Crossing Denali by Mike Fenner

Author:Mike Fenner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781594859922
Publisher: Mountaineers Books

MINUS ONE

SATURDAY, MAY 31

Day thirteen. Even though there was no sign of a storm within the protective confines of Genet Basin, word had it that high winds had returned to the upper mountain. Although other teams were up on the headwall this morning, we were staying put. After the physically and—surprisingly—emotionally difficult experience up high yesterday, no one expected or wanted to move up so soon. We weren’t disappointed when Jack gave the official word.

“You guys are getting a breather today. That’s the good news,” Jack said at breakfast. “The bad news is that based on the forecast, there’s a strong possibility we could spend two to four more days here.”

I did the math. Taking into account that we would almost certainly face additional weather delays up high, I calculated that we would be on McKinley for at least seven to ten more days. I let out a deep sigh.

All of us groaned when we heard his report, but in the bigger scheme of things, this pause represented merely another short-term delay. Jack knew this and so did we. Everyone was still optimistic regarding our chances for the summit and traverse. Everyone, that is, except Armando. He was being unusually quiet, and no one had to guess why. I had realized much too late yesterday that he failed to help dig in the cache at seventeen thousand feet because he simply lacked the energy to participate. He was twelve years older than I was and a full twenty-three years older than Keith. My excuse for my short temper was the thin air, but I had no excuse for my cheap name-calling. I hadn’t even thought to reason through an explanation for his behavior. It had hardly been my finest hour.

But what kind of liability would Armando represent when we hit the north side? Jack could tolerate a certain degree of hesitancy from Armando here on the populated West Buttress route, but what about the lonely descent of Karstens Ridge? No one broached the subject with Jack. We didn’t want to go on record as being further critical of Armando. And certainly no one felt it was his place to tell Jack what to do.

At the same time, I think each of us quietly considered the implications of Armando’s remaining with the team. No one would be surprised if Jack sent him home. But we didn’t know what it would take for Jack to dismiss him (or any of us, for that matter). There were multiple levels of responsibility to think of: the responsibilities of RMI, the guides, and Armando himself.

RMI had accepted Armando’s money. Neither he nor any of us had been required to do more than pay the $4,500 fee, complete the equivalent of a five-day Rainier expedition course, and submit an application. Didn’t the fact that RMI had accepted his application mean that they were responsible for providing him with every reasonable opportunity to complete his climb? The company knew it wasn’t getting clients who were professional mountaineers. At best we were intermediate-grade novices with differing skill levels.

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