Every now and then I need some “me time” - and I found that “me-time” today in a major 7-hour therapeutic shovelling session... clarity: hole / cave digging session. I felt I needed a new goal for the expedition (given our Denali summit was looking less and less promising) so I decided to dig to China.
The wind gusts remain fierce. There are moments I turn to face into the wind just for the opportunity to feel the power of Mother Nature and it’s derma-abrasion effects. Over the course of the 7-hour shovelling frenzy I put my jacket to the test (thanks Arc’teryx!). All is running smoothly until I try and escape from my Gore-Tex ...
The hole to China soon turns into a cave. Given the tent is smelly, soggy, and damp, the prospect of debunking there is tempting. The sun appears for about 30 seconds today (progress) so I feel slightly optimistic and hold off on the move for one more day... Our Alaskan Colosseum walls are now nearing 7 ft in height.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS THE CAVE DIGGING DEVELOPMENT SKILLS CONTINUE AND A FORECAST BRINGS HOPE... ☀️🤞
Day 9: 19 June 2018 (Day 6 of shovelling/ riding out the storm at 11,000ft))
A BREAK IN THE STORM! 🙌 We wake up to “no new snow” and the wind in camp has died down to “occasional gusts”. Looking up at our prospective route it’s clear that whilst it’s decent at 11,000ft it’s still super windy up high. We take advantage of the opportunity to reinforce the wall around The Colosseum and semi-dry out our tent which now has a small lake inside of it.
Cave construction continues today with the addition of a west wing. It’s nearly big enough for me to stand in.
We get our 8pm forecast and it’s looking promising!! A potential clearing in 2 days time - an opportunity to cache at 14,000ft and then move up the following day. We’re definitely behind schedule but are taking the “don’t stress over things you can’t control “ and “go with the flow” attitude. We’re all in more positive spirits as a result...
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS THE SUN COMES OUT & WE PREPARE TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND...
Day 10: 20 June 2018 (Day 7 of shovelling/ riding out the storm at 11,000ft))
“How glorious the greeting the sun gives the mountains”, writes author John Muir. And I can’t agree more. The sun comes out this afternoon - and the effect on morale is huge. We dry out our tent and its contents - sleeping bags, clothes, bags, boots, gear... and organise kit to take up tomorrow (yes we have a plan to move!!) to cache just past, “Windy Corner” at 13,000ft. It’s wonderful to finally not be shovelling and damp.
Work on the Tunnel to China / Cave / CMC Spa has stalled due to the renewed focus on moving up. It proves to be a perfect place for the team loo.
The terrain tomorrow is straight up a feature known as Motorcycle Hill - we’ve been staring at it for the past week. A few ambitious teams brave the weather (winds still appear fierce up high) and break trail in deep snow going up or coming down. Just seeing people move reinvigorates the soul.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS (MIRACLE of MIRACLES) WE LEAVE 11,000ft to CACHE AT 14,000ft - GET A LESSON in ALASKAN WHITE OUTS, BREAKING TRAIL & CREVASSES.
Day 11: 21 June 2018
Yes!!! We’re moving up!!!! Well, moving up(ish) in sub-optimal conditions... We wake to fog & snow. Not ideal given our plan is to “gear carry” up to 14,000ft after being stuck for 7 days at 11,000ft. We decide to go for it regardless - for sanity if anything else.
Our guide, Wes (superstar) does the recce & breaks deep trail up “Motorcycle Hill”. The snow is deep, visibility is poor, but spirits are high. I love the steep terrain and I’m in my element. For the first time in a very long time I feel we’re truly climbing ❤️⛰. We continue up “Squirrel Hill” to “Windy Corner” - which isn’t windy today (the only positive weather update).
The terrain is VERY heavily crevassed. Many crevasses are covered by the recent snow so we’re especially slow & vigilant. Visibility reduces to a completely disorienting white out. It’s an unnerving experience. Everything - literally everything - is white and we struggle to see & find our way.
Eventually we get back on track & break trail to reach Camp 14,000ft!!! Epic effort on an epic day in epic conditions.
Cache completed, we head back down to our camp at 11,000ft with the plan to return (for good) to 14,000 tomorrow with the remainder of our kit.
BUT it isn’t quite that simple. We return to 11,000 to find that in our 8hr absence it’s snowed another 2ft - and our tent is COMPLETELY covered with snow again. It’s so frustrating it becomes pure comedy as we pick up our shovels and get back to shovelling, back to reality. We’re exhausted & fall asleep thinking there’s no way we’re going up to 14,000 again tomorrow given the current weather conditions.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS OUR TEAM OF 4 GROWS TO 7 AND WE GET SOME VERY GOOD NEWS...
Day 12: 22 June 2018
Snow. Poor visibility. Not the conditions we want to move up to 14,000ft today. Guide Wes comes into our tent for a debrief. He’s been hard at work all morning organising logistics. Tension is in the air.
We’re “merging” with a team of US Navy Seals for the rest of the expedition. Seals - as in awesome big strong dudes. I’m sure they’re equally as excited to be joining us.🙄
The move to 14,000 is mega. Deep snow on Motorcycle Hill and then SO MUCH wind up Squirrel Hill up to Windy Corner. Visibility is sketchy but as soon as we pass Windy Corner it’s as if Denali FINALLY gives us a break (for now anyway!)
We get the awesome views we’ve been dreaming about for the past 12 days. Hunter & Foraker stand strong against a cloudless sky and a clear view of our route to 17,000ft. I swear, it’s heaven.
Arriving at 14,000 in perfect conditions, the views, our amazing & super strong expanded team, a fab dinner thanks to Eric & a whole lotta stoke. I couldn’t be more excited. Today was an awesome day despite the dramatic start. We are so happy to FINALLY be on the move and fall asleep in anticipation of what tomorrow will bring.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS WE START TO STRATEGIZE OUR MOVE TO 17,000 & LEARN A FEW NEW TRICKS FROM THE SEALS.
Day 13: 23 June 2018
We're all feeling super hardcore this morning as the Navy Seals applaud us for our tenacity for weathering out the storm at 11,000ft. .
The Seals have been stuck at 14,000ft for over a week due to the same weather-front that grounded us at 11,000ft. We instantly bond over the experience and I know that our newly formed team is going to get on just fine. .
It feels amazing to be dry, warm(ish) and immersed in the mountain-views and positive vibes at 14,000ft. Our new co-guide @runsmilebreathe cooks up a fantastic breakfast and we get on with our day (drying out gear, organising the tent).
Camp-chores completed we settle in for an epic afternoon of playing Monopoly Deal, listening (and singing) 80s hits thanks to an old transister radio, and eating pretty much anything that we can get our hands on. We ascertain that perhaps Monopoly Deal isn't my strong-point.
Today was SUCH a great day and I am SO happy. I don't know if it's the weather, the team, the views, the extra calories, the 80s hits, the belly-aching laughs, the high-fives, the solid nights sleep, or all of the above but for the first time in a long time I'm genuinely feeling optimistic. Whatever happens on this mountain over the coming week, all I know is that we've given it a good shot and had a great time in the process.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS WE HEAD UP THE FIXED LINES TO CACHE FOOD AND GEAR IN PREPARATION FOR OUR (EVENTUAL) MOVE TO 17,000FT...
Day 14: 24 June 2018
Restless nights sleep. Awake at 3am to sunlight & all I can think about is Monopoly Deal & outplaying the Seals. What I should’ve been thinking about was that we're MOVING again today! Plan is to do a cache to 16,500ft. This means that we're moving straight up the steep hill flanking the camp & onto the fixed lines to cache.
We're eating breakfast thanks to @runsmilebreathe at 7.30am and the weather is perfect - sun hasn't hit the hill yet and we're looking to move before it does. The sun can quickly turn ‘comfortable' terrain into an energy-sucking frying pan. We fill our packs with food supplies and warmer gear that we'll need up high for our move to 17,000ft.
I love steep uphill terrain (Type 2 fun) and today is no different. I quickly find my stride and move into plodding mode, enjoying the spectacular views and banter between our rope teams. Our rope team is led by Wes and the other rope team is led by Eric. We've been nicknamed 'Peanut Butter' and 'Jelly', respectively. The fixed lines are sketchy and it takes me a while to adjust. We bury our gear in the cache and descend back to 14,000ft via the fixed lines and a fun arm-wrap.
Back in Camp I test whether my 3am Monopoly Deal strategy session was worthwhile. Turns out I'm still rubbish at Monopoly Deal. But I'm getting better at my poker face (or not). The afternoon consists of: Play Monopoly Deal. Eat burritos. Sing 70s hits. Discuss the weather. Discuss clothing layers. High fives. Repeat. Awesome day.
MORE TO COME TOMORROW AS WE LEARN ABOUT A POTENTIAL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM ROLLING IN - COULD THE MUCH ANTICIPATED WEATHER WINDOW BE IN SIGHT FOR A MOVE TO 17,000FT...?
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