Dave Hahn: Denali 2008
On June 24th my team met in Anchorage and rode on up to Talkeetna. We were eight climbers and four guides and after another day of preparation, we were ready to fly onto Mount McKinley. Jay Hudson's airplanes took us onto the mountain on June 26th in fine weather. We spent the rest of that day getting a little training in and sorting gear. A predicted storm moved in that night and cloaked the 7000ft basecamp in clouds and new snow. This storm continued for three more days, essentially dropping about six inches of snow each night and six more inches each day. We chose not to move until some improvement came around. The first sections of the Kahiltna Glacier that we needed to traverse are some of the more likely area's for experiencing a busted snow bridge and resultant crevasse fall and we didn't want to take the chance that such trouble would hit our team during a storm. It was tough to stay patient and sit put at basecamp, since we'd finished our refresher curriculum on glacier travel and crevasse rescue already, but it wasn't a difficult decision... conditions simply were not right for travel.
Finally we got a break, after four nights at base, and we struck camp and set out. Peter Anderson was leading another RMI team and it was a comfort to have his group just about an hour ahead of ours on the glacier. Travel was relatively easy and the route was in spectacularly good condition. Very few open crevasses and not much zig-zagging to get up to our first camp at 8000 ft. After the prolonged delay at the outset, we then began to make very good progress. The weather remained good and fairly stable for us, especially as we got up the hill enough to get out from under the normal flow of cloud on the Kahiltna. Two of our team took advantage of spots open on a descending (and successful) team led by Lyndon Mallory and made their way back to the airstrip from 11,000ft while the rest of the team continued upward. We put in our normal camps at 9,500 ft and 11,000 ft and we made our carry to 13,700 ft without undue difficulty. A rest day seemed in order then at 11,000 ft to ensure that all were ready for the big move up to 14,200 ft.
We managed that big move in excellent conditions. Windy corner was not even a little bit windy when we moved through it. Crevasses were virtually absent and we made good time getting into out new home at 14,200 ft. While at this advanced basecamp… the end of the approach and the beginning of the real climb on Denali's West Buttress, we were given the sad news over the course of several days of spontaneous and unexplained deaths on guided teams attempting the summit above us. This was sobering and troubling information for my team to come to terms with, especially as the National Park Service ranger patrols made ready to leave the mountain, their season being finished. By the time we were ready for our last big move up to 17,200 ft, we were one of the last teams on the mountain. Peter Anderson's group had managed to somehow gain a day on us and so we were happy to be in our new camp at 17 when they came back victorious and safe after topping out on July 9th. They reported a fairly cold day (for July) with steady winds as they worked out the summit ridge.
My team got up around 7AM on the 10th of July with everybody feeling healthy and ready for a summit attempt. Kate Anderson, Andy Bond, and Seth Waterfall got the ropes good to go and we left with plenty of water and a hot breakfast in our bellies. There was a surprising amount of high cloud, but the weather was obviously stable and good, as the forecast had called for. We were the only climbers going for the summit of North America on this day. At first we dealt with some cold breezes near Denali Pass, but as we got closer to the summit ridge, the winds quit completely, making for a very pleasant finish to the climb. All were strong on this day, and we topped out with no particular drama at 4:30 PM. The hour we spent on top taking pictures and shaking hands was pure fun. Temperatures were mild and all were enjoying the stupendous views of the Alaska Range.
Descent to basecamp took us the normal three days and was just as difficult as always... big packs and long days. The next storm had worked its way in and so we battled down from 11,000 ft in a whiteout on our final morning. In the plus column, the lower glacier was still in very good condition and we still had good tracks to follow (left by Peter Anderson just a day before). We made it into base on the morning of July 13th but clouds prevented our pickup until July 14th. On that day though, Jay and Dennis and Jock did great work in getting their ski planes in for us, weaving through holes in the cumulous and still getting us good views of bear and moose and mountains on the flight back to Talkeetna.
All enjoyed a victory dinner at the West Rib Pub and most trooped over to the Fairview Inn to wash it all down and finish the climb in style.