1992 West Buttress

The 1992 trip was designed to be a “let’s just get it down” kind of climbing trip: a small experienced group, Craig Rowley, Marcia and I, to keep logistics simple; the straightforward and popular West Buttress route to keep route finding simple; and optimum timing, mid to late June, to provide long days and a low climatic probability of severe cold storms.  I had descended the entire West Buttress route in 1981, Craig, Marcia and I had all descended the  route from Denali Pass (18,200) in 1988 and Marcia had ascended the route as far as the fixed lines at 15,000 feet in 1989.  No problems, let’s just get it done!

We applied our experience and moved efficiently right from the landing strip at Kahiltna Base (6,800 feet) on the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.  Rather than doing a double carry from the airstrip, we took advantage of the downhill section leaving the airstrip and the relatively shallow slope on the lower Kahiltna to do a single carry to our first camp at about 7,000 feet.  Double carries were used from then on.

My previous two Denali climbs had been on rarely used routes so I was concerned that the crowds would be off putting.  As with some many things, enjoyment comes from expectations.  Yes, there were other people on the route, but Denali is big, and while moving I never felt crowded.  Only at camps do you have large collections of people.  The 14,000 foot camp, below the fixed lines up to the buttress, is the most populous and then the crowds just a part of the experience.  The scenery is beautiful at all times.

While we didn’t have any major problems on the trip, the weather was mediocre and Craig and I  suffered a bout of “malaise” at 17,000 waiting for better weather.  Marcia squelched our rebellious thoughts when she won a decisive game of hearts on which the course of the trip hinged.

When the weather finally appeared to be settled enough for a summit bid, Craig opted out so Marcia & I went as a team of two.  We learned a valuable lesson that day, don’t go first!  We were the first team out of high camp and I ended up having to break trail.  Since no one had climbed the route for a couple of days, that wasn’t a trivial effort.  By time we reached the summit ridge at 20,000 (a few hundred vertical feet and a quarter of a mile away), I was exhausted and could go no further.

Reluctantly we turned around.  There had already been 7 fatalities that year on Denali, the most ever to that time, and we did not want to add to the number.  The weather deteriorated significantly as we descended and the visibility made the descent difficult.

We were very glad that Craig was at camp when we arrived as he saw to our needs getting food and hot drinks into us.  He also took our photo when we arrive.  He joked that he now knew how we’d look when we were 60.  Frankly, I think we look a lot better now than we did when arrived back to our 17,000 camp.

We took a few days to get back to airstrip at Kahiltna base where we luxuriated in the warmth and thick air.  The morning after we arrived, we were greeted by thick, dark clouds and a fine gray dust on everything.  Mount Spurr 80 miles west of Anchorage had erupted spreading material in our direction.  After an all hands stomping party on the airstrip to compact and smooth the surface, the air services began flying and we got off the mountain.