Mt. McKinley: Walter and team begin descent

May 26, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Sunday, May 26, 2013 Mike Walter & crew rolled into 11,200' Camp tonight at dinner time looking surprisingly good for just having summited and descending from 17,200' today. They're planning on getting an alpine start tonight in order to descend the lower Kahiltna Glacier while it's frozen. They'll be drinking beers and eating steak soon. Our hats are off to the entire team. Congratulations all! RMI Guide Brent Okita

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Summit!

May 26, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

Saturday, May 25, 2013: Hi All! Our team is safely back at high camp after a successful summit bid today! Our entire team made it to the top and we enjoyed near perfect weather and route conditions! We left camp at 9:30 this morning and were standing on the roof of North America at 4:45 pm. After taking photos, exchanging high fives and hugs, and enjoying amazing views we descended towards camp in the evening glow of Alaska sunshine and with the anticipation of hot tea and a warm dinner. We are all excited to begin our decent tomorrow and look forward to talking to all our friends and family in a few days! Cheers! RMI Guides Solveig, Mike, Ben, and the McKinley Team

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Congratulations! Villy you made it! Greetings to everyone! Have a save trip home. We are looking forward to a thrilling report.
Tina & Klaus

Posted by: Tina on 5/26/2013 at 12:51 pm

Congratulations to Solveig and the entire team

Posted by: Tom Waterfall on 5/26/2013 at 10:35 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team in Position for Summit Bid

May 25, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

We woke early this morning, hours before the sun came up and warmed up our camp. After packing up camp in the shade, we made our way up to the head wall towards high camp. The sun finally warmed us up as we started ascending the fixed ropes up to the the top of the West Buttress. Then we ascended the beautiful and exposed snow covered granite ridge into high camp. The weather was amazing, as were the views: 3000' feet down to our last camp in Genet Basin to our south and the same relief down to the Peters Glacier to our north. We arrived at high camp (17,200') shortly after 3pm. We're all well rested and we're hoping for good weather tomorrow for a shot at the summit. We'll let you know how it shakes out. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Get ‘er done!

Posted by: K2 on 5/25/2013 at 9:20 am

Hey, all the best for the last bit! And have a save descent! Michael

Posted by: Michael on 5/25/2013 at 8:57 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Rest at 14,200’ Camp

May 24, 2013

Posted by: Ben Liken, Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Our team slept in this morning and got some much needed rest for our upcoming summit bid. Tomorrow we plan to wake early, pack up camp, and move to our high camp at 17,200'. The weather is perfect, and so is the forecast. We hope the meteorologists in Fairbanks are correct, as they are predicting good weather for the next few days. But, as always, we're focusing on one day at a time. And if the weather is good tomorrow, that focus will be climbing efficiently from our current camp at 14,200' up to high camp at 17,200', and establishing ourselves up high for a summit bid. Stay tuned and wish us luck... RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Eric,
We have enjoyed reading the updates as your group has climbed. We wish you and all your fellow climbers the best of luck for a safe summit. We know that this has been an awesome experience for you and we look forward to hearing all about it when you get home! Love, Mom and Dad

Posted by: Lori on 5/24/2013 at 5:35 pm

Eric, We have enjoyed reading the updates as your group has climbed. We are wishing you and your fellow climbers the best of luck for a safe summit. We know that this has been an awesome experience for you and we look forward to hearing all about it when you get home. Love, Mom and Dad

Posted by: Lori Agoglia on 5/24/2013 at 5:28 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Mike Walter & Team Carry to 16,200’

May 23, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Hi Everyone! We are back at 14 Camp after a great day carrying a load of food and fuel to the top of the fixed lines at 16,200'. Our team climbed strong and we were all excited to get a feel for the upper mountain and steeper snow and ice. We arrived back in camp with enough sunshine left in the day to sit outside the tents and relax and rehydrate while our boots dried (and more importantly AIRED!) out. The weather is looking good and we hope to move up to high camp soon and make our summit bid! RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall & Team

Mt. McKinley: Mike Walter and Team Retrieve their Cache

May 22, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

The weather was beautiful today, sunny and warm, and barely a breath of wind. We took a quick trip back to Windy Corner (13,600') to retrieve the cache we left there well over a week ago. The hike back to the cache took us 15 minutes, and about an hour to ascend back to the 14,200' camp that we established yesterday. The rest of the day was spent buffing out camp and practicing fixed rope travel techniques in preparation for tomorrow. Tomorrow we plan on carry supplies up above 16,000' to get ready for our summit bid. The weather looks good for the next few days; hopefully the forecast pans out. Tomorrow will be two weeks into our expedition, and we're all excited to get up high soon. We'll let you know how our carry goes. Stay tuned... RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Move to 14K Camp!

May 20, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Hello All! We awoke this morning to calm winds and relatively warm temperatures; a welcome change from the last week of stormy living at 11,000'. We had a quick breakfast and broke down tents just as the sun began to thaw out camp. Eager to make our move, we started our ascent at 10 am and arrived at our camp in the Genet Basin at 14,200' at 3:30pm. Everyone did great and we enjoyed the warm sunshine and lack of chilly breeze getting around Windy Corner. We spent the rest of the day working hard building walls and getting our camp in order. Looking forward to getting a good nights rest and getting our cache tomorrow! RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team - The Winds Win Out

May 20, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

We woke early this morning, had breakfast, and packed up camp, ready to move to 14,200' before the sun had hit our tents. But the winds up high were too strong for my liking. We repitched our tents to seek shelter from the wind and waited for a few hours for the winds to abate. Unfortunately, the winds up high continued and a mean looking lenticular cloud had formed over Windy Corner, where we were headed. By noon we made the decision to stay in camp another day and avoid the risks of getting caught in a windstorm high in the mountains of Alaska. So we wait another day. Such is expedition climbing. The weather forecast looks good for the next few days, and we're confident that tomorrow will be the day to move camp. We'll let you know how it goes. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Mike, I went to the book store and asked the clerk where the self help section was. She said she could help me but that would defeat the purpose. Then I tried to buy a camo jacket but I couldn’t find one. I bought a vest . If I didn’t have arms it would be a jacket. Extra medium. Be safe. Excited to climb with you again. John

Posted by: John on 5/20/2013 at 7:37 pm

Good call. Hunker down and get back to some sport eating. I’m on Otdoor Ed until Thursday night but I’ll try to shoot off a weather report before I go. Be safe. xoxo

Posted by: K2 on 5/20/2013 at 4:31 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team See Improvements in the Weather

May 18, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

The weather has definitely been improving for us. The winds have calmed, and only light snow has fallen today. The storm produced a little over two feet of snow, with deeper drifts. Hopefully the improving trend continues and we can move camp tomorrow. We're all ready and rested for some more climbing. That's all the news from up high today. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Mt. McKinley: Waiting Game Continues at 11,000’

May 17, 2013

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Another day goes by and we are still here at the 11k Camp. The winds have died down for the most part, but it is snowing and visibility is nearly zero. We're still doing well, tent bound mostly. Hopefully the storm passes soon and we can move camp up higher. Cheers, RMI Guide Mike Walter

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