A breakdown of our Expedition

As we move into our last week before
leaving for the expedition, these are things we kept in mind when we
trained...

Activities/specific movements
- Heavy climbing/caching/carrying (15 days)
- Travel style: 3 on a rope each pulling 50-80lb sleds through snow/ice with
40-60lb backpacks
- Route: usually travel at 30degree incline, some parts of route are 70+
degree vertical pitches requiring technical climbing and gear hauling
- Average 8-10hrs climbing per expedition day (90min increments with short
breaks in between)
- Summit attempt (4-day window): 14-18hr climbing days to/from summit
- Camp Rest days (5-6 total) in between heavy cache/carry days to speed up
acclimatization. Lots of eating, drinking, and sleeping.
- Camp setup/breakdown (5-6 total): as each camp gets higher, the physical
demands for altitude and bigger ice shelter grow

Expedition Timeline
Weather and snow conditions will ultimately determine our progress on the
mountain. This itinerary is a rough guide and outlines a possible schedule.
With lucky weather, we might be able to finish the expedition in 18-19 days.
On the other hand, delays at the start with un-flyable weather or storms at
high camps may result in running out of time . but we built in a flexible
schedule with 2 additional days.
Day 1 8:00 am meet for orientation, gear check, and pack food. fly to Base
Camp, 8500', distance: 60 miles, elevation gain: 6850'
Day 2 Base Camp: organize, acclimate, review glacier travel and crevasse
rescue
Day 3 Single to Ski Hill, Camp 1, 7,800', distance: 5.5 miles, elevation
gain: 600'
Day 4 Carry to Kahiltna Pass, 9,700', distance: 5 miles, elevation gain:
1900'
Day 5 Move to Kahiltna Pass, Camp 2, 9,700', distance: 5 miles, elevation
gain: 1900', under the right conditions we may move all the way to 11,000'
Day 6 Single to 11,000', Camp 3, distance: 1.5 miles, elevation gain: 1300'
Day 7 Rest/acclimatization day
Day 8 Carry to 13,500' around Windy Corner, distance: 1.75 miles, elevation
gain: 2500'
Day 9 Move to 14,200', Camp IV, distance: 2.75 miles, elevation gain: 3200'
Day 10 Back carry 13,500' cache, distance: 1 mile, elevation gain: 700'
Day 11 Carry to 16,200' , distance: 1 mile, elevation gain: 2000'.
Day 12 Rest/acclimatization day at 14,200'
Day 13 Move to 16,200 feet or 17,200', Camp V, distance: 1.75 miles,
elevation gain: 3000'
Day 14 Rest/acclimatization day or move to 17,200 feet, Camp VI, distance:
1.75 miles, elevation gain: 3000'
Day 15, 16, 17, 18 Summit days, distance: 4 miles, elevation gain: 3120'
Day 19 Return to 14,200 feet or 11,000', distance: 2.25 miles
Day 20 Return to Base Camp, 7,200' (Also known as the "Death March"),
distance: 11.25 miles, fly back to Talkeetna
Day 21 Weather day

A breakdown of our Expedition

As we move into our last week before
leaving for the expedition, these are things we kept in mind when we
trained...

Activities/specific movements
- Heavy climbing/caching/carrying (15 days)
- Travel style: 3 on a rope each pulling 50-80lb sleds through snow/ice with
40-60lb backpacks
- Route: usually travel at 30degree incline, some parts of route are 70+
degree vertical pitches requiring technical climbing and gear hauling
- Average 8-10hrs climbing per expedition day (90min increments with short
breaks in between)
- Summit attempt (4-day window): 14-18hr climbing days to/from summit
- Camp Rest days (5-6 total) in between heavy cache/carry days to speed up
acclimatization. Lots of eating, drinking, and sleeping.
- Camp setup/breakdown (5-6 total): as each camp gets higher, the physical
demands for altitude and bigger ice shelter grow

Expedition Timeline
Weather and snow conditions will ultimately determine our progress on the
mountain. This itinerary is a rough guide and outlines a possible schedule.
With lucky weather, we might be able to finish the expedition in 18-19 days.
On the other hand, delays at the start with un-flyable weather or storms at
high camps may result in running out of time . but we built in a flexible
schedule with 2 additional days.
Day 1 8:00 am meet for orientation, gear check, and pack food. fly to Base
Camp, 8500', distance: 60 miles, elevation gain: 6850'
Day 2 Base Camp: organize, acclimate, review glacier travel and crevasse
rescue
Day 3 Single to Ski Hill, Camp 1, 7,800', distance: 5.5 miles, elevation
gain: 600'
Day 4 Carry to Kahiltna Pass, 9,700', distance: 5 miles, elevation gain:
1900'
Day 5 Move to Kahiltna Pass, Camp 2, 9,700', distance: 5 miles, elevation
gain: 1900', under the right conditions we may move all the way to 11,000'
Day 6 Single to 11,000', Camp 3, distance: 1.5 miles, elevation gain: 1300'
Day 7 Rest/acclimatization day
Day 8 Carry to 13,500' around Windy Corner, distance: 1.75 miles, elevation
gain: 2500'
Day 9 Move to 14,200', Camp IV, distance: 2.75 miles, elevation gain: 3200'
Day 10 Back carry 13,500' cache, distance: 1 mile, elevation gain: 700'
Day 11 Carry to 16,200' , distance: 1 mile, elevation gain: 2000'.
Day 12 Rest/acclimatization day at 14,200'
Day 13 Move to 16,200 feet or 17,200', Camp V, distance: 1.75 miles,
elevation gain: 3000'
Day 14 Rest/acclimatization day or move to 17,200 feet, Camp VI, distance:
1.75 miles, elevation gain: 3000'
Day 15, 16, 17, 18 Summit days, distance: 4 miles, elevation gain: 3120'
Day 19 Return to 14,200 feet or 11,000', distance: 2.25 miles
Day 20 Return to Base Camp, 7,200' (Also known as the "Death March"),
distance: 11.25 miles, fly back to Talkeetna
Day 21 Weather day