Entries from Mt. McKinley
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 10:00 PM PT
We didn't get out of the tent this morning until the direct sunlight at 9:30. We enjoyed a relaxing breakfast of toasted bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon. We are really roughing it here at
14,000' Camp.
After our late breakfast, we did some fixed line practice for our trip up high tomorrow. Our plan is to carry some supplies up high so that when the weather is good we can move to high camp and go for the summit soon after.
The crew is all doing very well and we are excited to keep climbing up!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team Siete
On The Map
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 9:58 PM PT
Four AM wake up today down at 9,500 ft. That was a perfect time for watching the early rays of sunshine playing across Mt Foraker’s 17,000 ft slopes. We watched, but we also geared up and ate our Cheerios. There were a bunch of different layers of cloud out and about, but none of those gave us any trouble. We hit the trail by six. It was an easier trail to hit today, since there’d been a good freeze and no additional new snow overnight. Cruising along the upper
Kahiltna in deep, cool shadows was wonderful. Although it wasn’t our intention, we shaved plenty of time off our travel from yesterday as we made it to 11,000 by 8:30 AM. Then there was the familiar work of leveling tent sites, building tents and anchoring them down. By the time the sun found us we were ready for a midday nap. In the afternoon the team got together for a review of the climbing techniques we’ll use to get up and around Windy Corner. The character of the climb changes with tomorrow’s carry. Time to bust out the crampons and ice axes. Hannah crushed things in the kitchen this evening with her acclaimed Mac and Cheese. Things briefly got snowy and cold, and then blue sky and sunshine broke out everywhere as we turned in for the “night”
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 5:24 PM PT
The early wake up call in the cold was well worth it as our team was able to move efficiently up the
fixed ropes and along the ridge to Denali High Camp. We arrives by noon, which gave us ample time to build camp and get some rest. The weather is beautiful, and almost warm in the sun. If this weather persists through tomorrow we will give the summit a shot. We won't know until we wake up, but we're optimistic.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Monday, June 24, 2019 - 10:53 PM PT
We have a group of happy campers here at
14,000' Camp on Denali. Although we had to delay our start time a bit due to snow this morning, we were eventually able to tear down camp and head up hill. The weather was very nice to us until we got to about 13,600'. This terrain is a convex area in the glacier that reflects all the sun off the snow and rock and becomes an easy-bake oven. Luckily we left early enough where our brains did not fully melt even though it felt like they might.
We set up a great camp and had a birthday dinner of mac and cheese and no bake cheese cake for Zach and Ian.
The group has earned their rest day tomorrow and we won't wake up until the sun hits our tents. Goodnight!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Siete
On The Map
Monday, June 24, 2019 - 9:56 PM PT
Two inches of snow covered our tents in the wee hours this morning at
9,500' on the Kahiltna. It was still falling at 3:30 when the alarms went off so we gave it another 30 minutes to shape up. Sure enough, at 4 AM things were looking better. We rallied and ate breakfast in our dining tent. At 5:40 it was time for moving up. The walking was pretty easy, despite the new snow and it was all very quiet, traveling in muffled cloudy conditions. In an hour’s time we were at Kahiltna Pass at 10,000', the very northernmost start to the 47 mile long glacier. Time to turn right and go up some steeper hill to 11,000', which we did. We reached the camp at around 8 AM, having walked out of the clouds in the process. It was a spectacular and novel setting, up close to some great hanging ice cliffs and towering rock buttresses. We dug a raven-proof cache in the snow and buried the food, fuel, and equipment we’d carried. It was then an easy and pleasant walk down with light packs and empty sleds. Finally it was a relief to come into our already established camp at 9500 ft and relax. There was no digging to be done or tents to put up, which was just as well. It got blazing hot, even with all of the cloud lingering. We napped away another quiet afternoon.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Monday, June 24, 2019 - 1:19 PM PT
We're taking a rest day today after a big day yesterday and in preparation of moving to
High Camp on Denali for our summit bid. The weather is sunny today even though snow and clouds were forecasted. We're hoping to move to High Camp in the next day or two if we get a weather forecast that looks favorable for a summit attempt. In the meantime, we're resting and acclimating and getting stronger.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 10:01 PM PT
We slept in all the way until 2:30 this morning down at the base of Ski Hill. It rained a little in the middle of the night, but by the time we got up the sky was clear and it was refreshingly cool. We’d busted down camp and were waddling uphill on our snowshoes by 4:45 AM. Our challenge for the day was to gain 1,700 feet in elevation up a series of hills. Views were tremendous as we rose up over the lower Kahiltna. The
South Face of Denali with the Cassin ridge charging up the middle was on our right, Kahiltna Dome on our left. There was ice pouring off of every slope and plateau. At around 9,000 ft we could tell that snow had fallen rather than rain, but it was only on the order of a half inch. At 8:15 we rolled onto the flats at 9500 and set up a new camp. There was the usual frenzy of digging to establish tent platforms, a kitchen, latrine, and dining room. By now though we are getting practiced and skilled at the chores that stand between us and a nap. Once the sun is directly on us, it cooks everything and we take refuge in our shelters and beg for an occasional breeze. Dinner brings us together again late in the day and we go over the plan for what comes next. In this case, what comes next is a carry to 11,000 and a return to 9500.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 8:50 PM PT
What a beautiful day! We are so thankful that the weather has been amazing so far. We will definitely not be fooled into thinking that the mountain won't throw some weather our way soon!
We had a long day bringing a bunch of food, fuel, CMC's, and extra warm clothing up to our next camp at 14,000'. The climbing was great and the crew had a good time. It was nice to be able to see
Denali again since our view is obstructed at our camp at 11k.
We all earned our afternoon naps before a hearty dinner of Tasty Bites Indian food with rice.
We are all excited to move up to 14k tomorrow... if the weather is nice to us!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team Siete
On The Map
Sunday, June 23, 2019 - 6:53 PM PT
We woke early again this morning and the weather did not disappoint. Clear skies with a beautiful early morning alpenglow on Foraker and Hunter greeted us as we fired the stoves. We woke the team at 5am and we were on the move by 7am. Our goal: to get a cache of food and fuel up high on the West Buttress Ridge, ideally to high camp at 17,200'.
The sun was still behind the
West Rib of Denali and we climbed the approach slopes and most of the fixed ropes in the shade. The sun found us at around 16,000' and was a welcome companion for the rest of the day as the team climbed the aesthetic ridge from 16,200' to 17,200'. We made it to high camp in good form and dug a hole in the snow in which to leave our cache. After an hour and a half breathing the rare air of 17,200', we descended back to camp, the climb took us almost 5 1/2 hours and we descended in 2 1/2 hours.
We'll enjoy a good night's rest tonight and then take a rest day tomorrow. That should put us in perfect position to take advantage of the next good weather window for a summit bid.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Saturday, June 22, 2018 - 9:43 PM PT
All is well at 7,800 ft on the
Kahiltna Glacier. At 30 minutes after midnight we fired the stoves at Basecamp and checked with the folks. This time all were feeling good and healthy and ready for climbing. We ate breakfast in the shadows -it doesn’t get dark this time of year, but it does get cool and shadowy without direct sunshine. We packed up and roped up and began shuffling out of base at 3:15 AM. Conditions were excellent -the surface had frozen up enough so that walking was easy and the sleds came along with minimal resistance. Best of all, crevasse problems were nearly nonexistent and the route was consequently more direct than in other years. Partway through our morning, we met Mike King’s victorious team heading for the airstrip. We exchanged handshakes and fist bumps and wished each other well. At 7:45 AM we pulled in to the base of ski hill and began building a camp. The sun was out by then but we had plenty of time to get shelter up before things got intensely hot in the giant reflector oven we call home. We passed the day napping, drinking water and chatting to one another. By evening there was a steady down glacier breeze but we were comfortably sheltered within our dining tent by then.
Tomorrow is another early start.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
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To Kerry:
Still raining in Oklahoma!
Posted by: Patrick Admire on 6/26/2019 at 2:28 pm
Hey, Meghan… you’re finally doing it and with the best outfit with which to climb. Wishing you all the best and will follow the daily dispatches. If you come back through Seattle and time allows and, let me know and I will buy you a celebratory drink!
Posted by: Everett Moran on 6/26/2019 at 12:16 pm
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