High Camps, carries lots of other happenings

view of the Autobahn and Denali Pass on a day that may be similar to what it ended up looking like today.  All of that white stuff that looks like clouds is actually snow being blown by the wind.

Joey Mcbrayer called in this evening.  All is well with their team.  They gave the summit a try today.  The weather started to turn on them so they headed back to high camp.  They made it about a 1/4 of the way up before they decided it would be best to turn around.

Joey's team is sitting on a lot of food and fuel up there he said, so they are planning on waiting it out and going for it again tomorrow, if the weather allows.  If they don't get to go for it tomorrow they are going to wait  and try it when the weather does get better. 

a Frosted view of the 16 ridge as seen from high camp.  I can't see anyone on the ridge in this photo, but climbers would be visible in much of this picture.  Washburn's Thumb is visible in the lower left portion of the picture.

Pat Ormond and his crew (5/13) were just about to roll in to HC according to Joey.  It's pretty cool, from high camp you get an awesome view of the 16 ridge.  The climbers travelling on the ridge are in profile and it is really easy to tell who is who.  Also, I'm sure that Joey was in communication with Pat and Larry all day via the hand held radios.

Guides use satellite phones (some more or less than others) to communicate with the outside world, but all of the guides and the National Park Service are monitoring certain frequencies and are talking to one another frequently.  Guides check in multiple times daily with other guides.  While friends and family may not know the every move of their loved ones on the mountain... the climbers, guides and rangers who are on the mountain are all well aware of where everyone is and what they are doing.  The communication on Denali is actually really really good. 

Greg Collins and the West rib team made a carry to their high camp today on the Upper Rib.  They have decided to climb the Upper Rib and forgo the lower section of the route.  The upper portion of this route has become more popular than the complete West Rib in recent years.

AMS guide Dan Corn called in.  That's who told me that Greg's team had carried to the Upper Rib high camp.  Dan Corn and his team have decided that they are going to climb the West Buttress Route instead of the West Rib.  Dan's team did an acclimatization hike to the fixed lines at 15,600 feet today on the West Buttress.  All is well with them.

I'm sure all of our other teams are busy moving, carrying, eating, sleeping, learning, digging, packing, unpacking, repacking, unpacking repacking, drying, reading, powdering their feet, cleaning their cups bowls and spoons and thinking about all of their loved ones out there in the real world (and about 100 other things that they do each and every day).