6/30/09

Hello from the top of the Macklaren glacier, right outside of the pass out into Divide Basin!

We hiked six miles and gained about 2,000 ft in roughly four hours. The route was hard, especially with the extra weight from the re-ration, but I’m getting much stronger. My legs are even visibly more cut! I was on the first student only rope team today, so guess what I get to do tomorrow? Lead my own rope team over this pass!

I’m somewhat nervous, but I think this will be a really exciting new experience. It should be challenging too, since we’re at 6,500 ft and at one point have to hike over an 8,000 ft part of the pass. We’ll just go at a steady pace, and make it over.

My tent mates are awesome too. Amil and I sing for the camp a lot, ha, and they’re all nice to talk to. We all like to read, so it’s funny to watch once our tent group gets camp set up, we put on hot water for tea and hot cocoa and then sit around in our kitchen and read.

For dinner we had the best refried beans and rice after I fixed the stove (yay mechanical me). Then we had class and learned about probing in snow covered glacier, learned about the acronym WFOURNK, and talked about how mountaineering is a balance of a lot of work and fun. Tomorrow is going to be a lot of work too, but when else do you get to lead your own rope team over a 8,000 ft mountain pass in Alaska?

Also I realized that tomorrow is the first day of July, which means only 2.5 more weeks until I get to share this with everyone at home! I’ve noticed that with the new tent group and our expedition getting more exciting I’m not quite as homesick. I do miss everyone and wish they could be here to see these beautiful mountains as well, but I’m happy I’m finally really really enjoying myself. It also made me feel better to send home a letter on the ration plane, and to get our rations.

Okay time for bed since tomorrow is another 5am wake-up call. Night!
~Fia

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