The team made one summit attempt earlier this week, but was turned around at 18,200-foot Denali Pass due to the extreme cold. The two descended from High Camp the day before the weather cleared. All of our climbers are safely down at 14,200 feet and tomorrow we make our final move down to 7,000-foot Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier, where ski planes will be able to fly us out. We'll hike through the night to avoid crevasse falls. Colder night temperatures help to firm up the ice bridges over the ever-widening cracks on the lower glacier.
Voices drift across our campsite from the cook tent.
It's the last night our team will gather together in warm down parkas to eat a meal before falling into our tents for much needed sleep. The sun has drifted behind the West Buttress and our toes and fingers begin to feel that familiar sense of creeping cold. 0 mph Liesl Clark is a NOVA producer.