Letter from a 2004 Denali Climber & 6-Day AK Student

My name is Paul Lego. Kristine from Alpine Ascents asked if I could talk with you about doing a mountaineering course in the same season as a Denali climb. I would be happy to do this.

I made two trips to Alaska last year. The first was to do the 6-day Alaska Mountaineering course, which I did in mid-May. Then I went home for a week (San Francisco, CA), and then came back for the 3-week Denali climb in late May/early June. This schedule actually worked out very well for me, but there are some things that you should know:

1. The 6-day Alaska Mountaineering course itself is a significant trip in terms of logistics and preparation. You need most of the same equipment as you actually need on the Denali climb, and it is a good place to "field test" your gear. The big difference between the Denali climb itself and the course is that for the course, you bring all of your own food and your own stove. On the Denali climb, all the food buying and cooking gear is done by the guides (you obviously haul your share of the food, and help with your share of the cooking).

2. I strongly recommend having at least a week between the end of the 6-day course and the Denali climb itself for a few reasons. The 6-day course is no walk in the park, and it is possible that you will come away from it cold, wet, tired, and with some gear problems. (on the other hand, you may be really psyched and ready for more). It is nice to have a few days to rest up, get your energy back, and make those last minute gear changes before you spend another 3 weeks on the glacier. I went back home to California mostly because it was easy for me to do (Alaska Air flies from SFO through Seattle to Anchorage and the flight is only a few hours). You could chose to stay in Talkeetna, or in Anchorage, between the two courses. There are some small gear shops in Talkeetna, and there is a great REI and another great gear shop right around the corner from REI in Anchorage. I would probably choose to stay in Anchorage if I didn't go home. The trip from Anchorage to Talkeetna by shuttle bus is about 3 hours if I remember right. Another reason to put at least a week between your class and the climb is that the weather is not predictable, and you may not get off the mountain from your class on schedule. It would not be great to have to go straight from your class to base camp -- and by the way, our class ended up being on the Ruth Glacier, and Base Camp is on the Kahiltna Glacier, which for all practical purposes is like being a plane flight away.

3. I had climbed fairly extensively before Denali (Mt. Shasta a dozen times, Kilimanjaro, Island Peak in Nepal, Mt. Ranier), so I had been above 20,000 before and sort of knew what I was getting into. What was different about Denali from all of these climbs was a) that you are out there in the snow and cold in a tent for 3 weeks solid, so you need to stay healthy, happy, well-fed and warm/dry not just for a weekend; b) you are lugging significantly more weight - 65 lbs+ for extended periods of time (6-10 hours a day) with no help from porters, etc.), and c) the weather can get *really* ugly for extended periods of time. I think that you need to be physically and mentally prepared for this.

4. I can't emphasize enough that being in good shape is critical (see 3. above). I thought I was in pretty good shape for the climb, and had been working out daily and doing short weekend dayhikes with 50 pounds in my pack, but in looking back, I could have been in better shape and if so, would have enjoyed it more. Having said all of this, I have to say that my 6-day Alaska course and my Denali climb last year were the highlights of my life! The 6-day class by itself was extremely fun, interesting, and educational. I finished the class feeling that if you dropped me in the middle of a glacier in a snowstorm (with the right gear), I could not only survive, but thrive. The Denali climb was hard, but extremely rewarding. We were 19 days up and 2 days back down. Our entire group of 6 summited. We had awesome guides. We traveled in whiteout conditions for 2 straight days below 11,000 feet, and waited almost 5 days at 17,000 feet for the wind and weather to cooperate. On our last possible summit day, the weather cleared and we stood in 40 degree F plus temperatures on a windless summit! It was like I dreamed about.

I hope that this information helps and that you can make an informed decision about the climb. Whatever you decide, best of luck, and I would be happy to talk with you further.

Sincerely, Paul Lego