A post-trip note from the guides

Greetings to all the climbers from this expedition!

Every one of you should be proud of what we have done.

On this Mountain Trip, we carried an international character and a unique sense of humor. Miraculously we avoided international incidents, stood on the summit and made great friends. Despite our diverse backgrounds and world-views, this team of strong individuals displayed a willingness to support one another. We have accomplished the (nearly) impossible.

By now we hope everyone has gotten to where they came from. Please take time to reflect on Denali while in the comforts of your town life. It was a pleasure climbing with all of you. Remember your bodies are trucks, not temples. With enough fuel and four wheel drive you can go anywhere. Come by for a hot drink(s!) next time you're in Alaska!

Congratulations & thanks,

Jacob, Caitlin and Sean

All back in Anchorage

The team had a speedy descent, and they flew off the glacier on Sunday morning. We picked them up and drove them to Anchorage where they had a nice final team dinner. We'll have the guides post a final trip report soon.

Congratulations for a successful trip to end the Mt Trip Denali season!

A short video of the view from the summit

Here is a short video I shot from the summit on a clear day in 2007. Hopefully it will give you a sense of what your friends and loved ones are looking at right now.

On the summit!!

Jacob just called from the top of North America!!

He and the rest of the team are all standing on top of Denali as I type. He said it is so warm and balmy that he and two other just took "shirtless summit photos." That is almost unheard of on Denali!

Apparently it is a crystal clear day and they are all enjoying the views that stretch out over the entire Alaska Range. Everyone is doing great and they will descend in about a half hour or so.

Tomorrow they will drop back to Camp 3 and have promised to give us a call to update us on their plans after that point.

Congratulations to everyone!!!

At High Camp!

The crew moved up to High Camp yesterday (Wednesday). They are sitting tight in a well-fortified camp right now, with gusty winds buffeting their tents. The move up to High Camp is one of the toughest days of the trip, and they are taking a well-deserved rest.

Tomorrow they plan to make a bid for the summit, if the winds lessen. I'll keep you posted!

Meerie and Eileen are descending with a Mountain Trip team led by Heidi Kloos. They did great, but both decided that it might not be the best idea to push it further. Great job ladies!! They are descending from Camp 3 today and will spend the night at Camp 1 this evening. Early in the pre-dawn hours, they will pack up and head for Base Camp, as the air taxis are only able to land in the early morning hours, when the runway is most firm.

Rest day at Camp 3

The crew spent today resting and acclimatizing at Camp 3 today. It was a hot and beautiful day in the Alaska Range, and they needed to hide from the sun at times. Camp 3 can act like a huge solar reflector and can be quite war, despite all the snow and those huge glaciers.

Meerie would like to send a message to Peter:

"Happy Anniversary! I love you!"

We would like to thank Peter for his support of Meerie, especially if it kept her away today, of all days. She is doing great, by all reports and will be heading to High Camp tomorrow.

"Carry Day" up to the fixed lines

Jacob called this evening and said that the group tried to make a carry up the fixed lines today, but were thwarted when visibility dropped and increased snowfall made them call it short. they moved up the moderately steep snow slopes to the base of the headwall, but decided not to venture up the fixed lines. This area can be very challenging on a good, clear day, and the team decided that prudence was the better part of valor and dug their cache at about 15,600', just below the lines.

They descended and will take a rest day tomorrow before heading up to High Camp on Wednesday, weather permitting.