Off to the (other) big hill

Spring has been cold and wet and long in the Cascades this year, which has been great for the glacier snowpack but not great for my soggy boots! Courses led for Alpine Ascents went well, managed to tag the summit of Rainier a couple times, and now have left the northwest, just as summer is setting in, for Denali.

Writing from Talkeetna, I'm excited to get up on a new mountain. I've spent the last few days checking out the tiny town (a tiny little cemetary with figures from Denali history), watching the group before us get ready and take off, and getting everything packed up for our expedition at the little Alpine Ascents compound about 10 miles outside of town. We meet our climbers tonight, one of whom was on my trip this winter on Aconcagua, and hopefully fly on to the glacier tomorrow. Weather controls the flying here, so let's hope it holds.


We will have a cybercast going again, posted with several other Denali expeditions on the Alpine Ascents website: http://www.alpineascents.com/denali-cybercast.asp We are Team XI (eleven), and I may be calling most of the posts in, so look for me or the lead guide Mike online.


We fly the day before summer solstice, so enjoy the summer! I'll be trying to sleep in 24 hours of daylight...