A Journey Into the Alaskan Wilderness
After some much needed rest and recovery in Talkeetna, I could feel myself getting stronger. Thanks to the care and valuable information shared by Brian and Diane, I started to believe I could really pull this off. On April 2nd, Julien landed, and we immediately dove into preparations for five intense weeks in the Alaskan wilderness.




Nice to Meet You!
When Julien landed in Anchorage on April the 2nd, it was an exciting moment, we had never met before! After my original partner was injured in a climbing accident, I was in a rush to find someone new. Those weeks were stressful, filled with searching for the right person. Then, Julien crossed my path.
Our first meeting went smoothly, and it didn’t take long to see that Julien was a responsible and strong climber, exactly the kind of partner I needed for this expedition.
Doomsday Preppers
The following week was a whirlwind. Brian drove us to various stores, from huge supermarkets to outdoor shops, as we stocked up on food and gathered the last pieces of equipment. While it was hectic, it was also fun, our excitement for the journey was building every day.


We collected as much information as possible about the approach to basecamp and dropped off some of our supplies with Talkeetna Air Taxi, who would fly the items to basecamp for us.
First of the Season
We were the first climbers of the season to begin an expedition on Denali, and the rangers made it very clear: we were the only ones on the mountain, so a rescue would not be possible. The rangers were extremely helpful and excited about our trip. We felt very supported by them but we knew that safety was our top priority. If anything went wrong, we would be completely on our own.





While waiting for the perfect weather window, Julien and I practiced crevasse rescue techniques over and over. The terrain ahead was daunting: more than 100 kilometers on the Denali range’s largest glacier, with enormous crevasses waiting to test us.
Let’s Gooo!
On April the 8th, it was finally time to start. Brian drove us to the last point I had cycled to (Petersville Road), and we loaded up our gear. The snow conditions were still decent, and Brian joined us for the first couple of hours. Having him with us was incredible; Brian is a true Denali legend. I felt honored to have his support and guidance.



After we said goodbye, we were on our own. We knew the next few weeks would be spent in complete isolation, deep in the Alaskan wilderness. For the first two days, we followed a snowmobile trail to the Kahiltna River. From there, we turned right into the wilderness, heading straight for the glacier’s starting point (more accurate it’s the end point). The experience was surreal, breaking trail as the first team of the season, surrounded by breathtaking landscapes, and hearing the sound of water running beneath the frozen river.





Battling the Bushes
Before the trip, we had spoken to locals, including Erden Eruç, who completed this same feat 20 years ago. They warned us that navigating through the brush would be one of the toughest challenges. Manoeuvring sleds through dense vegetation wasn’t easy, but we mostly followed frozen river branches, which made things manageable. Occasionally, we had to climb to the banks, scout for a path, and continue.





Camping felt comfortable for me, temperatures around -10°C felt comfortable to me after months of winter cycling. For Julien, though, this was his first expedition. Despite being an experienced climber, it took him some time to adapt. Efficiency is critical in such journeys, and my past experience allowed me to handle tasks instinctively. This dynamic allowed us to grow as a team, preparing us for the challenges ahead. Soon Julien got the hang of it and every day things got a little bit easier for him.
Unlike most climbers who fly into basecamp, we were tackling the approach on foot. That gave us the time to refine our systems and grow stronger as a team, a process that usually happens later for those who skip this part of the journey.
Onto the Glacier Highway
After about a week, we reached the final moraine of the glacier. Getting there was a struggle, navigating uphill through bushes and dragging sleds that constantly flipped over tested our patience. But finally, we pitched our tent on the glacier, ready for the next phase.





Navigating became easier from this point. The glacier provided a clear path to follow (just staying in the middle and go up), and we no longer had to worry about bears. However, the glacier brought its own challenges.
New Troubles
There was a lot of snow on the glacier. The deep snow was a double-edged sword, it provided safety on the crevasses due to bigger snow bridges but made pulling sleds exhausting. I was particularly worried about crossing large crevasse zones, which Erden had described as slow and difficult. Some of the zones were a bit stressful but thankfully the snow bridges were strong. We managed to navigate safely, the massive crevasses we passed were a beautiful sight and made us feel very small and vulnerable.







One day, heavy snowfall reduced visibility to nearly zero. We decided to rest, but had to dig out the tent regularly to avoid being buried. By the next morning, only the top of the tent was visible under the snow.




The fresh snow made progress even harder as our sleds sank deeply into it. Still, after 11 days, we made it to basecamp!
Ready to Climb
Reaching basecamp felt like a major victory. We didn’t fall in any crevasse, my major concern and felt great. Although we were tired, we had become a more efficient team. The plan was to rest for a 2 days, dig up our supplies, and prepare for the climb.



After the journey through the Alaskan wilderness, we felt ready for the next stage. The excitement was building, this climb was starting to feel possible.