KyQuan Phong

These are pictures from my 2019 Denali expedition. Denali can be seen directly below the airplane.

The Denali Five team members were flanked by guides Chris Cullaz and Karl Welter on the left and Nick Nason on the right. Team members were (left to right): KyQuan Phong, Rebecca Heah, Gary Lewis, Trent Thorne, and Alexander Jury.

Team members Trent, Alex, KyQuan, Gary, and Bec

The plane we used to get to Denali base camp.

View of the Denali National Park from the plane to base camp.

Plane landing at Denali base camp.

All the food, gear, and supplies needed for the trip were carried by us (the three guides and five team members), no porter support. Everything was carried in packs and sleds up to 14-camp (14,000 feet), and above 14-camp, everything was carried via packs using a tactic called caching.

There were three rope teams. Karl (lead guide) had Bec and KyQuan. Chris was tied in with Gary. And Nick managed a team of two: Trent and Alex.

Taking a break.

Having a little bit of fun, sled tapping.

Trent guarding the makeshift outhouse.

These pictures do not show how physically exhausting the climb was.

Crevasses! These things are the reasons why we need to travel in rope teams. As we walk on the snow, we never really know if we’re walking over a crevasse—deep cracks formed by the glacier moving over a hill or an obstacle. If a team member falls through, it is the responsibility (and in the best interest) of the remaining team members to arrest the fall and rescue the fallen member.

Fixed lines up to cache at 16,000 feet.

Traffic jam on our way down the fixed lines. What was supposed to take less than an hour ended up taking more than a couple hours.

Traffic jam on our way down the fixed lines.

From high camp, 17,000 feet, we can see 14-camp (14,000 feet). You can see people on the fixed lines on the right side of the picture.

The conga line on our first summit attempt.

Less people on our third attempt for the summit.

The summit ridge!

Rope teams taking a break on the summit ridge.

That stake on the right marks the summit.

Celebratory selfie with Bec on the summit.

The summit marks the half way point of the expedition. Now the return, the long, long return.

As difficult and arduous as the summit bid was, we at least had a nice scene to enjoy during the descent.

During the summer season, the sun doesn’t really set. It merely hides behind the mountains around us.

These sleds were a nuisance to deal with on the descent. At one point, my sled was simply rolling next to me, twisting the cable more than twenty five times before we reached a flat surface to untangle the mess. Someone on the mountain described the downhill sleds as “unruly midgets.”

There is an incline right before the airstrip/base camp which went on for hours. The hill was rightfully called Heartbreak Hill, and boy was it heartbreaking. From a distance, we saw the planes coming in but knew we were not getting there for another three hours. Once we went over the final ridge and caught sight of base camp, it was bittersweet.

Our escape back to reality, or at least sea level.

Denali has an average summit rate of less than 50%. Weather, physical demand, and/or depleting supplies are often the reasons why people have to turn around. Along our journey up, we met dozens of people who’s objective mirrored ours. Many of their stories included multiple summit attempts via multiple expeditions. We were very fortunate to have succeed on our first expedition up.