In June of 2012, I attempted a climb of the tallest mountain on the North American continent.  Mt. McKinley, known by its native name of Denali, stands at 20,320ft above sea level.

After months of preparation and weeks of climbing, our team arrived on the final ridge before the summit and cached our gear at 16,400ft, with plans to make the final push the following day.  Little did we know the snowstorm that would come that evening.  We awoke in the middle of the night to dig our tents free from a foot of fresh snow, all the while facing -20°F temperatures.

By morning, we knew that our summit attempt would, at the very least, be delayed.  After digging snow pits and testing the avalanche conditions, the guides determined that the path to the summit was far to dangerous to continue.  We waited it out for 10 days at 14,000ft camp waiting for the snowpack to improve but eventually we were forced to descend.  We were the last climbers of the season and it would be another year before climbers returned to the ridge and retrieved our gear.

While it was disappointing to come up short of the summit, I am thankful for the wisdom of our guides who made the right decision so that we can continue to climb another day.  Just a few weeks prior, 4 men caught in an avalanche were not so fortunate.

I will return to Denali in 2014 with the hopes of better conditions and a successful summit.  In the meantime, I am greatly encouraged by the support that we raised for the church building in Rolpa, Nepal.  With your support, we raised over $4,000 to build a church in the rural Himalayan village.  Thanks to your faithfulness, an entire culture is being impacted by the Gospel.