This year I was back on Denali for another try. It’s been 3 years since my previous attempt and while my training routine was a bit haphazard, I felt really strong and my training hikes were going great. It was time to head back to Alaska!

This time I flew in through Minneapolis. Why? Flying in through Seattle would’ve been longer and more expensive. I was a bit traumatized by just how flat the US midwest is, but I can deal with that. This time I didn’t have to deal with any vaccination process at the airport, but I did manage to meet some of my teammates before the next day team gathering.

One problem was that my Ubigi US SIM just wouldn’t work in Alaska so I had to get another through Airalo. Super confusing too because nowhere in the UI does the Ubigi US thing say that it only works in contiguous states… Anyway. Moving to Talkeetna I took no risks and just brought all my stuff along (not that there was much outside of gear). The weather blessed us and we flew in pretty much on schedule.

The hike to first camp was only difficult because of having to get used to walking roped up (in my case, driving the guide crazy with stepping on the rope) not so much of the weight. The weight was still significant, but unlike last time it didn’t feel too heavy. During the rotations after, I gradually got better at just not stepping on the rope. We made it to 14 camp without any issues or weather days too.

After that a few problems on my end emerged. First, as soon as we got to 14 camp my body just refused to keep up. I was doing all the same, water, electrolytes, food, and yet every day we (had to) spend there I was feeling weaker. Second, the fixed ropes up to 16 ridge had some really gnarly hard ice bits. That in itself wouldn’t have been an issue, but as I had to realize my crampons just weren’t sharp enough to cut that ice anymore. Going up was okay, but coming down was really tough. Add that exertion to my already deteriorating strength and it wasn’t looking that good anymore.

The day we were to move up to the high camp I decided to bail under the ropes. I was already heaving, body not liking the weight even though it was lighter than most days before. I knew I couldn’t make it to the ridge and turning around while on the ropes (on that ice) would’ve been hell.

So another attempt, another time without a summit for me. Guess I’ll have to train with heavier weights next time (though I’m gonna need some new backpack because my old Mammut is falling apart)…