In the far north lies one of the most magnificent ranges of mountains in the world. The Alaska Range stretches 400 miles across southcentral Alaska. It is a wild place, covered in glaciers and punctuated by rugged peaks. The crown of the range is Denali, at 20,320 feet (6194 m), the highest peak in North America. Located so close to the Arctic circle, Denali can present some of the most challenging and rugged conditions of any mountain on earth.
Each year a relatively few climbers from around the world migrate to test themselves on the slopes of Denali. Mountain Trip has been assisting these climbers achieve their Denali dreams since 1976. We love what we do and are happy to help provide you a taste of what these climbers are experiencing by updating their progress in this blog. Following the expedition, we will post numerous photos from the expedition, so please keep checking in.
On April 18, 2010, a small team of climbers will arrive in Anchorage. The climbers are the first climbing team of the season to attempt Denali. Their challenge is helping raise funds for a very special school for children with special needs, located in Bayfield, Colorado. Skills for Living and Learning, and its subsidiary, Piedra Learning Community, help many kids in southwest Colorado who would otherwise have a very challenging time in the early years of their public education.
The assembled climbers will be accompanied by the following Mountain Trip guides:
Zach Johnson from Anchorage, AK
Joe Butler from Anchorage, AK
Pablo Puruncajas from Riobamba, Ecuador
Ben Adkinson from Missoula, MT
The climbers are:
Will Dwyer from California
Jörg Spieldenner from Switzerland
Eugene Harrington from Ireland
Albert Connaughton from Ireland
Ryan Longo from the Garden State, Jersey-Baby!
Hunter Horgan from New York
Please keep in mind that communication from the big mountains can be challenging and occasionally intermittent. We will post updates as often as possible, but please keep in mind the old adage, "NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS!" when it comes to communications from the Range.
Also, please be advised that while we will attempt to pass comments along to the climbers, this is not always possible. The intent of this dispatch blog is to keep you up to date on your friends' and loved ones' progress while on the expedition, and to give you an opportunity to express your support of their dreams. We are certain they will love to read all of your comments when they get back to civilization, so please do post comments.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment