Nikki Branch's Denali Climb

A Successful Summit!!!!

2007-07-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

They did it!

Scott called as Nikki, Laurie, Chris and he were descending from the summit. Apparently they climbed a direct line up a ridge-like feature that rises directly up from High Camp to about 19,200 feet. Scott said that the climbing was really fun and that everyone did great.

The fact that the team was able to reach the top is a true testament to Scott's ability to adapt to a difficult situation and to his faith in Nikki's ability to dig deep and work hard on a very challenging day. These climbers were faced with what seemed like a very unlikely chance to reach the top, but they used their creativity to make it happen.

Congratulations to Nikki, Scott, Laurie and Chris. We'll keep wishing you a safe descent and I'll keep these dispatches updated until they are safely off the mountain.

Great work team!!

2007-07-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

Storm Day up high...

Well the team spent another tent bound day up at High Camp today. Scott said it was really blowing and that the snow on the Autobahn and all the way to Denali Pass was really deep. He says there are actually cornices formed on Denali Pass, which is pretty much unheard of.

He is still holding out hope that they might get a shot to attempt a different route up toward the summit that would bypass the heavily laden and avalanche prone snow slopes, but they will need a good, clear day with mild winds to be able to make such an attempt. The Denali weather forecast is for moderate temperatures and winds from the east at 15-30 mph. Let's hope the winds stay at the lower end of that spectrum and Nikki and everyone get a shot at the top.

The other team that had been up at High Camp descended today leaving Nikki's team as the only holdout up high. we have another group that is trying to come up to High Camp, but they are sitting tight at Camp 3 due to the amount of snow that has fallen in the last days.

2007-07-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

Climbers on the "Autobahn" with High Camp at the edge of the snowfield in the center of the image.

Scott called to say that they are hunkered down at High Camp and that the winds up above are blowing 50-70 mph.

They pushed up from Camp 3 yesterday through pretty deep snow conditions. They witnessed one avalanche off to the side of their route, but were able to safely make their way up to the fixed lines and onto the protected ridge that runs from 12,200' to High Camp at 17,200'.

The steep snow slope known as the "Autobahn" that teams traditionally traverse to get to Denali Pass at 18,200' is apparently very loaded with fresh snow. Scott is looking at an alternative route to bypass the avalanche hazard of the Autobahn.

The weather has been very challenging for the past week, with no one summitting since one of our other teams reached the top back on June 1st. Scott said when he looked out of the tent early this morning, the weather looked great and they brewed up breakfast in order to get ready to head for the top. Two hours later, they were in a complete whiteout, with fierce winds. It looks like today will be spent in their tents acclimatizing and resting up for the next possible summit window.

Up the Fixed Lines

2007-07-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

Looking up at the headwall (fixed lines) to the left of the frame and High Camp is just beyond the notch on the right of the skyline.

Nikki and the rest of the team carried loads up the fixed lines today. It sounds like everything went well and they will probably take a rest day today. The weather looks a bit unsettled on the mountain today, so it might be a good time to take a rest and acclimatization day before the big push to High Camp.

The Crew is at Camp 3!

2007-07-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Scott just called and said that they were all at Camp 3 at 14,200'. Nikki is "feeling super well" and they plan to carry loads up the fixed lines to the ridge at just above 16,000 feet tomorrow. The following day they plan to use for a rest and acclimatization day before they move to High Camp on Wednesday.

Tomorrow's "carry" entails taking their extra food and fuel up about a 1,400' snow slope to the "headwall". The headwall is the steepest part of the West Buttress route and climbers use established fixed lines to ascend it. These fixed lines are ropes that stretch about 600 vertical feet up an icy slope. They are anchored to the ice every 80-100 feet. Climbers clamp their ascenders to the ropes so that should they slip; they won't go anywhere.

No new news...

2007-07-01T07:27:00.001-07:00

Windy Corner a few weeks ago, living up to its name

I haven't heard anything for a few days. They should be moving to Camp 3 today, however.

The move to Camp 3 at 14,200' involves climbing around the notorious Windy Corner. Windy Corner can be, yes, WINDY! It is a spot where a ridge from the West Buttress drops down to the glacier and can sometimes be so blustery that you simply can't get around. In years past, it has also been tricky due to steep, icy slopes and lots of crevasses. This season, it was pretty easy, as the glacier has moved such that it is almost flat and there aren't many crevasses.

At Camp 2!

2007-06-28T16:17:00.000-07:00

Scott called to say that they were safely camped at Camp 2 at 11,200 feet. He said it was a beautiful, warm day with mostly clear views. Everyone is doing great and excited about their good progress.

Camp 2 is located in a stunningly beautiful bowl with towering ice cliffs and teetering seracs on one side and jagged black rocks interspersed with sweeping ice faces along the other side. The views to the west are of the heavily glaciated Kahiltna Dome, which rises another 1,400 feet above camp. Turning around, you can look up the next stretch of the trail- Motorcycle Hill, a 1,000 foot moderately steep incline that often necessitates the use of crampons and an ice axe to negotiate.

The sunsets from this camp, should you stay awake until 11 pm to enjoy them, are truly amazing!

Nikki is on the glacier!

2007-06-26T09:50:00.001-07:00

The Northwest Buttress of Mount Hunter as seen from Base Camp at midnight.

Nikki, Scott, Laurie and Chris all flew into Base Camp at the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier last night. This is pretty impressive as our air taxi (Talkeetna Air Taxi) was unable to fly for the five preceding days. Let's hope the team's luck continues!

Base Camp is a stunning place to step into when you hop off your plane. The Northwest Buttress of Mount Hunter looms a vertical mile as you look to the southeast and the summit of Mount Foraker soars two miles above you when you look to the southwest. Turning toward the north, you get a wonderful view of Denali, framed in a glaciated saddle between two other peaks. The summit of Denali is a mere 13,100 feet above you at this point.

I haven't heard from the team, but would guess that they left Base Camp in the wee hours of the morning in order to more safely travel the five miles up glacier to Camp 1 at 7,800'. By traveling at night, they will cross the glacier when it is most frozen and hopefully the numerous snow bridges covering crevasses will be frozen enough to support them.

Nikki is Hoping To Fly!

2007-06-25T18:35:00.001-07:00

A view of Avalanche Spire from a DeHaviland Beaver, flying into Denali Basecamp.

The weather has kept climbers from flying in to the Alaska Range for a few days, but it sounds like it is clearing. Hopefully Nikki and everyone can fly into Basecamp this evening. You can check on a live feed of how the Range looks from Talkeetna (the town with the airstrip) at the following link: http://www.talkeetnaair.com/webcam/index.html

Welcome to the Dispatch Blog for Nikki Branch's Denali Expedition!

2007-06-25T17:58:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Mountain Trip's dispatch pages for Nikki Branch's Denali climb. We will post updates as to the progress of Nikki and her guides as they attempt to ascend Denali (Mt. McKinley), the highest peak in North America. At 20,320 feet, Denali is an impressive sight to see from even hundreds of miles away. When you land on the South East Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and look up at her summit some 16 miles distant, it is truly awe-inspiring.

Arctic weather combined with its high elevation make an attempt on Denali a huge under taking. Nikki has enlisted the help of one of the great Denali guides of all time, Scott Woolums, to help make her dream a reality. Scott is joined by Laurie Bagley and Chris Klinke.

We will post updates as we receive them, however; keep in mind that communications from a place as remote and weather affected as Denali can be intermittent. Often a few days will pass during which time we do not receive word of a team's progress. This is normal. Our dictum is, "No news is Good news." If you cannot bear the suspense, give us a call at our office and we'll tell you if we have any current news, but trust me- we will post it as soon as we hear it.

With that in mind- we want support those of you who are showing Nikki support, so let us know if we can do anything better.