Peter Stanley Mt. McKinley

Stewart and Sam

Mathew ,? , & Larry

We're now at Camp Muir at 10,000 feet. I'm walking over the ice, looking in a northeasterly direction. In a southeasterly direction I can see Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood -- which is in Oregon -- and Mt. St. Helens. It's incredible to me, we hiked up 5,000 ft. from Paradise Lodge to the ice field from which we will make a summit dash beginning at 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning. It's now 9:23 p.m. on 24 June '85. I've found that the greatest strain of this is not physical but mental. It's trying to remember everything and recall what's in what bag and where everything is so that you'll be prepared. And actually, so far, my experience has been that I am better prepared than I fear I am. The morning before last when we were trying to pack in the motel, I felt terrified because I couldn't figure where to put everything in my pack. I was trying to figure out how to be prepared for really cold weather. Here I am, standing on a windy ledge, probably 15 degrees, maybe 20 -- it will probably be 10 degrees on top with 40 mile per hour winds but I know I have my polypro underwear and stuff and I'm going to put it on before I get in my bag. Coming to the last pitch Sam really got tired. Yesterday the guide took off at incredible speed. We were with packs and we were going out to do some crevasse training and we started uphill. I've got to go to bed -- it's getting so late. I'll tell these tales later.

Sam

Mt. Hood from from Ranier

It's now approximately 3:30 a.m. on the 25th of June and I'm looking out at the very crack of dawn, looking up in the sky. The temperature is probably 12 degrees. I'm walking on a very hard snow pack. I can see Cassiopeia. The wind is blowing pretty hard. God, it's an incredible view because the sun is just beginning to light the northern horizon. There is a very definite dawn over there. Would you believe 3:30 from 10,000 feet!

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