DAY 3 – Flight In, Basecamp Setup, Anchors 101
The weather finally broke on the third day, allowing us to fly into the Range. We loaded an Otter aircraft, considered by many to be the quintessential “bush plane” due of its short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities.
Within an hour, our Talkeetna Air Taxi had us safely on the Kahiltna Glacier after a very smooth flight!
Our first order of business was to set up basecamp above the airstrip near the AMS Thunderdome.
That afternoon was spent work hardening a platform where we pitched tents and established a kitchen.
This shelter over our kitchen is really a 4-person pyramid tent. The one shown here is BD’s Megamid, which is now called a Mega Light. (ah, isn’t ultralight spelled ultralite? so shouldn’t it be Mega Lite??)
By 2pm, it was time to hide out in our tents for the hottest part of the day. You really want to avoid doing anything between 2-4pm because the sun is so intense.
As evening rolled in, we had an Anchors 101 class where most of this group got their first look at how to build a T-slot. We also learned how to anchor down our tents for excessive winds. The day ended with some basic instruction on how to use a CMC. Honestly, this clean climbing practice is very much appreciated given the bathroom conditions I saw on Orizaba earlier this year.
DAY 4 – Morning Hike, Sled Rigging 101
Our first morning on the glacier started with Blueberry Pancakes and Bacon cooked over an MSR WhisperLite Universal Stove. This compact backpacking stove can burn a wide variety of fuels, but we used Crown White Gas from Walmart.
We then roped up for a short hike to the climber’s route for Mt. Francis.
The path we followed took us around some pretty awesome ice falls…
…and over snow bridges that crossed a few gnarly looking crevasses.
The end of that canyon was only 1.75 miles from camp with about 900 feet of elevation. On our way back, the weather suddenly changed and we found ourselves returning to camp in a complete whiteout.
It cleared up enough after lunch to have a Sled Rigging 101 class. NOW we’re getting into what I came to learn about and experience first-hand!
DAY 5 – Break Down Camp, Move Up Glacier
With a better understanding of how to rig up our sleds for roped travel, it was time to practice that new skill, break down camp and move up glacier.
Here we are going down the infamous Heartbreak Hill, a short 1-mile stretch from Basecamp. Off in the distance is Mt. Foraker to the left at 17,400′ and Mt. Crosson on the right at 12,352′.
We decide to establish our next camp 3 miles from Basecamp, about half-way to the more common camp at Ski Hill. I wish we had pushed another 2.5 miles all the way to Ski Hill. Unfortunately, this group had a hard time getting started each morning which generally put us up to an hour behind. The problem there is, if you aren’t moving early, you end up doing the hardest work in the heat of the day.
Probing for Safety
That work begins with probing out the spot you’ve selected to make camp. In our case, we found three crevasses in this area that forced us to keep readjusting our boundaries. Not camping at Ski Hill was probably a good idea since we likely wouldn’t have had this practice exercise.
Once the area is declared safe, you work harden the surface again before setting up tents and digging out your kitchen.
Next task is to select a designated bathroom area and dig it out for some privacy. I was happy to hear the rumors about pooping in public were likely from those not willing to put in this extra effort. Granted, we all shit the same, but no one needs to see each other doing their business. So this task was well worth the time it took to complete.
You can get pretty creative with how you carve out your living areas. We had a urinal in our bathroom, a refrigerator in our tent’s rear vestibule and seats in our kitchen. I felt like a kid again building forts and playing in the snow.
The day ended with another tasty dinner. While AMS provided all the food, we cooked every meal. I didn’t think we could eat this well carrying in 16+ meals. Had it been up to me, I would have just loaded up a bunch of Mountain House Pro-Paks… so this was good to experience as well.
DAY 6 – No Darkness, More 101
It never gets dark in Alaska at this time of the year, so headlamps aren’t necessary. It is also very easy to lose track of time after sunset since the amount of light stays just about the same. If the day is overcast or stormy, the hour is even less distinguishable. 11 o’clock AM looks no different than 11 o’clock PM. It’s really kinda trippy.
This picture was taken at 1am while I tried to keep the camera from auto-adjusting its brightness.
Today’s breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and cheese wrapped in a tortilla.
The morning then continued on with more 101 classes about cold weather injuries and high altitude sickness. This was frustrating because we stood around for hours, in beautiful weather on the Kahiltna Glacier, taking about basic classroom topics. In my opinion, knowledge like this should have been a prerequisite for attending a Denali Prep course in Alaska!
After lunch, the course continued with resetting kitchen anchors and building walls to fortify our camp.
We were also shown how to use avalanche probes, which a few of us already knew how to do. In the picture below, we are setting up an anchor to safely probe the crevasses we found yesterday right outside our camp boundary, which was cool!
DAY 7 – Move to Camp 1, Crevasse Rescue 201
On Day 7, we finally moved up to Camp 1 at the base of Ski Hill, where we should have been 2 days ago.
As we approached our destination, the clouds had cleared and “the tall one” came into view.
Camp 1 is where real expedition teams make camp on a real Denali trip. I wish this Denali Prep course would have mimicked that. More on that later…
The same general procedures were followed upon arriving at this camp: probe for safety, flag the boundary, stomp down your platform, set up tent, dig out vestibule, kitchen and bathroom, eat lunch, avoid the heat from 2-4, build walls.
By late afternoon, we got into the good stuff with crevasse rescue and rigging up mechanical advantages. This is what I’ve been waiting for the whole time. I was hoping to get dropped down into a real crevasse like I saw on Rainier last year, but the best we could do was to haul a weighted sled.
We all got quality time putting together 3:1 and 5:1 systems. Then for fun, a few of us played around with setting up 6:1, 7:1 and 8:1 compound systems… the only Mountaineering 201 class offered.
DAY 8 – Day Hike to Kahiltna Pass
The primary objective of this AMS Denali Prep Course was to reach Kahiltna Dome, a formidable peak at 12,525′. Unfortunately, I knew the odds of accomplishing K-Dome were against us before we even left Talkeetna. That was the most disappointing part of this D-Prep Course. I did not come to Alaska for basic Mountaineering 101. I came to Alaska to “mirror a Denali Climb” as advertised by AMS!
The course instructors were aware of this frustration and tried to make up for it with a day hike to Kahiltna Pass. It was the last opportunity to do something big. If nothing else, we could at least reach a notable point above 10,000 feet. As luck would have it, the weather that day was complete crap.
Lots of other teams were still moving up and down the mountain… but they had to. They were carrying loads in true expedition style. For us, we were just out for a stroll… and it would have been a beautiful one if the weather had been like any of the three days prior. Why…
After climbing 1,600 feet in less than 2 miles, the decision was made to turn back and head down. We had only reached 9,300′ but there was no point in continuing. All we could see was endless flat light. I had people in front of me to help with visual orientation, but that was not the case for our lead guide.
Back at camp, we spent the rest of the day practicing our hauling systems, knots and anchors followed by another 101 class on how to use crampons and an ice axe.
DAY 9 – Back to Basecamp, Wait to Fly Out
Woke up Wednesday morning to a beautiful day… wouldn’tcha know, the day we had to leave! I so wanted to head up to Kahiltna Pass, but instead, we had to break down camp and go back to Base.
Our hike from Camp 1 to Basecamp was 5.5 miles. Heartbreak Hill was the last mile of that distance and only climbed 450′. I didn’t see why everyone makes a big deal about this hill. Maybe doing that final stretch is a drag after spending three or four long weeks on the mountain, but com’on, it’s only a mile!
As we approached the airstrip, we saw several groups waiting their turn to load up and go. Our flight wasn’t scheduled until the next morning, but we were OK to leave early if the opportunity was there. No one wanted to set up camp again. So we just laid around and waited to see what would happen.
One flight. Two flights. Three flights came and went. Four hours had gone by and we were next. Unfortunately, another storm rolled in and our clear skies turned grey. Everything was grounded until further notice. We weren’t supposed to leave today anyway, but a nice shower was sure on our minds.
DAY 10 – New Snow, Ready to Go
By morning, 4 inches of new snow had accumulated and the skies were still grey. It was uncertain if we would be flying out today, tomorrow, or even the next day. If you remember, weather caused our delay getting in here too… it’s just part of what you need to be prepared for.
We finally got word that a plane was on its way! Our camp was down and packed in an instant. About an hour later, we were loaded up and ready to go.
I was lucky enough to get the co-pilot seat for this flight out…
… and the views were spectacular!
Once we got back to Talkeetna, the work wasn’t quite over yet. We still had to unpack and separate our gear from that of the group. There was stuff to hang out to dry and dishes that needed to be washed. I was leaving in the morning to head back to Anchorage, so my stuff had to be travel-ready again before I could call it a day.
We did end up having dinner together at Lattitude 42… and then, finally… a nice, hot shower!
