Denali Dispatches: Team 1, May 2 - 22, 2010

DISPATCH 4:

Denali Team 1: May 2 - 22, 2010

Guides: Forest McBrian and Mike Pond

Climbers: Rob Gribbin, Dmitri Nichiporov, Deke Williams, Jens Rabbels, Krushnaa Patil, Chris Shumate

Thursday, May 6; 12:30pm

Denali Lead Guide Forest McBrian called in and reported the following:

"Hey, it's Forest again. We are sitting here in Camp 2, getting ready to head down and get our cache. We had quite a journey to get up to Camp 2, climbing through a whiteout and blowing snow. The team did great though and everyone got to sleep in this morning, which was much appreciated! We woke everyone up with hot sausage biscuits for breakfast along with hot coffee and tea. Quite a welcome treat after a very cold night at around -23 C (-9.4 F). Well, we've got to get moving and grab this cache."

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DISPATCH 3:

Denali Team 1: May 2 - 22, 2010

Guides: Forest McBrian and Mike Pond

Climbers: Rob Gribbin, Dmitri Nichiporov, Deke Williams, Jens Rabbels, Krushnaa Patil, Chris Shumate

Wednesday, May 5; 9:30am

Denali Lead Guide Forest McBrian called in and reported the following:

"Hello, this is Forest reporting from Denali. It's another beautiful day here on the mountain and we are getting ready to make the move from Camp 1 to Camp 2. It's going to be another long day but we've got a really strong team up here full of hard workers so we shouldn't have any problems. The cache went off without a hitch yesterday and as we came back into camp our final team member Krushnaa Patil was waiting for us. Her flight was delayed due to the Icelandic volcano eruption but now she is back with the team and we are excited to have her."

"It is fairly quiet on the mountain this early in the season so it is pretty nice not to have to battle any crowds. We had a wonderful middle eastern feast last night. Luckily enough for the team I was able to resist performing a belly dance routine! Well, we've got to pack up now. Talk to you all again soon!

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DISPATCH 2:

Denali Team 1: May 2 - 22, 2010

Guides: Forest McBrian and Mike Pond

Climbers: Rob Gribbin, Dmitri Nichiporov, Deke Williams, Jens Rabbels, Krushnaa Patil, Chris Shumate

Tuesday, May 4; 9:00am

Denali Guide Mike Pond called in and reported the following:

"Forest and I are at Camp 1 now. Things are going really well, we're making french toast for breakfast and getting ready to make a cache below Camp 2 at 11,000 feet. Yesterday was good. It was pretty chilly in the morning, one of those lingering cold spells, so it took a little while to get warmed up and moving. Once we finally got moving and made it downHeartbreak Hill it quickly warmed up and felt like we were climbing in California! Of course these warm temperatures didn't last and before too long a low cloud system moved in and brought high winds for about three hours. It cooled down quick and the team performed beatifully setting up camp quickly, not the easiest of tasks in those high, cold winds. We settled into camp quickly and enjoyed a delicious dinner of fat, juicy burgers! A well earned meal by all! Everyone is very pysched to be up here and climbing strong, we'll talk to you all again soon!"

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DISPATCH 1:

Denali Team 1: May 2 - 22, 2010

Guides: Forest McBrian and Mike Pond

Climbers: Rob Gribbin, Dmitri Nichiporov, Deke Williams, Jens Rabbels, Krushnaa Patil, Chris Shumate

Sunday, May 2; 10:34pm

Hello this is Forest and Mike. We are headed to bed here at the Kahiltna air strip. It is a beautiful day with a lovely arrival on the Kahiltna Glacier, and a delicious dinner of thai peanut sauce on rice noodles with salad. Just settling into the groove of things. Everyone is well and we are planning to move up to camp one tomorrow. We'll drop you a line tomorrow to update you on our progress. Take care, bye bye!

For the most current updates on Denali expeditions, other AAI programs, and current climbing news follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AlpineInstitute

To read about a wide variety of climbing topics, trip reports, and outdoor news, check out our blog.