Flight to the Summit of Mount McKinley

When we awakened Sunday morning it was cloudy and drizzly and we were not very confident that our 11:00am flight to Mount McKinley was going to take off. After contacting Talkeetna Aero we were elated to hear that, in spite of the fact that ground level was socked in, Mt McKinley was visible above 9,000 feet and we were good to go.

We took off with nine passengers, and Pilot Dave, right on schedule and immediately began the ascent. The first 15 minutes we flew through a heavy cloudbank that was just a white wall. The Pilot (along with “co-pilot Pat”) flew purely by instruments. Due to the altitude we all had to don oxygen masks and wear them throughout the flight. We were also wearing headsets, which kept us “tuned in” to Dave’s narration, each other and also Air Traffic Control instructions.

At approximately 10,500 feet we ascended out of the clouds and there, immediately before us, was the incredible sight of Mount McKinley. For the next hour we flew circles around the mountain, eventually climbing above the summit of 20,320 feet. We flew within a mile of the surface and were treated to views of both the north and south peaks, the sheer rock faces, the “hanging glaciers”, Wickersham’s Wall, Pioneer Ridge, McKinley Pass and several glaciers replete with moraines, which are long dark stream-like deposits of rock and debris pushed up by the tremendous pressure of the ice. The pilot would fly in both directions and repeatedly dipped the wings so everyone was treated to an up-close and unobstructed view of Denali in all her majesty.

We also checked out the mountaineer base camps at both 14,000 and 17,000 feet and followed several climbers attempting one of the final ascents of the year. Due to mountain conditions, McKinley can only be climbed in April, May and June. For the last couple days the climbers have been stuck in their camps due to unfavorable conditions. Today was their first clear day and, as you’ll see in the attached photos, more than a dozen people are still on the mountain trying to get to the summit. From where we viewed the climbers, at base Camp 14, they still had more than 6,000 feet to ascend. Less than 50% of all people who attempt the climb are successful and, this late in the season, from what we were told, it will be extremely difficult to make it all the way to the summit of the North Peak. It also goes without saying that this is an extremely treacherous endeavor. This year alone, two climbers have perished and another experienced a free-fall of more than 2,000 feet and had to be airlifted off the mountain. It was a tad frightening to see how daunting the mountain was and how tiny the climbers were.

It is absolutely impossible to come up with words that sufficiently describe the sheer beauty and majesty of Mount McKinley. It is truly an awe-inspiring sight. Attached are several photos that we hope will show you the extraordinary panorama that unfolded before us.

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Enjoy and “stay-tuned”. Tomorrow we’re taking a Jet Boat tour up the Talkeetna, Chulitna, and Susitna rivers.

Take care,P&J