Day 16 and 17 Denali- the never ending descent

July 2, 2021

Well not sure if it ever ended. It did start at 9am with a quick breakfast at the 17,000ft feet camp; but whether by plan or by mistake we ended walking till 7am on Friday morning to the base camp, which is at 7000 feet. 21 hours walking with a few interruptions along the way for water or a snack; and always carrying our favourite backpacks and sleds; which even going downhill were extremely heavy. Bob announced at 10pm on Thursday that he had enough. By midnight he had cramps; by three am he asked to be left wherever he was and to find alternative arrangements; by 4am we literally had to drag him; and by seven he miraculously found the energy to complete the last two mile uphill to the landing strip.

The reason for the tour de force is because the lower glacier can only be crossed at night. Nevertheless another partying farewell from this very tough mountain. The only amazing thing was sunrise at 3am on the hi glacier with stunning colours and views.

As it stands day 16 blended with day 17 as we arrived at the landing strip with a front coming in. So: tents up and rain; 6 hours kip, weather opened; two planes left; clouds in again; we are sitting and waiting.