I heard that our guide Rob Durnell (Durny), Larry and Bill have all made it back to Talkeetna. A hearty congratulations to those guys for sticking it out as long as they did. It is incredibly tough to keep motivated up high on Denali, when the wind and cold are doing their best to erode your will. These guys spent three weeks up there and have earned a big steak at a good restaurant in Anchorage!
I also received word that Heidi, Ed and David are all heading down and hope to fly off the glacier on Monday. Noel has joined another Mountain Trip team that started behind this crew and is hoping to make a summit bid today or tomorrow.
A point of clarification for those reading Wes's blog. The Park ranger who said that "that usually no one summits until the end of May due to weather" is either new to the job or just prone to making gross generalizations. Staistically, most climbers have reached the summit during the first week of June, however; our first trip of the season (like this one) has summitted for the past seven years. This trip just lucked out and met the harsh face of Denali when she wasn't very cooperative. I'm certain that not many people out there can relate to the demanding conditions that this team struggled through, which is all the more reason to give your friends and family a hearty hug when you see them back safe at home!
I'll post as soon as I know for certain.
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