Cookridge Cancer CentreDenali Expedition Report  

Hello everybody. 

I am pleased to report that Ian Black and I have returned safely after a hard but very enjoyable expedition.  

The difficulties started abruptly after leaving home. Trying to negotiate the London Underground, while each carrying 55kg of luggage, proved valuable training for the climb to come. Having successfully passed that test, the rest of the journey passed without problem. 

After a day spent buying food and organising ration packs in Anchorage, we continued by bus to Talkeetna a small frontier town in the heart of Alaska .  

From there we enjoyed an exhilarating 70 mile flight by ski plane, to base camp at 7200 feet on the Kahiltna Glacier.  

We were warned by the US Park Ranger Service that there had been unusually warm temperatures low down on the mountain but unusually cold and stormy conditions higher up. There had also been 5 fatalities already this season on the mountain.  

On our arrival, the afternoon temperature at Base camp was +30deg C resulting in dangerously soft snow conditions. A pair of US climbers had a narrow escape when one of them fell 60 feet into a crevasse as the snow bridge they were crossing gave way.  

It was obvious folly to travel in such temperatures, so we spent a pleasant afternoon sunbathing and trying to get to grips with the vastness of our surroundings. Making use of the 24 hour daylight, we set out at 4 a.m. the following morning on the nicely re-frozen snow.  

The next 3 days followed a similar pattern, moving in the early morning, hauling loads of 60kg each on our back packs and sleds. 

We made good time reaching 11000 feet in three days and gaining a reputation as a strong team. Many of the other teams had been ‘double carrying’ i.e. carrying half their load at a time and therefore took 5 or 6 days to reach this point. 

Above 11000 feet the route became steeper and the conditions were now much colder, but four days later we were established with all our equipment and supplies at 14000 feet. This camp was situated in a relatively sheltered glacier basin and was a good place to acclimatise and prepare to take on the upper mountain. 

The load hauling on the lower mountain had made the climb seem more like a polar expedition, but it now felt good to be free of our sledges as we climbed the fixed ropes on the headwall and the exposed ridge above. Happy with our progress we cached our load of food and fuel at 16500 feet, and returned to our camp to rest and prepare for our summit attempt. 

So far we had experienced a mixture of weather. Pleasant spells were interspersed with snow storms, high winds and temperatures down to -15 degrees C.  

Now that we were poised for a summit attempt though, the weather annoyingly deteriorated. Ideally we needed three days of settled weather and low winds to allow us to climb to high camp, summit and return to 14000 feet. The daily forecast, broadcast on CB radio by the Park Ranger Service however, promised constant high winds on the upper mountain, and we could see huge plumes of  snow streaming from the ridge 2000 feet above us.  

In these conditions it would not be possible to reach the 17200 foot high camp, let alone the summit, and after five days stuck at 14000 feet we feared that our expedition may be over.  

On the fifth evening however, a lull in the winds offered some hope. It was to be followed by two further days of high winds and snow, but there was then a window of two days with a maximum forecast wind speed of 40 mph. The conditions would only offer a marginal opportunity for a summit attempt, but if we had to wait the same length of time for another break in the weather, we would run out of food and have to descend anyway. 

We struck camp and started up the headwall at 10 p.m. As we crested the ridge at 12.30 a.m. we were met by the surreal sight of the sun, still hovering above the horizon. 

The cold was intense and we paused only to collect our cache. By this stage we were feeling the altitude, and carrying loads of over 30 kg each, the final 700 feet to high camp were very hard work. 

At 5 a.m. we found a suitable spot to pitch our tent, and with the thermometer showing -23 deg. C, set about hacking out a level base and building protective snow walls to help us withstand the 80mph gales which we knew would be upon us in a matter of hours. 

At 8 am, ten hours after setting out we crawled into the tent. By this time my toes were numb and as I took of my socks, it was worrying to see that the sweat had frozen to my socks inside my double insulated boots. Fifteen minutes of vigorous massage followed before the feeling and some colour returned to my white toes. 

As promised by the weather forecast, we spent the next 30 hours being buffeted by gale force winds and blizzards. This time was made even more unpleasant for Ian who suffered a severe headache and nausea which prevented him from eating for 24 hours. (Typical symptoms of acute mountain sickness).  

On the second afternoon however the winds dropped and the clouds lifted giving us a view of the route above. Ian was feeling much better and we prepared to make our summit bid the following morning. 

We set out at 11.30 am and traversed the steep ice field toDenali pass (The scene of many fatal accidents for exhausted descending climbers). From there we turned right on the snow ridge above, carefully edging our crampons in the steep wind packed snow.

We both felt strong and were making good time, but I began to realise that I had a problem. With a temperature of -25 deg C and winds gusting to 40 mph, my toes were again verging on numbness. Even though I kept stopping to flex my toes and stamp my feet to try and encourage some circulation, it became obvious that if I continued, I would almost certainly develop frostbite. 

Reluctantly, with the summit in sight a mere 700 feet above, I wished Ian good luck and turned to descend. 

 At 10 pm Ian walked wearily back into camp. He had reached the summit at 6.30 pm and joined the rope of two American climbers, with whom we had become friends, for the descent. I plied him with hot drinks and we retired to our sleeping bags. 

The following day we made a marathon 21 hour descent of the mountain, trying to beat the arrival of another weather front. We found base camp swathed in thick fog however and had to wait 48 hours for it to clear, before the ski plane could fly in to carry us back to civilisation and a very large cooked breakfast. 

We both had a tremendously good time on the climb and in spite of not reaching the summit, I enjoyed the whole experience. The statistics published by the Park Ranger Service, showed that the unusually stormy weather had reduced this seasons success rate for climbers to 33% rather than the usual average of 48%. 

I hope that you will agree with me in considering the expedition a success. Placing one member on the summit and returning uninjured without outside help was a definite achievement. (At least one other climber who summitted on the same day suffered frostbite and needed the assistance of the Park Ranger Service).

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Hi.

My name is Ian Wray. Thanks for visiting my webpage.

In May and June 2007, with the aim of raising money for the Cookridge Cancer Centre, I will be attempting to climb the highest mountain on the North American continent.

A ski plane will fly me and my two team mates onto a glacier at the mountains base. From there we will begin to climb the 15 miles and 4000 vertical meters of snow, ice and rock to the mountains summit. This will take up to three weeks as we acclimatise to the altitude and shuttle our 200 kilos of supplies and equipment between the six camps which we will make on route.

The height gain above base camp is greater and the likely temperatures colder than those experienced on Mount Everest.

Cookridge Hospital provides treatment and care for cancer patients from the whole of Yorkshire and beyond. Over 300 patients a day attend the Centre for treatment and 7,000 new patients are seen there every year.

We all seem to have loved ones or friends who have been affected by cancer and I know from their experiences what a positive difference is made by the care provided at the centre.

The Cookridge Appeal is the registered charity* that raises funds specifically to benefit patients at the centre, so please sponsor me and help to make that difference grow.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

The costs of mounting the expedition will be met fully by its three members, so 100% of your donations will go to directly help patients at the Cookridge Cancer Centre.

Thanks again for supporting me.

{*The Leeds Teaching Hospitals Charitable Foundation regd. Charity no 1075308. For more details please goto www.cookridgeappeal.org}