Denali 2019

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 .

I woke up at 02:00 a.m. to find Vera already awake and waiting for me with wide-open eyes. The sky was clear and quiet, and the digital thermometer measured the snow temperature at -19.7°C. After melting some snow and eating breakfast, we dressed up and left the 17K camp at 04:45 a.m. We had trained for the Autobahn traverse on Mt. Hood, thinking it was twice as difficult as Autobahn on Denali. But in reality, it was the opposite. Autobahn on Denali turned out to be twice as hard as we expected, with hard snow and no possibility for self-belay. Our ice-axes were only good for balance, and we didn't have an extra ice tool, only one straight axe each. So when we came across the 50m unprotected stretch, we both realized that one slip from either of us could end it all. It was only a 20-meter unprotected traverse, but it was enough to get our adrenaline pumping! We then passed Denali pass, Zebra rocks, Football field, and finally arrived at Pig Hill, which was the real challenge at the...

I was really concerned that our thirst on the first night at 5,220 meters 17K camp might trigger Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) or even worse conditions like High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE). To make matters worse, I had lost some water from my system due to a bout of diarrhea on the 16K ridge. Despite my offers to share the remaining water mixed with snow, Vera refused. In the morning, after sunrise, we packed our stove and headed down. The weather was good, a bit windy and cold, but still climbable. We descended the 16K ridge to the top of the fixed lines in 1.5 hours, retrieved our cache and melted snow, and cooked some Mountain House. After a break, we returned to 17K camp. Some guided teams followed us and passed ahead. I thought they were moving too quickly after climbing the fixed lines, and their speed seemed to have exhausted them. Their original plan was to move the cache to 17K, but after reaching Washburn thumb, they changed their m...

Today was a big day! We moved to our 17th camp at an altitude of 5,200 meters. This is our 6th camp so far. We spent our first night without drinking water or food, and it was very thirsty. View Larger Map Full story by Vera  here .

Today is our last day at the 14K camp, and it's hard to believe we've spent 10 days here. The storm has tapered off, and the skies are blue with no wind. We have packed our stuff and sealed the sled for preservation. Tomorrow, we will leave for 17K.

First full day of the snowstorm at 14K camp is exactly as forecasted. Lucky for us, we didn't trust the InReach's "all clear" and instead relied on the NPS rangers' prediction of "heavy snow and wind." The wind on the 16K ridge makes a horrible noise, similar to a passenger jet landing, which has been nonstop all night and day. No one ventures outside due to the severe weather. Inside our tent, it is dry and comfortable, although strong gusts of wind occasionally strike the tent, but it holds strong. The forecast for 17K is a temperature of -30°C and winds up to 60 mph, so we will be staying put.

Two weeks have already passed since we arrived on the mountain. The morning was clear, and as we had planned the day before, we began packing to move our camp to 17K. However, a weak intuition prompted us to check the weather forecast one last time at the ranger station. The forecast warned of a snowstorm coming in the late afternoon and lasting for three days. Although the calm blue skies made it difficult to believe, we decided to play it safe and stay at 14K. Our decision was proved right as the storm was indeed real. By noon, the skies started to cloud over, and by 1pm, it was a complete whiteout. I will never forget the sound of the wind on the ridge, it was like a modern passenger jet was landing nearby. Some people either didn't know about the forecast or ignored it. Zhula and her guide were among them. They decided to move to the 17K camp but didn't get far before they had to stop because of the wind. Their tent was promptly destroyed by a gust that blew off a block of ...