Willi Pritti (left) and Lonnie Dupre discuss what to take and what to leave behind for their mountain climbing excursion up Begguya Mountain in Denali Park. As of April 28 the crew had navigated through an ice field with quite of few crevasses and were slowly working their way up the mountain.
With the sounds of bush planes in the background Lonnie Dupre and the three members of his climbing team sorted equipment at the Talkeetna Air Taxi hangar on April 24.
It was good to be back in Alaska, said Dupre.
The day before the group had examined their gear, food, first aid, and tents and pared down the total weight they planned to carry with them on their ascent of Mount Hunter, or what the indigenous people refer to as Begguya.
On April 25 the team flew to Kahiltna glacier (at 43 miles in length, the longest glacier in the world) base camp and practiced crevasse rescue techniques; something they hope they don’t have to use but must be prepared for. Other than that, Dupre said they were eating a lot and resting a lot and the weather looked good. All good omens, hopefully, for their upcoming adventure.
At 14,537 feet, Begguya, with its steep faces and corniced ridges, is the most difficult mountain to climb of Denali National Park’s three great peaks. And while it isn’t nearly as tall as Mount Denali, it is considered the most difficult 14,000 foot mountain peak to scale in North America, with fewer than 40 percent of climbers reaching the summit.
Joining Dupre are Willi Prittie, a mountain guide with more than 40 years of mountain climbing experience, Pascala Marceau, an engineering consultant who is an ardent backcountry skier and mountaineer, and Chris Worlow, a mountain climber and professional photographer.
Due to the unpredictable weather and large size of his team, Dupre has allowed 14 days for the climb.
The crew left base camp on Wednesday, April 27 and began on cross country skis. They hoped to cover several miles the first day before setting up camp.
Dupre is using this climb as a training ground for his planned fall attempt to scale one of the unclimbed mountains in the Himalayas. With more than 25 years of Arctic exploration behind him, Dupre is well suited to this type of rigor.
If you would like to follow Lonnie Dupre and his climbing mates, go to OneWorldEndeavors.com. to catch Dupre’s daily posts and pictures.
Leave a Reply