Because of its northern latitude and the barrage of storms coming off the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea, climbing Mt. McKinley has the unique challenge of bitter cold and arctic conditions. Even in the summer, temperatures regularly drop to 20-40 degrees below zero during the day between high camp and the summit, and of course it's even colder at night!
Also due to it's northerly location, the barometric pressure is lower, which means there is less oxygen in the air, adding a greater challenge for climbers. The difference becomes noticeable once climbers are above 10,000 ft.
Many doctors and experts compare the physiological challenge of summiting Denali to that of a 21-23,000 ft. mountain in the Himalaya, depending on the weather conditions.
So please keep them warm and toasty in your thoughts and prayers!
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2 comments:
Waz a couple questions:
How heavy is your pack?
What tent do you use?
Dana if you have list of all that
Scott carries with him that would
would be interesting.
How do you carry enough beer for what looks like 2 weeks on the mountain?
Keep up the good work Dana.
You too Scott of course good luck.
Exellent question!
Right now they are carrying about 120 lbs. of gear each, and they "cache" (bury & store) gear & supplies at each Camp along the way.
Tent used: Sierra Designs 4-season tent
I'll work on a list of what he has and post that - good idea! :-)
No beer - way too heavy - we transferred items into small containers to save as much weight as possible.
Thanks! :-) And I'll give Scott the message tonight, when I expect him to call next.
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