Photo By Staff Sgt. Patricia McMurphy | The altimeter shows the height at summit of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North...... read more read more
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FORT WAINWRIGHT, Alaska - Staff Sgt. Zachery McGee, a military policeman serving as an instructor at the Northern Warfare Training Center, said he joined the Army as a cavalry scout but then changed careers.
“I wanted to do something different,” McGee said.
McGee said he heard about NWTC from some of his coworkers and following a deployment was able to attend the school’s Cold Weather Leader’s Course.
“I thought the instructors were amazing and wanted to learn more and get better at these skills,” said McGee.
In the summer of 2011, McGee attended the NWTC’s Basic Mountaineering Course and was offered the opportunity to become an instructor.
The Ledbetter, Ky., native said he had attempted skiing and rock climbing a time or two at the gym before he became an instructor at the NWTC, but at that time he was insanely scared of heights.
“It took a lot of exposure to gain the confidence I (now) have on the rock,” McGee said. “I am looking forward to getting back out there and getting away from it all and climbing.”
Now, after nearly two years of instructing soldiers through the basic courses, McGee and some of his colleagues have a bigger challenge: to teach and lead a team of climbers, some with little to no cold weather and climbing experience, to the summit of Mount McKinley.
At more than 20,000 feet above sea level, it stands as the tallest peak in North America - higher than any of these soldiers climbed before.
“I have been on top of a few mountains in the local area around Black Rapids,” McGee said. “This climb is going to be much harder, much longer, more exposed an in a much bigger spotlight.”
The team comprised of NWTC staff and three soldiers from the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division started their train up for the summit in mid-February.
McGee said they trained the new soldiers on everything from tying the variety of knots they would need to know, to cold-weather survival.
“We have been focusing a lot on winter camping skills and physical fitness,” Said McGee. “And we’ve had some bad weather during our train-ups.”
Long movements on skis and snow shoes of more than 30 miles through the mountains, in temperatures below negative 25 and with wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour, tested the team’s skills and endurance continually.
McGee said he was impressed at how fast the new soldiers on the team picked up on the skills and how motivated they were to learn.
McGee said he felt pretty confident in the team but knew there would still be challenges.
“People are going to scrutinize our every move,” McGee said. “I want to go to the top because people have said we can’t.
“I want to test myself, my mind mid, body and skill set,” he added. “I like what I get to do.”
Although summiting such a large mountain is an accomplishment hundreds of mountain climbers strive for on a yearly basis, the command team at the NWTC say they have already succeeded by going above and beyond the basics, gaining more advanced skills and passing these skills down through the soldiers they have taught to their parent units back at Fort Wainwright.
| Date Taken: | 06.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 06.13.2013 15:04 |
| Story ID: | 108617 |
| Location: | FORT WAINWRIGHT, ALASKA, US |
| Hometown: | LEDBETTER, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 85 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, USARAK Denali climber profile: Staff Sgt. Zachery McGee, by SSG Patricia McMurphy, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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