By Curtis Jones in climbing — 27 May 2008

Mt. McKinley (2008) - Day 23

Stuck at Camp 5

I slept fairly well, all things considered. Four people in a tent definitely helps things warm up quickly if you don't mind a few smells. The amount of frost on the inside of the tent was a little ridiculous though. If the winds aren't forecasted to be very high, we should open the vents a lot more tonight.

Mike woke us up around 9am and said that we're in a holding pattern while we watch the winds above. As usual, despite being just one climbing day from the summit, we might be stuck here for a few days. I think we have food through Saturday. So we wait.

The hike across the West Buttress proper, yesterday, was amazing. Parts of it were only a foot wide with a multi-thousand foot drop on either side, and that's why we used several running belays. Where we couldn't drive in pickets, we slung the rope over rocks. It was a bit of a hassle, but the benefit in case of a fall was obvious.

Breakfast is oatmeal and a cereal bar. Joy.

After breakfast we went up to 17k proper (from our home on the side of the hill) and looked down on 14k camp. We could see "the edge of te world", Camp 1, the fixed lines, the Windy Corner cache area, etc. When we returned to our little camp, we set about constructing a West-facing wall and putting blocks up against the back and then we made a nice little fortified area for the CMC. All that being done, Wes retired to the CMC and the rest of us retired to our tents. I have some honey roasted peanuts and sweedish fish that I stole from Baron's lunch bag. I love sweedish fish. Now its time to eat, hydrate and rest - my three new favorite activities.

JR dropped by. He went from four clients to one client. There were tears, I heard. So pathetic.

Billy said that it's, "supposed to get shitty for the next two days and then get perfect, and that's when we can bust our move; bust a rhyme." And then from two tents over Eric yelled, "Bust a nut. Oh, wait, sorry."

Mike dug out our bathroom a bit so that there's now a platform for the CMC, and one's legs can rest naturally while "in dispose". I can't wait to try it out.

More freeze dried meals for dinner tonight, this time they came with the promise of adequate water. And not spicy.

After we summit, its just two days down. I can hardly wait. Of course we might not get good weather until Friday.

With nothing better to do, we head over to the edge of high camp that over-looks Camp 4. Amazing view. If you look very closely, you can see our igloo.

Our group. Well, some of us.

Looking back at high camp and Denali Pass is to the right.

Our humble little camp. Later today we would all build up some significant walls around the camp. Its current state was all we could accomplish on the day that we moved up to high camp. It was an incredible amount of work.

Camp 4 as seen from high camp.

Mt. Foraker, the valley of death, camp 1 (I think), Windy Corner - you can see nearly the whole trek (thus far) all at once.

Mt. Foraker, the West Buttress, Windy Corner, etc.

Taking in the sights.

Right in the corner on the right, where the West Buttress sort of dips down a bit, is the head wall.

Another shot of camp 4, the valley of death, etc.

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