Saturday June 11, 2022 – 10:54pm PT

Hello bloganeers or whatever you call people who read blogs!

We went to bed with a nebulous forecast and thankfully awoke to optimistic looking skies! Looks like the weather would allow us to climb high and sleep low. We feasted upon a southern favorite, grits and pop tarts for breakfast. Then we racked up our gear and headed towards the fixed lines.

A couple hours of slow but steady walking and we arrived at the gaping maw that is the bergschrund at base of the fixed lines. The team locked and loaded and soon we were climbing up the steep snow and hard blue ice. Shouts of “This is awesome!” and “My fingers are cold,” were heard at various times during our ascent. Topping out the fixed lines rewarded us with beautiful views of the West Ridge of Denali and everyone and everything below us. We dug our cache, tossed in our excess gear and took a couple deep breaths of 16,000-foot air before beginning our descent.

Fleet feet and sturdy arm wraps meant a quick trip back to camp where a large meal of mac and cheese and cheesecake was enjoyed by all! Tomorrow, we let the winds up high blow while we gain strength and acclimate here at 14k camp.

Thanks for tuning in blogadors!

Avery, Jack, Liam and the team