Entries from Mt. McKinley
July 3, 2016 - 10:35 pm PT
Hey all,
Today was a day of rest for our team as snow piled up and continues to pile up as I write this. We have received at least 18 inches of snow since last night and all we see is white, not a rock in sight. The team kept busy by reading, eating, and playing with electronics until they were surprised by some lunch time quesadillas; cooked up special by RMI guides
Bridget and
Hannah.
The snow flakes are still coming down but we are locked and loaded to move up to
17,200 camp when the weather breaks.
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide Ben Liken
On The Map
July 2, 2016 - 11:13 pm PT
It wasn't really supposed to be a perfect day. It was still snowy and socked in yesterday evening, the forecast called for the same thing it always calls for -more snow- but when we poked heads out of tents this morning for a 7 AM check.., it was perfect. No clouds above and no sign of wind on the crest of the
West Buttress. It was about as cold as we've been though, getting up and fed and ready in the shadows. The sun doesn't hit 14 camp until 9:20... Which is when we started climbing today. Things were slightly tougher because we did a fair amount of breaking trail uphill through new snow, but there were a couple of other climbers out who seemed determined to stay ahead of us -so that helped. We took two breaks before the start of the steep "fixed rope" section of the climb. Most had been looking up for a few days and wondering how we'd get up something that appeared to be so difficult from afar. It still looked hard from close up, but we did it anyway -step by step. We topped out at the magical little notch in the ridge at 16,200ft to find magnificent views and a steady zero miles per hour in the wind department. It was tough climbing, most said... but they said it while grinning from ear to ear. Five of our twelve climbers broke altitude records today. We dug a raven-proof hole in the snow and cached supplies. Then it was back down the ropes, saying hello to several groups still on their way up to sleep at high camp (17,200ft). It was hot and still on our way down, but our packs were light and the distances were small. Clouds had formed up and we were enveloped by them before we reached 14 camp at 4:15PM. Sure enough, it started snowing lightly as we climbed in the tents for a rest. A few hours later, it was still snowing but we were sheltered in our dining tent, eating dinner and talking about another great day in the mountains.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
July 2, 2016 - 1:23 am PT
We were very lucky to fly off the glacier yesterday since the weather closed in on
Denali and may have prevented us from flying for days. We spent a celebratory evening in rainy Talkeetna thankful for not being stuck in snowy Basecamp!
After the long process of sorting, cleaning, and drying all of the gear it takes to get to the top of such a huge mountain, we paused to thank each other over a meal that did not require mixing with hot water or adding copious amounts of cheese to maximize calories. It really was an amazing team that assembled two weeks ago in Anchorage and made a smooth ascent of the
highest mountain in North America. The team was very strong and had a great attitude that allowed them to experience an amazing, windless summit and a seamless two-day descent back to base camp and ski planes that almost beat us to the glacier landing strip.
Thank you for the great expedition El Siete!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
July 1, 2016 - 10:19 pm PT
A hint of storm moved in last night, with some more cloud, some more snow and a little wind. It looked like more wind up above on the crest of the
West Buttress, but we aren't going up that way to find out until things improve. It was a quiet and restful storm day at 14K. Instead of carrying loads up high, we ate long meals in our dining tent, let our blisters heal and took naps. Call it an acclimatization day. We'll hope for some improvement tomorrow morning that allows us to sneak a carry in.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 30, 2016 - 9:43 pm PT
Hey all,
We are all settled in here at our
14,200' camp were we can finally visualize the upper mountain. Before we could move gear and people up hill though we had to retrieve our cache of food and gear at 13,200 ft. So after a filling bagel breakfast we set off to grab it, and after a 3 hr round trip time the team was back in camp getting a little more rest. We are not fully acclimated to 14,000' yet so a little rest is still needed to recoup.
Now as the never ending sunlight moves west we are gearing up and talking fixed line technique, in hopes that we can climb high tomorrow. If the weather holds we will move some food and gear to the top of the fixed lines at 16,200'. Then after breathing that thin air and scoping our line up the rocky west buttress, we will retreat to 14 Camp. As the old saying goes "climb high and sleep low".
The team is still climbing like pros!
RMI Guide Ben Liken
On The Map
June 30, 2016 12:55 pm PDT
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and team have landed safely in Talkeetna, AK after a successful summit of Denali. They are happy to return to civilization where warm showers and much celebration will be in store.
Congratulations to the entire team!
June 29, 2016 - 11:04 pm PT
As is the way with climbing, we barely had time to dwell on our summit success before it was time to start thinking about getting off the hill safely. We woke up after a frigid night at 17K and immediately began packing up to head downhill. Our descent took us down the
West Buttress proper, and by the time we started down the fixed lines the late morning solar energy had most of the team roasting in single layers. Talk about freeze or fry! We took a brief break at 14 camp to pick up cached gear, and then began the long march down to 11 camp with sleds in tow. Along the way, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with Dave Hahn and company on their way to 14. For now, we are tucked in to bed at 11 camp, where we hope to catch a few hours of sleep before starting the long walk back to the airstrip.
Buenas noches,
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
June 29, 2016 - 11:03 pm PT
After an evening of snowfall and a lot of talk of stormy weather on the way, we were just a bit surprised and pleased to wake up at 11,000ft to cloudless blue skies. But we knew just what to do with such an opportunity... pack up and head for 14K. It was a great day of climbing on the way. Even though we'd come much of the way on our carry two days back, the team hadn't yet seen the scenery. It was all out and spectacular today, especially when we got around windless Windy Corner and could see the lower Kahiltna Glacier -our world from a few days back- far below. Mounts Foraker and Hunter were gigantic and beautiful as well -again, made more spectacular because our team hadn't seen much besides clouds for a few days. We made pretty decent time, reaching
Genet Basin and 14 Camp in six hours. It was a treat to meet up with Mike Haugen's victorious RMI team just below 14. They'd obviously done quite well and were moving lower with big smiles on their faces. We reached our new home at 4 PM and began the now familiar routine of digging in, building tents and getting a kitchen going. Dinner in the spacious dining room (read -snow pit with snow benches and a snow table) we inherited was quite comfortable. The entire team seems happy to have arrived at the foot of the real mountain... the approach is nearly over. Tomorrow morning we'll drop down to recover our windy corner cache.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 29, 2016 - 1:23 am PT
We are all safe and sound back at high camp after an amazing summit day. I am proud to report that all members of our team made it to the highest peak in North America! The day started out cold but
Denali was kind to us. It turned out to be a clear and sunny day with very little wind...a rarity on this big mountain. We were just under 12 hours round trip from High Camp including a long time on the top taking pictures and enjoying our success.
We are gong to try to get up early and start our decent back to thicker air. Hopefully the weather cooperates like it has over the last few days!
Congratulations to the June 14th Denali Expedition Team!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
June 27, 2016 - 11:08 pm PT
Another murky day, weatherwise. It was snowing lightly when we checked things at 6:45 AM, but it was calm and there were hints of clearing in some of the cloud layers stacked above us. We got up and had a slow and substantial breakfast as we watched the skies. With a few patches of blue showing, the decision was made to go on up for our carry. We left camp at about 10:15 and were promptly surrounded again by calm and listless clouds. It was a relief to be spending a day without our sleds and to be in crampons instead of snowshoes. The terrain, beginning with "Motorcycle hill" right out of camp, was steeper than any of the ground we'd covered to date, but that was nice too. We all felt a bit more like climbers with ice axes in our hands at last. The team wound up and across "Squirrel hill" to get to the lesser angled "Polo fields" below the end of
Denali's West Buttress. At least we think those were the granite walls of the Buttress... we couldn't really see very far up it in the clouds. Conditions stayed windless though, so we pushed on to Windy Corner. Nobody seemed disappointed that it wasn't living up to its well-earned reputation. We cached the provisions we'd been carrying there at about 13,300ft, digging a big hole and burying it all to keep the ravens from attacking. Then it was an easy and uneventful hour back to camp with light packs and still not much for views. We were down by 4PM and taking naps and sipping water by about 4:30. Tomorrow is a rest day, so we are less concerned than usual by the continued light snow and ever-present murk.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
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Thinking of you Andrew and your Team. Sending warm 30 degree C wishes from hot and humid Cayman! You are all our heroes!
Posted by: Sue on 7/5/2016 at 7:13 am
Congrats on your hard work and fortune so far, team. Seattle and Merica are sending out positive vibes for good weather the rest of the way. Keep on steppin, Mike Waters!
Posted by: Kyle Morden on 7/4/2016 at 12:15 pm
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