Climbing Mount McKinley in 2005 - Page 2

EuphoricKaty80 · 03-26-2007, 12:12 PM

More more more!! Jeez you act like you have other things to do......

Great stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 12:13 PM

The overall plan was to try for as rapid an ascent as was possible but to be wary of altitude sickness. One way to condition the body is to "carry high and sleep low". At certain points we would camp a night, get up early and carry a load of food and gear up to the next point, bury it and mark it with wands.

Then you return to camp, rest overnight, break camp and move up to the next point.

The gear needs to be at least a meter deep as the ravens will dig in the snow and tear into your gear. It has to be marked with a 6 to 9 foot marked wand as new snowfall can obliterate shorter wands. One Italian climber lost his passport, flight tickets and money as 4 feet of snowfall hid his 3 foot wand. the markings allow you and the rangers to identify hidden caches. Teams are fined for abandoning gear.

Here is a different route map.

Our plan was to camp at 7800', 9600', 11k', 14k' and 17k'

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 12:23 PM

Getting ready to head out of the 7200' base camp. Look at those smiles! Are we excited or what?

many hours later...... here is our beautiful 7800' camp. All alone in the great Alaska outdoors.

dlbrunner · 03-26-2007, 04:01 PM

AWESOME!

You are living the dream.

Make judgement calls you are comfortable with.
Get back safe.
I have read some stories about Denali, supposed to be one cold puppy.

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlbrunner

AWESOME!

You are living the dream.

Make judgement calls you are comfortable with.
Get back safe.
I have read some stories about Denali, supposed to be one cold puppy.

One of the lowest temps that I know I was exposed to was -40 F, there may have been colder temps while I was in my sleeping bag.

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 05:44 PM

Bad News on May 9th, 7800' Camp

The slog up to this camp was long and hard for the "old guys" (me included!). The 20-somethings (Andy and Kerisi) and Jimmy buzzed steadily ahead and got there first. I was not doing too badly but Dick was suffering under the heavy load and Duane did his best to help and encourage him. At 70 he was the oldest and once we reached the camp site he had a long talk with his son Duane. Later that day it was discussed that Duane would escort his dad back to the 7200' camp and fly with him off of the mountain. The remaining four of us worked really hard on Duane to try to get him to come back after that. We even volunteered to bury most of the gear and go back to 7200' and wait for him to fly back in.

We could see it in Duane's eyes that it would be tough to make sure that his dad made it safely back to Anchorage and not be worried about him. We sadly saw him off the morning of the 10th and later that day decided to push up to 9600' and stay there a night in hopes that Duane might hook up with another group and come back up. This created a mini-nightmare in figuring out how to divide up food and gear for seperate 2-man and 4-man teams as there was group gear as well as combined food menu items.

On the 10th we arrived at 9700' and set up camp. Notice the fact that we are virtually alone up there. Truly wide open spaces.

Later that day two NPS rangers, Gordy and Brian came into the area and set up camp near us. They seemed to be unduly concerned about our welfare, as if we were already in over our heads. After talking about it at length they came to realize that we were indeed quite experienced. So we finally got them to 'fess up. It turns out that on our application for the climbing permit that we listed Duane as "Team Leader". When the NPS saw that he was checking off of the mountain with his dad that were worried that he was "abandoning" the four of us to potential injury or death. Gordy and Brian were on their way up to the 14k camp to work with the other rangers there and decided to swing by and check us out.

This event proved fortuitous as we really liked those two rangers and later received key advice from Gordy. He is one of the few climbing rangers paid year round to be on the NPS staff.

After spending the night we talked to the rangers in the morning and they radioed in to see if Duane was back on the mountain. They were able to verify that he had to leave for Anchorage with his dad.

With that news we decided to get back on course and head up to the 11k camp. Here is Kerisi with a typically overloaded sled and pack. Probably well over 120 pounds combined weight.

Texas Jim · 03-26-2007, 06:38 PM

Rangers, didn't put a kink in your plans? TJ

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texas Jim

Rangers, didn't put a kink in your plans? TJ

Heck no! On the way up we might sometimes pass them and yak a while and exchange techniques and then they might be passing us and stop for a while. Later on we were able to obtain advice that was key to our summit bid. But you'll have to wait for that part of the story....

Just to mess with your minds, me in the desert on Sunday caught sneaking around the set of the new movie called "Iron Man"

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 10:32 PM

Excerpt from my journal:

5-11 Day 4

Another long haul day, full pack and sled. Left at 11:26 AM and arrived at 2:10 PM. Beat the guided groups again! Built a great camp, including Megamid (tent) for cook tent. Talked with rangers again. French climbers were here too. 11,180'
Heard Llama rescue helicopter. Rangers monitor FRS (channel) 1-0. Great dinner of potato soup with clams, bread and butter and chocolate pudding. We are expecting a storm but planned to rest here.
10:18 PM Will go to sleep soon. Still bright.
PS: two climbers died on Denali Pass today. No details yet.

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 10:39 PM

AP/Seattle Times -

Twins die in fall on Alaska's Mount McKinley Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ht...limbers12m.html

By MARY PEMBERTON
The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE -- Twin brothers who likely reached the summit of North America's highest mountain died in a fall, a Denali National Park and Preserve official said yesterday.

It is believed that 55-year-old brothers Jerry and Terry Humphrey of Negley, Ohio, reached the Mount McKinley summit and were descending when one of them fell, perhaps falling into the other, said spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin.

The deaths were the first of the 2005 climbing season on the 20,320-foot mountain.

The brothers were not roped together, McLaughlin said. The bodies were found at 17,300 feet, just below Denali Pass.

The brothers fell approximately 1,000 feet.

Weather probably was not a factor as skies overnight were clear and winds were moderate. Conditions were not overly icy.

Jerry Humphrey's son, Jeremy, 25, was on a solo climb on McKinley when the accident occurred. He told park rangers he spoke to the pair at about 10 p.m. Tuesday while they were descending from the summit. They were at about 18,600 feet when he last talked to them. Denali Pass, where the accident likely occurred, is at approximately 18,000 feet.

A guided expedition camped at 17,200 feet notified park rangers yesterday morning that two climbers were overdue from an overnight summit attempt.

Members of the guided climbing party found the climbers' bodies just below Denali Pass, about a mile from the summit.

A rescue team from the Air National Guard's 212th Rescue Squadron, who were also camped at 17,200 feet, traversed to the bodies and prepared them to be taken off the mountain. A high-altitude helicopter brought the bodies to base camp.

The son was flown off the mountain yesterday.
__________________

Teotwaki · 03-26-2007, 11:05 PM

May 12th was a rest day and I slept until 8 AM. I read a book and enjoyed sliced almonds. Bad weather kept all climbers to this camp. I helped a Dutch couple build snow walls for their kitchen. Lunch is always a do-it-yourself affair based on personal food carried along. We had company over in our kitchen: Silke and Alex from Germany, Delan and Wynia from Holland and a fireman from Virginia. We talked from late afternoon until 10 PM

May 13th

This was a day to haul a cache of food up to 13,500 feet past the point on the map called "Windy Corner" and bury it for later recovery to take to 14k'. Getting up "Motorcycle Hill" was slow as it was clogged with all of the guided groups. What should have been a 4 hour round trip was almost 7!! It was a hard ascent and the most technical so far.

leaving 11k camp

a bit higher

gotta get up this hill to get to Windy Corner

Made it up! All hot and sweaty. Like the cool blue nose protector? Some wimmen prefer red (wink)

Getting cold so it's time to bundle up. Note the silver colored water bottle insulator on my belt.
Look at that view!!!

Texas Jim · 03-27-2007, 03:51 AM

you should be able to see Seatale from there. TJ

EuphoricKaty80 · 03-27-2007, 09:51 AM

I got so excited when i saw all the new postings to read today......then i got to the end and now im sad

Teotwaki · 03-27-2007, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EuphoricKaty80

I got so excited when i saw all the new postings to read today......then i got to the end and now im sad

Don't worry, we are getting closer to the top! Next the 14k camp, the 17k camp and then summit day

EuphoricKaty80 · 03-27-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Teotwaki

Don't worry, we are getting closer to the top! Next the 14k camp, the 17k camp and then summit day

\

snap-on · 03-27-2007, 11:07 AM

must.....read.....more.....!

Teotwaki · 03-27-2007, 11:54 AM

May 14th

This was the hardest day for me even though we had cached a lot up past Windy Corner the day before. I had trouble sleeping at night, feeling as if I was suffocating. This was due to a low heart rate while asleep and not getting enough oxygen into the body (APNEA). The drug Diamox helps with this by speeding up the heart rate.

After caching some emergency provisions, we had to haul all remaining gear up to the 14k' camp, packs and sleds loaded up. It was a 7 hour slog and upon arrival we immediately started work on building a strong camp. At this camp the winds can easily exceed 80 miles per hour and inexpensive tents are rapidly shredded. Even with a good tent a well-built wall of snow blocks adds a lot of protection.

The rangers Gordy and Brian as well as some of the French team came over and helped us build a camp in record time. In mountaineering it is really good "karma" to pitch in to help others as you never know when the winds of fortune will change.

Gordy and Brian brought over two very slick snow saws for cutting ice blocks, much better than what we had! it is all about having the right tools.

In this camp we built a deluxe kitchen area to shelter us from the elements yet provide plenty of room for cooking and company. We did this by digging a pit with snow benches and using the snow blocks to create walls. Then we set up the Megamid tent to be a roof.

looks small from the outside

but.....

Teotwaki · 03-27-2007, 12:10 PM

May 15th One week on the Mountain!

We slept late, ate and then went to 13,500' to retrieve the cache of food and gear. Tomorrow we planned to carry food and fuel up to 16k and cache it as backup for our summit attempt.

Life at 14k is pretty interesting considering that you are about as high as most other big mountains in the US (Rainier, Shasta, etc.)

The view from my tent

Hackysack at altitude

Llama rescue helicopter evacuating a climber with HAPE, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema

EuphoricKaty80 · 03-27-2007, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snap-on

must.....read.....more.....!

This is now an addiction......I will be so sad when the story reaches its ending....for then what shall i read

Teotwaki · 03-27-2007, 12:39 PM

May 16th
Getting up the Denali Headwall

After a day of cloudy weather we had blue skies and no wind in the morning. Then everyone stampeded to get their gear carried up to 16k or even go higher up to the 17k camp for a summit bid.

The 2000+ foot climb gets to a 55 degree angle, is icy and has crevasses. This is one place where commercial guide outfits will install fixed ropes but everyone wants to use them, leading to major traffic jams.

Mechanical ascenders are a must on these ropes
[IMG]http://en.petzl.com/images/Produits/..._Image_123.jpg[/IMG]

looking back at camp

heading up!

Weather is alreading getting bad

steeper and steeper

There were two sets of ropes; one for ascending and one for descending. You can see that there were some morons who started going up the rope that folks needed to descend upon. This only made things worse.

Teotwaki · 03-27-2007, 01:33 PM

I really enjoyed going up the headwall despite all of the issues. I was feeling stronger and I was at a "highwater" (high ice?) mark in my climbing career at 2000 feet higher than anywhere I had been. Suddenly we were much closer to actually reaching the summit.

We rested on the next day (May 17th) and anxiously watched as the weather had turned worse. The radio forecasts were predicting a storm but on such a high mountain they could prove unreliable. We sought out Ranger Gordy and asked his advice. Gordy has been on the mountain for years and has the rare status of being a permanent climbing ranger. Most other rangers come in on a seasonal basis.

Gordy looked at the cloudy sky, kicked the snow and thought for a moment. He asked if we had already cached at 16k and how we were feeling as a team. He then said that he felt that we would have a small window of opportunity before a big storm kicked in above 16k feet. He advised that the next morning we haul butt up to the high camp at 17k and get rested up. Then on the 19th get up and look for clear skies, wait for the sun to hit Denali Pass and raise the temps a bit and then go for the summit. He also advised us to not linger at 17k camp but get back down to 14k before the storm trapped us.

His advice was the road map to our success.

May 18th, heading up the ridge route.

This was the most spectacular climbing to date, both rugged and challenging.
That big rock up ahead is called Washburn's Thumb, named for the man who pioneered modern climbing on the West Buttress route. That huge rock marks the halfway point to the 17k camp.

sheer drops of 3000' or more are hidden by the clouds.

kmcc78240 · 03-27-2007, 01:39 PM

2 red XX for the last two pics. PLease help me, I am addict for this story.

kmcc78240 · 03-27-2007, 01:44 PM

Now we lost the Thumb Rock,
crazy pics by the way, (in a good way) The last two is that where you were coming from?

Teotwaki · 03-27-2007, 01:53 PM

17 thousand foot camp

Here is a view of the camp's location and the route to the summit. The white arrows indicate potential avalanche zones.

This camp is a bleak outpost with ever thinner air, extreme temperatures and where every hard task takes more and more effort. We barely built protective walls, instead saving our energy for a 3000 foot climb to the summit.

But look at those clear skies. A very good omen.

Our minimalist camp site. Those silver cannisters are the Clean Mountain Cans; heavy and bulky and we hauled them with us since the beginning. If you leave human waste up there the rangers will fine each person $100/day. Andy deployed his Himalayan prayer flags, anything worth giving us just a little more luck for a safe climb.

Denali Pass in the background.

Will we summit or will we head back down into the approaching storm?

EuphoricKaty80 · 03-27-2007, 02:01 PM

Those are some beautiful pics!!!!! Man what i wouldnt do to be able to see that first hand!

03-26-2007, 12:13 PM	#27 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	The overall plan was to try for as rapid an ascent as was possible but to be wary of altitude sickness. One way to condition the body is to "carry high and sleep low". At certain points we would camp a night, get up early and carry a load of food and gear up to the next point, bury it and mark it with wands. Then you return to camp, rest overnight, break camp and move up to the next point. The gear needs to be at least a meter deep as the ravens will dig in the snow and tear into your gear. It has to be marked with a 6 to 9 foot marked wand as new snowfall can obliterate shorter wands. One Italian climber lost his passport, flight tickets and money as 4 feet of snowfall hid his 3 foot wand. the markings allow you and the rangers to identify hidden caches. Teams are fined for abandoning gear. Here is a different route map. Our plan was to camp at 7800', 9600', 11k', 14k' and 17k' __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-26-2007, 12:23 PM	#28 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	Getting ready to head out of the 7200' base camp. Look at those smiles! Are we excited or what? many hours later...... here is our beautiful 7800' camp. All alone in the great Alaska outdoors. __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-26-2007, 04:01 PM	#29 (permalink)
dlbrunner Contributing Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: phoenix Posts: 1,141	AWESOME! You are living the dream. Make judgement calls you are comfortable with. Get back safe. I have read some stories about Denali, supposed to be one cold puppy. __________________ Duncan -------------------------------------------------- Current: 95 4X4 SR5 V6, Yakima tracks/rack installed. Aisin hubs. Sonoran Steel IFS Truss. Cobra CB(finally!) Desired: 66 FJ45 shorty EX's: 89 4X4 V6 Downey'd 72 FJ40 W 350/SM465 powertrax, "Billy"

03-26-2007, 05:44 PM	#31 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	Bad News on May 9th, 7800' Camp The slog up to this camp was long and hard for the "old guys" (me included!). The 20-somethings (Andy and Kerisi) and Jimmy buzzed steadily ahead and got there first. I was not doing too badly but Dick was suffering under the heavy load and Duane did his best to help and encourage him. At 70 he was the oldest and once we reached the camp site he had a long talk with his son Duane. Later that day it was discussed that Duane would escort his dad back to the 7200' camp and fly with him off of the mountain. The remaining four of us worked really hard on Duane to try to get him to come back after that. We even volunteered to bury most of the gear and go back to 7200' and wait for him to fly back in. We could see it in Duane's eyes that it would be tough to make sure that his dad made it safely back to Anchorage and not be worried about him. We sadly saw him off the morning of the 10th and later that day decided to push up to 9600' and stay there a night in hopes that Duane might hook up with another group and come back up. This created a mini-nightmare in figuring out how to divide up food and gear for seperate 2-man and 4-man teams as there was group gear as well as combined food menu items. On the 10th we arrived at 9700' and set up camp. Notice the fact that we are virtually alone up there. Truly wide open spaces. Later that day two NPS rangers, Gordy and Brian came into the area and set up camp near us. They seemed to be unduly concerned about our welfare, as if we were already in over our heads. After talking about it at length they came to realize that we were indeed quite experienced. So we finally got them to 'fess up. It turns out that on our application for the climbing permit that we listed Duane as "Team Leader". When the NPS saw that he was checking off of the mountain with his dad that were worried that he was "abandoning" the four of us to potential injury or death. Gordy and Brian were on their way up to the 14k camp to work with the other rangers there and decided to swing by and check us out. This event proved fortuitous as we really liked those two rangers and later received key advice from Gordy. He is one of the few climbing rangers paid year round to be on the NPS staff. After spending the night we talked to the rangers in the morning and they radioed in to see if Duane was back on the mountain. They were able to verify that he had to leave for Anchorage with his dad. With that news we decided to get back on course and head up to the 11k camp. Here is Kerisi with a typically overloaded sled and pack. Probably well over 120 pounds combined weight. __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-26-2007, 10:32 PM	#34 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	Excerpt from my journal: 5-11 Day 4 Another long haul day, full pack and sled. Left at 11:26 AM and arrived at 2:10 PM. Beat the guided groups again! Built a great camp, including Megamid (tent) for cook tent. Talked with rangers again. French climbers were here too. 11,180' Heard Llama rescue helicopter. Rangers monitor FRS (channel) 1-0. Great dinner of potato soup with clams, bread and butter and chocolate pudding. We are expecting a storm but planned to rest here. 10:18 PM Will go to sleep soon. Still bright. PS: two climbers died on Denali Pass today. No details yet. __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links Last edited by Teotwaki; 03-26-2007 at 10:34 PM.

03-26-2007, 06:38 PM	#32 (permalink)
Texas Jim Banned Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 0	Rangers, didn't put a kink in your plans? TJ

03-26-2007, 10:39 PM	#35 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	AP/Seattle Times - Twins die in fall on Alaska's Mount McKinley Full story: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ht...limbers12m.html By MARY PEMBERTON The Associated Press ANCHORAGE -- Twin brothers who likely reached the summit of North America's highest mountain died in a fall, a Denali National Park and Preserve official said yesterday. It is believed that 55-year-old brothers Jerry and Terry Humphrey of Negley, Ohio, reached the Mount McKinley summit and were descending when one of them fell, perhaps falling into the other, said spokeswoman Maureen McLaughlin. The deaths were the first of the 2005 climbing season on the 20,320-foot mountain. The brothers were not roped together, McLaughlin said. The bodies were found at 17,300 feet, just below Denali Pass. The brothers fell approximately 1,000 feet. Weather probably was not a factor as skies overnight were clear and winds were moderate. Conditions were not overly icy. Jerry Humphrey's son, Jeremy, 25, was on a solo climb on McKinley when the accident occurred. He told park rangers he spoke to the pair at about 10 p.m. Tuesday while they were descending from the summit. They were at about 18,600 feet when he last talked to them. Denali Pass, where the accident likely occurred, is at approximately 18,000 feet. A guided expedition camped at 17,200 feet notified park rangers yesterday morning that two climbers were overdue from an overnight summit attempt. Members of the guided climbing party found the climbers' bodies just below Denali Pass, about a mile from the summit. A rescue team from the Air National Guard's 212th Rescue Squadron, who were also camped at 17,200 feet, traversed to the bodies and prepared them to be taken off the mountain. A high-altitude helicopter brought the bodies to base camp. The son was flown off the mountain yesterday. __________________ __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links Last edited by Teotwaki; 03-26-2007 at 10:41 PM.

03-26-2007, 11:05 PM	#36 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	May 12th was a rest day and I slept until 8 AM. I read a book and enjoyed sliced almonds. Bad weather kept all climbers to this camp. I helped a Dutch couple build snow walls for their kitchen. Lunch is always a do-it-yourself affair based on personal food carried along. We had company over in our kitchen: Silke and Alex from Germany, Delan and Wynia from Holland and a fireman from Virginia. We talked from late afternoon until 10 PM May 13th This was a day to haul a cache of food up to 13,500 feet past the point on the map called "Windy Corner" and bury it for later recovery to take to 14k'. Getting up "Motorcycle Hill" was slow as it was clogged with all of the guided groups. What should have been a 4 hour round trip was almost 7!! It was a hard ascent and the most technical so far. leaving 11k camp a bit higher gotta get up this hill to get to Windy Corner Made it up! All hot and sweaty. Like the cool blue nose protector? Some wimmen prefer red (wink) Getting cold so it's time to bundle up. Note the silver colored water bottle insulator on my belt. Look at that view!!! __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-27-2007, 03:51 AM	#37 (permalink)
Texas Jim Banned Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 0	you should be able to see Seatale from there. TJ

03-27-2007, 09:51 AM	#38 (permalink)
EuphoricKaty80 Contributing Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,407	I got so excited when i saw all the new postings to read today......then i got to the end and now im sad

03-27-2007, 11:07 AM	#41 (permalink)
snap-on Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: STL MO Posts: 2,382	must.....read.....more.....! __________________ 94 EX cab, 5speed, V6, locked, ARB bar, NWOR headers 92 4runner, auto, V6, OME suspension, Downey headers

03-27-2007, 11:54 AM	#42 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	May 14th This was the hardest day for me even though we had cached a lot up past Windy Corner the day before. I had trouble sleeping at night, feeling as if I was suffocating. This was due to a low heart rate while asleep and not getting enough oxygen into the body (APNEA). The drug Diamox helps with this by speeding up the heart rate. After caching some emergency provisions, we had to haul all remaining gear up to the 14k' camp, packs and sleds loaded up. It was a 7 hour slog and upon arrival we immediately started work on building a strong camp. At this camp the winds can easily exceed 80 miles per hour and inexpensive tents are rapidly shredded. Even with a good tent a well-built wall of snow blocks adds a lot of protection. The rangers Gordy and Brian as well as some of the French team came over and helped us build a camp in record time. In mountaineering it is really good "karma" to pitch in to help others as you never know when the winds of fortune will change. Gordy and Brian brought over two very slick snow saws for cutting ice blocks, much better than what we had! it is all about having the right tools. In this camp we built a deluxe kitchen area to shelter us from the elements yet provide plenty of room for cooking and company. We did this by digging a pit with snow benches and using the snow blocks to create walls. Then we set up the Megamid tent to be a roof. looks small from the outside but..... __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-27-2007, 12:10 PM	#43 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	May 15th One week on the Mountain! We slept late, ate and then went to 13,500' to retrieve the cache of food and gear. Tomorrow we planned to carry food and fuel up to 16k and cache it as backup for our summit attempt. Life at 14k is pretty interesting considering that you are about as high as most other big mountains in the US (Rainier, Shasta, etc.) The view from my tent Hackysack at altitude Llama rescue helicopter evacuating a climber with HAPE, High Altitude Pulmonary Edema __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-27-2007, 12:39 PM	#45 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	May 16th Getting up the Denali Headwall After a day of cloudy weather we had blue skies and no wind in the morning. Then everyone stampeded to get their gear carried up to 16k or even go higher up to the 17k camp for a summit bid. The 2000+ foot climb gets to a 55 degree angle, is icy and has crevasses. This is one place where commercial guide outfits will install fixed ropes but everyone wants to use them, leading to major traffic jams. Mechanical ascenders are a must on these ropes [IMG]http://en.petzl.com/images/Produits/..._Image_123.jpg[/IMG] looking back at camp heading up! Weather is alreading getting bad steeper and steeper There were two sets of ropes; one for ascending and one for descending. You can see that there were some morons who started going up the rope that folks needed to descend upon. This only made things worse. __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-27-2007, 01:33 PM	#46 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	I really enjoyed going up the headwall despite all of the issues. I was feeling stronger and I was at a "highwater" (high ice?) mark in my climbing career at 2000 feet higher than anywhere I had been. Suddenly we were much closer to actually reaching the summit. We rested on the next day (May 17th) and anxiously watched as the weather had turned worse. The radio forecasts were predicting a storm but on such a high mountain they could prove unreliable. We sought out Ranger Gordy and asked his advice. Gordy has been on the mountain for years and has the rare status of being a permanent climbing ranger. Most other rangers come in on a seasonal basis. Gordy looked at the cloudy sky, kicked the snow and thought for a moment. He asked if we had already cached at 16k and how we were feeling as a team. He then said that he felt that we would have a small window of opportunity before a big storm kicked in above 16k feet. He advised that the next morning we haul butt up to the high camp at 17k and get rested up. Then on the 19th get up and look for clear skies, wait for the sun to hit Denali Pass and raise the temps a bit and then go for the summit. He also advised us to not linger at 17k camp but get back down to 14k before the storm trapped us. His advice was the road map to our success. May 18th, heading up the ridge route. This was the most spectacular climbing to date, both rugged and challenging. That big rock up ahead is called Washburn's Thumb, named for the man who pioneered modern climbing on the West Buttress route. That huge rock marks the halfway point to the 17k camp. sheer drops of 3000' or more are hidden by the clouds. __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-27-2007, 01:53 PM	#49 (permalink)
Teotwaki Registered User Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Southern California Posts: 188	17 thousand foot camp Here is a view of the camp's location and the route to the summit. The white arrows indicate potential avalanche zones. This camp is a bleak outpost with ever thinner air, extreme temperatures and where every hard task takes more and more effort. We barely built protective walls, instead saving our energy for a 3000 foot climb to the summit. But look at those clear skies. A very good omen. Our minimalist camp site. Those silver cannisters are the Clean Mountain Cans; heavy and bulky and we hauled them with us since the beginning. If you leave human waste up there the rangers will fine each person $100/day. Andy deployed his Himalayan prayer flags, anything worth giving us just a little more luck for a safe climb. Denali Pass in the background. Will we summit or will we head back down into the approaching storm? __________________ 2005 SR5 4WD 4Runner Hanna rock sliders, 3" Downey coilovers, Deaver rear springs 30% stiffer & 2.5" taller, Donahoe rear shocks, LT265/75/R16 Bridgestone Revo's, rear diff. breather mod, Scion T1806 H/U, rear bumper LEDs, auto-dim mirror with compass & UV meter, Hi-Lift jack & gadgets, ScanGauge II, Midland CB, Garmin 276C GPS, Engel Fridge, All Pro rear lower links

03-27-2007, 02:01 PM	#50 (permalink)
EuphoricKaty80 Contributing Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 2,407	Those are some beautiful pics!!!!! Man what i wouldnt do to be able to see that first hand!

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