Curtis Jones

Day 4: Wind pins us at Camp 1, so we dig a deep kitchen, eat goldfish, and decide to summit via the upper West Rib and skip the headwall. A German couple tries to move their tent into our crapper, and an AAI group grinds out a pointless carry in the wind. More power to 'em.

Day 3: Ranger orientation about not pooping everywhere, then a flight to base camp and a bitterly cold, windy slog up the Kahiltna to Camp 1, where we pillaged an abandoned kitchen for our walls. My hand's going numb and I'm trying not to think about needing to pee.

Day 2: Anchorage to Talkeetna, grocery shopping in Wasilla, gear weighing in at over a hundred pounds each, and dinner at Mountain High Pizza. Wes' delusions of sub-80-pound loads are a distant memory. Talkeetna: a quaint little drinking town with a climbing problem.

Day 1: Atlanta to Anchorage, nearly leaving the two-way radio forgotten on the floor, a free first class upgrade, then an exit-row seat next to a coughing seatmate right before an expedition. We're doing the West Buttress a third time. We're basically veterans.