May 1, 2017
Paul Claus’s Twin Otter On the Glacier (George Dunn)
Expedition leader Aaron Mainer called in yesterday to report that the team summited Mt. Jarvis and is now safely back at their base camp. Congratulations to the team for a 100% successful climb!
Aaron reports that on April 29 they had a decent break in the weather and were able to go for the summit of Mt. Jarvis. At around 12,000 feet they lost visibility in the clouds, but were able to continue to the top. Just before descending the weather cleared and they were able to enjoy the view and descend in clear skies. The team reached camp just before 5pm and spent the night. The next morning, April 30, the team moved back to base camp. Given the few remaining days left to the expedition, the team determined there was not time for a second ascent, and now they are waiting for a clearing in the weather and an opportunity for the bush pilot to come and pick them up.
Update, Team is flown off the mountain!
As I was composing this blog update, Aaron Mainer called at 11:15pm PDT today, May 1 to report the team is safely back in Chitina. The bush pilot was able to pick up the entire team and drop them at the airstrip. The bad news is the transportation van will not reach them until tomorrow, so they’ll hopefully walk into the very small outpost of Chitina for a dinner and then spend the night camping at the airstrip until their pickup in the morning.
Congratulations to the team for a successful climb of Mt. Jarvis, a peak that is seldom climbed, and a safe and happy end to their time on the remote glaciers of Wrangell/St Elias National Park.
George Dunn