Mt. McKinley (2011) - Day 00

Packing; Still in Atlanta

An account of my May 2011 trip to Mt. McKinley (Denali).

This is based on the journal I kept (on my iPad) during the expedition. This is a departure from the pen-and-paper method I employed during the previous two trips (2008, 2009). I'll add pictures into the daily journal entries as time allows.

This May 2011 expedition of Mt. McKinley (Denali), the highest peak in North America (at 20,320'), was self-guided. The team consisted of:

• Curtis Jones
• Wes Lemberg

Got a haircut yesterday. During my 2008 Denali trip I learned the importance of short hair: if your hair is going to become really gross (due to a month of hygiene neglect), it's best to have as little of it as possible.

I'm packing today. Packing everything. And grocery shopping. We'll stop in Wasilla (on Monday) to get some groceries but we'll bring as much as we can with us to avoid a prolonged shopping trip once we're there.

Wes thought we could shoot for 80 pounds of gear and food each, but I don't think that's possible. Considering that twenty (or more) pounds will be devoted just to lunch snacks, I'll be happy if I can just stay south of one hundred. Dreamers will dream.

I finished up and submitted a cheesy sleep-aid iPhone app ($1.99) this evening. I'm confident that I'll return in June and learn that I'm a millionaire. Or not.