Today would not be a good summit day. Tomorrow, John Grunsfeld , Colby Coombs , and Caitlin Palmer will leave Fourteen Medical to move up to High Camp at 17,200 feet. From there, if the winds die down, they will make an attempt on Denali's summit at 20,320 feet. We made a carry of extra food, fuel, and equipment to 16,200 feet yesterday, up the steepest part of the West Buttress route, where ropes are fixed to assist climbers on the difficult uphill push. Fourteen Medical Camp.
Solar panels provide power for medical and communication equipment.
We carried heavy loads up to the wind-battered ridge at 16,200 feet and buried our gear in the snow, to be retrieved tomorrow for the high camp. So the time has come to have our summit team leave the comforts of Fourteen Medical at 14,200 feet and make their move. The High Definition camera and crew will continue filming down here for a couple of days and then will move higher with Howard Donner and Pete Athans . More than 50 climbers moved up to High Camp today, their footsteps leaving a distinct impression on the snows of the Headwall. This may be one of the heaviest traffic days to High Camp this year.