Well, I am supposed to be in Anchorage tonight (5/8); however, I am stuck in some random hotel near Salt Lake City airport. My first flight was delayed so I missed the connecting flight to Anchorage, and won’t arrive there until tomorrow afternoon (5/9).

I really love Alaska and I guess that is why I visit Alaska three summers in a roll. This time I am going to stay for another 34 days. Friends asked me, “Are you going to try Denali again?” Of course I want to; however, not this summer. What I am going to do is also something as exciting if not more exciting than Denali. I am taking the NOLS Alaska Instructor Course, which means if I successfully complete the course, I will be a NOLS instructor. Maybe I will start teaching wilderness courses, but hopefully I can teach technical courses very soon!

That being said, my blog is going to be quiet for a while. (I did put a couple articles in the queue though). Don’t forget me and give me some of your best wishes!

- Little Po

After the strenuous but memorable Denali climb, all my efforts were redirected to fulfill my bottomless appetite. It was a weird feeling: No matter how much I ate, I constantly felt hungry. The only thing that stopped me from reaching for more food was always embarrassment not satisfaction. In about two weeks, my metabolism finally returned normal and I was ready for another NOLS course: a 3-week backcountry rock climbing course.

Before I signed up for the course, I had a long debate with myself. I had some experience climbing real rocks and I had followed some multi-pitch routes. However I never had any systematic or extensive training on this topic. In addition, I wanted to know how to do traditional leading otherwise how could I become an all-around mountaineer? I knew I probably could obtain such knowledge from experienced climbing friends, but nothing beats a structural course—I just couldn’t wait to flip to a new page of my climbing book.

Robby Grossman, one of the NOLS 2007 Denali expedition members, recently released the first batch of his professional and artistic Denali shots. The pictures are breathtaking; therefore I want to share with you all:

Robby Grossman’s Denali shots

Readers, how many LittlePo’s do you find in the photos?

LittlePo also presents you:
Photos from other expedition members:
1. Erin Murphy’s photos
2. Dan Ruth’s Denali photos

On May 31, 2007, I arrived at Anchorage Alaska. This was my second time in Anchorage; streets, shops, even pedestrians looked familiar. The objective of visiting was still the same as that of last year: mountaineering. However, this time I was going to climb Denali, the highest peak of North America. It is significant, and it is significant not only to me but also to many people who care about me and my outdoor pursuit.

Last summer, I took a NOLS Alaska mountaineering course in Chugach Range; we could see Denali if the conditions cooperated. Denali has this unexplainable attraction: when I look at it, I can’t help but wonder what it is like to stand on top of it. Especially during the course, I learned how pristine Alaskan glaciers are; how satisfactory glacier travel is. My instructor, Shawn Benjamin, told me, “NOLS has an alumni course to climb Denali,” and she understood that I loved to position myself in a less crowded environment, “we climb from the Muldrow glacier instead of the popular West Buttress route. It is possible you will not see any other groups.”

I did not apply for the course right away after I got back to civilization in mid August last year. I remember when I called my older brother, who used to be an active backpacker and rock climber, saying that “brother, I am going to climb Denali in June, 2007,” he replied me, after a long pause, “can’t you climb something easier first?” That was exactly my concern: I didn’t have much mountaineering experience. In addition, the course was expensive: including the airfare, it would cost me about eight thousand dollars.

After debating for months I finally called NOLS in November and was put on the waiting list. I then had to fill out this lengthy questionnaire, detailing my experience (preferably on extended trips, which should be at least 10 days) on glacier travel, crevasse rescue, winter camping, high altitude travel and of course my physical strength. While I thought my registration would be turned down, I received the acceptance letter in January. I was on; there was no turning back.

Date: 07/05/2007

Hello,

Here is the final one.

The instructor team and I had a great four-hour discussion yesterday. We are already working on some small changes–looking into getting 15 pairs of booties like Erica’s, making slight changes to the gear list, and adding better snacks for 3-4 days to eat at 14,000′ and above. By the way, I learned two instructors had synthetic booties and one had fleece. Erica is briefing for her next course at the moment but also finalizing a report to the park. Ben flew back to Jackson and Patrick starts his next course in a couple of days.

Naomi, Geoff–how are you healing?

Best wishes and stay in touch.

Date: 06/29/2007

Greetings,

As expected, it has been a quick trip down the hill for the NOLS Denali expedition. The day after they summitted they slept in and still moved from 17,000′ all the way down to 12,000.’ Yesterday they dropped to 8,100′ just above the Hill of Cracks. And just now, they checked in from the cache at 5,700′–nearly three miles vertically below the summit. They are now below snow-line, but still have one mile of bare glacier to walk across to get to McGonagall Pass. They probably don’t have mosquitoes to deal with yet. They’ll have swarms of them tomorrow night!

Tomorrow they plan to re-group and figure out how to split up the weight of the cache to carry it all out. Their next big obstacle is fording the McKinley River. If all goes well, they will cross the river–a mile of braided streams– on July 1st and return to NOLS Alaska here in Palmer on the night of the 2nd. They might have to cross in the middle of the night (early morning hours of the 2nd), though. It isn’t really over until they cross the river!

Date: 06/27/2007

Hello,

We just got a satellite phone call from high camp (17,000′).

Eight students (Geoff, Geno, Jon, Naomi, Mark, John, Dan and Lane) reached the summit yesterday afternoon with instructors Erica and Ben! Patrick turned back at 19,400′ with Szu-ting and Robby who were both slowed significantly by the altitude. Erica said both of them agreed it was a good decision and that they were healthy and in good spirits. She said the weather was beautifully clear, but cold: “-15 degrees F with mild to moderate winds.” With weather like that, the view was probably a couple of hundred miles. You can see Denali from Anchorage on a clear day. They said they had the summit to themselves, which is unusual. Often there are folks from the more popular West Buttress route going for the summit as well. Ben broke trail up the summit ridge to 20,320′–the highest point in North America.

Date: 06/23/2007

Greetings,

We heard from the Denali expedition. On the evening of 6/21, they reached Browne’s Tower at 14,000′. Thus, they have climbed what is probably technically most difficult part–Karsten’s Ridge. Though now the altitude will play a larger role.

Yesterday was a rest day. Today, given decent weather they may be ferrying loads to high camp at approximately 17,000′ on the Harper Glacier. Then tomorrow they could move to that high camp. Often courses take a rest day before attempting to go for the top. Much depends on the weather now. It was a brief exchange, but one thing they said was, “All students and instructor are doing well–strong and healthy.” They said they had a week of good weather (for Denali). They plan call again around 6/28.

Date: 06/14/2007

Greetings,

News from the evacuees: Erin’s crew saw a fox den with kits on the hike out. Seth’s group saw a couple of grizzly bears 100-200 yards away while in the vehicle on the drive out. Erin flew home last night and Seth flew home this morning. They got to spend time sharing stories. It was sad to see them go.

I heard from the expedition again this morning (6/14) and I have a correction: Last time I heard from Erica and crew, she was at 7,300 feet, not 10,500′. They were about to back-ferry down through the Lower Icefall to the cache at 5,700′ yesterday, then go back up to camp at 7,300′. I misunderstood their elevation over a garbled satellite connection, which is why I was astonished at their progress.

The whole group of 13 reunited at 7,300 feet on the Muldrow Glacier at 7 pm last night approximately here:

This was quite a push for the evacuation teams, so they are taking a rest day today. Erica and all the folks who originally stayed on the mountain are working on putting in a route through the Great Icefall to 10,000′ at the base of Karsten’s Ridge today. Everyone plans to camp together at 7,300′ tonight and hopefully move to 10,000′ tomorrow.

During the expedition, Rick Rochelle from NOLS AK kept sending emails to the family members and close friends of the expedition members. I include all the emails here so that my dear readers can learn the whole expedition in a nutshell before I sort out my personal journal.

The First Update: (Date: 06/13/2007)

Hello,

I have been in touch with the NOLS Denali Expedition. It has been a busy few days on the mountain! Unfortunately, this has included two expedition members leaving due to minor medical issues (sore hips and a 1″ long cut). Those two climbers have been in touch with their families, so if you are receiving this you can rest assured that your climber (child, spouse, or friend) is healthy!

My name is Rick Rochelle and I’m the Assistant Director of NOLS Alaska. We collected an email address or two from each participant of the expedition anticipating that we would hear from the expedition leaders occasionally. They carry a satellite phone (and walkie-talkies and a ground-to-air radio), primarily for emergency use, but also to call us for a few minutes every 7-10 days to let us know how things are going. From experience, we know that you care deeply about their progress!