Expedition stuff, complete

One week to departure.

Location: New Westminster, BC, Canada

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Day 20 - bivy at 16K ridge

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It was snowing and we were in a whiteout. There was no wind, so we packed up and left 17K camp. We were going home! As always, the packs felt the heaviest. The footpath was partially gone, so by the time we reached the top of the fixed lines, I was concerned that the approach would be covered by snow and that we might wander into a crevasse. So we decided to bivouac, exactly where the Mongolians had their tent ruined by a snow block hurled by the wind. The platform was already there, so setting up the tent was not a problem. That's what we thought, only to discover that a tent pole had broken - the piece that connects to the poles was stuck inside one of the poles. Luckily, it was calm on the ridge, so after a few tries, we were able to splinter it with one section of a ski pole. You can see a more detailed report by Vera here .
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Day 22 - Going home

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Left 14K camp at 2:00 p.m. Encountered hard, good snow and used crampons throughout the 16km, 2,200m descent. The weather was good and the walk was relatively easy and enjoyable, except for Heartbreak Hill, where it was a bit slow. We enjoyed traveling at night because there was no brutal sun on the lower glacier. Retrieved our second sled, which we had cached at 11K camp. We arrived at Base Camp the next day at 5:00 a.m. Vera retrieved our cache with jerky and other snacks, which tasted fantastic. Then, she set up the tent while I rested for a bit. Vera started melting snow and packing our stuff for air. At 9:30 a.m., we left Base Camp in Talkeetna Air Taxi. After 22 days of only snow, ice, and rock, the green foliage produced a previously unknown, very deep, sharp, and distinct impression. We were not sure how to describe it. We both entered a mental state of absolute inner peace and harmony and remained in it for the next few days. We experienced unreal pleasure from any food, sleep...
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