Denali Freestyle Expedition

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Dr. Gina Michael Ph. D

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West Buttress Route of Denali

JOURNEY

Climbing in Alaska begins with a flight to Anchorage, AK. A port city tucked in to the north of the Alaskan Peninsula and due north of Kenai.

Talkeetna Air Taxi will deliver us to the glaciers below Denali, but first a couple hours by van to arrive in Talkeetna is required. Here we will check in with the National Park Service and get the latest route and weather information. The familiar waiting game of watching the sky for openings in the weather begins now. After crashing in the bunk house we will load up on a small Otter plane equiped with skis and be dropped directly onto the Kahiltna Glacier at 7,000 ft. Here a Parks Service operated Base Camp and Ranger Station is in operation for the duration of the spring and summer climbing season. It's all by foot, snow-shoe or ski from here.

Denali requires of it climbing participants a grueling and repetitious routine of ferrying loads progressively higher on the mountain. Utilizing plastic sleds and skis with skins to carry the weight (more than 100 pounds per person) across the glacier is a major part of the first half of the climb. Roping together and a keen sense of snow and ice stability is needed throughout our time on the glacier to avoid an unwanted plunge into the numerous crevasses. This work is done to establish camps well stocked with food and fuel, the end goal being to stage ourselves high on the mountain within reach of the summit once climbers are well acclimated and the weather window is open! As we approach the summer solstice in June our hours of daylight will increase to nearly twenty at this extreme latitude, activity on the mountain will be non-stop.

Base Camp will be a fuel depot, gear storage area and gathering point for the numerous groups working on the various routes accessible in the region. Once we are collected and repacked from the flight we can start moving directly up and across the Kahiltna Glacier and onto the shoulder of the mountain to establish Camp 1 approximately 5 miles away. A return to the drop point at Base Camp to bring the rest of the gear is required if everything was not covered in the first load.

Camp 1: Situated just below 8,000 ft. and now truly on Mt. McKinley, the life of snow camping begins. Cutting blocks of snow to melt for water is a daily task, as is building walls to protect tents from the high winds and large amounts of precipitation that Alaska is notorious for as big systems roll in from the North Pacific Ocean and slam into the coastal mountain ranges. Temperatures can swing from 60 degrees Fahrenheit to negative 60 degrees Fahrenheit in a matter of hours.

Camp 2: The next goal is Kahiltna Pass. We will take our time, weighing team energy levels, weather and snow conditions to decide on possible interim camps above 10,000 ft. When we have reached the base of Motorcycle Hill at 11,200 ft. another major hurdle will be behind us, and we will have progressed another 5 miles onto Denali. As the days pass our loads become slightly lighter as food and fuel is burned, but the air becomes thinner and colder as well. The steep climbing begins now, and the realization that climbing to the summit of Denali one actually realizes a greater gain in altitude from Base Camp to summit than on Everest. 7,000 ft to 20,320 ft. as compared to 17,500 ft. to 29,030 ft.

Camp 3: Somewhat of an Advanced Base Camp, it is here at 14,300 ft. (roughly the same height as the summit of Mt. Rainier in Washington State), past Windy Corner at 13,300 ft. that a gathering of teams coming up and down the West Buttress Route tend to gather and prepare or recover from summit pushes. Communications with the outside world concerning weather patterns dominate conversation. It's possible to end up waiting as much as a week here, within site of the upper mountain and summit, and only two days climb away.

High Camp: Ideally only visited for one night on the way up, it sits above a tough bit of climbing up the Headwall and fixed lines around 16,000 ft., it's actual location can vary between a site at 16,100 ft. and 17,200 ft. For safety considerations, having a solid cache of supplies here is important should unexpected weather roll in, or other delays arise. Rest here for a day prepares climbers for a summit bid.

Summit Day: A huge day, it can take more than 12 hours of hard work round trip to push from camp in the early morning and arrive back by evening. In between are the namesake features of McKinley. Denali Pass at 18,000 ft. is followed by the descriptive locales of Deacon's Tower and Football Field. Once on the Summit Ridge there is only one thing to do, keep moving onwards and upwards! On a clear day the surrounding peaks reveal themselves in an unparalleled vista from the top of North America! Now it's time to get down safely.

Exit Strategy: As always, depending on weather, energy and supply levels we will do our best to make a graceful exit. As it is a National Park, the 'Pack it in, Pack it out' rule applies. By this time our packs will be lighter and seemingly an extension of the body. Crossing the glacier to catch our Air Taxi out is the last step of a successful Denali climb! Talkeetna awaits with the wonders of the modern world!