Monday, June 24, 2024 - 12:05 am PT

We woke up this morning to a blue bird day and a quiet chill in the air. It was cold, crisp, windless; perfect weather for a trip up to high camp. People tend to think we stage our summit bid from high camp and, in a sense, we do, but the real waiting game happens at 14,000' Camp. It’s where you wait for the summit weather to align and today the door was wide open. We made our way up the headwall and the fixed lines for our second run and we were pros this time. Dialing in the techniques and tactics we learned on the previous run through. The heavier packs were noticeable on the legs and the heat of the day was noticeable on our dry throats but on we went. When we finally crested onto the namesake “ West Buttress” of the route. The sun gave way to cloud and the heat to snow. We got glimpses of the 360 views that this part of the route offers but never the full scene. On we pressed to the high camp of Denali at a height of 17,200 ft.

We set up shop, ate our meals, and are trying to recover for a summit push tomorrow morning. Tomorrow will be undoubtedly the hardest we’ve had on the mountain, and for many the hardest physical effort we’ve ever tried. The team can do it though. We’ve got this.

Wish us luck!!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli