RMI Expeditions BlogRSS

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Descended 8,000’

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Solveig Waterfall, Tim Hardin, Cody Doolan | July 17, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Mount McKinley
Elevation: 8,000'

Back down at 8,000 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier.  We packed things up at 14K this morning with the usual mix of clouds and clearing.  Nobody was looking upward any longer even though the peak was out.  Our focus became getting down safely.  We went into the clouds and murk as we came around Windy Corner.  Walking in fresh powder with big packs and sleds was a challenge, but we were able to find the remains of a packed trail under the powder for much of the day.  We took a good rest at 11k as we dug up our cache there and switched out crampons for snowshoes.  Travel on the upper Kahiltna was much less complicated than the steep hills we began the journey with.  We found excellent glacier conditions and even came out of the clouds a little below 10,000 ft.  At the base of Ski Hill we set a quick camp, had dinner and dove in the tents for a few hours of rest.  We’ll give the glacier surface a chance to freeze up hard before we aim for the airstrip in the morning. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

Sign Up For Mount McKinley 2012 Email Alerts

531 views

Comments