Team Safely back at Camp V

Team Safely back at Camp V

Wes just called and sounds exhausted! He said the excitement of making the summit will probably set in later today or tomorrow. Right now he is too tired. He said they left yesterday at 10 am and did not get back to camp until 10 pm. They ate dinner around midnight (some freeze dried food) and then everyone passed out. He said no one tossed and turned at all, they slept like stones. Right now everyone is still sleeping. Wes said ALL of the team made it to the summit! He said it was everything he expected and then some. It was a real mental challenge. It was like running a marathon with a backpack on and breathing through a straw. It was one of his toughest days ever. He said it was really treacherous and very cold. They were all roped in but walking right along the edge of the mountain. It was pretty "insane." He said there were a lot of people going for the summit but not all of the people made it. Wes said he had plenty of food but it got to the point where his body just didn't want to take in any food at all. He said he sucked down a lot of Goo and it would take about 10 minutes to kick in and then he would feel energized to move on - however that didn't last very long and then he was sucking down more Goo. It was about minus 20 degrees with winds about 20 to 25 mph at the summit. John and Wes could see the curvature of the earth. He said the views were spectacular. They didn't spend much time at the summit. He said everyone was so tired and didn't have the energy to take many pictures but they got some. The plan for today is to rest a little longer and eat breakfast. The team will then move down to 11,000 feet tonight and spend a few hours. Tomorrow they will move down to Base Camp and hopefully fly out to Talkeetna. The weather is supposed to be good. They will probably spend the night in Talkeetna on Sunday and get back to Anchorage on Monday. Wes may come home Monday really late or spend the night in Anchorage and get home Tuesday (four weeks after he left).