First Update

Jacon and Max arrived in Alaska without incident (well, almost...). Apparently the Chicken, who decided to saddle up for the adventure last minute, was temporarily held at a TSA security checkpoint for being unable to produce a valid ID. Eventually, he was released from custody and permitted to depart the contiguous US - and it's a good thing too, because if I know the chicken, he will be relied on for all the sketchiest leads.

Upon arrival the three were put straight to work. Thanks to the generosity of Julie wolf and her friend Lisa Roderick, the Denali base camp manager, the boys were able to work off the cost of their flight to the glacier. Check out the Talkeetna Air Taxi Blog for more info and a glimpse of the Chicken pre-flight.

The most recent SPOT transmission re-affirms that after leaving base camp two days ago, the boys are indeed, still "ok." It sounds as if there have been a few small training climbs, and the trio is acclimating well at around 8,000 feet. I have it on good authority that psych level is sufficiently high, and everyone is feeling well-fed and rested after a week of lounging around base camp playing chess and planning their next move (pun).

More to come as things develop.

****A Special Note To Mom****

Apparently, as a token of their undying love and adoration for their mothers this Mother's Day, Jacon and Max climbed to the peak of a small nearby objective and spent the afternoon reciting Robert Frost poems into the bracing Alaskan winds. After the dedicated ceremony was finished the pair hiked back down to camp in silence. They went to bed dreaming of home-cooked meals somewhere back in Vermont...