Denali 2019

206 days to Day 1 (1st attempt) Two of us climbed  Mt. Shasta 4,317m (CA)  via Avalanche Gulch route. It became the 30th, above 4,000 meters peak,  that we climbed together. The climb was to train for the Denali summit day. Distance one way, km Elevation gain Shasta 7.8 2,107 Denali 3.7 931 Lesson : if you can't self-belay on a snow slope, never count on self-arrest, instead protect PHOTO: Avalanche Gulch is just in the middle The climb The descent On the descent we stopped for lunch break at Misery Hill, and Vera pointed out to the shifted metal band on one of my crampons. I said "ah, it's just cosmetic". I have climbed like that many times. But then I surprised myself taking the crampon off, inspecting it and readjusting anew. I remember clearly at the back of my mind a briefly flashed image of the exit chute of the Red Banks with entire stretch of Avalanche Gulch and also the episode when Joe Sim

210 days to Day 1 (1st attempt) With group of students, practiced crevasse rescue response and self-arrest.

247 days to Day 1 (1st attempt) Denali expedition even before commencing, produced a few rather substantial positive impacts on us. One of them was on our fitness. This day became a major turning point in my lifestyle: visit to downstairs gym became my everyday's habit. No single day was missed! Also, to my dismay, I realized how much out of shape I was! This footage was shot 412 days after the "first" day, when I could do zero chin-ups.

248 days to Day 1 (1st attempt) 千里之行，始於足下 "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Chinese proverb Today determined coordinates of all camps on West Buttress route: 7K Base Camp 8K Ski Hill camp 10K Intermediate camp 11K Motorcycle Hill camp 14K Basin camp 17K High camp

262 days to Day 1 (1st attempt) California Climber's Salute. Two of us on the summit of DaFeng (四姑娘山大丰), in China. Elevation 5,025 m. This peak had been on my mind for more than ten years! After it's over, what's next? We wanted to climb something higher, and as always, without guides and porters. Naturally, there was yet another peak, equally desired by me and equally hard to even think it was possible to climb: Denali (6,190m), the highest mountain in North America. Now, it made perfect sense to attempt. Since that day, Denali would be mentioned by two of us every single day.