Denali, Alaskan Range

Overview

When I was little, my Pop used to let us rummage through his encyclopedias (remember those?) and national geographic magazines in the back room. I wanted to know about the tallest mountains in the world after reading an article about high altitude. Over the next couple of years, I wrote more than one research report on Denali. When I got my raise at work a few years ago, I started planning how to get there. I found an outfitter called Alpine Ascents, and I reviewed their requirements for the summit expeditions. Before you can traverse a glacier for 21 days, you need to know a bit about glacier travel. This 6-day mountaineering course that I took was to prepare me for the summit expedition in June 2008. I gained a lot of valuable insight to conditions of the mountain in the summer and I found quite a few minor adjustments I'll be making to my gear for next summer. I met wonderful people and was inspired by my surroundings. The more spiritual aspect of the trip was during take-off and landing. The Talkeetna Air Taxi pilots are phenomenal. The logistics of landing planes on splitting ice and taking off in clouds - it's a feat of physics and confidence that amazes me. Their support for the climbers goes above and beyond most of the other flying services in Talkeetna. The trip was awesome, and those who don't want to read the details, the end of each day I put a link to the photo albums, skip right to the album links.

Some of the more interesting observations:
Unlike the type of backpacking I'm used to doing, there are quite a few differences in consideration. There are no bugs or animals - so bear bags, bear spray, bear cannisters, bear lines, bug spray - none of that is necessary. I slept most nights with my food bag as a pillow, Keith style. I spilled food on my clothes, Tuna style. I brushed my teeth right outside of my tent and wiped my mouth on my sleeve - the same sleeve I was going to sleep in. None of these actions were factors on the glacier, where in our little world of backpacking - are very much factors. We didn't have to take into consideration whether there was a water source near camp, nor if there was sufficient flat space for setting up tents. Because you obtain water from melting snow, there was always sufficient water to be had as long as you had enough fuel to melt it. So instead of carrying a liter of water, you'd carry a quarter liter of fuel. You don't carry water purification because there is no animals to shat in the snow up here. No filters either. If the ground wasn't flat enough for a tent, you flattened it with a shovel and snowshoes. If you needed a flat place to cook, you just carved one out. If you need some privacy to do your business, just dig a hole and put up a high side to crouch behind. On the other hand, you can't go anywhere without being tied into a rope team. Just outside of camp in any direction could be a crevass you could fall into. It was an interesting experience.

Friday June 8 - Travel Day

I left Philly at around 11:45 am. Flew to Atlanta. Arrived about 2. Was supposed to fly out of Atlanta at 4pm. The flight was delayed until 7:30pm EST, due to some air traffic control computer outage. That put us into Anchorage at 11pm Alaska time (3am est). During my time in Atlanta airport, I sat at the Chili's Too and drank Mai Tais with some fellow travelers, going from Ft Lauderdale and Baltimore to Anchorage to go fishing. Time got away from us and we almost missed our flight, but luckily not. The flight was long and I was hungover about 4 hours into it. I didn't drink any more alcohol for the entire trip. After arriving in Anchorage, I sat for about 20 minutes waiting for the complementary airport shuttle from the Millennium hotel. It didn't come, I was tired, so I took a cab. I found out later that they are renowned for promising arrivals that the shuttle is on it's way and not really sending one. So don't stand there for an hour - take a cab and force them to reimburse you. Maybe they'll eventually start sending their shuttle because it will be cheaper.


Saturday June 9 - More Travel

My shuttle to Talkeetna wasn't due to pick us up until 4pm. The plan was that I was going to sleep late and then waste a few hours hanging out at the hotel. I was up at 6am (10am eastern time). I went and had breakfast then sat in the hot tub for a few hours. Took a 2 hour nap then checked out. I was exploring the hotel - they had all kinds of cool Alaskan creatures stuffed and mounted in the hotel lobby and hallways. I took pictures like a good little tourist. The hotel is on this huge seaplane airport - Lake Hood. I sat out on the docks writing in my journal and napping. It was 65 and sunny with a mild breeze. Very pleasant weather. Sue from Talkeetna Shuttle picked me up at 4pm and we headed to Talkeetna, which is about 2.5 hours north of Anchorage. Chris, Brad, Kevin, Kelvin and I were in the van - they were also in the Alpine Ascents climbing course that I was doing. Upon arrival at Fireweed Station, we met John and Marta - also students in our course. Dinner was amazing - chicken and salmon and steak, salad, mashed potatoes, carrots, bread. It was a beautiful night (although the sun was still up) - 70 degrees with a breeze. The mosquitoes are plentiful and they do bite, but for some reason the bites don't itch. My private room and bathroom were cute - everything clean and orderly. An expedition had just come down off the mountain and we enjoyed listening to their stories. They didn't make the summit due to weather and I felt bad for them but they were in better spirits than I would have been. I think it was the beer. They stayed up drinking a lot later than we would have liked because they were right outside our bedroom doors.

Denali - Saturday

Sunday June 10 - Gear Check, Rope Skills, Flight Out

We woke around 6:30am. Breakfast was at 7. Quiche, sausage & eggs, salmon & eggs. Croissants, cereal, fresh fruit, orange juice, hot tea - it was wonderful. Great food. Our guides showed up and ate breakfast with us. Joe and Dimitri. We all left for the alpine ascents hangar. There we met the other two members of our class - Jake and Dov from Teaneck, NJ. Twin brothers. Willie had us do a gear check, then knot tying exercises. We made prussiks and practiced ascending the fixed ropes in the hangar. A herd of yaks went by the building. We watched them with amusement. The lady managing them told one to sit and it sat. They smelled funny and they looked hot in their fur coats in the summer, they seemed feisty from being still in the hot weather. AAI leads some treks where they serve as pack animals. Pretty cool. On the way to the airfield, we stopped and had some pizza in Talkeetna. I was starving, but it tasted pretty good to me. Not quite as good as NJ pizza, but not as terrible as MD pizza. Timmy was great arranging the flight logistics - weighing our stuff and keeping on top of our flight schedule. We were in the air by 7pm. I couldn't see Denali very well from my seat, but the ranges and the river basins and glaciers were awesome. Our pilot, Will, was very handsome. We landed and made it to our little area of the glacier by 9:30. The brightness of the sun was shocking - I had my glacier glasses on almost non-stop the entire time (which is why I look like a racoon with color reversal). Our camp was at 7200 feet. The altitude never bothered me the whole trip. By the time we set up camp it was after midnight, but still plenty of sunlight. We went to be exhausted. During the night it snowed. I ended up using the wide mouthed nalgene during the night, Cham style, because I wasn't going through the effort of putting on my boots and gaiters and going out in the snow to the relief area. No quick barefooted squat beside the tent like winter camping on the east coast.

Denali - Sunday

Monday June 11 - Snow School

Happy Birthday, Shawn!

I had my first experience with a CMC this morning. It's quite efficient and I don't mind the concept if it keeps the mountain pristine. And it is so pristine. We went to snow school today. We hiked about a mile from camp up the side of Control Tower about 400 feet. The snow was very deep and slushy. We practiced walking on deep snow - different techniques. Was pretty basic but very strenuous. We left for snow school around lunch time and it was very foggy, snowing and cold. By the time we got to snow school it was sunny and about 20 degrees warmer. We have to be extremely diligent about putting sunblock on several times a day. The sun is incredibly intense and I got burned any place I missed with sun block. It doesn't help that there is no way to escape the sun except in your tent which heats up like a greenhouse. I changed my underwear Monday night so that was nice. I think the down jacket is worth it's weight in gold (thanks, Ron!). I'm going to have to get me one.

Denali - Monday

Tuesday June 12 - Self Arrest

I took a face bath with warm water from the stove Tuesday morning. The day was very foggy and snowy just like yesterday. We went to self-arrest and snow anchor school today. It was a LOT of fun. We got to slide down the slopes head first and get snow down our pants. It was great. The temperatures are pretty mild but we have pitches of cold and hot every now and then. Everything is slushy wet but there is no humidity and things dry out pretty quickly if you hang them up in your tent. I have to wear the glacier glasses all the time. It got on my nerves. But if you take them off for 5 minutes, you get yourself a raging headache. Today we learned about building snow anchors with pickets. EARNEST - E, equalized, A, angles, R, redundant, NE, no extension, S, solid, T, timely. There were a lot of avalanches on the ranges that surround the valley. They are so loud, and even though we expect them, nothing stops your breathing quite as effectively as the sound and feel of an avalanche. Even after several days on the glacier, I still felt myself stop breathing and my heart skip a beat every time we heard the rumbling start. Even though we couldn't see them through the fog, we could hear them all day long. We saw two tweety birds flying through the fog, one took a little ride on our rope as we were walking. It was nice to see other living things. I think the birds felt the same way.

Denali - Tuesday

Wednesday June 13 - Crevasse Rescue

Congrats on your High School Graduation, Shawn! Sorry I missed it.

Crevasse Rescue day! This was a lot of fun. We learned how to tie the pulley systems we need to make the pulling weight 1/9th of the actual weight we're hauling up. We hiked to the crevasse and set up anchors to use. I was first down in the crevasse. It was really cool stuff. The planes haven't been flying since Monday evening. The clouds and fog have made it impossible for them to get in and out. It's clear where we are, but 1/2 mile down the way at base camp and the air strip, the clouds are just hanging out. The pictures speak for themselves on this one. We learned a very important lesson this day. Don't put your tongue on a glacier.

Denali - Wednesday

Thursday June 14 - Summit Day

Today is summit day. We got up at 3am and left at 4:30am on our ascent of control tower. The top of control tower is 8800 feet. The snow was harder in the early morning hours and most of us didn't break through the surface. Poor Chris broke through on every step. He was working very hard the entire trek. The top of control tower was awesome. Again, I'll let the pictures tell the story on this one.

Denali - Thursday

Friday June 15 - Base Camp and Travel

We sat at base camp for an hour waiting for our flight, watching the climbers roll in from the summit. They were all high on oxygen and excited because the past few days had been clear above 14000 and beautiful summit days. It was very interesting to see everyone at base camp. I took notes on gear I was seeing and I'm wondering if skiing is the better way to summit. Almost everyone came into base camp on skis. It's safer for glacier travel - I wonder if our expedition next summer would consider doing it on skis? We landed at TAT and went to the Roadhouse for a half standard. It was some good vittles. Then we went back to the AAI hangar for gear checkin and then back to Fireweed to shower and wait for the shuttle to Anchorage. My flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 4pm Saturday, but I flirted with the guy at the US Airways counter and he hooked me up big time. I didn't even have to pay the flight change fee. I was able to get out on the next flight. In a emergency exit aisle, with extra leg room. The flights back were much easier than the flights out.

Saturday June 16 - Travel Day

Flew out of Anchorage at 1:30am, landed in Phoenix at 7:50am. Out of Phoenix at 8:30am, landed in Philly 5:20pm. Pug kisses finally!!! And a cheesesteak!