Alaskan adventures: Part 1, Hope

Alaska is one of those places that holds near mythical status in mountaineering. Big mountains, big ice plastered granite walls, big glaciers, big storms, big characters, big country. So we needed to select an elite team if we were to handle the jandal.

First was the 'great white hope' of Scottish climbing, Tony Stone (above). Selected for his big forearms, Tony would get us up anything steep or hard. Then there was me, 'cling to hope', selected for my big legs and small optimistic brain. I would get us up anything involving a big slog or scary snow. Then there was Viv Scott 'hope you don't mind' (below), selected for his big, ... umm, well the ladies will all know why we selected him.

The team assembled at that famous staging post of so many adventures, Waverly Bridge Edinburgh, looking (thanks to Viv's ability to wangle sponsored kit) surprisingly professional with matching kit bags and bright orange rucksacks. Due to the wonders of modern transportation, some 30 hours later we were deposited, a much more bedraggled bunch, in Talkeetna.

A beautiful sunset and view across the plains to the mountains silhouetted the three big peaks, Mounts Denali, Foraker and Hunter (below). We hoped to climb Hunter and Foraker. "If we have time after those two we can always pop up Denali for the trilogy?" said Tony hopefully. Did we have a hope in hell?

To find out, stay tuned for Alaskan adventures: Part 2, Hallucinations on the glacier.