We just talked to Anders and he is back in the warm and thick air of Talkeetna! They had a long day yesterday coming down to 8000 feet. They crashed at 8pm or so and were back up at midnight and made it to the Base Camp airstrip in the early morning.
The waiting game then commenced. A couple of times the pilots set out to retrieve them only to have to turn back. Meanwhile, the weather was going downhill in a big hurry. Late in the afternoon a small window opened up and thankfully they were able to load up and fly back to "civilization". The pilot said they should thank their lucky stars because it was either then or "next week". Denali, now that all the "guests" are gone, is getting very grumpy!
Anders, when we talked to him, was in the hanger sorting through gear and enjoying a well deserved beer and pizza that the air-taxi guys got for them to celebrate their success. Anders told us that the last two days were amongst the hardest of the trip and that upon weigh-in, he was down 16 pounds for the trip....that's a lot for 22 days!
We've organized his return logistics and he'll leave Talkeetna with his team via shuttle for Anchorage tomorrow mid day and fly out tomorrow evening. We'll pick him up in Philly on Thursday morning--can't wait!
Tonight, promises a hot shower, a celebration with his teammates, and a comfy sleep in a real bed--after what he's been through--there really isn't much that's better than that!
The waiting game then commenced. A couple of times the pilots set out to retrieve them only to have to turn back. Meanwhile, the weather was going downhill in a big hurry. Late in the afternoon a small window opened up and thankfully they were able to load up and fly back to "civilization". The pilot said they should thank their lucky stars because it was either then or "next week". Denali, now that all the "guests" are gone, is getting very grumpy!
Anders, when we talked to him, was in the hanger sorting through gear and enjoying a well deserved beer and pizza that the air-taxi guys got for them to celebrate their success. Anders told us that the last two days were amongst the hardest of the trip and that upon weigh-in, he was down 16 pounds for the trip....that's a lot for 22 days!
We've organized his return logistics and he'll leave Talkeetna with his team via shuttle for Anchorage tomorrow mid day and fly out tomorrow evening. We'll pick him up in Philly on Thursday morning--can't wait!
Tonight, promises a hot shower, a celebration with his teammates, and a comfy sleep in a real bed--after what he's been through--there really isn't much that's better than that!
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