Team Denali: Days 7 & 8

The team left camp early on Day 7 to pick up the cache they left near Kahiltna Pass.

They had a tough day due to treacherous and near white-out conditions. The poor visibility meant the team had to move slowly and were roped-up the entire time.

Jonnie stayed behind to take a rest day as he'd had a particularly rough night due to the effects of altitude.

The weather lifted as the team arrived back at camp several hours later revealing some amazing views.

There was a great atmosphere in camp and Team Denali enjoyed an evening mixing with other teams who have been waiting up to 10 days for a weather window to climb higher.

The team set out around mid-day on Day 8 to carry another half-load of kit to cache near Windy Corner (4054m).

Weather conditions were pretty grim, and white-out conditions made the climb up Motorcycle Hill even more challenging.

They ditched the pulks and carried their loads in their backpacks which felt better than dragging them.

The team wore crampons and carried their ice-axes for the steep climb, crossing a number of snow bridges over some deep crevasses.

They didn't get to appreciate the spectacular views today due to bleak and blizzard conditions. Not being able to distinguish the ground from the sky or see the horizon was quite disorientating, and keeping fingers and toes warm in the conditions also proved a real challenge for them.

Rich said:

"Everyone was good and feeling strong today. Jonnie is having a better day too. It was the first day we have worn crampons, full-harnesses, helmets and ice-axes due to crevasse and avalanche risk.

The wind is dictating when we can move, but we hope to move higher tomorrow, weather permitting."

The team are really grateful for all the messages of support and hope to do a live Facebook video over the next couple of days to answer any questions!

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