Denali Day 4: Pushing to 11,000

We made it to 9,200. Then we looked at the weather, looked at each other, and made the call: we’re not stopping here. We’re pushing to 11,000 today.

That’s the mountain forcing your hand — and sometimes that’s exactly what you need.

A storm is coming in. The goal is to be at 14,000 camp when it arrives, acclimatizing and positioned for a summit push. Getting pinned down at 11,000 instead costs everything: time, food, fuel, and the kind of mental and emotional energy that’s harder to replenish than calories. So we move now, while the weather is with us.

The final 900 feet to 11,000 camp is steep enough that sleds become a liability. Depending on conditions, we may have to break it into rotations — backpacks only, multiple carries. We’ll see what the mountain gives us.

What I can tell you is that this team is showing me exactly who they are.

Jacob is holding strong. Sandro is acclimatized from Everest and it shows — he moves with a steadiness that anchors the group. Tom is a workhorse, full stop. And Chris — I want to talk about Chris for a moment.

Chris is a disabled veteran. He’s had multiple surgeries that removed scaling muscles from his lungs. What that means on a mountain like this, at altitude, under load, is hard to fully describe. This climb is proving significantly more difficult for him than any of us anticipated — including Chris. But what he brings to this team every single day is something the altitude can’t touch. He holds the fort. He makes every meal. He manages his mindset with a discipline that honestly puts the rest of us to check.

Knowing his limitations now is actually a gift. It lets us strategize, move efficiently, and protect him without making it a thing. That’s what good teams do — they see each other clearly and adjust without making anyone feel like the weak link. There are no weak links here. There are just different strengths at different altitudes.

We’re moving in the heat of the day today, which isn’t ideal — but it might actually give us useful information about how Chris handles warm air versus cold. Every data point matters up here. You learn to read people the same way you read weather.

The philosophy we’re operating on right now: save energy in the bank on the easy days so you have something to spend on days like today. A push like this requires reserves. You can’t manufacture them in the moment. You either built them or you didn’t.

We built them. Now we spend them.

Something to think about today:

Every team has people operating at different capacities on any given day. The leaders who get the most out of their teams aren’t the ones who pretend those differences don’t exist — they’re the ones who see them clearly, plan around them honestly, and make sure no one feels like a liability for being human.

Knowing your team’s real capacity isn’t a weakness in your strategy. It is your strategy.

Daily dispatches from Project Climb Higher. Follow along as we work our way up Denali.

— Jenn & team heading to 11,000