Denali Team 2: May 6 to May 26 - Dispatch #1

Guides: Mike Pond, Dustin Byrne, Alan Rousseau

Climbers: Garry McMahon (UK), Roy Cursley (UK), Kayla Cooper (Washington), Damon Vincent (Missouri), Greg Lamarche (UK), Margaret St. Hill (Australia), Vijay Kumar (New Jersey), Christine Burke (Australia)

Mike Pond called at 4:25PM PST on 5/7 with the following dispatch:

"Hello from Kahiltna Basecamp at the foot of Denali!  I'm here with Denali Team #2, sitting under beautiful blue skies and surprisingly warm temperatures.  The sun is casting a fantastic halo out right now, with a faint rainbow in the sky - it's pretty awesome.


So far it feels like all we have done here is eat!  Last night we made big sandwiches, this morning we had huge cinnamon rolls, and tonight we are going to make delicious hamburgers.  The great thing about climbing a mountain this cold is the ability to bring 'fresh' food along!


Everyone on the team is really psyched to be here.  We spent the day going over a whole bunch of skills, from camp building and sled hauling, to glacier travel and snowshoe technique.   By spending a day on skills right at the beginning of the trip, it makes the rest of the days go much smoother.


We are all looking forward to actually expend some calories instead of just consuming them!  So tomorrow we will be making a single carry to Camp 1 at 7,800 up the Kahiltna glacier.  Our glacier pilot from K2, Tony Martin, said the weather should remain stable for a while so we are thankful for a positive forecast."


Kayla Cooper wanted to send a quick message to 'her people' that she's alive.