On Friday, Joe told me, with what was left of his voice, “I’m still coughing up things that are brown, green and yellow… it looks like a science project!” Fortunately, the weather at Base Camp broke, and Joe was able to fly back to Talkeetna. After a “real” dinner with a group of about 10 [...]
Early Tuesday morning, the climbers had anticipated, due to the heavy snow, that the group would spend another day or two stuck at their current position. However, the lead guide Dave basically said “Let’s go; we’re moving on,” and they packed up camp and began the long climb back up Motorcycle Hill to establish the [...]
Sunday’s activity involved climbing with heavy packs and sleds to cache gear at about 13,500 feet. This ascent involved going up what is known as Motorcycle Hill and Windy Corner. This was the area where Joe fell through the crevasse in 2005 and injured his knee. However, this time, everything was fine. After a long, [...]
Just a quick update due to my currently limited internet access. On Friday, the climbers moved the rest of the gear and made camp at 11,000-feet. I was able to talk to Joe briefly last night on the satellite phone. He and everyone are in good spirits. I’d also like to relay a special “I [...]
Last night, Joe and his teammates arrived safely on the Kahiltna Glacier. Instead of spending a night or two at Base Camp, they got right down to business and started up the mountain. Carrying heavy packs and pulling sleds behind them, they stopped just shy of Camp I for the evening. Joe’s first audio satellite [...]
Today’s date is a difficult one for my husband, as it marks the anniversary of his father’s suicide. Joe, at 16 years old, was the last of his siblings to speak to his dad, and this episode was more of a heated argument than a loving conversation. Then … news of the suicide. It’s more [...]
Joe and his teammates met each other in Anchorage, did a preliminary gear-check, and made the 115-mile drive to the small, colorful town of Talkeetna — population 873 — earlier today. (This photo is from June, 2005, but Joe assures me that this famous street sign is still unchanged today.) In addition to Joe, the [...]
Tomorrow morning I depart for my return to Denali and the mountain that began the Expedition Hope mission. As I mentioned in the previous posting, “May Anniversaries,” all of those thoughts — and especially the looming date of May 6th — are now rushing to the forefront of my mind like a strong Denali storm. [...]