Entries from Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

Sunday, June 24, 2018 - 8:59 PM PT Oh what a day! We awoke to cool, clear skies and quickly readied ourselves to go retrieve our cache at 13,500. As we walked and the sun began to rise higher in the sky our numb digits started to gain some life and the beautiful views put a little pep in our step. When we returned from the cache we lounged in the sun, listening to Rusty’s eclectic musical mix and filling our bellies with a delightful bagel breakfast. Later we practiced running belays and traveling on fixed lines in preparation for tomorrow’s cache at 17,000'. Our Super Crew cruised on through it and will do great with tomorrow’s climb. We are now packing bags and picking out the perfect food to stash at 17,000' Camp. We plan to rise early for our climb and be back tomorrow afternoon for some proper rest time. All is well here at scenic 14,000' Camp! RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Super Crew

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I hope the weather cooperates on your final day(s).
MS-150 riders missed Rusty’s intense bicycle face. Lol
Safe climbing to all.
Carlos

Posted by: Carlos Bernal on 6/25/2018 at 6:31 pm

Looks like the weather is finally in your favor! Hey Daddio (aka Craig Clark)- Finally have some news! It’s a GIRL! Another granddaughter on the way! Love you!

Posted by: Nicolette on 6/25/2018 at 6:13 pm

Denali Expedition: Haugen & Super Crew Move Up To 14,200’!

June 24, 2018

Saturday, June 23, 2018 - 9:57 AM PT We’re moving up in the world! Today we moved up to 14K camp in style- everyone in our super crew moved well and took great care of themselves along the way. We arrived to our new home with sweltering sunshine with intermittent bouts of glitter snow and calm winds. We made our castle of a camp and enjoyed all of the things 14K camp has to offer- lounging, walking over to the NPS weather board, watching skiers and climbers coming up and down... Ain’t life grand! We intend to back carry tomorrow and reunite with the things we cached at 13,500 yesterday, then spend the rest of the day brushing up our fixed line and running belay skills before caching at 17K camp. We’re go grateful to be outside in base layers!! Thanks for tuning in and keep your fingers crossed that this great weather continues. RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Super Crew 6

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What a wonderful experience, one so many of us can only dream about so we enjoy hearing of your struggles and success’s ! May the weather remain calm so you can enjoy the sights as well as the climb..
I love you Lindsay and Matt and pray for you daily..

Grams

Posted by: Barbara Jones on 6/25/2018 at 5:23 am

Cody, you are missed and loved by many down here where it’s nice and sunny! So happy to know all is well and that your team has moved up! Prayers are being sent up daily by your family and friends who are following your journey! Uncle Mike says he is living out his dream thru YOU!

Posted by: Susie Petellin on 6/24/2018 at 6:06 pm

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Move Up Camp

June 24, 2018

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Avery Parrinello, Hannah Smith, Nikki Champion

Elevation: 9,500'

Saturday, June 23, 2018 - 10:26 PM PT This one started out differently. It wasn’t snowy at 3:30 AM and it wasn’t cloudy. In fact it looked pretty good for climbing. We were walking out of 7800 ft at 6 AM with a big view of Denali’s South Face and some of its classic climbing routes. Our classic climbing route for the day was on “Ski Hill”. Once again we had heavy packs and sleds, once again we used snowshoes and ski poles. The fact that the snow surface had frozen overnight was in our favor, making for good walking. The fact that ski hill is all uphill certainly made things harder, but such difficulties weren’t exactly unexpected. We rolled into our intended site at 9500 ft by 10 AM. Building camp was easy enough in strong sunshine and calm conditions. We snoozed away the warm afternoon, or snacked, read, chatted and hydrated. Dinner in the dining tent was a picnic in the dry and calm conditions. We can no longer see Denali from this particular angle, but the view down 43 miles of the Kahiltna Glacier certainly isn’t bad. Most were in their tents again and turning in by 8 PM when the sun went behind Kahiltna Dome. A little cooler up here now as we start gaining altitude. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Jon & Margaret you are past 1/2 way point! Love the updates. Thinking of you everyday.
Hugs and strength to you both.

Posted by: Joy Reuter on 6/25/2018 at 3:49 pm

Love the pictures! Such an incredible experience Tom! Climb High Brother!

Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/24/2018 at 1:52 pm

Denali Expedition: King & Team Reach the Summit!

June 23, 2018

Posted by: Mike King, Ben Ammon, JT Schmitt

Elevation: 20,310'

RMI Guide Mike King and his team reached the summit of Denali, 20,310' today around 6:35 PM PT. Their June 4th Expedition met in Anchorage and has spent the last several weeks, acclimatizing, climbing and waiting out the weather. Their patience and perseverance paid off today. Congratulations to the team!

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Great work from the whole team.

Special shout out to Ben Ammon.

Posted by: Kevin Pilloud on 6/25/2018 at 7:45 am

Awesome work to the whole team!! We have done our best to follow the hike and send good vibes to Alex and the team. Make it back safe so we can hear about the adventure ~ Matt & Malin

Posted by: Matthew A Lewis on 6/24/2018 at 6:53 pm

Denali Expedition: Haugen & Team Cache Gear at 13,500’

June 22, 2018

Elevation: 11,200'

Friday, June 22, 2018 - 9:49 pm PT We woke up very early this morning to start checking the weather. We were trying to let the mountain tell us whether to head uphill to cache some gear or to wait another day for conditions to settle down. Denali was cryptic for awhile but finally delivered a confirmation that it was OK for us to climb by clearing the skies up high. We jumped into action and started climbing into moderate winds. The winds stayed with us for most of the upwards climb which kept us cool as the sun finally poked out. The team finally got the view they deserved from our cache site at 13,500'. We have been living in the clouds for too many days! If the weather looks good in the morning, we are going to head up to 14k feet and make our next camp. Fingers crossed for high pressure! RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Super Crew 6

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Hooray! Keep these great reports coming! Enjoy the sun and views.

Posted by: David Clemmons on 6/24/2018 at 4:09 pm

Lindsay and Matt
Amazing!
Keeping you and your team in our prayers.
Enjoy the journey!
Love you,
Aunt Norma

Posted by: Norma Jean on 6/24/2018 at 9:01 am

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Snow Day at 7,800’

June 22, 2018

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello, Nikki Champion

Elevation: 7,800'

Friday, June 22, 2018 - 8:57 pm PT The snow just kept on coming down last night. It didn’t pile up all that deeply, but it was persistent and wet. We kept checking through the early morning hours, and then through the mid morning hours after a team breakfast, but it went right on until the early afternoon. By then we’d determined to take a hint and declare a rest day. Things actually cleared up nicely by mid-afternoon and Denali came out in all her glory. By then it was unbearably hot in the tents and would have been about ten times hotter walking uphill with big packs and sleds. We rested. It was burrito night in the main dining tent and after a great feed and some storytelling, we returned to the tents under once again cloudy skies. We’ll hope for a better morning tomorrow. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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We are so enjoying following your journey and the pictures are magnificent. Continuing to pray for good weather, safety, and health of all of you! Godspeed!

Posted by: Shari Ramsey on 6/24/2018 at 9:28 am

Jon & Margaret - Stay healthy and in good spirits. I check this blog every day.

Posted by: Joy Reuter on 6/24/2018 at 8:29 am

Denali Expedition: King & Team Move to 17K Camp

June 22, 2018

Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon

Elevation: 17,200'

Friday, June 22, 2018 - 7:45 pm PT It's been a Tale of Two Camps, either the Camp all sits together or they rally up the same piece of terrain at the same time. We were second on the fixed lines and after an initial moment of flailing we got to 16,200' for a break. The remainder of the day had us climbing the West Buttress into 17 camp with amazing views of the Peters Glacier and North Summit of Denali. Light wind made some of the exposed ridge sections feel more exposed. Today was a good lesson in keeping toes and fingers warm because we didn't set any records for the 14-17 leg. Everyone is nestled in their tents drying out boots and gloves. Dinner, hydration, sleep and hopefully we'll be heading for the summit on Saturday. RMI Guide Mike King

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Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Move to 7,800 and Set Up Camp

June 22, 2018

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello, Nikki Champion

Elevation: 7,800'

Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 10:39 PM PT We were up at 2 AM for our much anticipated launch from Denali Basecamp. It was still cloudy and overcast and seemed to be moving toward being more cloudy and overcast, but we felt we had something of a window for moving. After a hot breakfast, we knocked down tents and rigged up for glacial travel. By 4:38 we were walking down the SE Fork of the Kahiltna with our snowshoes on. A number of other teams had begun climbing in the hours ahead of our departure, so the soft snow trail was packed nicely for us. As expected, glacier conditions were good and it was a relief not to be crossing open crevasses and sagging snow bridges. There wasn’t too much to see with all of the cloud, so we just concentrated on walking steady for an hour at a push. We very nearly saw the sun at one point just after 8 AM but that was it despite this being the Solstice and a traditional big day for sun worshipers. Five and a half hours brought us to 7800 ft, and our intended destination. By that point the clouds were right down on us and it was snowing lightly. We built a quick camp and got inside before it got snowing a little more heavily in the early afternoon. We snoozed and drank water to recover from the morning workout. The wet snow continued right through dinner, but we weren’t so uncomfortable in our cozy dining tent with snow benches and countertops. Now that all are in bed, the snow keeps on coming, but quietly... there is no wind and that is a good thing. Best, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Glad to see that you all are moving. And what a joy it must’ve been to see Denali out in its full glory. Wishing you good weather and safe climbing ahead. Thinking about you lots Margaret and Jon. Holding down the fort here in Anchorage, Hugs from Melonie and licks from Wiz

Posted by: Melonie Rieck on 6/22/2018 at 11:32 pm

Climb on Tom, Sending those strength and good weather prayers your way Brother!!

Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/22/2018 at 10:16 am

Denali Expedition: Haugen & Team Rest at 11,000’ Camp

June 22, 2018

Elevation: 11,000'

Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 10:16 PM PT After the Hurricane Horiskey beatdown and yesterday’s big move we decided today was a great day to rest and let our bodies begin to acclimatize to the higher altitudes. So we slept until the sun hit our tents and then we enjoyed a hardy meal of breakfast quesos and talked strategy for our cache day tomorrow. Post breakfast we enjoyed an afternoon snooze (have to let the breakfast settle) and then did some organizational prep before rollin on into dinner and a celebration of Josh’s 48 birthday! He had a smile bigger than the solstice sun when we sung him Happy Birthday and presented him with a cheesecake and mini cake complete with a candle. After filling our bellies we dispersed to our tents and are enjoying the rest of solstice snuggled up waiting for our cache day tomorrow. All is well here with our Super Crew! Happy solstice everyone! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

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Denali Expedition: King & Team Remain at 14,000’ Camp Hopeful for Break in Weather

June 22, 2018

Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon

Elevation: 14,000'

Thursday, June 21, 2018 - 10:04 PM PT Yup, just another weather day here at 14,000' Camp on Denali. Snow and calm air the entire day. Breakfast was ate, coffee drank and cards played throughout the day in the Posh. We were hopeful this low pressure system was breaking up tomorrow. Instead it looks to be a Saturday to Monday window. We'll wake up at 5 am and check the weather. Fingers crossed we can get to 17 camp and be on the summit Saturday. RMI Guide Mike King

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Wishing clear skies boys! All the best, Yeagers

Posted by: Dave Yeager on 6/22/2018 at 7:16 pm

JT-

Woo hoo! Looks like you may get a break in the weather soon? No recent JT type 2 adventures to report.. Thinking of all you guys on the homestretch! Hopefully you’ll be on that summit soon. Hugs!

Madeline

Posted by: Madeline Emmer on 6/22/2018 at 1:18 pm