Entries from Mt. McKinley

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Slightly Elevated at 9,600’

June 30, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,600'

Saturday, June 29th, 2013 Conditions at 4:45 AM were perfect for moving from 8,000' on the Kahiltna Glacier to 9,600 ft. So we did. We'd gotten up at 2:00 a.m. to have a hot breakfast and we could see scattered clouds overhead and a cap above Denali's summit but there was no wind. Our route up Ski Hill was blissfully free of dicey crevasse crossings and the snow surface had frozen up enough to make walking and sled pulling a bit easier than yesterday. Even so, Ski Hill was long, slow, and uphill. We were up to 9,600' in just over three and a half hours. Already by this point, digging in and building a new camp in a beautiful place was becoming routine. Clouds cleared down valley so that we had unobstructed views of nearly the entire length of the Kahiltna while we worked. The sun became brutally intense by midday, but by then we were sheltered in the tents, napping, drinking water and reading. We got together for dinner in the evening as things cooled down. We talked strategy for our move to 11,000', secured camp for the night and turned in early once again. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Thankful for technology that gives a picture into this experience. 93 in Tacoma. Headed for Whidbey and Dungeness crab tomorrow. Prayers for your safety going up constantly.

Posted by: Donna Nelson on 6/30/2013 at 4:23 pm

Mike & Max Reese + team - Wishing you cold , firm snow and calm weather during your ascent! Thinking of you while sitting on a beach in Costa Rica. Best Wishes!

Posted by: David Reese on 6/30/2013 at 3:05 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Summit!

June 29, 2013

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

Friday, June 28th, 2013 Summit Team 6 finally hit the summit! Second time is a charm. We left camp around 8:45 this morning with perfect weather. As we got higher, Denali decided to challenge us again; this time with some wind. The wind was blowing very hard as we approached the summit ridge. We were all bundled up ready to get pummeled by wind on the ridge, but the ridge actually blocked the wind making the summit really nice! We stayed on top for quite some time before we headed back down into the wind for a safe descent back to 17,000 feet. Time to get some well-deserved sleep! RMI Guide Mike Haugen and RMI Summit Team 6

RMI Guide Mike Haugen calls from the Mount McKinley summit.

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Congratulations, Quinn, and the rest of the team!!! We’re so proud of you, what an amazing achievement! Have a happy and safe descent, you’re in our thoughts!

Posted by: Lauren & Adam on 6/30/2013 at 8:45 pm

Awesome job by everyone. Quinn, we knew you would summit no matter what it took. Have a safe 2nd half and look foreword to seeing you home soon. Love from Mom & Dad.

Posted by: George on 6/30/2013 at 12:34 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Getting Started

June 29, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 8,000'

Friday, June 28th, 2013 As planned, we fired up the stoves shortly after our 1 AM wake up. The plan in getting up so early, was to be moving during the coldest part of the day when we could hope that the glacial surface would be frozen solid. That would make sled hauling and walking in general a lot easier than pulling through slush, but more importantly, a freeze would make things safer, bridging the crevasses we'd need to cross. It was apparent this morning, as we ate breakfast and took down tents, that we weren't going to get a hard freeze. Temperatures hadn't dipped low enough, and there was cloud overhead that seemed to act as a warm, damp blanket, insulating the glacier and messing with our plans. But things had firmed up a little anyway, and by 4:15 AM when we hit the trail, snowshoes were doing the job in preventing "post-holing". Rigging up properly for such travel is far more complicated when sleds are in the mix, so the fact that it took some time to get organized was not unexpected. That extra time paid off when we were able to move good and steady without any gear glitches or malfunctions. The first hour took us down about 500 feet in elevation to the main Kahiltna Glacier where we turned North. We began to meet a few rope teams on their way out and it was great to meet an old friend or two in passing and to hear of their adventures on the mountain. Our second and third hour-long pulls took us past Mount Francis (hiding in cloud) and the junction with the East Fork of the Kahiltna. By the fourth and fifth sections of the climb we passed the Kahiltna Peaks and made it to the NE Fork junction... about where we wanted to be at the base of Ski Hill. By this point we were thankful to have cloud cover giving us relief from the sun as we built camp and crawled into tents for an afternoon snooze. After a quiet and easy afternoon in the tents, we met for dinner in the deluxe POSH dining complex dug by Zeb, Erik and Mike King. We turned in early once again anticipating another early start tomorrow. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Rest Day at 14K

June 28, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Friday, June 28th, 2013 We had a great rest day here at 14k! We spent most of the day in the clouds, but it was warm and calm. We took the opportunity to prepare for the fixed lines and running belays that we will encounter on the West Buttress, and to fortify the snow walls surrounding our tents. All in all, a great day! Congrats to Mike Haugen's team for standing on top today! Tomorrow, we plan to make our first foray onto the West Buttress proper, to cache a load of food, fuel, and supplies at the base of Washburn's Thumb. Once that is done, all the pieces are in place and we'll be waiting for our summit window! We'll let you know how it goes. Best from everybody here, RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, and the team

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We are so stoked for you Gail! Good luck to you and your team! The Marggrafs are sending you lots of love.

Posted by: Melissa Marggraf on 6/29/2013 at 2:00 pm

Hola Guapo (Guillermo)
The family is here at the house today…everyone is checking out your progress and we are all excited for the summit!
We see that the other team has summited, and just seeing the photo of the summit and knowing that will be you in a few days, was SO exciting!
I hope you aren’t having swelling, and that your toes and nose are hanging in there! drink lots of water!
Everyone is sending their love and support!
Guapa, Maya, Dana, Aleeta, Troy, Holly, Mom, Pammy, Theo and Adam

Posted by: marion and maya on 6/29/2013 at 12:21 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Haugen’s Team Resting and Hoping

June 28, 2013

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

Thursday, June 27th, 2013 After our almost summit yesterday, we took today to rest up for another hopeful shot tomorrow. RMI Summit Team 6 is really a great group of folks. We got sooooo close to the summit yesterday and got shut down by terrible weather. We did not hear any complaining or what ifs... instead we heard about what an adventure the day was and started to plan for another attempt. Keep your fingers crossed, say a prayer, or do some kind of a weather dance to help us get some good weather and another chance to summit tomorrow! RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Summit Team 6

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You’ve got this! No matter what happens (and I m dancing like crazy here), this is an incredible adventure. We are so impressed back here in the flatlands. Stay warm. Thinking of you all, all the time. KAC.

Posted by: Kconstantine on 6/28/2013 at 9:08 pm

Weather dance has happened! Climb on crew. . . .knock the beast off!!!!

Posted by: Mtn Mo on 6/28/2013 at 9:07 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Back Carry to 13,500’

June 28, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Thursday, June 27th, 2013 We woke to a beautiful clear morning at 14,000 feet on Mt. McKinley. After a big breakfast, we headed over to the Stanford medical research tent to take part in their hydration/oxygen saturation study. Each person had six minutes to walk as many laps of a set course as they could, and then oxygen saturation was measured before and after. Needless to say, things got competitive. After nap time, we headed back to our cache at 13,500', and retrieved all of our food and gear. It was a short jaunt, and a great chance to stretch our legs. On deck for tomorrow is a rest day with fixed line practice and some wall building! We'll be in touch. Cheers, RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, et al

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Tommy, I just wanted to say “hi”, and I miss you,,,,,
Rhonda

Posted by: Rhonda Kitchen on 6/28/2013 at 7:54 pm

Hi Daddy….Did you find the Yeti yet?
Good luck the rest of the way!
Love Maya

Hola Guapo,
I guess the altitude is going to get sharp fast;it appears that you a very close to the top by the map! We are so excited for you!
I hope you did well with the laps! I’m curious to hear how you finished in that scenario.
It’s been raining for two days…we have been napping a lot too!
Animals are all great!
Miss you!
Guapa

Posted by: marion and maya on 6/28/2013 at 9:41 am

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Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier

June 28, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,300'

Thursday, June 28th, 2013 We enjoyed a final, but ample breakfast at the Roadhouse and then hurried out to the airstrip to get ready for flying. Sure enough, conditions were favorable and so we loaded up in two big and beautiful K2 Aviation ski-equipped Otters. There was some smoke in the skies from forest fires and a little cloud as well, but we had magnificent views of forests, rivers, lakes... and then eventually of nothing but gargantuan mountains and glaciers. Our pilots, Randy and Jeff, had us into the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and safely landed by 9:00 AM. After unloading and a few handshakes, they were off and we were left in our breathtakingly beautiful new home. We set to building camp and then spent a lazy afternoon reviewing rope techniques and getting set for glacier travel. We ate an early dinner under the intense Alaskan summer sun, did a few more last chores and then turned in. It was good to touch base, via radio, with the other RMI teams on the mountain and to feel like we'll soon be joining in the fun. The plan is to be up at 1 AM if the weather stays fine and we'll hope to be on the march a few hours later. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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The Christofferson family is sending our best to Anders and the rest of the team. We love all the pictures and updates! Looking forward to hearing how you are all doing after carrying all those heavy loads “on your march” today!

Posted by: Judy Christofferson on 6/28/2013 at 5:51 pm

Hahn Team
To Mike & Max - we are grateful to be able to follow you on this blog and will enjoy watching your adventures. Thinking of you and wishing you good weather and a safe climb.
Bill & Caryl Reese

Posted by: Bill & Caryl Reese on 6/28/2013 at 11:48 am

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Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Turn Below the Summit

June 27, 2013

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,000'

Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 We woke up around 7:30 with clear skies and no winds. We set off towards the summit with all of the crew feeling great. We experienced a little bit of wind and clouds at Denali Pass, but that is pretty normal. The climb was going smoothly and the weather was about as perfect as you can get. We were about 150 feet below the summit ridge when the clouds came in and blocked out our sun. All of a sudden we heard a crack of thunder and all of the metal around us began to buzz. We hightailed it down to a depression in a feature called the football field where things seemed to be calm. By calm, I mean a whiteout snowstorm came out of nowhere! We hunkered down and waited to see if things would settle down. When we were certain they would not, we worked our way down the mountain with GPS and some wands that mark the trail. After a fourteen hour climbing day, our whole team is back in camp happy, healthy, and fed having come a few hundred feet short of the summit but without a permanent stutter from electrocution! Our plan is to rest tomorrow and perhaps give the summit another go in the next few days. We will see. Goodnight! RMI McKinley Summit Team 6

RMI Guide Mike Haugen calls in from 17 camp after their summit attempt.

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I’m shocked (seriously, no pun intended) to hear about the storm. SO close. You are all truly amazing and great to hear Mike’s voice. Cheering you on, thinking about you all, KAC.

Posted by: Kconstantine on 6/27/2013 at 8:02 pm

there will be an other opportunity am sure! glad you are all ok .rest well.lots of love to Lance

Posted by: elisabeth on 6/27/2013 at 5:18 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Get Ready in Talkeetna

June 27, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 358'

Wednesday, June 26th, 2013 The climbing team ate a hardy breakfast at The Talkeetna Roadhouse. We talked climbing and safety as we chewed bacon and swilled coffee. Our excellent meal prepared us for a giant day of packing and organizing to fly on to Denali. Longtime legendary NPS climbing ranger Roger Robinson gave our pre-climb briefing at the ranger station, after which we trooped on out to the K2 Aviation hangar to get into the nuts and bolts of getting our gear ready for the mountain. We worked through some unbelievably hot hours, checking tents, stoves, ropes, pots and clothes. Massive cumulonimbus clouds formed as the day went along and thunder boomed, but the storm never really hit Talkeetna. We enjoyed a great dinner together at the popular West Rib Pub and then turned in. All were intent on resting up from this big and busy day to be ready for a bigger and busier day tomorrow, hopefully one that gets us onto Denali. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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To Max and my Dad: Wanted to let you know that although the wifi here is limited, I’m still able to check up on the blog at least once a day. Thinking of you and wishing you the best! Have a safe climb!

Posted by: Ellie on 6/27/2013 at 12:26 pm

Dave Hahn and Team -

Sounds like that warm weather is still hanging around up there. I’ve followed some of the previous RMI teams and they were all hit with hot weather at some point during their climbs.

I bet the lower Kahiltna has opened up quite a bit and you will have a severe zig-zag path through that area.
Have a safe climb!

-Larry Seaton

Posted by: Larry Seaton on 6/27/2013 at 8:07 am

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Mt. McKinley: Team Van Deventer Moves to 14,200’ Camp

June 26, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Geoff Schellens

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Hello all from 14k! We made our move up today to 14,200' Camp under sunny skies and calm conditions, and moved into a beautiful camp with tent platforms, walls, and kitchen already in place, just needing a bit of buffing out. We've been napping for the last couple of hours, and are about to cook up a big burrito dinner. The weather looks to be holding for the foreseeable future, so we're going to head back to our cache at 13,000' tomorrow and try to keep the forward momentum rolling. We'll touch base tomorrow! Cheers from the team, RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, and all

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Hola Guapo
Checking in to see how you are doing.It seems like you’ve been away for months already!
Its exciting to check in daily to see where you are….and you are getting closer!
Hope you enjoyed your burritos tonight…...we had a four-star dinner of Kraft Mac and cheese and succotash; you aren’t missing much!
missing you! STAY STRONG! YOU CAN DO IT!!!
xo Guapa and Maya

Posted by: marion and maya on 6/27/2013 at 9:04 pm

Tom, I hope your trip is going well. We’re all waiting for your triumphant return. As Rhonda said, we’re putting updates together for everyone following you and can’t wait to hear all about it. Stay safe, stay warm, and in Eric’s words “Think snow!”
Cheers

Posted by: Milo on 6/27/2013 at 5:36 am

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Entries from Mt. McKinley

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Slightly Elevated at 9,600’

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Summit!

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Getting Started

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Rest Day at 14K

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Haugen’s Team Resting and Hoping

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Back Carry to 13,500’

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier

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Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Turn Below the Summit

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Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Get Ready in Talkeetna

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Mt. McKinley: Team Van Deventer Moves to 14,200’ Camp

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