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McKinley Dispatches
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June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 1, 2010
Team arrives in Anchorage and drives to Talkeetna.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 3, 2010
This is Ben, checking in from Talkeetna. Our party had a busy day in town yesterday: National Park Service orientation in the morning, then checking and packing our climbing gear all afternoon at the K2 Aviation hangar. We had a team dinner last night in town, and went to bed relatively early. Today we're flying to Denali Base Camp, right on schedule. Two trips in K2's Otter should have everyone deposited on the glacier. Then the real fun begins... climbing! I'll be back in touch with another progress report from Camp I.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 5, 2010
Ben checked in this morning. They are just below the 9,500' camp and are planning to move up to 11,000' camp today. Yesterday's weather was cloudy with some sun spots and they were able to move from basecamp to 9,500' just fine. They got about four inches of snow overnight. Today they have some clouds and light snow falling. The group is feeling strong and they are excited to move higher on the mountain.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 5, 2010 - voicemail 8:47 p.m. PT
Hey, this is Ben checking in. We are at 11,000' camp. Everything is good. We just finished a nice dinner with a variety of spectacular Mountain House meals. The weather was good on our walk to 11,000' today. It was snowing lightly and a little cloudy which kept it cool but not too cool, windy or wet. So, everyone got up here in good shape and our camp is all set. Our plan is to take a rest day tomorrow and enjoy the views as they come in and out. I'll call in tomorrow.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 6, 2010
Ben called from 11,000' camp. They arrived there yesterday. Everyone is feeling good and enjoying a rest day at camp. It's a beautiful day and the sun is out. They are planning to make a carry tomorrow toward the 14,000' camp to cache some of their gear. Today they will sort through the gear to determine what they'll cache but they are pretty much just taking it easy at camp. They will check in tomorrow night.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 7, 2010
Ben checked in from 11,000 camp. They climbed up towards 14,000' today and placed a cache of gear and supplies. They had decent weather for their travel on the trail with light snow and some clearing. Their plan is to move camp to 14,000' tomorrow, weather permitting. Everyone in the group is doing well.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 8, 2010
Hey this is Ben. We are here at 11,000 ft with about one and a half feet of fresh snow. It snowed last night through 10:00 this morning. We spent the day shoveling snow out of tents, organizing gear and hanging out in the blizzard. It has turned sunny and warm, our plan is to spend the day here. Our hope is to move to 14,000' camp tomorrow. All is well and we are having a great time.
Take care!
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 9, 2010
Ben called in from 14,000 feet on McKinley. He and his group arrived there late yesterday afternoon just in time for dinner. They awoke to sunny and warm temperatures. They have been spending the day setting up their kitchen and camp. They are visiting with Linden Mallory and Team who are also at camp.
The guides are setting up a fixed rope clinic and will give everyone a bit of practice before moving to the upper mountain. The plan is to make a carry tomorrow.
We will check in again tomorrow!
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 11, 2010 - voicemail 9:36 p.m. PT
Hey, it's Ben up here at 14,000' camp.
Today we carried up to 17,000' camp. We woke up with a little iffy weather, a lenticular cloud was forming and it looked windy up high. We figured we would carry as high as we could but we ended up being able to put it at the 17,000' camp. We are all psyced here at 14,000' ready to hang out.
We are taking a rest day for sure tomorrow but after that we are all set to take advantage of any weather window we might get.
Yesterday we took a rest day. We woke up in the morning to 3 feet of snow here at camp. We spent the morning digging out tents. The weather turned nicer in the afternoon and we enjoying hanging out in the sunshine.
I will check in tomorrow.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 13, 2010
Ben called from 14,000' enjoying a rest day and the blue sky. The group is relaxing and hanging out at camp. They did a little hike out to "Edge of the World" to stretch their legs. There were a lot of people moving to high camp today and they watched many climbers ascend the fixed line. They plan to wait at 14,000' until there is better weather for their move to 17,000'.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 14, 2010
We are at the 14,000' camp waiting for the weather forecast. The team is doing some "community service" around camp and building a wall around the camp facilities.
We'll check in tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for a good weather report.
-Ben & Team
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 15, 2010
Ben called from 14,000'. It is snowling lightly and they are hanging out after enjoying breakfast this morning. They plan on going for a walk to stretch their legs.
He talked with a team at 17,000' and the wind is blowing hard. The weather forecast is for diminishing winds later in the week. Until then, the team will wait for a break in the weather.
Hope all's well back home,
-Ben & Team
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 16, 2010
The group is still sitting tight at 14,000'. At this time it is snowing lightly at 14,000' with some clouds. The report from higher on the mountain is that the winds are strong and snow continues to fall. They are all doing well but are anxious to leave 14,000' camp as soon as weather allows.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 18, 2010 - voicemail 9:46 p.m. PT
Hi, this is Ben calling from 17,000'. When we woke up at 14,000' today the winds were blowing hard and we didn't think we'd be going anywhere. But by mid-morning things had calmed down and we made the push to 17,000' camp. We are hoping to make our summit push tomorrow. Right now we are about to eat some dinner and then we'll head to bed.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 19, 2010 - voicemail 7:31 p.m. PT
We spent the day hanging out at 17,000'. It was cloudy, a bit windy with some snow. After breakfast we hung out in our tents and the team's spirits are high- lots of laughter was heard throughout our camp. Forecast seems like tomorrow should be good. Once again we're going to bed with aspirations of walking to the summit in the morning.
Wish us luck!
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 20, 2010 - voicemail 6:31 p.m. PT
SUMMIT!
Hey everyone! This is Ben sitting on the summit of Mt. McKinley! All is well and it is pretty pleasant up here. We are going to do a quick tag and turn around.
We will check in with you tomorrow.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 21, 2010
This is Ben Mitchell checking in from 14,000' on our descent. After our successful summit yesterday we descended to high camp and plied ourselves with food and drink and well deserved sleep. We struck camp this morning and roped-up for a descent of the West Buttress. The group progressed well to the top of the fixed lines at 16,200'. There are two sets of lines on the face: one for uphill traffic, the other for downhill. It's tough going with heavy loads after the summit effort, but we did not experience any problems (and did not envy the parties who were struggling up). We will rest for a couple hours at 14,000', then resume our descent to 11,000'.
We'll check in again later.
June 1, 2010 Mount McKinley Expedition
Lead Guide: Ben Mitchell
June 22, 2010
Hello everyone. This is Ben Mitchell phoning in our last dispatch. We rested in camp at 11,000' on our descent, then negotiated the crossing of the lower Kahiltna Glacier when conditions were coldest. The final 'obstacle' on the route is known as 'Heartbreak Hill', a long slog leading into Base Camp. Later, K2 Aviation flew into Base Camp and transported our party back to Talkeetna. After 20 days on the mountain we're now enjoying the luxuries of civilization such as: running water (hot & cold), showers, toilets, as well as food and beverages. Another successful expedition is in the books.
Ben, Gabriel, Eric & Team
Guides
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Ben Mitchell
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Gabriel Barral
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Eric Frank
Climbing Team
Patrick, Deborah, Muhamad, Drew, Alberto, Adam, Paul, Michael, and Darryl
Itinerary
The following expedition itinerary is approximate and depends on such considerations as weather, route conditions and strength of the party. Twenty-two man-days of food are carried on the mountain above Base Camp. In the event of bad weather, this amount can be stretched several additional days. Furthermore, there are emergency food rations at Base Camp, in case weather prevents the group from flying off. Expeditions average 18 days roundtrip from Base Camp. It is best to allow an entire month for total completion, including travel time from home.
When climbing is done for the day, a campsite is selected and probed for crevasses. First, the site must be leveled, and tents pitched and anchored. Snow blocks are quarried and walls built to thwart the wind in case of a storm. A group kitchen is dug and cook tent erected. A designated latrine is established. Melting snow is an endless chore in camp, accomplished in the mornings and late into the evenings. All cooking and melting is done outside - never in a tent. It is important for the group to work together when establishing camps. As an integral part of the team, a willingness to pitch in is greatly appreciated.
DAY 4: Base to Camp 1, 8,000'
DAY 5: Camp 1 to Camp 2, 9,500'
DAY 6: Camp 2 to Camp 3, 11,000'
DAY 7: Acclimatization day Camp 3
DAY 8: Camp 3 to Cache 13,000'
DAY 9: Camp 3 to Camp 4, 14,400'
DAY 10: Camp 4 to Cache 13,000'
DAY 11: Acclimatization day Camp 4
DAY 12: Camp 4 to Cache 16,000'
DAY 13: Acclimatization day Camp 4
DAY 14: Camp 4 to Camp 5, 17,200'
DAY 15: Rest day Camp 5
DAY 16: Summit day (night at high camp)
DAY 17: Camp 5 to Camp 4
DAY 18: Camp 4 to Camp 1
DAY 19: Camp 1 to Basecamp (fly off)