By Curtis Jones in climbing — 16 May 2008

Mt. McKinley (2008) - Day 12

Carry to Windy Corner

Breakfast was blueberries and poptarts. A rather light breakfast.

It drifted quite a bit last night so we're sort of taking our time getting ready this morning - with the hope that some other group will break trail for us. We're loading up our packs with everything we won't need for the next couple of days and we're going to haul it up past Windy Corner to 13,600' and cache it.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we'll tear down camp and move up to 14,200' (Camp 4). When we leave this camp we'll cache sleds, duffles and everything else that we won't need until our descent (including snow shoes!). Arriving at Camp 4 signifies, in my mind, our real arrival on the mountain. No more being stuck at the lower camps. Upon arriving at Camp 4, we get to take a *real* rest day and just do whatever.

And we finally get to use crampons! I'm really not a big fan of snowshoes.

Some groups took off and broke trail. We're going to head up any moment now.

I'm taking the frisbee to the cache today and I'm going to leave the tennis and baseballs here. If I want to bring them when we move, I'll have that option. It all depends on how much weight I have to carry when we move, tomorrow.

Well, we made it to 13,600'. Windy Corner was, well, windy. We ditched our ski poles at Windy Corner and went on with just our ice tools. There's a fairly substantial pile of ski poles there. Here's to hoping mine will still be there when we return.

The guides dug a big hole and we tossed in all of our stuff. I lay helpless on my empty pack. And I tossed on my parka, too. I was pretty unconrollably cold. I probably didn't eat enough and my body is having a hard time keeping itself warm. And when one suddenly rests after vigorous exercise that body temp drops pretty fast.

A little while longer and we're going to head back down.

The climb today reminded me of my stair training (muscle wise) - both up and down. That's encouraging.

My cough is bad again (as of this afternoon), which is a bit of a bummer. I'm taking a regular regiment of vitamin-c ... no idea if that'll help, but it probably won't hurt.

I think I'll sleep well tonight. It is so much warmer down here at camp 3 than it was at the cache.

While we were out caching stuff today a bunch of people moved in all around us - and right next to us. This one group set up their tent and CMC beside our kitchen - which was rather odious, to say the least. Also, our kitchen area sort of looks down on their CMC area, thereby not affording them much privacy.

I'm hopeful that since I cached nearly everything I'm going to need at the higher two camps that my pack will be lighter tomorrow than it was today. I can dream....

I'm chowing down on some beef jerky in the kitchen. Fede looked hungry so I gave him some. It made me think that we should have a sign: Please don't feed the guides.

Whenever I rub my face little white flakes fall to the ground. I think I'm in need of a shower.

Mike just announced that dinner will be a large pot of ramen and chicken. He also said that the first RMI group attempted to summit today, but they were quickly turned back by high winds. The third RMI group arrived at base camp this afternoon and just set up camp for the night. We'll probably see them on our way down.

My cough seems to have improved dramatically during the past couple of hours. That's happy.

The weather and views this evening at camp are amazing. Clear skies above, clouds below us, bright, warm sun, no wind or snow. Of course if it stays clear tonight its going to be freakin' freezing in the morning.

Potentially just seven more days on this mountain. Time to sleep.

Despite the fact that he is squatting, I don't think that's where the bathroom is ... so, he is probably re-inforcing the walls or something.

For the first time, we finally get to dump the snow shoes and strap on the spikes. They're not exactly light, but they're better than snow shoes.

These people failed the race to procrastinate. Why they would want to break trail is beyond me.

Up. Up motorcycle hill we go. That's me right behind the dude with the yellow/green-ish sled strapped to his pack. And everyone in front of us is helping pack the snow down so that we don't have to. The joys of procrastinating.

At the top of the hill we take a break, before we start up the next hill

Billy, Yuri, Brian and Baron ... why, oh why, did Yuri have to get on that rope team? There should have been someone else with a b-name. We could have called them the b-team. That's not very nice. Sorry.

That's the last hill before Windy Corner, in front of us

Taking a break before we head up the final hill to Windy Corner

Taking a break.

Now this is what we pay the guides for. When I'm pooped, they still have to dig the cache. Of course, I probably wouldn't have had the problem with being so cold if I had to dig.

The cache gets wanded, and geocoded and we're all set.

The notion of a base layer is tragically lost on some people. Or, maybe, there was a fashion show about to start. Additionally, Yuri is the only Russian I know who would go on a month-long expedition without any vodka. Of course, he is also the only Russian I know.

Almost back to camp 3 ... looking down on it from the top of motorcycle hill

Mount Foraker. I don't recall being able to see Foraker from camp 3, so I'm wondering if this picture got out-of-place or something. Who knows. You certainly wouldn't, so I'm not terribly concern.

I believe that's motorcycle hill. The weird zig-zags to the left of the main trail are from people ascending the hill on skis

Thankfully, the local covenants did not prevent out-door clothes lines. My neighborhood in Atlanta is not so lenient.

If it snows, it'll mostly just get on the sled, and then I can un-burry my pack easily. The trekking poles and ice tool help mark where my stuff is.

This bathroom did not provide a very stunning view for its occupant. We realized the importance of this and adapted our bathroom-building technique in later camps.

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