Shipwrecked

The day starts with gear check, climb briefing, packing food, and then a 2 hr drive to Talkeetna to catch a ski plane to the Kahiltna Glacier. It was hectic and exciting meeting the rest of the team and guides, the work has started. We fill bags with 35-50 snacks each for different altitudes. Lower you start with jerky, nuts and bars and end with high camp with food like you just raided the checkout line at the grocery store just sugar and fat for the upper mountain. They are packed in ice bags and will be cached along the mountain. I just added another 20 lbs of junk food to my pack that started at 83lbs. We practiced sled rigging and roped travel while waiting on the plane, got a NPS briefing and loaded up for the 40 minute flight to the Kahiltna Glacier.

I now know how it feels to be shipwrecked. We arrive at base camp unload, and the plane leaves and we are alone. We build our camp and get organized and get ready to start up the mountain. I look at all the stuff we just unloaded. I think of the hard work that is going to be involved in getting it up the mountain then I try not to think about it. A big part of the mental aspect of the climb is not to overthink things, concentrate on the task at hand, the clouds move in and once the sun is gone the temperatures drop and getting into your tent and bag is now the most important task. tomorrow is going to be a different set of challenges that I will never get to if I don't get to work.

Lesson to grandkid:

Spend the first part of your day like you're shipwrecked. Get necessary things done, don't forget food, water, shelter first then you can plan for what's next. Necessary things may not always be food, water, shelter but things like your health, your family, your work. Make sure these are secure before the cloud comes in.