On their way down...

The weather today was not what the forecast had predicted. The crew woke up to -15 F (-22 C) temperatures and high winds blowing up higher.

Today was their twentieth day on the mountain, and they decided that enough was enough. It will take them a couple of days to get back to base camp, and they could easily have to wait for a day or two to fly, given the slushy snow conditions of the airstrip.

They dug deep and gave the mountain their best effort, but the weather was uncooperative, and they never got a chance to summit. Congratulations to everyone for all their hard effort.

They are going to try to make it to Camp 2 or Camp 1 today, and will hopefully be back at base camp tomorrow.

Rest and Acclimatizing at High Camp

The team thought they might go for the top yesterday (Friday), but held fast due to high winds and a thick lenticular cloud covering the summit. The additional day of rest and acclimatizing should help a lot if they make a push for the summit today.

High Camp is a place of mixed emotions. You are inevitably a bit keyed up as you keep looking up toward the summit, hoping for enough of a weather window to make a push, but you are also inclined to take in one of the more amazing views on the planet, as you look out across Camp 3 and the southern aspects of the Alaska Range. It is a difficult and uncomfortable place, but when the sun is out, you can remain pretty cozy in your tent.

The team is probably brewing up and finishing breakfast as I type, and if the winds look favorable, they will start putting their packs and harnesses on in about a half hour, in preparation for a summit attempt. We'll keep you posted!

Good luck up there, everyone!

Doing the Camp 3 "Hang."

The crew is still hanging out at Camp 3. The weather has improved tremenously today, however the recent snows have created some degree of avalanche hazard, so they will probably wait for the new snow to settle or slide before heading up hill.

We received some reports of avalanches in the vivinity of the fixed lines, so that area might become cleared out enough for the team to head up, but I would bet that they will wait until tomorrow to head up to High Camp.

Another Snowy Day on Denali

They watched the snow again today. They described the weather as living inside of a ping pong ball, white all around. The low pressure is expected to hang around for another day, and then weaken. They've got plenty of time, food, and patience left.

Some personal messages...

Frampton says: Waiting out the storm, playing cards, and staying healthy. Thanks for the fathers day card, looking forward to summiting soon.

Zach says: Missing the wife and puppy, hope to see you soon.

Another Snowy Day on Denali

You get the idea... same as yesterday, watching the weather and trying hard to wish it away. The only thing you can count on with the weather is that it will change.

Yet Another Snowy Denali Day...

Pretty much the same story as yesterday up high on Denali. The winds have picked up a bit and it is expected to be a bit stormy for a day or two. They'll hang out for another day or two waiting for the break that almost always comes.

They are in good company at this camp right now, we have 2 other Mountain Trip groups there right now, as well as lots of other teams. They'll probably be obsessing over the weather forecasts, but we like to say that the forecast is for entertainment purposes only, and not a decision making tool. The forecast is posted on a board next to the Park Services tents, and climbers watch it constantly as if they could wish the weather away if they just try hard enough.

Another Snowy Day on Denali

The crew watched some snow and wind today again. The forecast for the next few days isn't too promising, but they have plenty of time. They may be trading books here if they don't get a break in the weather soon. They are all doing great, enjoying each others company, and eating well so there's not a lot of suffering going on.

Rest and Snow at 14k

Durny and the remaining crew had a day of rest today at 14k, with some snow and some sun. Not a bad day really, but a bit windier up high. They'll hope to move in the next few days.

Julian and the guys coming down made it to base camp last night, and are back in Anchorage already. Joe Butler, our injured reserve guide/van driver was there to pick them up this morning.

Rest day and a few coming down early.

Today was a snowy day to rest and acclimate at Camp 3. It was a pretty quiet day around camp, not a lot of climbing to do, but plenty of socializing.

A few of the team have decided it's time to come home. They are all doing just fine, but Werner, Otto, Corneels, and Bengt have decided they've gone as high as they are going to go. Jules is bringing them down to basecamp this evening, they should be in Talkeetna tomorrow.

Carrying Loads

Today (Wednesday) was a bit snowy up on the mountain, with almost a foot of new snow falling at the 14,200 ft camp. The team carried some loads up to the fixed lines, and will take a rest day tomorrow to acclimate and prepare for the final move up to high camp.

Camp 3/14,200 ft

They moved up to Camp 3 yesterday (Monday). It was a beautiful day after a bit of snow the previous day, and they packed up camp and moved up to their new home for the next several days. Everyone did great, there were some tired achy climbers last night, but that's to be expected. They'll be at this camp for at least 4 nights acclimating, carrying loads, and preparing to move up to high camp and on to the summit.

Here's a picture of the 14,000 ft camp from above, with Mt. Hunter in the background. It's a tent city of climbers from all over the world, so it's a pretty entertaining social scene high in the mountains.


Here are some (semi) personal messages that some climbers asked me to pass on. Don't feel left out if you didn't get a personal message, I'm sure your loved one misses you too.

Werner: "Hi from 14,000 ft. I'm doing great and miss you all."

PW: " Hi to Ma and Pa, Carla, Stanton, and my Jeff. I miss you all."

Sara: " Hi to all my family especially Caleb. I miss you."

Jules: "Lot's of love to the fam. I'm staying warm and using my sunscreen."

Snowy day at 11k

They had a day to rest at Camp 2 while they watched the snow fall. It wasn't terrible weather today, but the snow and clouds were in and out all morning, so they took a day off. It's not a bad thing to get an extra day to acclimate and rest before moving up to the next camp. They had plenty of time to read and eat today, and I'm sure they'll be excited to get moving up again on Monday.

Carrying Loads around Windy Corner

It was a beautiful day (again) in the Alaska range, and the team took advantage of the weather and carried a load of food and fuel up to 13,500 ft right around Windy Corner. They are doing great, made it to the cache in just 4 hours this morning and sat there for about 2 hours eating lunch and enjoying the beautiful day before descending back down to camp. They were just getting ready to fire up the stoves and start making dinner when Durny called at about 5:30pm this evening.

Tomorrow they hope to move up to Camp 3.
The West Buttress route comes up from the lower left corner of this picture, traversing up and to the right, under the rock buttress. The snowy basin in the center of the picture is the 14,000 ft basin and Camp 3.

Camp 2

They moved up to Camp 2 on Thursday and everyone is doing great. They had another beautiful day up there, and have continued to go early in the morning to beat the heat of the day.

Today they are planning to sleep in a bit, and then go pick up there cache at 10,500 ft after a big breakfast of french toast and bacon. It's just a couple of hours of work today, which is relatively easy by Denali standards. Today is about resting up and acclimating to the new altitude before carrying loads up higher tomorrow.

Carrying Loads

They began the work of hauling and caching loads today (Wednesday). They took a pile of food and fuel and a few extra personal items up to about 10,200 ft today, dug a hole in the snow, and buried it to pick up in a couple of days. After caching their gear they returned to Camp 1, and tomorrow they'll move up to Camp 2 at 11,200 ft.

Camp 1

They got up early and hauled all of the food, fuel, clothes, tents, iPods, and everything else for a 20+ day expedition 6 miles up the Kahiltna glacier today. It's a hard day of work, but they are on the trail now, and it was a beautiful day in the Alaska Range. Everyone is doing great, minus some aching muscles as their bodies get used to the idea of hauling big packs and sleds up a mountain.
Here's a picture of one of our guides hauling loads up the Kahiltna glacier from 2008.

Base Camp

They flew in to base camp today, and now the work begins. It was sunny and beautiful again today, so there were no delays and they flew right in. Base camp sits at about 7,200 ft on the S.E. Fork of the Kahiltna glacier, right under Mt Hunter. It's an amazing flight, and a great introduction to the Alaska Range. Today they got their loads organized, got their sleds rigged up, and went to bed early. They plan to get up very early (3 am or so) and travel to camp 1 before the sun heats up the snow too much. Travel on the glacier is much easier when the snow is frozen solid, and not soft and slushy.

Meeting the team in Anchorage

The team met for the first time today in Anchorage at the Earth B&B, our climbers home away from home in Alaska. They came from all over the world, and miraculously all of their bags and equipment made it as well. Durny (Lead Guide Rob Durnell) talked about what to expect on the trip, and then they moved on to the gear check. We go thru every last bit of clothing and equipment to be sure that everyone is adequately prepared for the expedition. Some people reluctantly bought a few last bits of gear, but I'm sure they'll be glad to have it on the mountain.

Tomorrow morning they'll drive to Talkeetna, check in with the Denali Park Rangers, and fly into base camp.
Here's the crew on another beautiful summer day in Anchorage.

Welcome to Mountain Trip's dispatch blog for our June 7, 2009 Denali Climb!

In the far north lies one of the most magnificent ranges of mountains in the world. The Alaska Range stretches 400 miles across southcentral Alaska. It is a wild place, covered in glaciers and punctuated by rugged peaks. The crown of the range is Denali, at 20,320 feet (6194 m), the highest peak in North America. Located so close to the Arctic circle, Denali can present some of the most challenging and rugged conditions of any mountain on earth.

Each year a relatively few climbers from around the world migrate to test themselves on the slopes of Denali. Mountain Trip has been assisting these climbers achieve their Denali dreams since 1976. We love what we do and are happy to help provide you a taste of what these climbers are experiencing by updating their progress in this blog. Following the expedition, we will post numerous photos from the expedition, so please keep checking in.

Rob Durnell from Girdwood, Alaska
Zach Johnson from Anchorage, Alaska
Jules Hannah from McCarthy, Alaska

Let's meet the climbers!

Corneels Otto from South Africa
PW Otto from South Africa
Werner Nienaber from South Africa
Yuri Ivanov from Russia
Maria Ivanova from Russia
Bengt Lagergren from Norway
Frampton Simons from The US
Doug Kenny from the US
Sara Koffarnus from the US


We encourage you to follow the team's progress. Please post comments for the climbers, but realize that we cannot always get those messages to your climber in a timely fashion, due to the challenges of communicating from the Alaska Range.

Keep in mind that no news is good news. We will do our best to post each day, but many things could conspire to prevent this from happening. Feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns and enjoy the posts!