Mt. McKinley Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Descend to 11,000’ Camp
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Nick Sinapius, Ben Thorneycroft
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 11,000'
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 - 12:10 am PT
After a big day yesterday and sleeping at 17,000' still, we slept in to get what recovery we could. It was a cold morning, but we eventually roused, downed some breakfast, and got all of our things in packs and headed down. It’s been a funny day of environments. Weather at 17,000 was frigid and clear this morning. Passing through 14,000' Camp felt like we were at the beach, and we said Hi, Good luck, and See ya to our friends with RMI Guide Seth Burns and team.
Moving below 14,000' across the Polo Field, everything was white, muffled, and there was ~24” of new snow on the ground and it was snowing hard. We are now at 11,000' Camp, pausing to sleep and enjoy the warm and oxygen rich climes. It’s not at all how they felt on the ascent! Tomorrow, we’ll pack things one more time, and walk out the Kahiltna Glacier to base camp. We’re excited and ready.
RMI Guides Pete, Nick, Ben, and team
