Wally Berg

One Hour From The Summit
Sunday, June 28, 1998

Hear the Satellite Call from Denali

Summit Ridge at 4AM [click to zoom] (photo: Darsney)

Morning Mountain Zone, it's Wally. I'm calling you about 6pm from about 19,900 feet on the summit ridge of Denali. All seven members of The Alpine Ascent/Fantasy Ridge Team have reached the summit ridge in quite good conditions. We've seen varied weather today, some clouds and wind but right now it's pretty calm and after ten hours of moving from the 17,000 foot camp, we're confident that we're going to summit in about an hour. I'm calling you now because we're not confident that the wind isn't going to be blowing like hell on the summit and you probably won't be able to hear my call very well. So, I want you to know that as of now, 6pm on the 28th, we're in good spirits, tired after ten hours of moving; we're confident we're going to stand on the summit of Denali in about an hour under beautiful conditions and that we've got the strength to descend safely and have a good day. I'll check with you from the summit, especially if the wind not blowing any harder.

— Wally Berg, Expedition Leader

EXPEDITION