The clouds cleared last night after dinner and for an hour or so we sat in the evening light at 11 Camp, watching the cloud bank below us race through Kahiltna Pass and over Kahiltna Dome, a peak across the valley from 11 Camp. Unfortunately the improved conditions did not persist and when we woke up this morning we were back in the clouds with a light snow falling. After a quick breakfast we grabbed our nearly empty packs, pulled on our gore-tex shells and goggles, and headed back to our previous camp. As is typical near Kahiltna Pass, where the weather funnels through the low gap in the mountains, the conditions deteriorated with the wind whipping snow by us. But we pushed through it, reaching our old camp at 9200' before long.
We dug up our food bags and supplies we left cached there yesterday and loaded everything into our packs before setting off back uphill. The knowledge that our warm tents awaited us was good motivation for the team and we motored back to 11 Camp through the wind and blowing snow. When we got back to camp we found our tents starting to sink beneath the accumulating snow so we pulled out the shovels and cleared out camp from the drifted snow. Before long everything looked as it had when we left this morning. We've spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the tents. The skies have cleared a bit and the sun is managing to poke through every now and again.
We are hoping to carry a cache of supplies to 13,600' tomorrow but the conditions are looking questionable. There are a few teams here that have been waiting for a few days to do the same thing but haven't because of the weather. Unfortunately the forecast for tomorrow looks like more of the same, but we're keeping our fingers crossed anyways.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
After a night of howling wind and snow, we woke up to a morning of howling wind and snow. We spent the morning digging out camp and continuing to reinforce walls. About the time we got everything squared away, the winds died down and it became pleasantly warm! The whole crew is happy and healthy.
All of us want to thank our family and friends for their love and support. We love you and miss you too! I love you Amber and the P's!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Time is winding down quickly for us. Glad to see you are all safe and sound with such a strong team. Crossing my fingers for good weather. Talk to you soon.
Posted by: BCK on 6/27/2011 at 5:38 pm
Hey, team. Glad to know that everyone is happy and healthy. Elias, you would be happy to know that I did 3 14ers over the past 2 days, and the training for Shisha Pangma is going even better than expected.
Hope the howling winds are showing some mercy today. Can’t wait to hear from you again,
Bridget
Posted by: Bridget Schletty on 6/27/2011 at 6:52 am
Our hopes of the clouds lifting overnight were of no avail and we woke to snow, light to moderate winds, and visibility dropping to less than a 100 yards at times. Despite the snow it was warm enough that we could be out in the elements comfortably and we felt confident navigating the route so we broke camp and prepared to move. The team continues to impress Kel and me as they packed up in great time - not an easy feat when the snow is blowing sideways - and were again ready to go before the two of us. Its an irritating thing for a guide to have the climbers waiting for us to get our act together and today was the second day they have managed to beat us out of camp. Its a trend I'm determined to put an end to, Kel and I are considering hiding snowshoes from them to give us a better shot...
Once we finally joined everyone on the ropes we set off up the Kahiltna, instantly plunging ourselves into a world of white. It was slow going as we broke trail through the 6 - 8 " of new snow and route finding was difficult when the visibility dropped to dozens of yards. Yet despite the obstacles we made good time, reaching the base of Kahiltna Pass by midmorning and turning to the east into a shallow valley that ascends the final 1,000' into camp. We were more protected from the wind here but the snow was also much deeper and it was difficult going to climb the final steep pitch into camp. After what felt like ages we saw the tops of tents at 11,200' camp poke above the crest of the hill and we rolled into camp just after noon.
Sitting on a bench in a protected spot at 11,200', "11 Camp" saw a lot of snowfall in the past few days and we spent the rest of the afternoon shoveling out tent sites and building our snow kitchen. The team rallied to the cause and constructed another great looking camp. We will be comfortable here over the next few days.
The sun finally poked through the clouds just before dinner and we've been enjoying the views for a few minutes. Tomorrow we will descend back to our last camp at 9,200' to retrieve a small cache of food and supplies we left there this morning and we'll haul the remainder of our gear back to 11 Camp. The team continues to do well and sends their best to everyone back home.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
At trail magic, the 2 time thru hiker now climbing Mt. Mc was a big hit. Your wife told lots of stories about your adventure and they were all suitably impressed with your latest. Stay ahead of the guides, Will. Maybe they will invite you back.
Posted by: Chris on 6/27/2011 at 7:25 pm
You guys must feel like you are living in one of those “snow globes”... Sending warm thoughts to all of you!
Posted by: laurie colaneri on 6/27/2011 at 5:43 am
Hello from 17,000’. The increasing wind and snow have made the decision to go up or down an easy one, conditions dictate that we sit here and bide our time until the weather clears up. Nearly 2 feet of snow has fallen and drifted around camp and we take periodic forays into the weather to shovel out camp, clear off tents and do weather dances.
We are safely ensconced behind solid walls with enough food and fuel to weather some time up here. Cross your fingers and we'll keep you posted as things hopefully progress. Our spirits remain high and every few hours we will pile into one tent to swap stories and shoot the breeze.
For now a little forced R & R, is the best way to deal with the mountain. So, we'll sit it out until new options present themselves. That's all from 17. This is Jake, Mike and the crew hanging tough on Mt. McKinley.
Listen to Jake and Mike's "Tent Bound Things Considered" Commentary below...
Tent Bound Things Considered by Jake Beren & Mike Uchal
WHOOHOO!! Go Team! So great to hear you have reached 17’000… bring on the summit! I can’t even imagine how you are all feeling at this point but know that we are thinking of you every day and praying that the weather will co-operate. Barry we love you brother. Say a prayer for us too. It’s raining 24/7 here in Vang Vieng, Laos, South East Asia so we might not get to go “tubing”, everybody AWWWW (joking!). Obviously you have a lot more to be thinking about :) God bless you all and may you have the most incredible experience on reaching that summit. Irish love and hugs XXX
Posted by: Kathryn & Pearse Mc Kiernan on 6/28/2011 at 5:27 am
Gilbert are you there…...we have heard from Jake and Mike….where are you? Hope the wind calms down soon and you all can move to the top!
When we woke up early this morning we found clear skies stretching the length of the Kahiltna Glacier but in the distance banks of clouds hung behind the ridges and peaks. Making another early start to take advantage of the frozen surface conditions on the glacier, we were leaving camp by 4am. Whereas yesterday was a mostly flat walk up the Kahiltna Glacier, today we started climbing a few hundred yards out of camp, tackling Ski Hill right away. The trail was straightforward, zigging and zagging up the incline in order to cross the few but large crevasses that stretch across this part of the glacier. The first two hours of climbing were hardwork as it was the first significant climb and we were hauling big loads, our sleds doing their best to pull us back down the hill, but the team did well and took to the terrain and challenge with determination. Soon we crested the steep first pitch of Ski Hill and began ascending the long rolling benches that lead towards Kahiltna Pass - a saddle sitting at the head of the Kahiltna Glacier that spans the watershed divide of the Alaska Range and separates the Kahiltna Glacier running to the south and the Peters Glacier that runs off the other side down to the north slope of Alaska. The upper stretches of Ski Hill can be very frustrating as the glacier's size plays with your perspective, making hills and small features appear close although it takes hours to reach them. So perhaps it was fortunate that the cloud banks which had remained reclusive when we woke ventured out and engulfed the glacier because we couldn't see how far we still had to go. The flip side, however, was that we were soon climbing in a whiteout with snow falling all around us. Climbers liken this to "walking in a ping pong ball" because you are surrounded by white and even your sense of flatness is skewed - everything is a world of white.
We climbed like this for the last two hours, reaching our camp at 9200' with the snow still falling. After probing out camp for hidden crevasses we got to work setting up camp, erecting the tents and building large snow walls to break the wind that is notorious for blowing through Kahiltna Pass. Despite the poor conditions our climbers resisted the urge to climb into the tents and took to the task with energy, building an impressive snow wall around the tents and digging a big kitchen tent for us to eat and cook in.
We spent the afternoon hanging out in the tents, catching up on sleep since we have spent most of the nights walking since arriving on the mountain. The snow let up but the clouds have yet to lift here. We're hoping that they lift by tomorrow so we can catch the amazing views back down the glacier. Tomorrow we are planning to move to 11,200' Camp where we will spend a few nights while we acclimatize and move loads further up the mountain. We will check in tomorrow after we set up camp.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Wow! You guys are sure making progress. All that snow must have been scary. I hope the weather holds for you tomorrow. Keep up the good work. Stay safe.
Posted by: John and Lorraine Lorenc on 6/26/2011 at 6:22 pm
I am in awe of your bravery and strength! What a breathtaking photo. Can’t wait to see more pictures!!! Hugs from Clinton, NY Frank.
Remember yesterday when the weather was nice for us...not so much today! We woke up to howling winds and snow. Instead of carrying a load to 17,000', we spent most of the day reinforcing our camp by making our snow block walls higher. It was a good team building exercise. We decided that the team had not really gotten the full "Degnarly" experience before today since our weather and travel has been pretty easy (relatively speaking). We are all safe and sound, hunkered down in our warm sleeping bags, and waiting to see what tomorrow's weather brings. We couldn't possibly have two days of bad weather on Denali right!?
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
We slept for a few hours at Base Camp before the alarm sounded at midnight. Groggily getting out of the tent we were treated to spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, well visible in the bright night sky that looked like the sun had set not long before. The clear skies allowed the temperatures to drop while we were sleeping and the glacier surface was settled into a good frozen surface - exactly what we wanted in order to cross the crevasses of the Kahiltna Glacier. After setting our cache at Base Camp (some extra supplies for our return from the mountain) packing up camp, and wishing Paul a happy birthday, we set out. The first stretch of walking actually descends from Base Camp as we leave the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and join the main glacier itself. While it makes the first bit of walking relatively easy it is named "Heartbreak Hill" because that same slope must be ascended as the final hurdle to reach Base Camp on the return.
But for us it was smooth sailing this morning and we crossed a particularly crevassed section of glacier past the base of Heartbreak Hill without incident thanks to the solid snow surface. The skies remained bright and the sun returned, lighting up the summits of Mt. Foraker and Mt. Crosson as we passed beneath them. The glacier was in good shape and the team traveled well across it, making it to Camp 1 by 9:30 in the morning.
After pitching camp we lounged around watching a series of thick lenticular clouds (which signify high winds) dance across the summit of Denali. It looked like a cold day to be up high. But down here things got hot as the sun beat down on the tents, heating them up to well over 90F.
We spent the afternoon napping and reading in camp, resting from our all night walk. Tomorrow we hope to move to our second camp at 9600' near the head of the Kahiltna Glacier. The team is in good spirits and everyone is taking to life on the glacier well. We will check in tomorrow.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Thanks for the write up. Happy Birthday Paul. Looks like you are off to a good start.
Good luck and keep up thegood work
Stu Beth Sam & Liv
Jazz is studying
Posted by: stu on 6/25/2011 at 3:35 pm
Linden, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your writing. When an email alert arrives that there is a new posting, my heart does a little “leap”. I am so glad to hear the entire team is doing well. Onward and upward guys!
Posted by: Laurie Colaneri on 6/25/2011 at 6:56 am
Ahhh...rest day. We didn't even begin to move in our tents until the sun moved from behind the mountain and shined directly upon us. We weren't completely worthless since we took a hike over to an area called The Edge of the World where you can look over 6,000' down to the Kahiltna Glacier. We also got some fixed rope practice in as we made the team work their way through a course with ascenders. We finished the gauntlet with a rappel into the posh house for dinner. We hope to carry a load up to 17,000' Camp tomorrow if the weather plays nice.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Glad to see that the team is doing well. Patrick I miss you so much and I can not wait to hear about the adventures the mountain brings your way. Stay safe team!
Posted by: Rachel M on 6/25/2011 at 12:15 pm
What a beautiful view. Hoping for good weather. Take care!
Capitalizing on a break in the weather the high winds subsided just long enough to allow us to move up to 17,000 feet for our high camp on Denali. After moving in last night we hunkered down with some full bellies and awoke to a little bit higher winds than we were hoping for, but we're in good shape sitting tight up here at 17 just sort of waiting and watching the weather, so that's all from 17K camp. And I will be checking in soon. Alright. Bye.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Jake Beren checks in after the team's move to 17,000' Camp
Jake, I was just thinking about your BIG day tomorrow and checked in to see if you were still up on the mountain… looks like you are holding strong up there. Sending you some sunshine and awesome weather tomorrow. Hopefully a summit and down for steak and cake soon :) Happy Birthday! hugs, C
Posted by: KC on 6/25/2011 at 9:10 pm
Jake! Happy Birthday!! Once again you’re on a mountain top at the time of your birthday—so no presents for you, my Beemish Boy. I hope your clients are aware that they lucked out, when they drew you as a guide. How does the the iPad respond to the cold? Stay warm!
Love,aged P’s
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Wow! Talk about a bucket list item. Send some of that cold weather our way. I’ll say a prayer that the weather cooperates.
Posted by: Ric G on 6/28/2011 at 4:33 pm
Remember what Ed Viesturs says: Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.
Posted by: g3niusgirl on 6/28/2011 at 4:32 pm
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