Lance and Cami Taysom have spent 8 seasons as volunteer rangers on Denali, patrolling the West Buttress Route for the National Park Service. At this month's meeting, they will take us through what it's like to do mountain patrol on north America's tallest peak during the height of the climbing season. Starting with arrival in Talkeetna and packing the gear that will be needed for a 30 day stay on the mountain, Lance and Cami then fly to the Kahiltna Glacier Base Camp where they spend some time training other park staff.

While Cami will spend the month on base camp patrol, Lance spends his first week on the mountain skiing to a 14,000 foot basecamp. After acclimatizing for a couple of weeks there, he will spend an additional week at a 17,000 foot basecamp from which he can make summit bids. All the while on the mountain, Lance is available for high altitude rescues and climber assistance and, will tell us about some of rescue missions he has been involved in.

Lance is an emergency flight nurse paramedic and also teaches Wilderness Medicine for the National Outdoor Leadership School. He also develops wilderness patient care protocols for guiding companies and outdoor schools and he and Cami run the Caribou Yurt Bed and Breakfast near Pocatello.