Dupre suffers minor frostbite on Denali

Grand Marais adventurer Lonnie Dupre suffered minor frostbite on six fingers Monday after carrying supplies to the top of an 800-foot slope on Alaska’s Mount McKinley.

The 40- to 55-degree Headwall rises to 16,200 feet on the mountain’s West Buttress. Dupre carried a load of supplies to the top of the Headwall and descended to his camp at 14,200 feet.

“Having had stuck his gloves for a brief moment between his knees, one slipped out and rolled down the Headwall,” his support team reported. “Twenty minutes later Lonnie was reunited with his lost glove. Unfortunately, he got minor frostbite on six of his fingers from exposure during that time. He said he’s had it before and knows how to maintain it to where it doesn’t get any worse.”

The temperature on the mountain ranged from 50 below zero to 60 below zero with wind chills. Dupre doesn’t plan to move from 14,200 feet to 17,200 feet until the winds drop or the temperatures climb.

The summit of Mount McKinley, also known as Denali, is 20,320 feet; it’s the highest peak in North America. Dupre, 50, is attempting to be the first person to reach the mountain’s summit solo in January. He began the climb Dec. 22 after a plane dropped him off at 7,200 feet. Dupre tried climbing McKinley last winter, but bad weather stopped him at high camp, at 17,200 feet.