The storm that rolled in last night made it a long return trip for everyone, so we all slept in until about 0900. We found out Kai, Zach, and Marcus all arrived after 1100. Even though I was exhausted, I was still filled with adrenaline from yesterday's summit. The one thing I learned from my previous expeditions to Aconcagua and Denali is that the hike out can still be one of the hardest days of the trip. You have the itch to get off the mountain, but you are also beat up from the trip, and have to carry all the gear from the entire expedition. As we began the process of tearing down camp, I definitely felt my mindset shift to wanting to get off the mountain. The guides were actually planning to hike the full way out to the landing strip in one push with a longer break at 14kft base camp on the West Buttress.
The team left camp and cautiously descended the snow covered rocky ridge until we reached the cache and crossed over to the West Buttress. As we started to dig out the cache we realized that we would be shouldering some monstrous loads for the next couple hours as our packs were probably approaching 80 lbs. We trudged through the freshly fallen snow in our clumsy snowshoes and finished the long stretch back into base camp around 1400. It was a welcoming site to see all of the other teams present and unloaded near one of the AMS West Buttress camps. The plan was to rest up, make a nice dinner, and then finish our journey back to the landing strip. I soaked up the warm sunlight and chatted with the AMS team for most of the afternoon. I wanted to sleep, but I think I was just too excited from summitting and getting off the mountain. Kai cooked up some cheesy pasta with bacon and once again felt recharged.
We were able to score a sled from another team which relieved some of the weight from our backs. The team was on a mission and made quick work of the descent route. We rounded windy corner and arrived at 11kft camp for a brief break. We then continued on until we reached our original camp at the base of ski hill. The team dug out the sleds, cook tent, and a few other miscellaneous items we had buried. I fueled up on snickers bars and pork jerkey. It was at this point as I was switching between layers, that I noticed a horrendous smell coming from my body. I think it was a combination of the synthetic capilene baselayer and my body eating its own muscle and giving off a harsh ammonia smell. It was so bad that I almost made myself sick.
The guides once again consulted with the team and made sure we were good to head out. The consensus was definitely yes. Part of me felt bad for Zach and Marcus because they were not familiar with Heartbreak Hill, a moderate 500 ft elevation gain right before reaching the landing strip. The team continued at a fast pace and eventually reached the final challenge. This time around I told myself that I would only look up after 100 steps. The repetition of counting steps and not being reminded of our slow progress helped my mental state tremendously. The team reached the landing strip at around 0330, and we each gave each other a warm hug. Josh said it was the fastest he had ever hiked out from 14kft camp with a team. We sorted all of our sharps and prepped the bags for packing on to the plane. It was a beautiful calm night We decided to sleep under the stars in our sleeping bags. The dawn light shined on Foraker as we all fell asleep. Our hope was that we would be near the first on the list to fly out.
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