Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 6:53 PM PT We woke early again this morning and the weather did not disappoint. Clear skies with a beautiful early morning alpenglow on Foraker and Hunter greeted us as we fired the stoves. We woke the team at 5am and we were on the move by 7am. Our goal: to get a cache of food and fuel up high on the West Buttress Ridge, ideally to high camp at 17,200'. The sun was still behind the West Rib of Denali and we climbed the approach slopes and most of the fixed ropes in the shade. The sun found us at around 16,000' and was a welcome companion for the rest of the day as the team climbed the aesthetic ridge from 16,200' to 17,200'. We made it to high camp in good form and dug a hole in the snow in which to leave our cache. After an hour and a half breathing the rare air of 17,200', we descended back to camp, the climb took us almost 5 1/2 hours and we descended in 2 1/2 hours. We'll enjoy a good night's rest tonight and then take a rest day tomorrow. That should put us in perfect position to take advantage of the next good weather window for a summit bid. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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