Our "Pan-American, eh!" team is driving north from Anchorage at this moment, headed for the small town of Talkeetna, Alaska. This group of six climbers will attempt to climb to the summit of Denali, the highest peak in North America, via the classic West Buttress Route.
At 20,320 feet (6194m), Denali (Mount McKinley) has a higher vertical rise than does Mount Everest. Due to its close proximity to the Arctic Circle, Denali is famous for its ferocity of weather and bone-chilling cold temperatures. An ascent requires climbers to practice their best arctic, high altitude expeditionary skills, as lead guide and Denali legend Dave Staeheli likes to remind people.
This trip is an example of Mountain Trip's history of thinking outside the box. We've developed a system of logistics which will allow our six climbers to ascend the mountain in a fashion more in line with the rest of the famed Seven Summits, that is to say, without the massive loads Denali is often associated with having climbers carry. Our team is comprised of four Canadians and two Americans, so we're adopting the team name of "Pan-American, eh!" out of respect(?) to our Canuk friends, who have thus far been relentless in their bantering of all things associated with maple leaves, hockey and Moose Head related...
Let's meet the climbers!
Guides:
Dave Staeheli from Wasilla, AK
Sebastian Grau Kunhardt from Santiago de Chile
Adam Smith from Anchorage, AK
Karen Kingsley from Ophir, CO
Ben Keissel from Durango, CO
Brennen Lagasse from Reno, NV
Climbers:
Dave Hill, eh!
Dave Small, eh!
Gregg Mellon, eh!
Michael Hurry, eh!
Jack Stonebraker
Chris Stonebraker
We have a lot of fun with these dispatch blogs and hope you enjoy them as well. Please keep in mind that we will post as soon as possible after we hear from the team, but due to time zones, changes in daily on-mountain schedules, etc, we might not post until the following morning. Also, please heed the age-old axiom of "No News Is Good News!" For some reason we always hear when something unexpected happens on the mountain, but occasionally the team is just busy making dinner and dealing with the chores at hand, and does not make the evening call to our office. Also, there are some places on the route where high ridge lines prevent the team from good satellite phone connections, and making daily calls can be challenging.
Lastly, we will try to pass along comments, but this is generally not an easy task to orchestrate. We encourage you to post comments, as the climbers will really appreciate reading them when they get off the mountain. Their knowledge that you all are supporting them and wishing them well is very important, so please do post your thoughts.
If you ever need to contact a friend or loved one, don;t hesitate to call or email our Colorado office at: 970-369-1153 or info@mountaintrip.com We are in The Mountain Standard Time Zone, which is GMT-7 for all you folks in the UK and beyond.
The team about to board a ski-equipped Otter aircraft for the flight to the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. It is a wild experience to suit up in the balmy, thick air of summertime Talkeetna and step out into the white and hues of gray landscape of Base Camp!