Day 1 – Sunday 3rd June

The Inlet B&B was small but a good size for our needs as it just about fitted all the group in one go – only Rodney was forced to find an alternative venue. Dale and Mike made their own arrangements so six of the nine got to enjoy the hospitality of Barbara the owner.

Team composition was 9 clients (1 Alaskan, 1 Australian, 2 Brits, 1 Irish, 1 Japanese-Brazilian and 3 from mainland US) plus 3 American Guides. We were greeted by Chris (lead guide), Dave (just 2 days off the mountain) and Drew. A gear check at 10am followed and much to my horror I needed more gear = more spend! Down pants (never used), bottle insulators (essential but bottles still froze), overboots (could have got away with but not worth the risk), mitts and pee bottle (necessity!). The overboots I bought didn’t fit so I walked back from B&B to shop. Got lost but found a friendly local directed me (all local Alaskans seem friendly) only to find the shop closed.

At lunch we went to the local ‘Bear Tooth’ café set within a cinema, and had a large steak burrito & local pale ale, very nice and cheap too! Guides and team on initial impressions seem like good people.
No mobile reception though did see an internet case when driving around so will walk there and try to email Libby and the little monster. Weather today has been mild, mostly cloudly.

Day 2 – Monday 4th June

After yesterdays admin hassle today felt like we were on the trip proper. Got up at 6am, breakfast then packed kit into trailer. Said “hi” to Chris Davenport (apparently a famous skier?), who was meant to be catching a lift to Talkeetna with us.

Arrived at midday in Talkeetna and bought overboots from the AMS store. Talkeetna is a real one street, frontier type of town. Weighed in kit at airstrip, personal kit = 65lbs, group kit for 12 = 1400 lbs; managed to speak to Libby.

Got to sit in the co-pilots sit for flight into glacier which was great, though views spoilt by low cloud. Landed at basecamp we then cracked on with camp admin, rigging sleds, packs and ate food. Relaxed start but tomorrow with a single carry across the kahiltna Glacier will be a big day. Very mild, around 5C and raining in the evening.

Day 3 – Tuesday 5th June - Kahiltna Base Camp (2,200m) to Ski Hill (2,400m) – dist 5.5m

Sitting at camp 1 after an eventful day. Had a ‘slow’ start, up at 3.30am but not moving until 6.30am. Everything takes a little longer in this environment. Having rigged our sleds last night, we set off in 3 rope teams, each led by a guide. ‘Team (The dogs) Bollocks’ was led by Dave with Ben, Andrew and myself on the rope. We only got 2 yards when Andrew’s sled flipped, then jammed in a hole – an omen for the rest of the day. The 6 mile move done in single carry meant carrying 90lb pack and 30lb sleds – painful! Toshi (Jpy-Brazilian) reached the first rest stop in a bad way. He had been delaying his rope team and after a discussion was decided he was going back and his trip was over – a lot of cash for an hours walk on a glacier. We then encountered serious crevasse action. Best moment being a ‘double-header’ where Chris encountered an ankle grabber and in backing up Andrew in front of me reversed into a ‘body snathcer’ disappearing instantly – quite impressive. Took around 30 minutes to get an extraction and would have been a goner without the rope. Now all safely at camp 1 with great views of the Messner Couloir, Cassin Ridge and Denali Summit.

Day 4 – Wednesday 6th June - Ski Hill (2,400m) to Upper Kahiltna (3,200m) – dist 3m

Did a load carry to 10,200ft to cache group & personal gear. Steady ascent up Ski Hill (like a beginners ski slope) done in about 4.5hrs. Once we’d cached the gear – requiring a large snow hole and marking our spot – we went back down to camp in one go. Most of day has been low cloud with poor visibility and light snow.

Day 5 – Thursday 7th June - Ski Hill (2,400m) to Motorcycle Hill (3,400m) – dist 4m

Lying in my sleeping bags as I write at 11k ft, after we had broken camp, and moved up to motorcycle hill. Weather today has been tough with high winds, snow, poor visibility and cold. Up at 5.15am on the move at 7.30am (starting to become a slick operation!) we moved at good speed making 4 stops en route. Arriving at camp the weather was still bad and I for one was highly motivated to set up camp and establish some shelter. The process is simple, dig a platform and walls then carefully pitch the tent, making sure nothing blows away. It’s amazing how warm it can get in the sleeping bag inside the tent, very cosy. Saw my first mountain wildlife on Denali, a yellow/ green finch type bird (grey crowned rosy finch?) which flew around our campsite in the morning before turning up half way through the hike, perching on our rope whilst we moved. Sadly it was last seen being mown over by my sled and reportedly trodden on by Dale, probably a blessing in disguise.
Greeted by two jovial Eastern Europeans singing loudly in the gale force conditions gesturing wildly – first signs of altitude sickness?

Day 6 – Friday 8th June - Motorcycle Hill (3,400m) Back Carry – dist 2.5m

Today we back carried, going back to collect our stash, effectively an active rest day. Led going which was enjoyable as I could largely dictate the pace. Dug up the cache and back to camp, all within 1 hour. Cheese toasties were good – food so far has been top notch – followed by gear sorting, brief nap, dinner then bed. Tomorrow we carry to 13,500 or maybe 14,200 Basin Camp to cache gear, which will involve ascending Motorcyle Hill, Squirrel Point and going around Windy Corner. The weather forecast is poor so could be interesting.

Day 7 – Saturday 8th June - Motorcycle Hill (3,400m) to Cache (4,100m) - dist 1.75m

Carried to 13,500 ft today, up Motorcycle Hill, Squirrel Hill and Windy Corner. No squirrel or motorbikes spotted and barring certain team members there was little wind to note. Some good exposure with good views of Peters Glacier and out to the Tundra. Piled down at a fast pace as temperatures started to get really hot. Number of parties going up slowly looking like they weren’t enjoying the experience. A typical Denali day with crazy weather, -5C at 9am, sweltering at the end. Back at camp we watched Davenport and team ski some extreme lines

Day 8 – Sunday 9th June - Motorcycle Hill (3,400m) to Basin Camp (4,300m) - dist 2.75m

Moved camp today and feel like I am acclimatising well (slight headache at 13,500 yday, feel good at 14,2 camp today). Everything went well except the last section where we all got fried. It is strange that lower down we were in full blown mountain storms and now we are getting burned by the sun – I have never felt so warm in just a base layer and cap on a mountain. 14 camp is an international village, full of tents and different nationalities (met our Irish friends who are having a good craic). Great views to the fixed lines, Rescue Gully, Messner Couloir, Upper West Rib, Hunter and Foraker

Day 9 – Monday 10th June - Back Carry from Basin Camp (4,300m) – dist 1m

First nights sleep at ‘14’ camp, woke up a few times with v.dry mouth/ tongue (similar to a heavy night on the beers). Still drank 1 litre of water during the night meaning two pee bottle actions. A relaxed start to the day, breakfast at 9.30am was eggy toast with bacon washed down with multiple hot drinks – sadly no coffee for the clients, guide privilege only.
At around 11am we descended to our cache to bring back to camp (‘ a back carry’). The weather continues to be unpredictable, one moment scorching the next v cold. Overall though the weather has been good, no ‘flash freezing’ or sustained snow blizzards yet. When we returned to camp we practiced some fixed lines drills and moving past running belays. Most of us mastered the ‘magic clip’ where you simultaneously unclip and clip back in without clipping out of the protection – all good fun.The team generally seem to be doing well. Dale has a stomach infection and Drew has a cold/flu but everyone else seems fine. Found out today we can use the Sat phone. Andrew called his girlfriend, I have decided I will wait a few more days. Tomorrow and the next day will be early starts as we move to high camp. We should then move over Denali pass to 18,200 camp on the North Side before attempting a summit bid then desdcending the N. Side which sounds interesting (river crossings, bear dodging, untracked glaciers and knife edge ridge descents). Still the next 4/5 days should make or break us then it’s all downhill to home!!

Day 10 – Tuesday 11th June - Rest day at Basin Camp (4,300m) – dist 0m

Last night Chris informed us all that we wouldn’t be carrying today and instead we’d have a rest day. Little disappointing as we have had another good weather day. As a result we had 11 hours sleep and then a big feed at breakfast of sausage, potato, cheese and vegeys. Went down well, especially as I expect my appetite to be suppressed as we move higher up the mountain. The rest day was primarily for Sean and Dale to recover and fortunately it seems to have paid dividends so I guess it was a good call. Gear is packed in preparation for the load carry up the fixed lines and it feels pretty heavy (70 lbs?), I have group gear, food, clothes and sled! The bonus is the more carried on the load carry, the easier the move to high camp becomes. Good weather is forecast through to Saturday so hopefully the mountain gods are smiling on us and we will get a summit window without delays. Went on a walkabout around camp in the afternoon with Andrew and met his new Irish friends, a very jovial pair. The camp has a distinct international feel – French, Brits, E. Europeans, Koreans to name a few of the international mix.

Day 11 – Wednesday 12th June - Basin Camp to Ridge Camp (4,900m) – dist 1m

Woke up feeling ill with diarrhoea, ate minimal for breakfast and took medication and stocked up on zip locks and TP for emergency use. Meanwhile the team last another member when Dale decided not to go any further having experienced a stomach upset and breathing difficulties over the last couple of days. With the previous night temperatures dropping to -20C it was a cold start to the day. A 1.5 hour slog up to the fixed lines then ‘jumaring’ up the lines to gain the W Buttress proper. At this point the sun had come out and it was very hot, despite wearing only a base layer. We continued without a break along the ridge offering great climbing and exposure. Stopping for a much needed break it became apparent that Drew was experiencing initial symptoms of HACE, whilst Sean lower down was having breathing issues. Our group stayed on the ridge greeting other Mtn Trip groups who were descending from high camp whilst Drew went down to pick up Sean and descend to 14 camp. We cache’d our gear and an hour later descended to 14 camp for our afternoon siesta. Group is now down to 2 guides and 6 clients.

Day 12 – Thursday 13th June - Basin Camp to High Camp (5,200m) – dist 1.75m

Moved to High camp today, back up the fixed lines, along the ridge and straight into a recently vacant campsite – the high walls Dave’s previous team had built offered great protection from the weather. I am acclimatising quite well – minor headaches – and the summit now feels close BUT the weather for the next few days is poor.
Today started with bad omens, Rodney finding it difficult to carry his pack and group gear up to the fixed lines, eventually Chris having to carry Rodney’s share – I am glad I’m not carrying Chris’s pack. The difficulties of leading a disparate bunch of ‘client’s in a hostile environment and ensuring we all keep moving forward must be a tough task but the Guides are doing an awesome task.High camp is in a great location, perched on the edge of a plateau overlooking rescue gully, 14 camp and out to Hunter/ Foraker. Waited for the ski party to ski Messner Couloir (see pic). Got cold waiting so missed the action unfortunately. Starting to really miss Libby and Carly but I know we’re well over halfway and with good weather another week should see us summit and traverse the mountain.

Day 13 – Friday 14th June - High Camp back carry to ridge cache and load carry to Denali Pass – dist 2m

Woke up with lethargy/ headaches – felt bizarrely emotional (not like me!) missing my little family. Clearly the thin air is getting to me.We back carried down to the cache to retrieve gear, with good weather giving us great views. Losing appetite - had bagels which I couldn’t stomach. Keen to press on a few of us were keen on the idea of doing an extra load carry up Denali pass, a steep traverse which has seen many a tired summiter fall. In the end we all ‘volunteered’ for the extra load carry except Rodney so Dave led us up the Pass whilst Rodney and Chris sorted out dinner. Temperatures are plummeting once the sun goes down, probably -20 – 25C. Cold.

Day 14 – Saturday 15th June - High Camp to North Side (5,400m) – dist 1.75m

Load carried from high camp, over Denali Pass to a new camp high up on the Harper glacier. I carried my pack and sled – felt cheated as I’d already carried my sled over the pass the previous day. The sled was light but awkward given the traverse over steep terrain. The pack felt heavy (60lbs) but with a slow pace and better acclimatisation it was all manageable.On the toilet front I had my first proper ‘number 2’ for 4 days. Morale improved. Rodney had his second ‘accident’ of the trip – most unfortunate. On the N side of the mountain temperatures felt -10C colder and we wandered down the untracked glacier looking for a suitable spot. This process seemed to take an eternity and we eventually found a place which seemed far from suitable. We then had to dig platforms and build walls before erecting tents in gusting winds (up to 50 mph). During the night I found my ear plugs which helped block out the noise of wind against tent. Chris decided that with winds still high tomorrow would be a rest day, summit following day hopefully then descent. Looking forward to it – hot showers & real food!

Day 15 – Sunday 16th June

Rest day.

Day 16 – Monday 17th June

Went to pick up the cache with a possible summit option. Getting to the cache in ‘white out’ conditions proved testing as visibility was down to less than 10 metres at times. It seemed to take two hours to travel the half a mile to the cache but Chris still suggested there was an option for a summit attempt despite poor weather. John said he felt tired and I backed him, so the group decided no summit bid today. Motivation at a low, everyone at dinner was hoping for good weather tomorrow, I’m just hoping for an early finish so I can get home and see my two girls.

Day 17 – Tuesday 18th June – Summit Day - High Camp to Summit (6,190m) – dist 3.5m

Woke up a number of times during the night with headaches but eventually rose at 7.30am with the sound of everyone else moving around packing for a summit bid. Weather is perfect – warm, clear skies with only a little spindrift being blown off the summit indicating manageable winds. Went for a big ‘dump’ which is always an immensely satisfying action when faced with a big day ahead. The lack of personal space didn’t matter, the ‘toilet’ (a plastic bag in the snow) is a metre from the guides tent and in full view of everyone else, no room for modesty up here.

We set off at 9am for the summit, two rope teams, our ‘Team Bollocks’ consisting of Dave (G), Andy, Ben and me. The now wanded rote up the upper Harper passed without incident and in about 1 hour we had reached Denali Pass and had a break to refuel. Continue up a short steep section around Archedeacon’s Tower offering good snow conditions and a short 20m route of 45 deg snow/ice. At the top of the section the guys suddenly seemed to increase the pace leaving me gasping for breath. We stopped to layer up, suddenly the temperatures had dropped to around -20 and the wind had noticeably picked up leaving my gloved hands numb with cold. Full summit mitts, face mask, goggles & hat plus Jim’s Down Jacket were needed. The ground now eased enabling good altitude gain without getting too steep. We came to the football fields and actually began descending, a bit depressing to give back height you had already gained but I felt good as did everyone else on the rope team and we had a long wait for the other guys at the base of the aptly named Pig Hill. We waited around 30 mins before the other team came into sight. We then moved up Pig Hill together, the ground getting steeper with slopes of 40 -45 degs making it a true Pig of a Hill. Having left our packs at the bottom though we went strongly up the hill to gain the short summit ridge and get great views of the Alaskan range. The ridge was corniced and exposed but only a short section to the top. I believe we were the first summiteers of the day and we spent half an hour on top taking in the views which were superb. To the South was the huge Denali S. Face, to the North, a 100m drop down to the Football Fields.
The team moved back down in good order and returned to camp at 6pm, approx 10 hour round trip but everyone seemed in good order.

Day 18 – Wednesday 19th - June High Camp to Muldrow Glacier (c5,000m) – dist 4m

Woke up last, camp alive with activity, packing up to descend the Muldrow. I had a 4 minute conversation with Libbles on the SAT phone.Collapsed camp and only had a hot chocolate before setting off down the Upper Harper glacier which presented high crevasse risk. On the way down the Harper most of us had some experience of crevasse action, twice my legs went into slots, a forewarner of the quality of snow we were facing. Reached Browne’s Tower for lunch before descending the steep Karsten’s ridge, which proved to be an epic descent. What initially seemed a straightforward if steep snow ridge proved difficult primarily due to the snow conditions and secondly with Rodney ‘bum sliding’ patches of the ridge making down climbing difficult. The heavy packs and sleds pulling you made life interesting. Feeling strong at the top, I tired with the frequent stops and perhaps the lack of a substantial breakfast. As I tired I took a couple of minor tumbles but rapidly lost confidence in my ability to descend which results in angling more into the slope resulting in less traction with your crampons. One more fall where somebody else had fallen just previously (Rodney or Mike?) and a short steep ice climb led us to the NOLs campsite where they provided much needed hot drinks in exchange for a few bars with the time now 11pm. Tea had never tasted so sweet. Reversing the order with Dave and our rope now going first and with slightly firmer snow we descended down to the Muldrow in good time and reverted to snowshoes on the flat, crevasse ridden glacier. The promise of a prepared campsite the NOLs team had just vacated drove us on for another couple of hours before locating the camp at around 2.30am. Chris’s team came in 30 minutes later looking how we felt. Despite a broken tent pole everyone was in good spirits in this lower altitude after a tough days descent.

Day 19 – Thursday 20th June – rest day

I think we slept until we were baked out of the tents then gorged ourselves on bacon and cream cheese filled bagels. I don’t even like cream cheese but these tasted truly gormet quality. Spent a lot of time listening to rock fall all around us but our location was safe. In the evening Chris cooked Phad Thai, I carefully sifted out the nuts!

Day 20 – Friday 21st June – descend Muldrow

Set off around 2am following are rest day. The first icefall was superb, with some amazing ice/ crevasse sculptures. Then the problems started after walking after a few snow bridges it became apparent we had found ourselves on top of the ‘Hill of Cracks’ with people dropping into crevasses (6 in total). At one point the whole ground sunk with a sonic boom as the snow around dropped millimetres, an unnerving experience. In the end Chris and Dave probed our way for what seemed like 2 -3 kilometres of slow carefully movement, despite only being a client the mental effects are as much draining as the physical and I cannot begin to think how tired Dave and Chris our two guides must have felt. Into late afternoon and we were still well away from the end of the glacier but managed to scramble onto the side of moraine walls and scramble for a couple of kilometres down the side making up for lost time. On the way Dave’s pace made for difficult going and Ben ahead of me was cursing at times – a mixture of tiredness and frustration I guess but the risk of rockfall was high. We pressed on to the moraine but McGonagall’s pass still seemed a way off so at around 10pm we set up camp and ate, another fulfilling 20 hour day! The thought of civilisation and greenery was highly desired!

Day 21 – Saturday 22nd June – McGonagall and beyond

Today we entered the tundra swapping the hazard of crevasses for grizzlies. One negative of leaving snow behind was the necessity to carry everything (including sled) resulting in packs weighing around 90lbs. The other was the Alaskan mozzie, a truly viscous insect which meant head to foot clothing at all times and full gore text when resting plus liberal application of deet. Landscape is typically UK mountain scenery, with hills/ mountains covered in rhododendrons which slow progress down. Descending McGonagall’s pass we get a glimpse of Wonder lake still around 15 miles away though looking deceptively close. Weather is mild

Day 22 – Sunday 23rd June – Turtle Hill to Wonder lake

Wake up to a breakfast of Oatmeal only, as supplies are low. Despite that, my pack feels as heavy as ever, maybe 80 – 100lbs. We set off bushwacking through the tundra aiming for turtle hill. Most of my lunch food has been eaten (two large bags packed full of sweets and snacks for the whole trip) making refuelling difficult. After a few hours we reach Turtle Hill which sits on a ridgeline from where we the McKinley river and beyond to Wonder Lake. The river should be our final challenge covering 20 or more braids. A short descent and we re-group on the banks of the McKinley. The glacial fed river is around 1 mile wide with braid depths varying from calf to waist deep, with all seem to be moving quickly. To add to the fun, it was also my turn to carry the rope and we had to attach our sleds to our packs – I could hardly move let alone cross the river. Despite a couple of guys going for a bit of a swim we all got across in one piece. I changed into my dry trainers only to face one more stream crossing 5 minutes later, what a wasted effort! Still only a two mile trek up to Wonder lake on proper paths and we had done it! We had a proper camp pitch with toilets and running water, pure luxury. After a feast of bagels and instant noodles we turned in at 1.30am for a few hours sleep before the 6.30 am bus. Another long day but we could now relax, knowing we had done it.

PostScript

Apart from the joy of seeing a mother Grizzly bear and her two cubs at the roadside, the journey out of the Denali National Park passed without incident. We travelled back to Anchorage and I was fortunate to get a flight out the next morning back to London. Despite the tan and beard, my daughter Carly still recognised me and I was overjoyed to see her and Libby once I’d located our new house (my resourceful wife had moved home whilst I’d been on the mountain).

Apart from being 10kgs lighter and frost nipped fingers which went a waxy white then peeled there were no lasting ill effects. As I write this several months on, I look back with a warm sense of accomplishment knowing that we all worked hard to bag Denali and traverse over the mountain to Wonder Lake. For some of us this clearly isn’t enough, my tent mate Ben is currently rowing the Atlantic, as for myself, I’ve been more than occupied with work and family life to think of what’s next.