Right on schedule Team Powersauce departed bustling Talkeetna on Wednesday morning. The town was swollen with climbing teams delayed by poor weather the previous day. I've been made to understand that their unethical line jumping was enabled by back room brownie dealing and so good were these brownies Team Sypderchimp secured the next plane out. To be fair I'm sure Mom Walsh intended her baked goods to be used for good and not evil.
If you are not familiar with the flight into base camp, it is well known among mountaineers as spectacular. Besides the scenery the small bush planes can only just barely make it through One Shot Pass. Then the plane lands directly on the South East Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. This is Base Camp. Here teams cache some food and reorganize their gear. There is also a base camp manager and I believe a doc. It is not uncommon to spend a day here relaxing and practicing crevasse rescue. Being from Colorado and having already practiced their skills, Bernie and Matt decided to head out straight away.
Unfortunately one half of Team Spyderchimp became profoundly ill during the flight and needed serious recuperation time. Since the rangers reported excellent conditions on the glacier the informal alliance dissolved and the two of them tied in and headed down Heartbreak Hill to the main glacier. Roughly 800 feet of ascending over 4 miles deposited them at a good spot a little short of the traditional first camp.
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