Denali West Rib Blog

This blog is a trip report of my Full West Rib Expedition on Denali with Alaska Mountaineering School.  It took me over a year to finish up the trip report entries, but it was great to revisit my journal and all of the events that made this one of my most memorable trips.

Additional Photos from Josh Hoeschen

I wanted to give a shout out to my guide Josh Hoeschen for some amazing images from the trip.  A link to his shots can be found here.

June 25, 2015: The Return Home

I returned the bike and thanked the team at Motoquest for another great trip.  I had a few hours to killl so I made my way to Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking Store to look around.  I had been in the market for technical mountaineering boots for a couple years now but due to my size submarine feet, have never had any luck.  I described my problem to one of the employees and he recommended I try the Scarpa Phantom Guides.  He loves them and said they run large.  I was skeptical, but gave it a shot.  I tried them on and to my surprise they fit like a glove, so I made one last purchase before plane ride home.

My host dropped me off at the airport and I dragged my duffel bags to the ticketing counter.  I waited to board the plane and in my head I truly was at peace.  I was anxious to see my parents and be in the comfort of my Conshy base camp.  I was once again humbled by everything these large mountains can teach you and lucky to have the memories and experience to cherish for the rest of my life.

June 24, 2015: Dual Sportin: The Denali Highway and Back to Anchorage

I've done 400+ miles on a motorcycle before and it's a long day in the saddle, but I was still super excited for what today would bring.  I heard great things about the Denali Highway and had hopes that it would end up on the top of my list of dual sport roads.  It's a 135 mile stretch of dirt road that runs from Cantwell to Paxson through the Talkeetna mountains and along the Matanuska river.  Just like Hatcher Pass, these dirt roads stretched as far as the eye could see.  These trips are tough at the start because I want to take pictures around every turn, but that ends up disrupting the freedom and rhythm of the ride.  The frequency of pictures slowed as the miles added up.

It took a few hours to finish the highway and I was soon back to pavement in Paxson.  I was starting to get hungry but places to eat were few and far between.  I took a chance on and old gas station/restaurant.  It almost looked like something out of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, when I walked inside.  The shelves had old food and toys covered in dust and the dining area looked to be from 1960.  I sat at the bar and joined a young Italian couple picking up a quick meal on their honeymoon.  Don't always judge a book by it's cover, because I ordered a burger, fries, and coke and it totally hit the spot. I continued on my way and reached the "Hub of Alaska" and fueled up before my final stretch home.  The miles were starting to take it's toll and I was getting tired.  I had to pull off a few time to move around and keep the blood flowing.  As I worked my way back to Palmer and Wasilla, I got some great views of the Chugach mountains and stopped for a few pictures at Glacier View.  I made it safely back to the house and enjoyed a nice shower.  Over dinner, I reflected on my last three weeks in Alaska and genuinely felt like I made the most of every minute.

June 23, 2015: Dual Sportin: Hatcher Pass and Denali National Park

I slept like a log and enjoyed a nice breakfast at the house.  Ever since I saw that 1200 GS Adventure at the Swiss Inn, I had a mini dual sport adventure on my mind.  Back in 2012, Ben and I rented BMW's from Motoquest in Anchorage and enjoyed an awesome trip down to Seward.  I decided to revisit them again and walked over to see if they had any bikes available.  I lucked out and they had a BMW F800.  I booked it and grabbed some riding pants, a jacket, and a helmet.  I told them I had two days and asked for some recommendations.  They offered up a trip over Hatcher Pass and then across the Denali Highway.  It was a solid 600+ mile loop with about two thirds of it on day two.  I purchased a Butler motorcycle map and I was off.

I quickly packed up some gear into my backpack, stopped for lunch, and headed on my way.  Today's objective was to reach Denali National Park today just over 200 miles.  Hatcher Pass had everything you could want for a dual sport, winding dirt roads as far as the eye can see and surrounded by beautiful mountains.  I successfully made it over and met up with Highway 3 at the familiar cookie stand that Go Purple Shuttle always stopped at.  Naturally I fueled up on a Chocolate cookie and got back on my steel horse.  I was enjoying the ride when all of a sudden I noticed the fuel light come on.  I ran a few numbers in my head, checked the map, and realized I might actually have a problem.  My BMW light usually goes on with one gallon to go and I typically get about 55 mpg.  I still had about 60 miles to go until the nearest gas station in Cantwell.  I quickly channeled my inner bike racer and started drafting any moving vehicle I could follow.  I especially took advantage of a few minivans on there way up to the park and enjoyed the kids reactions as was tucked behind the windshield within 5 ft of their rear bumper.  The plan was working as the mpg gage was reading up to 80-90 mpg.  All of a sudden the road turned to dirt and construction zone resulted in stop and go traffic.  Luckily at one of the flagger stops, I happened to be one of the first vehicles in line to wait for opposing traffic to pass.  I asked if she happened to have any fuel in her truck and luckily she said she had a small tank.  I took about a half gallon and felt way more confident in my chances to reach the next gas station.  Shortly thereafter I rolled into the gas station and then scored a personal cabin at a local campsite.  I enjoyed dinner in the Mckinley Village and crashed hard in my comfy bed.

June 22, 2015: Return to Anchorage

We arranged an early pick up with Go Purple Shuttle to get back to Anchorage.  The van picked up other climbers from around town and the last team we grabbed just happened to Be Naz Ahmed and Bill Dudley, the two climbers Josh and I passed on the summit ridge.  It turns out they were from the DC area and we had a few friends in common.  The climbing community is small world even when you are thousands of miles from home.  Zach, Marcus, and I scored an awesome Air B&B in Anchorage and enjoyed one last dinner together.  I was definitely in a state of caloric deficit, because it felt like I was eating for 24 hours straight.

June 21, 2015 (Day 17): Return to Talkeetna

We awoke to several other teams moving around the campsite.  It was similar to when we first landed, but now we were on the other side and just wanted to get off the mountain.  Arriving early was key to getting in line for the planes and we were also super lucky to once again have great weather.  We packed our stuff up and were soon back on the plane with TAT.  We touched down and Josh's girlfriend Chelsea had the AMS van waiting for us.  When we arrived back at their headquarters, they had a wonderful spread of fruit and snacks for the team.  Fresh watermelon was just what the doctor ordered.  We unpacked, sorted, and hung our gear to dry and planned for dinner at the Denali Brewpub.

Zach and I found lodging at the Swiss Inn but couldn't check in until the afternoon.  There was a gorgeous BMW GS1200 adventure in the parking lot and I spoke with the owner at the counter.  He  made his way up from Arizona and was on his way to Prudeau Bay via the Dalton Highway.  This got me thinking a bit because we had a few extra days before I flew back.  Zach and I then made our way to the Roadhouse and indulged in some fresh baked pastries.  Afterwards we headed back to the Swiss Inn for our first shower in over 3 weeks.  The team rejoined at the Brewpub and enjoyed a well-deserved dinner reliving stories from our expedition.  It was a great group of guys with great attitudes which made for a memorable adventure.  We all slept like babies in the comfort of a warm, soft, and spacious bed.

June 20, 2015 (Day 16): Hike Out

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.

June 19, 2015 (Day 15): Summit Day

We rocked another 10 hours of sleep and woke up a little groggy.  We gathered for hot water under clear blue skies.  The guides had a sense of excitement about them as they filled our nalgene bottles and cups.  They asked how we were doing and everyone said they were feeling a bit tired and the effects of altitude.  They wanted to fill our tummies with food and then gather to discuss our decision.  It's amazing what a good breakfast can do for you. I filled up on two cheesy muffins and literally felt like a new man.  Josh filled the team in and said the weather forecast was good for the next couple days, but the "now-cast" showed a perfect day.  And if there's a rule on Denali, it's take advantage of good weather.  He voted for a summit push and Kai backed him up.  I felt recharged after breakfast and was totally ready to give it a shot, Zach and Markus agreed, and that was it.  Today we would attempt to summit Denali.

We identified gathered a couple piles of group gear, waited a bit for it to warm up, and then departed around 1030.  We moved well through the rocks just above high camp and reached the large snow slopes that would gain us the ridge.  The team slowly reached the top of the snow slope (19000 ft) around 1730.  The guides made it clear that at this pace we would not be able to summit.  Zach and Markus decided they were not feeling it.  Josh asked me if I felt I could make it and I thought I could.  He agreed and said we would give it a shot.  This was tough because I wanted to summit so badly, but I also wanted to do it as a team.  If it wasn't for all five of us working together, we wouldn't be in the position for a summit bid.  Kai led Zach and Markus back down to high camp and Josh and I were off.

I was feeling pretty strong and we made it to the summit ridge.  At this point, I was pretty emotional because the reality of reaching the summit started to cement itself.  Two climbers approached us and started talking to Josh for a bit.  As they continued past, I realized they were actually two women.  I could tell by how tight and efficiently their rope and gear were packed that they probably summited some other route than the West buttress.  I later found out through an article on Alpinist, that these two women were the first all-woman team to summit Denali via the Diamond route.  The Diamond is a legit Alaskan Grade 6 climb.  As we continued on, we noticed two more climbers in front of us on approaching the final ridge.  As we approached, we realized it was Naz Ahmed.  She was one of Josh's clients in a mountaineering course a few years ago and now on a private trip with her friend Bill Dudley.  We exchanged some M&M's and continued on to the summit.  By now a storm had rolled in and visibility was pretty low.  Before I had time to think about it, Josh looked back at me, pointed ahead, and said..."that's it."  There was a small marker sticking out of the snow highlighting the highest point of North America.  I took my pack off and worked my way towards the marker and kneeled down to wipe it off.  I recorded a short video to document the moment only to find out that the battery appeared to die, which had me pretty bummed.  Regardless, I was riding an emotional high from all of the preparations, training, and suffering that got me to this moment.

Josh reminded me that we were only halfway complete and needed to get back to camp.  We've already been out for almost 10 hours and gained about 4000ft.  Now we had to navigate back through the storm.  I was a little unstable from the altitude, but overall felt relatively strong.  Our food and water supply was running low, so I knew I'd be running on fumes by the time we reached camp.  We had a couple snacks at the 19,000 ft where the team split up. We then down-climbed the snow slope. We received about 1 foot of new snow, and my hands were getting cold from plunging the ice tool in each step, so I had to shake my hands out at each piece of protection.  By the time we reached the final rock band, we could barely see 50ft.  Josh disappeared in front of me and I continued once the rope was tight, zig-zagging through the maze of rocks.  It was frustraiting travel because the snow was light and fluffy and covered all of the rocks below.  I lost count of the number of times I twisted my ankles on the edge of rocks buried under the soft powder.  Around 0140 I noticed an orange tent in front of us, and I never felt so relieved.  We probably got about 12-15 in. of new snow.  I rolled into camp and gave Josh a hug and thanked him for getting us back safely.  I then cleaned off the tent and collapsed into my bag.  Zach and Marcus were up and congratulated me on the summit.  I fell asleep feeling like a million bucks.

June 18, 2015 (Day 14): Move to High Camp (16,300 ft)

We awoke at 0700 after a great night's sleep.  A quick breakfast of cheesy bacon bagels and we were packed up and out of camp by 0900.  We retraced our steps from yesterday and made our way to shrund and onto the ice slopes.  The full 60+ lb packs made the ice slopes a bit more difficult than yesterday, but the guides were better prepared and able to provide more running ice protection.  The team successfully cleared the ice slope and rested at the top of the small rock outcropping.  We continued up to the cache, picked up a few remaining items, and ascended another 1000 ft until we arrived at our high camp just after 1600.  The guides took advantage of a previous team's site for the their tent and we leveled off a large platform for our Trango 4 person.  The team was pretty zapped after 6 hard days without a break.  I was feeling a bit dehydrated and chugged two liters of water in about 30 minutes.  The weather forecast indicated continued high pressure for the next few days.  Josh let us know we would see how we felt in the morning before making any decisions.  I think the clients were quietly thinking rest day so they could recharge for a summit push, and the guides were interested in climbing.  We were in bed around 2100, and I was quite anxious for tomorrow to come.

June 17, 2015 (Day 13): Cache at 15,200 ft

The team slept until 0700 and enjoyed sweet rice for breakfast.  The plan today was to cache at ~15,200 ft.  This is a critical point on the route because it enabled a descent to the West Buttress base camp.  This provided a nice sense of comfort knowing that we could always bail if there was a huge snowstorm or medical emergency.  Another new experience we got from this camp was our bathroom arrangement.  Rather than having to pack our poop in the green mountain can we got to poop on a snow plate and chuck it over the cliff.  I was a little nervous of missing the plate and having to pick up the poop, but my first shot was successful.

I packed up 2 days worth food for the cache.  We left around 0900 and switch-backed our way up to a small bergshrund, which was a little tricky to climb over.  Just above the shrund was an ice slope that was steeper and icier then the team expected.  I was happy to have some ice climbing experience, as the protection was minimal at best.  We cleared the ice and then navigated through some rocks and eventually reached the cache crossover point.  On our way down, the guides decided to rappel down the ice slope because the risk of falling while down-climbing was too great.  We returned around 1700.  Overall I was feeling pretty good from the altitude.  We had mashed potatoes with veggies for dinner and went to bed around 0900.  Tomorrow would be our move to high camp.

June 16, 2015 (Day 12): Move to 13,900 ft

We were up at 0100, and the guides prepared some heavenly cheesy bacon muffins for breakfast.  Since we had to tear down camp, it took some extra time to sort all of the gear and pack everything up.  As we each loaded our piles of group gear, we realized that today was going to be noticeably harder than yesterday.  We easily had about 50-60 lbs in the pack and we were barely able to fit everything.  The team moved well and topped out around 0530 in just under two hours.  We snacked up and reached the cache around 0800.  We still had another 1000 ft until our camp which took another three hours.  The team was pretty knackered, but the guides also wanted to head back to the cache to grab our remaining gear.  First thing's first and we had to build camp before heading out.  We leveled out two large platforms for the two tents.  I had my first headache of the trip and made sure to chug lots of water.  We left for the cache around 1400 and were back a few hours later.  This was by far the hardest day of the expedition and effects of the altitude were noticeable.  The guides served up some comfort food of Miso soup and mac-n-cheese.  The weather forecast continued to look great and potential summit days were now within site.  Another bonus is that we were no longer on the night schedule and would get to sleep in tomorrow.  We easily passed out around 2000.

June 15, 2015 (Day 11): Cache at 12,900 ft

Team was up at 0100 for a quick brekkie of creamed wheat, dried fruit and granola.  We enjoyed improved efficiency in getting packed and roped up and started on the trail at 0230.  We navigated between a couple extremely large crevasses that bordered the camp and were soon at the foot of the couloir.  I felt a sense of relief as we approached because it definitely was not vertical as it looked...not easy, but not vertical.  Josh zig-zagged his way up the couloir taking advantage of snow, ice, and rock protection along the way.  It was mostly hard snow until we reached the top section of ice that bordered the rocks on climber's left just before gaining the ridge.  We ran into some steeper AI2 conditions with the angle approaching 60 degrees.  Not extremely technical, but when you have 50 lb packs it requires an extra bit of caution.  It took just under three hours to gain the ridge, and I was in awe of both where we came from and where we were headed.  Seeing the NE Fork from above made us realize just how dangerous the route was.

Once we all snacked, Kai and Zach decided to take the lead over a couple more rollers another 900 feet up.  The climbing at this point was not terribly technical, but very very awkward.  We ended up duckfoot walking a majority of it on some hard ice.  When it steepened up some more, I found a good rhythm facing the route, getting low and on my knees and then having one leg sprawled out for balance.  There was a bit more ice than expected and Kai ended up sacrificing one of his cordellettes to make some V thread anchors.  We reached the 12,900 ft cache around 0800.  After burying everything there was a bit of urgency to get down the couloir before it became too soft, increasing the risk of rock fall.  The Climb down the ridge was just as, if not more awkward than the ascent.  I didn't feel fully comfortable and kept switching between down-climbing and cautious duckfoot walking.  We down-climbed the entire couloir and it was definitely getting soft and a few small rocks went whizzing by.  The team was back in camp around 1115 and I was soaked in sweat from the warm temps.  We napped a bit in the afternoon and enjoyed some well-deserved pizza for dinner.  The team made preparations to sort gear for our big day and we were ready for bed at 1930.

June 14, 2015 (Day 10): Retrieve Safe Camp Cache

The day started with an early wake-up at 0115.  The original thought was that we might be able to snag our cache and then possibly get on the Chicken Couloir for a quick scout.  We filled up on oatmeal and granola bars.  We were off to grab our cache at 0230 and it took us just under 1.5 hours to reach our destination.  Our gear was about 5 feet under the snow, and the team members took turns crawling in the hole and shoveling away.  I had one of the last turns with the shovel and eventually struck gold.  I must have been a little excited because once I hit the bags, I took a few more swings before pulling them out.  I handed the bags and fuel cans to the team members above and they began the process of sorting gear.  Upon pulling his helmet of of one of the garbage bags, Kai noticed his brand new Black Diamond Vector Helmet had a couple cracks in the shell.  I tucked my head between my shoulders like a dog in trouble.  One hit could be explained, but multiple hits to the helmet had us giggling a bit.  The team was packed and ready in about 30 minutes, and it took us just under 3 hours to get back to camp.

Everyone seemed a bit tired and any trips to the Chicken Couloir would have us back later than desired, so we decided to stay at the camp today.  We noticed two climbers that took advantage of our trail up the fork, but continued on towards the Cassin Ridge.  After we got back home from the trip, we found out they were the Smileys who were on a mission to climb the 50 classics.  They were able to successfully summit and more details of their trip can be found here.  I took some time to cut blocks and build a legit snow wall for the potty pit.  In the process I managed to slice into one of my fingers with the snow saw.  My worst fears were infection, so I quickly cleaned it up and got back to work.

The weather was once again perfect and the skies continued to be smurf blue.  The forecast predicted continued high pressure in the foreseeable future.  We had an early dinner of quesadillas around 1630 and began sorting some gear for our cache on the West Rib.  We took up 5 days of food, and I threw in a lot of my warmer expedition gear (down pants, expedition weight long underwear, down booties, etc...).  I was super stoked to start the technical climbing.  Nighty night by 1930.

June 13, 2015 (Day 9): Move to Couloir Camp (11,000 ft)

We were up just after midnight to the sound of our guides prepping the stoves for breakfast.  Our objective for today would take us through one of the most dangerous sections of the trip, and that's the ice fall just below 11,000 ft camp.  If that wasn't dangerous enough, it also passed under the largest hanging glaciers on the route.  If successful, our reward would be a view of the Chicken Couloir and the next phase of the route.  The Chicken Couloir is considered to be the crux with steeper ice at the top approaching 60 deg.  We tore down camp and were packed and ready to go in just about 2 hours. I thought this was impressive considering our time off and this was only our second time tearing down camp.

We started up the fork at approximately 0200.  Our loads were pretty heavy as we slogged up the firm crust.  The guides wanted to maintain momentum and get us through the objective danger  as quickly as possible, so our breaks were spread about 2 hours apart.  This is twice as long as what I was used to, so when we stopped, it felt especially good.  Our second break was timed at the cache just before 0500.  At this point we got our second look at the ice fall.  Our path through the crevasses up to this point felt like five lane California freeway compared to the twisting mess of crevasses and snow bridges they laid ahead.

The elevation gain over the next stretch was much steeper than what we've encountered so far.  Josh did an awesome job of probing and safely navigating through the crevasse field when all of sudden he came to a dead end.  At this point Kai and Zach were behind us and took the lead through the next section.  Once they were past, we followed their tracks from behind.  Four hours after leaving the 9500 ft cache we arrived safely at 11000 ft camp.  It was a long day, but the team felt invigorated.  The Chicken Couloir was in front of us and it looked steeeeep.  The light and shadows towards the top almost made it look overhanging, which I knew was not the case.  Now having seen it, I wanted to get closer to put me at ease.  There was a small possibility that we would grab our cache today, but it was a long day and guides decided we would head back through the ice fall tomorrow to grab the cache.  We built camp and a potty area.  It was good to have the weight our packs on our shoulder once again.  Dinner was early at 1600 and we were in bed at 1900.  

June 12, 2015 (Day 8): Hike up NE Fork

We woke up around 0730 to the unfamiliar silence of a beautiful Alaskan high pressure system.  This was the first time in four days that we didn't hear the pelting of frozen precipitation hitting the tent.  As our groggy eyes opened up, you could tell from the brightness inside the tent that today would be different.  The sky was as blue and cloud-free as you could imagine.  At breakfast, the guides gave us the good news that we would be heading up into the fork to stretch our legs.  We filled our tummies with English muffins, cream cheese, and bacon, quickly grabbed some water and suited up for a light hike up.

We left around 1100 and returned around 1430.  It felt great to get back into the left right left rhythm.  Considering that we got over 3 feet during the storm, the snow was wind-scoured and solid, which was a huge plus for our move tomorrow.  We had a small dinner of quesadillas and sorted gear in preparation for an efficient start. The weather forecast looked great for the foreseeable future and the team was very positive.  Just getting on the West Rib felt like our new summit.  I ran through our baseline agenda and thought our chances to summit were quite slim, but the guides reassured us that we could still take advantage of intermediate camps and good weather.  Rest days from this point out would probably be few and far between.  We rolled back into our tents around 1830 with an early wake-up planned.

June 11, 2015 (Day 7): Storm Rest Day

The few hours spent on the igloo helped make it a good night's rest.  We rationed ourselves to a small breakfast of warm granola and a pop tart.  The snow appeared to be letting up, but the Northeast Fork was in no condition to head up, so we were tent bound for one additional day.  I finished my book "Buried in the Sky," so the restlessness factor in the tent bumped up another notch.  Dinner was also rationed to only a couple quesadillas.  The weather report was looking promising enough that we would likely take a hike up the Fork tomorrow, so the team went to bed with much more excitement than the previous days.  We all turned in around 2100.

June 10, 2015 (Day 6): Storm Rest Day

I woke up a little earlier than the past two days, but still slept pretty well.  We gathered for breakfast and enjoyed some English Muffins with cream cheese and bacon.  Everyone was itching to exercise, but we couldn't expend too many calories due to our food situation.  Kai suggested we build an igloo, so Zach and I gladly joined in like two little kids on a snow day.  Overall it took about three hours to craft our shelter.  The inside was warm and well protected from the elements.  We toasted our accomplishment with some of Zach's Bourbon and Led Zeppelin.

Later that afternoon, we got word that one of the AMS teams was on their way down from 11,200ft camp.  The best thing about teams coming down off the mountain is that they want to get rid of any weight they could, and that includes food.  This team just happened to have some salmon and mac n cheese available.  We happily cooked it up for them and everyone enjoyed a well deserved meal.  Overall, they handed over 2.5 days worth of food which was a big boost to our confidence.  They were soon off and on their way back to the landing strip as we pondered the potential for a few more storm days.  It was a bit later night than normal and we were in bed at 2100.