May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 25, 2010

Team arrives in Anchorage and drives to Talkeetna.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 26, 2010

After a long day of flights, van rides, and shuffling duffel bags to and fro we arrived in Talkeetna, Alaska yesterday evening. With the sun still high in the sky despite the late hour of day, we reached the end of the lonely spur road leading to Talkeetna and settled into our hotel rooms, drawing the shades tight to keep out the nocturnal sun and create a semi darkness in the room. A perfect day greeted us this morning with the entire Alaska Range looming white in the distance, the summit of Denali visible poking above the green tree tops surrounding Talkeetna. After visiting the Ranger Station and finalizing our climbing permit, we headed across the railroad tracks to Talkeetna's airstrip where we used an unoccupied airplane hangar for the final trip preparations. With all of our down coats, crampons, ice axes, back packs, tents, ropes, sleeping bags, stoves, and over 300 pounds of food and supplies spread out across the concrete floor of the hangar we gradually recounted and resorted everything into its proper place, rechecking of all our needed gear and supplies a final time. By early evening we left the hangar, all of our gear is neatly packed, weighed, and piled up at the hangar entrance - ready to be loaded into the plane tomorrow morning for our flight to the mountain.

We just finished a last dinner in Talkeetna, savoring the fresh Alaskan halibut and juicy cheeseburgers, before we depart for the mountain. If the weather holds we plan to fly onto the mountain tomorrow, arriving at Base Camp by mid morning where we will spend the day reviewing our glacial travel skills, rigging our gear, and preparing for a night time traverse of the glacier when the snow is coldest and travel the safest. The team is strong, excited, and eager to finally be packed and ready for the adventure ahead.

-Linden and Team.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 27, 2010

Bill, Maile, Sara, Patrick, Linden, and Mike before take-off

We are flying today! The weather is beautiful and we are ready. Once we are settled in at Kahlitna Base, we will check in.

-Linden and Team.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 27, 2010

The morning broke clear in Talkeetna, the blue skies broken only by the jagged white summits of the Alaska Range in the distance. Arriving at the airstrip before 8am, we were promptly given the go ahead by the pilots to change into our climbing gear, load our bags into the plane, and strap in. Feeling a bit clumsy as we clomped across the tarmac in our climbing boots and synthetic climbing apparel past tourists clad only in shorts and t-shirts, we clambered into the back of the turbo-prop Otter and strapped ourselves in.

Donning headsets, we spoke excitedly as the plane took off, quickly turning to the west and heading towards the wall of white mountains in the distance. Flying across the lush landscape of lakes, bogs, and forests, the vegetation soon gave way to snow covered foothills and eventually ice, rock, and glaciers. Our pilot nimbly picked his way past rocky ridgelines and hanging glaciers, bringing us over the west shoulder of Mt. Hunter and over the Kahiltna Glacier. With a long slow turn giving us an imposing view of Denali's massive bulk looming above us, he brought the plane down gently onto the landing strip of the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna where Base Camp is located.

Stepping off the plane into a dazzling brilliance of white, we hurriedly unloaded our gear from the plane, waved goodbye to our pilot and watched him takeoff from the glacier and disappear around the mountains. The silence after the plane departs is unmistakeable - after the rush of packing and leaving home, traveling across the country to the remote reaches of Alaska, sorting and packing gear amidst the hustle of Talkeetna's runways, to suddenly be surrounded by nothing but massive glaciers and soaring mountains is a bit of a shock. After drinking in the surroundings a bit, we set about setting up our camp, pitching tents, rigging gear, and reviewing our glacier travel skills.

After an early dinner we soon settled into our sleeping bags, hoping to catch a few hours of rest before we get up in the middle of the night to head out to Camp 1. Lower on the glacier we prefer to move at night when the temperatures are coldest and the snow frozen, making the going easier and crossing crevasses safer. The team is happy and excited to be here. We will check in from Camp 1 tomorrow.

Linden and Team

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 28, 2010

With the summer solstice quickly approaching, Alaska's hours of sunlight grow longer by the day. With the sun still shining on our tents at 8 last night we fell asleep, only to awake a few hours later at the dead of night to a late evening light that comes just after the sun sets. With the reprieve from direct sun the temperatures drop, freezing the surface of the glacier. Taking advantage of these cold conditions to cross the many snowbridges covering the lower Kahiltna's yawning crevasses, we set out from Base Camp in the early morning hours.

From Base Camp we first begin the climb by losing elevation, descending the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier to the main Kahiltna before turning northwards up the Kahiltna's massive expanse. Well over a mile wide in places, traveling across the Kahiltna can easily play tricks on climbers. The clear Arctic air changes perceptions of distance, making hillsides that seem mere minutes away still appear tantilizingly close hours later, or climbers visible in the distance suddenly turn out to be dark crevasse openings mere meters away that are ordered like climbers on a rope. Enjoying the clear skies that brought the effects on perception, we moved smoothly up the glacier, enjoying the red sunrise move across the peaks above. By 9 in the morning, just as our climber Sara's classmates were finishing their last exams of the school year, we were pulling into Camp 1 on Denali.

With morning came the sun and the frozen glacier quickly heated up into a solar oven, the brilliant white of the snow and ice further intensifying the summer sun. Resting in our tents after a long night of walking, we were stripped down to our base long underwear layers, the down coats pushed as far from us as possible. Throughout the day climbers gradually filtered back into Camp 1 from higher on the mountain. Russian, Spanish, Italian, German and Japanese conversations all floated past our tents as different groups arrived and shuffled past. After a full night of walking and a long day of napping, our appetites found us and we sat down to an excellent dinner of quesadillas, fresh veggies, salsa and guacamole before turning in for the evening.

With the high pressure system that is bringing good weather to the mountain forecasted to remain in place for a few more days, we are planning to move to our second camp at 9600' tomorrow. The team is feeling great after the first day, thrilled to be here surrounded by the giants of the Alaska Range, and eager to continue moving higher.

Linden and Team

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 29, 2010

We woke up early this morning scratching our heads and wondering where the previous night's forecast had come from. Instead of clear skies we found dark, low hanging clouds settled into the valley, occasionally spitting small flurries of snow. Reluctantly, we pulled ourselves from the comfort of our down sleeping bags and began organizing our gear and packing up camp. As if sensing our initiative to move uphill, the weather accepted and the clouds began to thin, gradually lightning up and occasionally breaking apart to reveal glimpses of sun bathed mountains above.

By the time we were clipped into the rope with our sleds rigged and packs shouldered, the clouds down the valley had broken up and within an hour we were climbing in the morning sun. Leaving Camp 1 we left the gentle lower stretches of the Kahiltna Glacier and began our first significant elevation gain by climbing up Ski Hill. A long climb, broken into a series of steps that makes each incline appear to be the last until hopes are dashed as the next appears over the horizon, Ski Hill leads to the very top of the Kahiltna Glacier where a small saddle named Kahiltna Pass sits, dividing the southern and northern sides of the Alaska Range. Climbing steadily throughout the morning, we reached a broad plateau at 9,800' just below Kahiltna Pass where we set about making camp. Despite the perfectly calm and sunny day, we built large snow walls around our tents. Located so close to the pass that divides the weather systems coming up from the Gulf of Alaska to the south and those sweeping down from the Arctic across Alaska's North Slope, this camp is prone to sudden changes in weather and winds. With big walls of snow blocks sawed out of the glacier's surface snow protecting our tents, we settled into them, enjoying the warm temperatures inside.

We have had a relaxing afternoon here and are getting ready for dinner soon. Our climbers, Bill and Sara, continue to impress us with their boundless energy, laughs, and stories and the team is doing well, we send our best to everyone back home. Tomorrow we move to our third camp at 11,200', called "11 Camp". We will check in tomorrow after our move.

Linden and Team

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 30, 2010

Perhaps because of the time we put into building big snow walls around our camp yesterday the wind opted not to blow last night and we awoke to a clear morning. With stunning views straight down the Kahiltna Glacier for more than a dozen miles, we quickly broke camp and began climbing. Upon reaching 10,000', just below Kahiltna Pass, we turned east and climbed another 1,200' up a broad gully to our camp at 11,200', known as "11 Camp".

We arrived at noon and immediately broke out our various bags of food as we were quite ravenous from the several hours of climbing with heavy packs. Turkey sandwiches on whole wheat everything bagels have been Bill and Sara's lunchtime staple thus far, complemented by energy bars, trail mix, and various treats. Denali's high altitudes, cold temperatures, taxing terrain, and isolation take a toll on one's body and we have all found ourselves continually hungry even though we snack all day long.

After resting in the afternoon we all piled into our "PoshHouse" (yes, that is really its name) which serves as our kitchen/dining tent. It is essentially a thin nylon teepee held up by a center pole. By digging out the snow underneath we can create a cozy area with benches and countertops on which to eat and cook while staying out of the elements. We typically begin our dinners with a round of soup as it is a great way to rehydrate after a long day. Tonight's main course was chicken terriyaki with brown rice (and a little Siracha sauce for some extra spice), followed by chocolate chip cookies and a hot drink. With full bellies we turned in for the evening just as a light snow has started to fall on camp.

Tomorrow we plan to spend the day moving some of our gear higher on the mountain before returning to 11 Camp for the night.

Linden and Team

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

May 31, 2010

The sheer amount of gear, food, and supplies needed to climb Denali is staggering. Although the amounts pale compared to a multi-month Himalayan expedition, the pile of gear and the enormous weight that we unloaded at Base Camp was, well, intimidating. While lower on the mountain, where the terrain is more gentle and the air thicker, it is possible to move all of our gear in single pushes - hefting massive packs and hauling hulking sleds from camp to camp. Upon reaching 11 Camp though it becomes nearly impossible to move all of the supplies across the steeper more technical terrain at once, so we turn to carrying a portion of our gear up higher, caching it away, then returning to our previous night's camp. In addition to making our loads more manageable and the climbing a bit easier, this method of carrying and caching gear has the added benefit of helping our bodies acclimatize. Climbers have a mantra of "climb high, sleep low", by climbing to higher elevations during the day you kick start your body's acclimatization process by exposing yourself to the thinner air, but by returning to a lower elevation you allow your body to recover better and be more prepared for the next jaunt above.

Today we did just those things, leaving 11 Camp with our packs loaded with food and supplies needed higher up the mountain. We moved steadily in the cold morning shadows, the sun not reaching us until we were nearly 1,500' above camp. As we crossed a large expanse of nearly flat snow known as the Polo Fields, the sun baked away the last traces of morning chill and we were soon stripping off our warm gloves and layers of fleece. By midday we reached an elevation of 13,600' where we dug a big hole in the snow of the glacier, filling it with our supplies before covering it up again to guard against any hungry ravens that may pass by. Pausing for a bit up there, we rested in the midday heat, soaking in the sun and giving our bodies a little extra boost to acclimatize. With light packs we retraced our tracks back to 11 Camp, returning by midafternoon.

The team climbed extremely well today, covering the steep and firm terrain in impressive time. Spirits are high and everyone is feeling strong. Tomorrow we have a planned day off, resting here at 11 Camp before moving higher. Happy Memorial Day to everyone at home.

Linden and Team

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 3, 2010 - voicemail 12:38 a.m. PT

Hey RMI, this is Linden at 14,000' camp. We left 11,000' camp this morning and the skies cleared just as we were packing up camp. We had fantastic weather and we were the only team on the trail all the way across the Polo Fields and Windy Corner. We settled into 14,000' camp by late afternoon.

Mike created possibly the best posh house that 14,000' camp has ever seen. We spent the evening hanging out in the posh house listening to the radio. The team is doing well and everyone is happy to be at 14,000' camp. We are looking forward to spending a few days here getting acclimatized and ready to move higher.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 3, 2010 - voicemail 10:43 p.m.PT

Hi RMI, this is Linden calling with a dispatch from 14,000' camp. We had a very relaxing day up here at 14,000' on Denali. We had a leisurely breakfast and then went down to our cache site to pick up the gear we cached a couple of days ago and brought it up to 14,000' camp. We took a jaunt across the big basin that we are camped in, it's called Genet Basin,we walked over to the south side of the basin to the "Edge of the World". We looked down over the NE fork of the Kahiltna and the main Kahiltna about 7,000' below. It's a pretty stunning view. There were a lot of clouds but they parted and we got to admire the grandeur of it all.

We spent the afternoon hanging out, relaxing and catching up on the latest tunes from the Anchorage radio station that we can pick up on our FM radio.

Our plan for tomorrow is to carry to the top of the fixed line at 16,200'. Snow is supposed to blow in tonight that might change our plans but we are still hopeful. Everyone is doing well. We will check in tomorrow and let you know how things go.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 4, 2010 - voicemail 10:40 p.m. PT

Hey RMI, this is Linden calling from 14,000' camp.

We went to bed last night with a forecast of up to a foot of snow to fall overnight and throughout the course of the day today. But when we woke up there was barely a 1/2 inch of snow on the ground. So we booted up and headed out of camp. We climbed to the north of camp to the base of the fixed line that runs from 15,500' up to 16,200'. We made quick work of the fixed lines and the team climbed them without any major hurdles. We got up on to the West Buttress where we deposited a cache of gear, food and supplies for our summit bid. We hung out up there, in and out of the clouds, and enjoyed the views for a little bit before returning to camp.

All is well here. We will be hanging tight tomorrow to catch up on some rest and see what this weather system does before we make our summit attempt. We will check in tomorrow and let you know how everything goes.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 5, 2010 - voicemail 10:29 p.m. PT

Hey RMI, this is Linden calling from 14,000' camp.

We had quite a bit of snow last night. That forecast finally came through and we woke up to about a foot of fresh snow on the tents this morning. After digging ourselves out we brewed up a nice, big pot of hot drinks and had a pretty leisurely breakfast of eggs and bacon. As we ate the skies gradually lifted and by mid day the sun was poking through. We had beautiful views from 14,000' where we had a high cloud deck and a low cloud deck and we were sort of sandwiched right in between. We had stunning views of Hunter and Foraker to the south and west of us.

We took advantage of the clear skies and walked back over to the Edge of the World to look over the NE fork and lower glacier. After that we enjoyed a nice oreo cheesecake dessert after dinner, sorted our gear and headed to bed. We are looking to possibly move to high camp tomorrow in preparation of our summit bid. There is a high pressure system forecasted to come in over the next several days. Winds on the summit are still very high. So we'll see what tomorrow brings. The team is doing well and it was nice to have a day off to rest. We are looking forward to going up higher.

Hello to everyone back home and we'll check in tomorrow night.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 6, 2010 - voicemail 10:29 p.m. PT

Maile Wade and Sara McGahan hamming it up at 14,000 feet.

Hi this is Linden again from 14,000' camp! We went to bed with calm conditions on the mountain and woke to some very windy conditions on the upper mountain. We made the decision to stay put and enjoy another rest day. We are reading, sharing stories and listening to the radio.

We will give the wind transported snow a chance to stabilize and plan to move to 17,000' camp tomorrow. This also gives us more time to prepare for our move to 17,000' and for our upcoming summit attempt. It looks like we have a nice weather window coming up to make a possible summit attempt on Tuesday. This is the plan for now, we will keep in touch.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 7, 2010 - voicemail 9:16 p.m. PT

Hey RMI, this is Linden calling from 17,000' camp. We are looking out over the cloud deck. We are a couple thousand feet above it and can see the tops of Foraker and Hunter poking above.

We woke up this morning at 14,000'. It was socked in down there, no winds and light snow. We could tell the clouds were pretty thin so we packed up camp and headed up hill. We made good time carring big, heavy packs leaving 14,000' since we no longer have the sleds. We climbed strongly going up the fixed lines making it there by mid day. From the fixed lines we hit the West Buttress. The West Buttress is the feature on the mountain this route is named after. It's a beautiful climb over the ridge line from 16,200' to 17,200' it's a fine line of rock and snow. We scored with beautiful weather and Sarah and Bill climbed very strong. We got into camp in the late afternoon and have just been sitting around, staying out of the wind and trying to fuel up. We are hoping we have this weather system figured out and tomorrow we'll go for the summit. We'll check in tomorrow and let you know how everything shakes out.

Take care

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 9, 2010 - voicemail 12:25 a.m. PT

Linden leading our team up the final ridge on the way to the summit. Sara is right behind him.

Summit - 8 pm local time June 8th!

Hi this is Linden calling from 17,000' camp. At 8 p.m. local time tonight the whole team stood on the summit of Denali, the highest point in North America. We had a fantastic climb. We woke up this morning and really unstable weather persisted. We hemmed and hawed all morning, brewed some hot drinks and watched the weather. Finally the weather broke mid-day and we geared up, strapped on our crampons and headed up hill. The team climbed incredibly strong and made really, really good time. We cruised righ through Denali Pass up and into the football field and on to the summit ridge. And like I said we summited at 8 p.m. We turned around just as the winds were picking up.

Our plan for later today is to descend to 14,000' to rest for a little while and then continue to 11,000' to spend the night.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 9, 2010 - voicemail 7:16 p.m. PT

Hi this is Linden calling from 14,000' camp. We slept in this morning at 17,000', slowly emerging from the tents and keeping our heads below the snow wall to stay out of the cold NE wind blowing down the mountain.

After slowly packing up our gear we left camp in perfect climbing conditions, out of the wind and far above the cloud deck. This afternoon we returned to 14,000' camp and instead of pushing down hill we set up camp. We spent the afternoon eating and snacking trying to make up calories after several hard days of climbing. The team is in fantastic spirits and happy to be headed down hill after a successful ascent. We are planning to reach 7,800' camp tomorrow and will check in from there.

May 25, 2010 Mount McKinley Custom Expedition
Lead Guide: Linden Mallory

June 11, 2010 - 10:30 p.m. PT

Mike Tomlinson, Sara McGahan, Maile Wade, Patrick and Linden descending the West Buttress after the entire team summitted Denali, which is in the background. It was a beautiful morning, and the climb down was spectacular.

Just as Alaskan summer days blend into an extended spell of dates delineated only by varying degrees of sunshine, so have our final days on the mountain. After returning to 14 Camp we happily set up camp for the evening, thinking little of the possible 6" of forecasted snow affecting our return to Basecamp. But by early morning close to 3' of snow had fallen, wreacking havoc on camp as climbers hurriedly dug out the quickly disappearing tents. All around camp the sounds of massive avalanches sweeping down the mountain echoed in the background. As the storm finally cleared our plans for an early departure for Base Camp evaporated as well, the deep fresh snow presenting considerable avalanche hazard in addition to strenuous trail breaking. Instead, we rested all day, letting the warm sun consolidate the new snow and stabilize the slopes above us.

By early evening we set off, tromping downhill through the drifted snow. The trail breaking gradually lessened as we descended, pausing at 11 Camp to retrieve caches of gear before continuing downhill. We said goodbye to the last rays of sun upon reaching the Kahiltna Glacier, and the first rays of the morning sun still found us walking on the glacier, thousands of feet below as we entered Base Camp. It was a long and tiring day but the excitment of returning to Talkeetna kept us going, fueled by the window of perfect flying weather the new day brought.

Upon reaching Base Camp this morning, we were fortunate to hop on a plane a few hours later, much to the chagrin of climbers who had waited for days to fly out because of bad weather. Our senses were overwhelmed upon exiting the plane, the smell of grass, the warm air, the sounds of cars and wind rustling leaves all washing over us. With silly grins on our faces we clomped across the Tarmac in our climbing boots and down jackets past tourist is t shirts and flip flops.

The afternoon was spent unpacking out gear, feasting on burgers and pizza, and savoring hot showers. It has been an exhausting several days but also a gratifiying conclusion to our climb, the reward of long days on the mountain and the eagerness to share stories with those back home.