Climbing Mount Denali Day 2

Getting some sleep was difficult, as I stepped into a new world of snow, light, and the sound of a helicopter thumping overhead for hours. It might be too early to tell, but at first attempt I am not the best at falling asleep at 6:00 pm, knowing I will wake up at midnight.

Midnight struck, the sun had technically set behind the ridge, but sunscreen and sunglasses were still needed. Crawling out of my sleeping bag, I reached for layers. It was cold. Base layers, socks, boot liner, jacket number one, jacket number two, and gloves… I was now ready to shed the sleeping bag, put my boots on, and start packing my pack. Just as I got started, “Hot water and breakfast is ready,” shouted Hannah. I guess packing will have to wait.

Stepping out of the tent, the light was breath taking. Last light graced us and a faint alpine glow illuminated Mount Forker. Coffee, a bagel, and some granola for breakfast. Sitting together we took in the views, huddled under our puffy layers, and sat quietly. Maybe it was too early to talk or maybe it was the stoicism of the mountains rubbing off on us.

Just as I finished packing my bags and zippers zipped as if they were about to explode, Shawn walked up with some more gear, “Hey, here is some group gear for you to pack.” Taking a minute to collect my thoughts, I grabbed the gear and began exploding my packs once again to rearrange the chaos.

From waking up to leaving, three hours had passed, but we were on our way. Walking attached by a rope and pulling our sleds, we made our way down the airstrip and passed basecamp. Next up, crossing the Kahiltna glacier for Camp One. The morning was cold and the golden light of the sun was working its way down Mount Forker as we walked. The heat imbalance, from the rising sun, blew a wind that cut through my layers. I wanted us to break so I could add layers, but my watch told me I was going to wait. Step after icy step, we made our way across snow bridges covering crevasses.

As the heat stirred the wind, avalanches began releasing to our left and right. At first, this worried me, but our flanks were well in the distance and I didn’t want to imagine the size avalanche it would take to cover us.

Thankfully, it was time to break! I put on two jackets and swapped to a thicker pair of gloves. Hoping up and down, I stopped shivering in due time. A few bites of food, some water, and some sunscreen, we were off again. I kept my jackets on. For three more hours we walked past others returning from their attempts on the mountain. Some smiled and said good morning, meanwhile others passed by, sunburnt with a stare that looked to nowhere.

Arriving at Camp One in the sun, we set towards making camp. From here on out, we will begin to double carry to the top of the mountain, so we built our tent knowing we would be staying for three days. Tired from a lack of sleep, our focus was often distracted, but, eventually, we had our home. Crawling inside, Bill fell asleep within minutes. I wanted to, but saw a bank of clouds was rolling in, so now was my time to shoot a couple time lapses.

Desiring some sleep, I crawled out of the tent and set up time-lapse panning towards Mount Hunter. Thirty minutes passed, I moved positions and attempted to capture the clouds bumping into Denali’s West Buttress. The latter was unimpressive. Desperate from some sleep, I crawled back into the tent, drank some water, and laid my head down. It was noon.

The next time I opened my eyes it was a little past 3pm. With much of the day ahead of me, I melted into my pad and puffy layers as I imported images and video from the day.