Two teams return after summitting

Two teams arrived in Anchorage yesterday after summitting Denali. Ryan Campbell's May 27th expedition and Clint Cook's June 3rd trip both reached the summit on Wednesday, June 15th. These two expeditions exemplify the fickle nature of climbing Denali.

Ryan's group Flew into Base Camp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier on May 28th. They battled wind and deep snow all the way to Camp 3 at 14,200'. After seven days at that camp, during which they were unable to move higher due to extremely high winds, they were finally able to push up to High Camp at 17,200'. Winds at higher elevations kept them from miving any higher for another five days.

Clint's group, in the meantime, flew onto the glacier on June 4th and was able to keep moving on up the route to Camp 3. After a few nights at that camp, with everyone feeling good, they decided to push up to High Camp to try to take advantage of an apparent upcoming break in the weather. The morning after they arrived at High Camp, the weather broke and they joined Ryan's team in a push for the summit.

It was a cold summit day, but everyone felt good enough to keep moving and reached the top ahead of most of the other groups that summitted that day. Congratulations to everyone who reached the top. You all worked hard and should be proud of your efforts.

Both teams descended the following day and reached Base Camp on the morning of June 17th. Descending Denali can beat you up almost as much as Climbing it, so I'm certain that they enjoyed their well-deserved dinners at The Bear Tooth in Anchorage.