Climbing season is well past the halfway point, and the National Park Service provides an inside look at what a mountain patrol looks like.
This is the Denali Report for Friday, June 25th, 2021. As of Wednesday, there are 1014 climbers registered to attempt Denali. About a third of those climbers are currently on the mountain, and nearly all of the rest of the attempts have been completed. The current summit rate of fifty-eight percent is on the higher end of average, but with hundreds of attempts remaining, it could change significantly.
On Mount Foraker, three climbers are currently attempting to summit the Alaska Range’s second highest peak, and the rest of the climbs have been completed, with four summits so far.
This week, in addition to normal updates on conditions and happenings in the Alaska Range, the National Park Service’s Denali Dispatches blog featured a first-hand account of one of the patrols that went to base camp this season.
Written by Steve Mock of Denali Rescue Volunteers, the blog post details some of what a base camp patrol does. In large part, patrols of volunteers and rangers that stay at 7,000 feet provide support to teams that go further up Denali. That includes providing food and water as well as any other support needed. The base camp patrol can also pitch in to help with organization on busy days on the airstrip. When weather keeps planes from flying in for a few days, there are often many teams waiting to both come off the mountain and begin their attempts. That can lead to logistical challenges that the team helps the base camp manager sort out. They also help with maintenance and supplies for National Park Service patrols and logistics throughout the season.
If you know of an interesting or unique story about climbing Denali this season, you can let us know by emailing news@ktna.org.
