Team Denali: Days 5 & 6

After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, the team set off early on Day 5 to carry half of their kit and stores which would be cached at Camp 2.

This proved to be a testing day for them, moving slowly in snow shoes over very steep ground and resting for 10 minutes every hour.

They reached Camp 2 in glorious weather and quickly buried the cached kit containing their food, equipment and clothing required for the higher altitudes.

They spent a short time taking in the spectacular views before turning around and heading back to Camp 1.

The afternoon was spent drying kit, charging cameras and video equipment, and most importantly, resting.

Everyone was feeling the effects of a physically tough day, but otherwise good, and they settled down to enjoy a well-deserved dinner of burgers and cheese, and hot chocolate with honey!

The team collapsed Camp 1 early on the morning of Day 6. They dragged everything back up and past the cache at Camp 2 (2600 meters) and continued on up to Camp 3 (3400 meters).

The weather provided a real challenge for them and slowed their progress. Lots of snow and low cloud for most of the day meant zero-visibility and made navigating the crevasses particularly tricky.

The temperature dropped significantly when they neared Camp 2 due to windy conditions, but began to warm up again quickly as they climbed higher and approached Camp 3.

By the time they started putting up the tents the snow was melting as soon as it landed on them and their kit, bringing about the added complication of their kit and equipment freezing during the night when the temperature plummets.

The team settled down to dinner in their tents and to recover from the 6-hour slog.

Everyone was feeling good and strong, but Jonnie was starting to feel the effects of altitude which can cause severe headaches, nausea and fatigue due to the thinning air.