Denali Team 3: May 13 to June 2
Guides: Angela Seidling, Andrew Yasso, Ben Gardner
Climbers:
David Bradley (UK), Christopher Bradley (UK), Michael Buttery (UK),
Mary Mears (Alaska), Carol Akerson (Alaska), Loren St. Amand (Alaska),
Tim Erdman (Oregon), Dan Fiorito (Washington), Adam MacDonald
(Canada/Australia)
Guide Andrew Yasso called on Monday, May 21st at 12:45 pm PST with the following dispatch:
We are all moved in at the 14,000′ camp today and have the camp fortified with bombproof snow walls. The team will spend today practicing fixed line skills that we’ll need higher up on the mountain. Everyone has worked super hard to get to this point. The altitude has been particularly tough on Michael, Carol, and David. All three are having trouble catching their breath in the thin air and they’ve decided to head down today with me.
The 14 camp is a gorgeous place and it is an awesome achievement for these three to have made it up this high. The four of us should be in basecamp tonight and Michael, Carol and David will fly back to Talkeetna tomorrow. Carol is an Alaska native and has offered to show David and Michael around once they are off the mountain. The three are talking about taking the train into Denali National Park, so they’ll be making the most of their time in the north!
Tomorrow the rest of the team will likely put in the next cache in preparation for our next move. However, low pressure is on the way and poor weather long with it, so we probably won’t leave 14 camp until Saturday. This should give me time to make it back up from basecamp to rejoin the crew.