Making a Movie

In April of 2021, I flew up with the U.S. Army Chinook helicopters to provide fuel for the Denali Base Camp at 7,000'. There's a single, important difference between the Army helicopters that often perform backcountry rescues in Alaska, and the National Parks Service helicopters that often perform high-altitude rescue;

• The Army helos have a huge carrying capacity but a low maximum height (around 19,000')
• The NPS helos have a very low carrying capacity but can land on the top of Denali

This creates a critical difference, especially with Denali. Denali has a fairly short climbing season - oh, there are climbs that happen nearly year-round, but the favorable conditions only last late April through early July. During that peak season, hundreds of climbers land at 7 camp (7,000') and hike all the way to the summit (20,310').

During this hike, there's a final ascent area colloquially referred to as "The Autobahn" which tends to be the area in which accidents happen. It turns out, providentially, that the fuel which I assisted in the delivery of, became essential for the NPS helo to rescue a climber. The climber ascended all the way to the peak, then fell on the way down the Autobahn - for nearly 1,000'.

Finally, I made a full-length movie about it. Want to watch?