March 18, 2019
Denali Prep Seminar – Sled Hauling (Robert Jantzen)
Our third Denali Prep Seminar of the season, led by Rikki Dunn, awoke to sunshine and blue skies after spending a clear night camped just below Panorama Point.
On Day One, sleds are used to haul loads to the first camp site. The team then sets up tents as they would on an expedition. The next morning, they pack up all of their gear and set off for Camp Muir at 10,000′ via the Muir Snowfield, wearing heavy packs (Team 3 is a full crew of 12, so lots of food!) and traveling in snowshoes. All essential skills for a trip to Denali.
Denali Prep Seminar heading uphill (Robert Jantzen)
While teams often welcome challenging weather at some point during their seminar, it looks like the nice weather expected this week will instead provide an opportunity for training in warmer than average conditions – they’ll talk about how this affects the snowpack on various aspects of the mountain and what this means in terms of avalanche danger. They’ll also have to consider self-care; wearing sunscreen, glacier glasses, and staying hydrated. Temps at Camp Muir should be fairly consistent over the next 36 hours and will hover right around the freezing mark day and night. Winds will be light to moderate.
All is well on Rainier!
Heather Garland