January 10th 7:41 PM - 9200 Feet

Day 4 - January 10th

I Just got off the Satellite phone with Lonnie.  He is dug in at 9200 feet for the night.  He had a good day of travel despite a sustained glacier downwind of approximately 50 mph during the day.  This evening the wind is gusting to +70 mph .  The snow conditions have changed as he gains elevation with less snow and more hard ice pack.   It took 2 hours and 45 minutes to build his ranger trench tonight due to a very hard pack surface with wind scoured ice.  Temperature today was around -5 to -10 degrees.  We will be checking the weather forecast tonight to see if the winds are going to continue. 
The picture is of  the Kahiltna Glacier.  Lonnie's location is at the top of the picture in the saddle between the two peaks.