Some of you Wildsnowers are probably wondering when we’re going to quit blogging about Denali, as in ‘enough already!’ We’ve got some summary posts coming up I think you’ll all like, then that’ll be it other than the occasional gear review or retrospective. Here is one of the summations for your intellectual edification.
Number of RV parks used: 9.
Number of RV parks kicked out of: 1
Amount of diesel burned to AK and back: 850 gallons.
At the Golden Nugget RV Park in Anchorage. We spread our Denali expedition gear around during organization, and they kicked us out for being too messy. That was a surprise, as you should see the junked cars over by the grungy bathrooms, and I thought I was going to catch a disease in the shower; it made the slit trench latrine up on the Kahiltna look like paradise. What's more, they were running a road grader along the dusty gravel where we and others were camped, which totally amazed me. Yeah, even though the view of the Chugach is nice, not recommended. We stayed in a lot of other RV parks from Anchorage to Colorado, every single one was nicer.
Gallons of white gas fuel used on mountain: 10 1/2.
Pounds of pre-cooked bacon carried on mountain: 28.
Estimated number of near-miss crevasse falls during trip: 3.
Estimated vertical skied downhill on Denali by the WildSnow expedition: 168,200 feet.
OK, to be fair, this is more what we looked like at the Golden Nugget RV park. But still, couldn't they stand a bit of baggage along with the road grader and abandoned vehicles?
Total amperage of inverters and voltage converters used in truck cab: 120.
How many times 2,600 lb. cargo trailer was disconnected, spun by hand and pushed uphill to make a U-turn: 1
Number of Forest Service roads driven with Caleb riding on camper roof to defend antennas and vent covers from tree branches: 1.
Number of hiphop tunes injected by Jordan into the innocent aux input of the Silverado: 37
Footage of wire used to build electrical patch cable from under hood back to camper: 24.
Amount of hand sanitizer used on mountain: 1 gallon.
Estimated crankcharger revolutions of Eton music player while on mountain: 158,400.
Number of extra gallons of diesel burned because of Garmin Nuvi bad directions: 30.
Number of miles one-lane Forest Service road suggested and then driven due to Garmin Nuvi: 50.
Times GPS used on glacier to find route: 1.
Beers poured out in Whistler parking lot due to visit from local constabulary: 2.
Number of ski poles bent or broken by the WildSnow crew: 2.
Number of hours spent by Lou writing and sending blog dispatches from the mountain: 43.
Cell phone minutes used on mountain: ZERO, ye hah!
Satphone minutes used on mountain: 609, ho hum…
Number of PBRs consumed at Kahitna Base: 36.
Number of PBRs we should have cached at Kahiltna Base: 136.
Number of animals actually requiring use of truck brakes: 8.
Number of moose that could have aborted trip: 3.
Pounds of sockeye caught: 120.
Number of inflatable pad repairs while on Denali: 1.
Number of Denny’s stops before squatting that rabbit: 1.
Talkeetna Roadhouse eggs consumed by expediton: 63.
Max speed achieved on ATV in AK bush: 52 mph.
Number of helmets worn on ATVs in AK bush: 0.
Leg strength lost by Lou during drive north: 20 %.
Number of pink fur handcuffs on expedition: 1.
Number of times pink handcuff ownership has been covertly transferred: 35.
Number of times pink handcuff transfer was requested: 1.
Number of hours spent listening to Coast to Coast AM: 12.
Best thing heard on Coast to Coast radio: “If it’s not an act of God it’s a conspiracy.”
Weight of skis in trailer: 120 lbs.
Number of nights Caleb and Jordan spent sleeping outside: 48.
Number of days it rained at night while on the road trip: 12.
Biggest ripoff according to Lou: XM Radio in Alaska.
Biggest ripoff according to Caleb and Jordan: $55 24-pack of Molson bought in Whitehorse.
Depth of pee hole at Kahltna Base Camp: Unknown, but you couldn’t hear it hit bottom.
Width of pee hole at Kahiltna Base Cam: One average man’s shoulders.
Number of times Lou used his pee bottle: 72
Number of times Caleb used his pee bottle: 8
Most dangerous crevasse on Kahiltna glacier: Base Camp pee hole.
Number of pages Plutarch read by Louie on his Nook: 970.
Name of the woman that causes the boys to cringe the most: Karen.
Name of voice on Garmin Nuvi: Karen.
Number of girls picked up in bar by single boys on trip: zero.
Number of dudes picked up in bar by single boys on trip: 1.
Number of guns owned by above dude: 16.
States and provinces driven through: 10.
Years between Denali summits for Lou: 37.
Prayers prayed by Lou during 2010 trip: 87.
Number of men at 14,200 foot camp while we were there: 180.
Number of women at 14,200 foot camp while we were there: 20.
Crampons lost on mountain then returned to Lou by good Samaritan from Massachusetts: 1
Number of ice tool placements Park Service volunteer ranger used to climb out of new pit toilet at 14,200 foot camp: 14.
Number of Walmart/Fred-Meyer stops during road trip: 14.
Turns made on West Buttress headwall by Lou: 47.
Turns made on West Buttress headwall by Tyler: 12.
Number of turns it takes to unscrew lid of CMC container: 4.
Number of Denali related WildSnow blog posts to date: 82.
Anything else our esteemed WildSnow commenters want to know?
(Some of the above are close approximations and estimates.)
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
