Field Report, June 27, 2022

June 27, 2022 Posted by: Maureen Gualtieri

 

TODAY'S STATS - 6/27/22	Denali	Mt. Foraker
Registered Climbers	1,131	5
Climbers Currently On Mountain	192	0
Completed Climbs	939	5
Number of Summits	646	0
Summit Percentage	69%	0%

The Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station also maintains an almost daily automated statistics phone line, so if this blog is lagging behind and you need up-to-date registration numbers, call [phone].

Today there are only 8 registered backcountry users in the Alaska Range.

For those of you with calculators handy, if you add together the 'Climbers Currently On Mountain' with 'Completed Climbs', you discover the sum equals the total of 'Registered Climbers'.  This is of great significance to those of us at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station, as it means that no more teams are coming to check-in for the 2022 season.  From here on out, we'll watch the 192 gradually whittle away to 0 in the couple weeks ahead.   

Mountain Weather

Gabby reports 35 F, moderate downglacier wind, and clear skies at the Kahiltna Basecamp.

Weather station telemetry data from 7K and 14K are transmitted hourly to the MesoWest website, including temperatures, wind speed, wind direction, snowfall, and solar radiation.  MountainWeather.com compiles a Denali Weather page, complete with links to the MesoWest data, the NWS Denali Climbing Forecasts, as well as links to FAA webcams. 

Click here for the National Weather Service Denali Climbing Forecast

The FAA webcam on the Kahiltna Glacier is fully operational. Look for the green dot labelled Kahiltna Glacier.

Conditions Reports

Warm summer temperatures on the lower glacier, with minimal or no freezing happening overnight, continues to open up crevasses. We heard a scary report this morning of a climber dropping into a crevasse filled with meltwater on the lower glacier last night.  
 

Search and Rescue 

A guided climber with signs of HAPE was descending with one of the team's guides when the climber's condition notably worsened, so the guide requested NPS assistance. NPS Patrol #6 ascended to help, rendezvousing with the guide and client at the base of the fixed lines. After administering oxygen and medications, the patrol assisted with a roped lowering of the patient down to the 14,200 foot camp.  Patrol #7 took over medical care and overnight monitoring.  The following day, the patient was still unable to walk without a significant drop in vital signs, so the patient was evacuated to Talkeetna via helicopter. 

Ranger Reports
 

NPS 14K Patrol #5 (Weber)  The patrol flew off the mountain last Friday, but as promised, we have more important details on the patrol's "Perfect summit on the Solstice".  When the team first flew into the Range, we introduced VIP Ron Johnson as a former seasonal Denali mountaineering ranger back in 1991 and 1992.  That last season being the most challenging and tragic in history with 11 fatalities on Denali and 2 on Mount Foraker.  After leaving Denali, 'Ronbo' went on to a 20-year career as a climbing ranger and paramedic at Grand Teton National Park, retiring last year.  Coming back thirty years later to serve on a patrol and reach the summit of Denali once again was more emotional and meaningful to him than he anticipated; back here in Talkeetna, Ronbo's smile could not be broader.  Of note, Ron turned 66 in October, so Denali Rescue Volunteer (DRV) president Steve Mock humbly hands over the title of "Oldest VIP to Reach the Summit".  (Steve was 62 when he last summited on patrol).   

We extend a particularly special thank you to the whole patrol for returning to Denali this season! 



Left to right:  VIP Shane Treat, VIP Ron Johnson, GRTE Ranger Lexie Hunsaker, VIP Rick Black, and GRTE-DENA Ranger Dave Weber.


NPS 14K Patrol #6 (Beren)  As mentioned above, Jake and his patrol members put their extensive ski patrol skills to work during the incident Friday night involving the HAPE patient.  With help from Mountain Trip guide Aaron Diamond, the patrol team treated and packaged the patient in a sled, lowered him 3 rope lengths, and then skied the patient down into 14 camp.  Then the team celebrated Jake's birthday yesterday by moving up to high camp.  In the days to come, they are poised to either head up to the summit or to help climbers in need...whichever happens first. 

NPS 14K Patrol #7 (Dossin)  Patrol #7 (Jake referred to them as Galen's Dream Team based on their combined years in emergency medicine) arrived at 14 camp on Friday, in time to provide overnight medical assistance to the HAPE patient lowered from the upper mountain.  The next day they assisted with the evacuation, then got back to business tidying up camp for the eventual break-down process.

NPS 7K Patrol #6 (Chenoweth-Latham)  Tucker and Brandon both enjoyed being 'field rangers' for the week, gladly setting aside their respective administrative duties and computer work for some glacier time. They spent their final day on patrol orienting Denali's Chief Ranger Jordan Neumann to Basecamp operations. 

NPS 7K Patrol #7 (Ramos-Leon)  Ranger Kakiko Ramos-Leon and Volunteers Katherine Cooper and Abigail Newby-Kew flew into the Kahiltna for the final basecamp patrol of the season on Friday.  The trio will breakdown basecamp infrastructure in preparation for the grand fly-out, but in the mean time, today they skied to 7,800 camp to get a firsthand look and feel for lower glacier conditions.  

 

Denali Rescue Volunteers

 

 

Learn more about Denali Rescue Volunteers, an organization that helps make Denali National Park and Preserve's mountaineering operations whole! Thank you for all that you do each season, from helping equipping our volunteers, housing them before and after patrols, and supporting our recruitment process! 
 
 

Photo of the Day
 

An NPS patrol volunteer bags up trash found near Windy Corner during their ascent last week.  Turquiose blue lakes can be seen on the glacier in the distance.  (NPS Photo/Galen Dossin)