Day 8 - 23.06.21: Denali- Move to 14000ft through "Windy Corner"

And the massacre happened. What can you expect: 3 guides. superman Dawson, Bob and I ? The climb from 11000 to 14000 started at 5am. Backpacks and sleds, 4 hills with 35% incline. 2 guides and Dawson ahead. Bob and I with Chelsea (our historian and guide) in suite. Weather started well but on “motorcycle hill” and “squirrel” the wind was blowing strong and pushing us backwards. Chelsea was taking up the challenge of the front team - no stop for 2 full hours. We had just recovered from the wind and the last big hill (name cannot be mentioned as it is offensive - “fxxx xx hill”) and turned “windy corner” that we got to our cache site. Bad news we hid food and equipment for 8 people and there were only 6 of us to pick it up. I reckon 30kg in the sled and 20kg on the shoulders. This on a traverse where the sled was pushing sideways downhill and we were trying to climb uphill.. It was a slaughter. 1 hour of near collapse effort. Even moving from the camp entrance to our site took an excruciating ten minutes. Once arrived in camp Bob and I did not move for an hour. It is only an extensive nap that allows me to function now. First prize to the guides for a 5 hour ascent record time including the stop at the cache site. Bob and I arrived half an hour later. You should see the size of the wall expecting us. Hopefully not tomorrow.