Monday 22 June 2009 - Hello Special friends,
How wonderful it is to be back home safe in Melbourne and now able to reflect and share with you all what was a truly epic mountaineering experience.
I hope everybody is well and happy and appreciating every single day of your life, the special people in it, the comforts you have and the gift of love that defines our lives - now there’s a thought for the day!
Where do I begin? I could write a book on my adventure but I will try to condense my Denali experience the best I can. It is very difficult to articulate exactly what I endured during the 23 days on one of the world’s coldest and most dangerous mountains in the world. Even now I ask myself, “Did I really do that?”
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Monday 1 June 2009 - Cherie has sent through a quick message to let you all know how she is getting on. “Wow, what an epic Denali adventure I have had! Almost indescribable…. still digesting the experience. No, I didn’t summit but it’s all about the journey. I could not have done any more than I did, the weather was brutal and I was forced to turn around 500m from the summit! I am currently in Anchorage and will be back in Melbourne on Wednesday.”
Sunday 31 May 2009 - Many of you will have been staying up-to-date with Cherie’s adventure via the Alaskan Mountaineering School Blog. Cherie and her team were prevented from reaching the summit by severe weather. To quote Rob on the blog, “It’s better to turn around and come down safely than to take any unnecessary risks for the sake of the summit every time. No mountain is worth dying for or losing digits for.” After returning safely to base camp, the severe weather prevented the team from flying out for several days. They have returned to Talkeetna now and Cherie will be on her way home this week. No doubt she will have some great stories to tell you all from her incredible experience on Denali.
Sunday 24 May, 2009 - Cherie’s team have moved up to ‘high camp’ and they will go for the summit early this week. Stay tuned for updates here or visit the Alaskan Moutaineering School blog as they head for the top!
Wednesday 20 May, 2009 - Not much to report on the Denali expedition at this stage. Cherie’s climbing team is still at 14,000 feet. Heavy winds are keeping them in the same area. They have plenty of food and time, so will wait there until the weather improves. We’ll keep you updated as news comes to hand.
Wednesday 13 May, 2009 - Cherie’s climb is going well. The group is currently at 14 thousand feet. The winds are extremely high, with speeds of up to 70 mph. You can stay up to date with the climb on the Alaskan Mountaineering School blog. The team name is “Postle” and one of the team members is named Greg, this knowledge will help as you read the blog!
Wednesday 6 May, 2009 - News just to hand: bad weather has held the climbers up and they won’t be able to fly to the glacier at the foot of Denali as expected. We will keep you updated of their progress. You can see a picture of Cherie and get regular updates on the Alaskan Mountain School blog if you want to follow the progress of the climb.
Monday 4 May, 2009
Hi everyone,
Here’s a message from Cherie: “I’m in beautiful Talkeetna! Gorgeous day, awesome people, cosy little cabin… loving it! Denali looks absolutely amazing! I’m going to climb it soon… wow! Skills course tomorrow, hit the mountain Tuesday.”
Cheers,
Lyndall.
Sunday 3 May, 2009
Hi guys,
Lyndall here, Cherie’s web manager. Cherie has arrived in Anchorage, Alaska after 33 hours of travel (she is pretty jet-lagged). She is off to Talkeeta by bus in the morning, where she will be based at the Alaskan Mountaineering School until she flies on to the Alaskan Range glacier on Tuesday afternoon to start her climb.
Cherie sends her love to you all and says “I’m in Alaska! Yippee!”
Stay tuned for more updates as they come through.
Regards,
Lyndall.
Saturday May 2nd, 2009
Dear friends,
Mountain Girl Chez is VERY excited! 
The time has finally arrived…I am jetting off to Alaska in a few hours. DENALI HERE I COME!
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