Mt. McKinley Expedition: Mallory and Team at 8,500’ on Descent
Hi RMI this is Linden Mallory calling from 8,500’ on the Kahiltna Glacier on Denali. We woke up this morning to a pretty gorgeous day up at 14 Camp. We packed up camp and headed downhill. Definitely big loads leaving 14 Camp but we managed to fit everything into our packs and our sleds and motor back down the route reaching 11 Camp mid day. We dug up a small cache that we had left there with excess gear, trash and supplies that we didn’t need higher on the mountain earlier in the trip. We packed that up and moved it into the back of our sleds and kept moving down the glacier.
We got to about 8,500’ here on the Kahiltna Glacier just above Ski Hill which is just about 700’ above what is actually considered the true Lower Glacier. It was quite warm by that time of the afternoon and it was just getting a little too exciting to cross all those crevasses. We decided to set up shop here just above Ski Hill and cooked up a big dinner. Now we are waiting for the temperatures to drop and we’re watching some clouds blowing from the south of the Kahiltna Glacier. These clouds basically insulate the glacier so they keep the warm temperatures down here and don’t allow things to freeze. So we're not really sure how it's going to shake out for us tonight. If the clouds recede and it clears up we're going to pack up in the middle of the night and try to make it to Base camp by tomorrow morning. If these clouds stick around and it stays warm and the snow bridges across the crevasses don't freeze, we will just be hanging out here until conditions improve. So we will check in tomorrow and let you know how it goes.
Take care.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
RMI Guide Linden Mallory Checks in from 8500 on Denali
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Comments (3)
The light is at the end of the tunnel! Can’t wait to hear all about our adventure and see all the pictures! Love you daddy!
Posted by: Samantha on
Sounds like everyone is still enjoying their trek. Keep up the good work and contiue on a safe trip back to base camp and home.
Posted by: Lorraine on
Hi Linden and greetings to the rest of the team! I hope you are all doing well. I’ll bet by now you have visions of hamburgers dancing in your head! (..or veggie burgers?) Savor your surroundings while you still have the opportunity. I’m sending positive thoughts for a safe descent.
Posted by: Laurie Colaneri on