Denali 2010 Changes
My part-time (ha ha) team from Denali this year has renewed their interest in a return visit in 2010. Somehow I managed to contain my squeals of delight. I was thinking that I would probably bring entirely separate gear if it happens; tent and everything. It'll make it less of an issue if I suddenly end up solo again.
Anyway, so, some notes for next - most of them aimed to lighten the load a bit:
- Dump the -40 sleeping bag; take the -15. I have enough down clothing to make up for the difference.
- Dump the large alpine ice tool and take the hybrid. Having a moderately technical ice tool means that it is lighter and smaller. And with the exception of a few of the more technical areas (relatively speaking), mostly we just end up carrying them. May as well carry less.
- One gallon of gas should be enough for one person. The Austrian team I shared a snow cave with at 14k camp brought a single gallon for the two of them. Of course, they weren't planning on a twenty-five day trip (worst case scenario). Its abundantly clear to me now that if the trip is extended beyond our fuel, we can easily get more fuel from descending teams.
- Dump the rechargable electrontics and just take things that have sufficient battery life or bring spare batteries. The solar panel is a great idea, but the number of cables and adapters necessary to allow the handful of electronic gadgets to charge entirely negates the value of the electronic gadgets. The only gadget lacking a replaceable battery was the iPod Nano, and I'd be okay with dumping that and the headphones. The two-way radio gets used for about five minutes of receiving once per day - which one battery is suitable to do for a very long time. Saves me pounds and pounds and lots of bulk.
- No heavy meals (like the DMs), and only limited FD dinners. The DM (Dinty Moore) meals were delicious (when they were actually heated all the way through), but they're way too heavy. Most of the FD meals are utterly inedible. The FD scrambled eggs for breakfast - especially the kind with bacon - are worth bringing. And ramen + FD vegies is definitely good. The rest of the meals can be replaced with nutritious snacks that don't have to be consumed in 800 calorie sittings.
- No clif bars. Enough said.
- One roll of toilet paper (plus a pack of wet wipes) is plenty. RMI's web site said to bring 2 - 3 rolls, last year. I brought three to Talkeetna. I took two on the mountain. I used one in the first week, and after I learned the secret to toilet paper conservation, the second roll lasted the remainder of the trip. This year I brought two rolls and I used half a roll in the nineteen days. One roll is plenty.
- Use the MH South Col pack instead of the larger expedition pack. I saw a guide using the Mountain Hardware South Col pack this year. It's not a very large pack for an expedition of this length. I'm not sure how he pulled it off - maybe by making the clients haul the tents, group food, cooking gear, etc. Or maybe he is a packing genius. Either way, I'll find a way to make it work. It weighs half what my large expedition pack weighs.
- Tent capacity must be greater than size of team. That is, a three person team needs a four person tent. Minimum. And as I mentioned, I might just bring my own two-person tent. Then I can keep all of my gear inside - pack and unpack without having to get out of the tent. That'd be amazing.