Lonnie Dupre was all smiles at his fundraiser held recently at Gunflint Tavern. The money given to Dupre helped pay for his trip to Alaska where he now awaits to become the first person to complete a solo climb Denali in January. So far inclement weather has kept him grounded at his base camp in Talkeetna, Alaska.
Grand Marais adventurer Lonnie Dupre’s goal to become the first person to solo Denali (Mount McKinley) in January is on hold due to inclement weather. Up to six feet of snow has fallen on the mountain and, for now, Dupre’s pilot can’t land him at the glacier where his climb was to begin.
For now Dupre is safe and warm at his rented cabin in Talkeetna, Alaska, with Tom Surprenant, his base camp manager.
Denali is North America’s highest peak and poses many obstacles to climbers due to its 20,320 elevation, winds up to 100 mph, temperatures that dip to 70 below zero and short daylight hours. Only one other team, a group of three Russians, has scaled Denali’s summit in January.
On New Year’s Day, Dupre wrote in his blog, “We are still grounded in Talkeetna. We talked with our pilot with Talkeetna Air today and the report is that up to six feet of snow has fallen on Denali in the last 48 hours.”
Dupre said his pilot would like to see the snow settle before attempting to land on it.
In his most recent post on Jan. 3, Dupre added, “Weather looks promising for later this week (Jan. 5-6) with a high pressure system moving into the area. Base Camp activity continues at the ‘Trapper John’ cabin. This is one of the original log cabins from the 1920s that the Talkeetna Roadhouse manages in town.”
When the weather clears Dupre will fly to a glacier to begin his climb. He expects to take as long as one month to make his way up and down the mountain. Gear will be carried on his back and he will pull a sled weighing 160 pounds. Because extreme winds will knock down any tent, Dupre will carve out snow caves to sleep in. On the way up, Dupre will leave wands behind that will mark dangerous crevasses and his snow caves. He will use the wands to guide him back down the mountain.
Noted as a world-class explorer, Dupre’s goal is to “create and lead successful, pioneering expeditions in the coldest regions of the globe, as a means to inspire, educate and advocate for the environment and the indigenous cultures.”
Dupre can be followed on his website at www.lonniedupre.com.
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