood, baseball cap, sunglasses, and a nose cover.

Dinner tonight is quesadillas. So far the food has been decent. Goal is to eat as much as you can. Take seconds if available. Also soup to start. Miso or some awful corn concoction. Soup goes in my mug. It means my soup tastes of coffeee, and my coffee of soup!9 hit the sack by 8 pm. There is a game of dice going on, but I got the sleeping bag and read my book, until my hand gets too cold. In bed I’m in a base layer, boxers, my down booties, my beanie and light gloves. Nights haven’t been so cold so far. Oh I forgot, earplugs and an awesome face mask that completely blocks the light. Tomorrow we go back downhill to collect our cache, to bring it up to Camp 2.

Today our goal was to take ‘half’ our stuff and cache it at about 10,000ft. Half of the total, a lot of which we can’t move. Our tents, sleeping stuff, cook tent, kitchen all have to stay. So we basically carry most of the food we need for the total expedition – personal food and group food, and fuel. We also cache anything else we’re unlikely to need tomorrow – ascenders, very heavy gloves, climbing helmet, spare glasses – anything to reduce the weight on the 2nd carry. What we don’t bring today is 5 days of food, in case conditions change, and we get stuck here at Camp 1. We carry all our layers up and down, as conditions can change at any moment.

We were up at 2:30 am – a ‘sleep’ in. Breakfast, finish packing, and leave at 4:20. Today is a long slog in snow shoes. Ski hill is known for crevasses, but the route is safe. Dominic, who’s been here many times, occasionally moves from the established path, to ground he knows is inherently safer. The loads are joyfully lighter than yesterday, but the ground is steeper. The pace is slow, steady. I like it. We take 3 breaks, approx an hour apart. Each time we stop I wished we’d kept going. I liked the pace, and stopping always mean re-establishing a rhythm. However, breaks are essential, we need to hydrate to eat, and put on sunscreen – always putting on sunscreen!.” Without food and water we’ll struggle later in the hike. While I walk I am focused on the rope in front of me – connecting me to Andrew, and our team. Keep it taut, but don’t pull on it. Also walk in the exact path of the person in front, on tested ground. The ground to the left or right might not be as safe.

As we walk people do different things. Many listen to music – 1 ear-piece only – some to a podcast. I pray for the first hour or two. Pray for my family, friends, relatives, deceased family, and the world. These prayers lead to my mind wandering about people, and how they are, what they’re doing, and wishing them well. It makes me grateful for the planet earth, and how beautiful it is, and hope we do something to prevent its destruction. It makes me realize how much I love my family, and how lucky I am, and I pray for their health and happiness. After that I just let my mind wander. Perhaps I will throw on a podcast. However, I try so hard to stay focused on the task in hand – getting safely to the next objective. I don’t try and take photographs as I walk – it would be nice, but I don’t have confidence in my skill to multi-task. I take photos at the breaks, or at an unscheduled stop.

The walk today brought us north towards the Kahiltna pass, with Kahiltna dome on our left. On our right is Thunder ridge, and behind that is Denali. As we cached, Dominic pointed out the route to Camp 2, and then to Camp 3 at 14,000 ft. Neither is visible, but it’s nice to have a vague outline of the next few days.

When we cached the temp was 15F, but with the breeze it was about 5F. Multiple layers were needed as we dug a deep hole to cache the stuff. Seemingly ravens will unearth and rip open shallow buried food.

After we turned around it was near empty backpacks, and empty sleds. Controlling the sleds, as we quickly made our return to Camp was “fun”.

We were back by 9:30. Then it’s rest, sleep, snooze, read, hydrate and eat.

Tomorrow will be similar, but we will bring the rest of the gear straight to Camp 2.

So far, so good….

We took off on schedule and landed on the glacier about 12 mid-day. Base camp is deserted. Everyone left when the weather improved. The pilot said this was the best weather of the season. We immediately set up tents and rested. It was too hot to move. We had dinner at 5pm and discussed the plan. We would move out at 3am. We then discussed our packing strategy – on our backs versus sleds, how to rope up with the sleds, and how to rope the sleds to prevent them flipping us if we fell in a crevasse. The issue with flipping is that we may fall out of our harness. That’s bad, really bad! We also discussed ice axe arrest when pulling a sled, if one of the team dropped in a crevasse. This is most likely the leader, as we are all instructed to follow exactly his foot steps.

Then we hit the sack. Sleep was mediocre. It’s hard to sleep at 7:30pm in broad daylight, and the apprehension of what lies ahead.

We were woken at 12. Breakfast, a quite horrible granola with powdered milk. Then we finished packing -emptying the tents, packing up all the sleeping stuff, plus the group food and kitchen. My bag without any group stuff was 71lbs, add 3 liters of water, and the group stuff. 90-100 lbs.

I was slightly heavier in the sled I think.

At 3 am we hit the trail. I was the last in our group of 4.30 am in Alaska is daylight, midnight in Alaska is like a November day in Indiana or Ireland – just dull. The initial stretch is downhill. The weight doesn’t feel so bad. The brake is on the sled, to try and prevent it clattering your heels. Everyone was in snowshoes. The temp felt like 0-10F. The snow was crisp underfoot, and good to walk on. After an hour of downhill, we took a right and headed up the Kahiltna glacier. In addition to the underfoot conditions being better, the bridges on the crevasses are more solid. This with the snowshoes to spread the weight, is the safest option. The sun was catching the tip of Mt Foraker, it was glowing a bright yellow. Beautiful!

The pull up the hill was tough, but we set a steady pace, and plodded upwards. We took 3 breaks to snack, and hydrate. At the final break we took out our sunglasses and put on sunscreen. The sun the right hand shoulder of Denali, as we reached Camp 1. Up there somewhere is the famous Cassin route – not for the faint hearted.

Camp 1 is beautiful. An amphitheater of the most beautiful, pristine white mountains. Denali was clear all day. Francis, Hunter, etc, all looking majestic.

We set up camp – 5 tents, a cook/dining tent, and a ‘bathroom’. I buried my food, the heat of the sun would turn my chocolate snacks into a giant glob. Everyone grabbed 2-3 hours of sleep, and then hung out in the tents – resting.

Dinner at 6, with delicious burritos, some hot chocolate, and discussed the plan for tomorrow.

We will bring half our gear towards Camp 2, and cache at around 10,000ft, and then come back down

It’s good to have a day down. It’s encouraging to be able to complete the first carry. The road gets steeper, but the loads will get lighter. Now to try and grab some sleep.

Today was a real day. Stuff really happened! We did our detailed gear review in the morning – down through the gear list – Dominic with “no pointing at it, hold it in your hand and show me“.

Overall successful, and was able to leave a couple of pieces. One is super thankful for every ounce one can leave behind. Make sure the crampons fit the boots, slings on the ice-axes, 5 pairs of gloves, and real important – sun screen and lip balm.

After a visit to the park rangers to get an update on the route, the crevasses, the avalanche risks, a graphic presentation on frostbite, it was time to do the food check. 20lbs!

Then the final weigh in for tomorrow’s (🙏) flight. I’m at 71lbs, before I get my portion of the group food and gear! That’s pretty good, with the range being high 60’s to one person at 89lbs. OMG!!

Tonight we got to see Denali. It’s like, I’m here, I’m waiting.

So, weather permitting, we’ll fly tomorrow at 11.

It’s hard to say it’s Day 1. The group meet at Baggage carousel #1 in Anchorage airport at 1 pm, to get a mini van to Talkeetna. At the airport we met our team for the first time, and of course created, and formed our first impressions. Who looks strong, is there anyone weaker than me, who would I want to share a tent with, and more importantly who would I want not to. I know 2 of the guides from previous trips, Dominic – my hero -, and Ben. The 3rd guide, Mike, has just returned from a successful Everest summit. Impressive!! I also know 2 of the team, Andrew and Mikayla, from previous RMI trips. The group includes a French Canadian oncologist – young-, a father and daughter, a husband and wife, and a young woman. A fit looking group.

A 3 hour roller-coaster van ride to Talkeetna, with a stop in Wasilla to buy any last minute provisions. The bus trip allows for early introductions, small talk, introductions, a little bit of everybody’s mountaineering resume, and of course, engaging first impressions.

We dropped off all the gear at the hangar. Sorting, packing and checking gear, is for tomorrow.

Checked into the ‘luxurious’ Swiss Alaska – I’m sharing a room with Andrew-, and then dinner at the Denali brew pub. This of course raises the question, will I have a beer? It was relaxing, and everyone had a beer. Cool! A good sign for group dynamics

Bed at 9pm.

So is it really Day 1? Who knows, but it is surely the easiest day.

This is a test to see if this blog still operates.

I insist on calling it Denali. The name reflects the history and the culture of this great wilderness. Fionnuala and I have been here for the last 10 days, and have explored the mountains in Talkeetna, the fjords in Seward, and the stunning Katmai national park from Homer. The vastness, wildness, and freedom of this state is indescribable. The people here are so friendly, so welcoming. So many seem to have come here to check it out, and never left. As one old timer said to us when talking about meeting someone in Alaska, he said “the odds are good, but the goods are odd!”

We have had such an adventure from landing on the Kahiltna glacier and seeing the jaw dropping hugeness of Denali, to kayaking through icebergs, to getting up REAL close to Alaskan coastal brown bears (cobb’s), bigger than grizzlies.

Today is our last day. Supposed to be halibut fishing, but a typhoon put an end to that. Not that there wasn’t a willing sea captain to give it a go, but rather 2 overly contented participants who have had 9 days of adventure, who felt like taking it easy!

Tomorrow Fionnuala heads home, and I get ready to try and scale Denali. The immensity of it, from our vowing a week ago, is intimidating. However, let’s give it a shot. The weather up there has been unforgiving for the last week, so it will decide how far we go, unless these 67 year old legs decide before that.

Not sure if this blog will ever “be out there”, but just like the hike – let’s give it a shot