Denali 2005: Alpine Ascents Denali 2005: Cheeseburgers in Paradise

Denali (20,320ft/6,195m) Alaska

Cheeseburgers in Paradise getting ready to move to High Camp
May 23, 2005: Greetings cyberworld, this is Eric Murphy reporting in from the 14,200 foot camp for Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Well Folks, it’s Monday and we’re resting here at 14.2 in fairly decent weather. We made a carry yesterday to the top of the fixed lines at 16,200 feet and we are all set up for a final push to high camp and for a summit bid. The team is doing great, everyone is having a great time, we are enjoying lots of great meals, we had another French toast breakfast this morning and people are getting into their books, relaxing and getting ready for the summit push. So lots of love and greetings to friends and family out there following this cybercast and again, it’s Monday, tomorrow we’re looking to move up to high camp and our final push and we will definitely be in touch, Eric signing out, ciao.

Mystic Elvises safe back at High Camp.
May 23, 2005: Hello this is Trevor with Team Mystic Elvises, we have all safely made it back to camp at 17,200 feet after successfully summiting. Our summit day was 14 hours and 11 minutes and as I stand here in Camp with a very close to full moon with calm clear skies at about 2:30 in the morning on Monday May 23rd, I have a great view of the whole Alaska Range in front of me. We’ll call tomorrow or the next day as we start heading down the mountain, but Team Mystic Elvises has summited and I just want to let everyone know that we are safe and sound and we’ll begin making our way down the mountain. Team Mystic Elvises out.

Dneali Sango-Oichan-7 safely at 14K Camp
May 22, 2005: It’s Sunday May 22nd, in the evening and this is Andy Rich calling with what is hopefully the final cybercast form the field for Denali Sango-Oichan-7. We made our way down form high camp today down to 14,000 feet, we had a really relaxed morning, which was nice, we all deserved it, and made our way down here and settled back into the similar camp we were in when we were down here before. We had a nice dinner and hot drinks and we’re anticipating a 10-hour hike down to the landing strip tomorrow, where hopefully we’ll be looking for a plane ride, probably the next day, hoping that planes can fly then.

As a follow up on our summit, after dinner tonight we were having hot drinks and I asked all the climbers in our group what their next climbing adventures were, I began thinking about it because Oichan has just completed the 7 summits and I was wondering what his next climbing adventure was, so I asked him and his first response was that he was going to go back to farming! I didn’t speculate as to the state of his one-piece down suit nor did I really follow up with the rest of his climbing career afterwards, but that was his immediate response. Others in the group, Hiro says he is heading to Peru next, going down to the Cordillera Blanca, Saito says his next adventure will be Elbrus in Europe and he’s hoping that if he summits Elbrus this Summer he will also go to Aconcagua this Winter and that will hopefully be his 7th summit as well, the highest peak on each continent. Shirota just smiled meekly at me and everyone else in the group and said Everest, Everest! So I think that Shirota may be going to Everest. Yuki, I think Yuki is going sport climbing next, I declined to ask her if our summit day was more fun than a day of sport climbing but I think that she would say that is was certainly more memorable and rewarding. As for Dan and I, well Dan is on his way right back down to the Tetons, he’ll be there for the next few months and I’ll be coming back into the Alaska Range pretty directly, so I think that pretty much covers us. That’s the future outlook for Denali Sango Oichan-7 and we’ll call with one final closure when we get back to Talkeetna, which will hopefully be in a day or two. That’s it for now, Oyasuminasai!

Updates

Overview: There are certain mountains that need no explanation as to why climb. Denali is such a mountain. Its tremendous size and beauty generate a magnetism that continually draws climbers from around the world. An ascent of Denali, touches the psyche of all alpinists and for those who have undertaken its challenges, it rewards them with an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Denali is often considered America's most classic climb. From top to bottom, it rises nearly 18,000', an elevation gain unsurpassed anywhere in the world. At a northern latitude of 63°, it is the most northerly of any big mountain over 20,000'. No other region offers such breathtaking and diverse views each day of the ascent. The panorama from Denali's summit includes Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter and Mt. Huntington in all their majestic glory.

When Dr. Bradford Washburn pioneered the West Buttress route, he heralded in a new era of Denali ascents and offered climbers a unique approach to the summit. The flight onto the glacier is a trip in itself, presenting overwhelming vistas of the Alaska Range. The West Buttress route remains, by far, the most successfully climbed route on the mountain.

Climb Overview: A Denali climb begins deep in the heart of the Alaska Mountain Range on the Kahiltna Glacier. From the S.E. Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier we begin the climb of Denali's West Buttress. Base Camp plus five higher camps are established on the mountain. When necessary, the team makes double carries between all camps, except high camp, to ensure proper acclimatization and reduce loads. In each camp we build snow walls for protection from possible high winds. The climb takes approximately 17-18 days round trip from Base camp.

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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