Denali 1987
In spring of 1987, I had the opportunity to spend time at a medical research camp on the 14,200-ft plateau of the West Buttress of Denali (Mt. McKinley) in Alaska. I travelled to the camp with Dr. Howard Donner, high altitude physician and a highly acclaimed speaker on Wilderness Medicine.
To get to the 14,200-ft camp, we started in the small town of Talkeetna AK – about 114 miles north of Anchorage - and were flown in a small plane by Doug Geeting Aviation to the Kahiltna Glacier Base Camp at 7,200 ft. Base Camp is a hub of activity with climbers from various countries sorting gear for the upper mountain and others waiting to fly out after their bid to summit Denali. From Base Camp it took us a few days skiing up the glacier, dragging gear sleds, to the camp at 14,200 ft.
The 14,200 ft camp is a staging area for climbers on the West Buttress route, serving as an advance base camp. Climbers use the camp to acclimatize to the higher altitude and prepare for the final push to the summit.
While at the camp, I was able to observe some of the medical research being conducted that year. On a mild and stellar sunny day, I also did a day climb with Dr. Donner to ~17,000 ft with grand views of surrounding peaks. After spending a number days at the medical camp, we returned back to the Kahiltna Glacier Base camp where we were flown back to Talkeetna.
