High[er] Resolution
Google finally added higher-res imagery of Denali, in a strip that conveniently misses the summit. Why bother? Anyway, I stitched my GPS tracks from two years into one route: three weeks up the white line, about a day back down.
![High[er] Resolution](/content/images/size/w720/2025/10/Full-Route-(Annotated).jpg)
Curtis Jones
Not a Workout
To the lady on the treadmill beside me: 3.5mph for five minutes is not actually working out in any meaningful sense. Your singing did make me want to go faster, in an effort to escape, but being on a treadmill myself, it didn't help.
The Money Shot
I love my watch, and I forgot to leave it in Talkeetna, so I photographed it on the summit and sent the shot to Tag Heuer. Surely they'll want to sponsor my next climb and send me a newer model. Here's the money shot.
Pig Hill
The route from High Camp to the summit climbs Denali Pass, winds through smaller hills, drops into the Football Field, then tackles Pig Hill and the Summit Ridge: about three thousand vertical feet. Here's video from the descent, plus an unfortunate close-up of my runny nose.
Ender's Game
Having burned through Anthem in Anchorage, I picked up my first Orson Scott Card, Ender's Game. Highly entertaining. The very end got a bit too cheesy for me, but it's a quick read, so even if you disagree it won't cost you much time.
Heading Home
No flight home until Saturday, so I floated in the hotel pool and walked 2.4 miles to see Star Trek (worth it, even if it lacked a certain Trek feel). Meanwhile I've been reading Ayn Rand; We The Living was amazing. Here's the obligatory summit GPS pic.
Star Trek
Star Trek came out today, and I'm missing it because I'm stuck on a mountain in Alaska. I'll catch it stale a month from now. Just as well: seeing movies in Manhattan is horrible. Today, if the weather cooperates, we back-carry supplies up to 14,200 feet.
Day 2 ... shopping, shopping, shopping
Corey and Brett got into Anchorage late last night. Today a van carts us to a grocery store to supplement our 300,000-plus calories (no exaggeration) with a few goodies, then it's off to Talkeetna and the air taxi airfield.
Sunny Alaska
Just landed in Anchorage. The first thing you notice stepping off the plane is the amazing air (or maybe my standard had just dropped). I glanced at the spot where we all met up a year ago. Such nostalgia. On to Talkeetna tomorrow.
Where Am I?
Don't forget to check whereiscurtis.blogspot.com every now and then. Corey will probably start sending location messages sometime Wednesday.