Entries from Mt. McKinley

Denali Expedition: Hailes & Team Make Carry to 10,500

May 29, 2018

Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,200'

Monday, May 28, 2018 - 11:49 PM PT Hello all, and happy Memorial Day! Everyone is doing quite well adjusting to life on the Kahiltna Glacier. There is a bit of basketball withdrawal going on, but besides that everyone seems happy. This morning we enjoyed a leisurely bagel and cream cheese breakfast, and packed up a bunch of our things to cache up higher on the mountain. The weather was perfect for us today. If anything it was a bit warm, but we'll take all the warmth we can get at this point. Skies were mostly clear, and the views looking back down the Kahiltna went on for miles. The team made quick work of the carry, and we made it back to camp at 7,200 well before dinner time. With a lot of our gear stashed above us, we are in great shape to move camp higher tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes. Everyone sends their best! RMI Guide Walter Hailes

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Awesome!! Romary crew is sending positive mojo your way. It’s a privilege to be on the Kahiltna…was there 20 years ago this month. Keep grinding and enjoy every step. When things get tough, just “embrace the suck.”

Posted by: Tom Romary on 5/30/2018 at 6:31 am

Straub clan has their eyes on you…safe climbing & sunshine, amigos!

Posted by: Straub(s) on 5/29/2018 at 10:17 pm

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Rest Day Hang Out

May 28, 2018

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Monday, May 28th - 10:47 pm PST We had a busy day of nothing. After three big days of moving a lot of gear, it was a perfect day to rest, nap, and take care of sore feet. We had a pleasant pancake brunch, then retired to the tents for naps, movies, and reading. We got out to move a bit this afternoon and refresh our climbing skills, then took that into dinner, and off to bed. Rest days are exhausting after all. Tomorrow we'll get back to work and carry a load of food and gear to 13,500' or so. All for now, RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer , Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford, and team

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HI Rich

Cannot get enough of the beautiful shots…hope your cold has left you by now and you are feeling healthy and ready to get this done!

Posted by: Susie and the Kids on 5/31/2018 at 5:21 pm

Ah yes, “rest” days!! I hope the sore feet (Caleb??) are healing, and that the good weather continues. Happy Birthday to Henry June 2nd - you must be “The Old Man of the Mountain” these days?! Love, Mom xxxx

Posted by: Jennifer Huntington on 5/29/2018 at 10:30 am

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Carry a Cache to 17,200’

May 28, 2018

Posted by: Mike Walter, Robby Young, Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Monday, May 28th - 9:48 pm PST Just a quick update: We had beautiful weather today and we took advantage of it by carrying up to 17,200', our future high camp, to establish a cache. It was a long day with beautiful climbing. I'll write more tomorrow as there is still a ton to do at camp and the sun is already behind the ridge. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Keep on keeping on Tom! Ralph and I were chatting about your climb yesterday while we wandered around S.F. with a few other souls around for the weekend. Sending positive vibes and hopefully high pressure systems bringing stable weather for your trip to the summit and back down to the thick air afterwards. And remember, don’t get stuck with the Turkey tetrazini…blech.

Posted by: Michele on 5/29/2018 at 4:55 pm

Keep it up Alexander and team!!! Proud of you and miss you!

Posted by: Becca R on 5/29/2018 at 4:54 pm

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer and Team Find New Home at 11,000’

May 28, 2018

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

Monday, May 28th - 12:20 am PST It was a perfect day to cruise up to 11K Camp and find a new home. Where most of yesterday was dead calm and pretty warm with strong sun, we had a light but really cold breeze running through camp in the morning. It died right before we started walking and suddenly we were cooking in the solar oven. Just as we were about to explode into flames, the breeze came back, from straight ahead, and we went the direction of ice cubes. We dug quickly into our mountains of clothing and were back in comfort land. Having previewed the terrain yesterday, today was a breeze, and we cruised into camp like a hot egg salad. Now we are nicely installed in our new home for the next few days. It's snowing lightly, and beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everyone is healthy and psyched. Tomorrow, we chill, then we will keep looking upward. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

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Seriously took me a minute to find the right blog!

You guys are all smiling and climbing - I know you must be excited for the climb ahead.
Have fun and enjoy every minute!

Love you Rich

Posted by: Susie and the Kids on 5/31/2018 at 5:25 pm

Checking in again. So happy to see the progress. It’s time for Steve to come home… the bachelorette season has started and I know how much he loves the show !! ;)
I’m loving all of the pictures.
Sending my love and best wishes to everyone.
Stay safe,
Misty

Posted by: Misty on 5/28/2018 at 11:08 pm

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Denali Expedition: Hailes and Team Fly Onto the Kahiltna Glacier

May 28, 2018

Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Monday, May 28th - 12:20 am PST Perfect is not common in the mountains, but we had it today. The skies were clear and calm for the flight into the Alaska range. The snow was firm which makes the climbing easier and we had warm sunshine with a cool breeze to keep us all just right, not too hot-not too cold. Everyone moved well with their heavy pack and full sleds into our first camp around 7800 ft and enjoyed our first mountain dinner before sliding into our sleeping bags. All in all a great first day on Denali. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

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Where are you guys on Tuesday? So thrilled for you all. Looking due North and thinking of you

Posted by: Mumzie on 5/29/2018 at 9:01 pm

Life sometimes seems so short so “if you are not living on the edge you are taking up too much space”

Posted by: Carolyn mills-meyer on 5/29/2018 at 7:19 am

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Visit the Edge of the World

May 27, 2018

Posted by: Mike Walter, Robby Young, Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Last night was chilly once again, but today the sun is out in full and has warmed us up. It's a beautiful day on Denali today, with barely a breath of wind at 14,200' (there is some visible wind up higher on the West Buttress), and partly cloudy skies. We're taking a "rest" day today, although it will be somewhat active. After a leisurely breakfast that rolled into brunch, we headed out to the Edge of the World, a dramatic rock outcrop at the far eastern edge of Genet Basin that looks down to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, some 5,000' below. Next we will be reviewing and practicing fixed rope travel in preparation for moving above our camp. And finally, before dinner, we will work on building snow walls to protect our tents and our kitchen from strong winds. All in all, a good day of active rest. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we plan to establish a cache high on the West Buttress in order to have enough supplies available to us for our move to high camp. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Way to go Riemer!! Lots of good thoughts and vibes from us all :) Good luck from the boys and we’ll see you soon!

Posted by: Layla on 5/28/2018 at 3:02 pm

Hi Alex and Tom, Hope you are well and not too cold. All that snow makes me go brrr. Lots of rain here. And more to come(the remains of a tropical storm due from Wednesday on). Not much going on. Love you and miss you

Posted by: Pauline Reiher on 5/28/2018 at 2:12 pm

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Carry to 11K Camp

May 27, 2018

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

We had another great day on the lower Kahiltna. Our goal was to carry a load of food and fuel to around 10,200', just shy of 11K Camp. We had a sneaking hope that we might move well enough and everyone would feel good enough to carry the load all the way to 11,000', eliminating the need for a back carry. After 3 good stretches of walking, we were just below the usual cache site with plenty of time to spare and everyone in good spirits, so we decided to push on. It was a great effort by the whole group, and now most of our food is waiting for us at our next camp. Tomorrow we'll pack up camp at the bottom of Ski Hill and make the move to 11, where the cycle will continue. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

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Way to push through! Sounds like a strong team!
Love you and stay safe Rich

Posted by: Susie and the Kids on 5/31/2018 at 5:27 pm

Go Magnus! Awesome to read that you are on your way. Thinking of you every day. Can´t even imagine what you are doing.

Don´t forget…Safety first!

Sending you lots of strength, some Swedish “pannben” and hope you and the team will take you all the way up to the top.

Anna-Carin

Posted by: Anna-Carin on 5/30/2018 at 8:04 am

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Denali Expedition: Hailes & Team Packing and Checking In

May 26, 2018

Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

Our first day in Talkeetna was packed with mountain prep fun. After breakfast we listened to Pat, a Denali climbing ranger, introduce climbing safely and keeping Denali clean during our climb. Then we hustled to the airplane hangar to sort and pack gear. The hardest part of the day was trying to decide what food to bring and what items to leave behind. Twenty pounds of food is a lot but it seems to pile up quickly. We are ready to fly into the glacier tomorrow at 9am, so now we are working hard on relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Alaska weather. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Settling in at 14,200’

May 26, 2018

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Saturday, May 26, 2018 - 4:39 PM PT Our first night sleeping at 14,200' on Denali was chilly but restful. After a leisurely wake up and breakfast, we booted up and headed down to retrieve our cache at ~13,600', just this side of Windy Corner. Now, back in camp, we are relaxing and resting, hydrating and eating. Our plan is to rest and acclimate this afternoon and also tomorrow. We will spend some time tomorrow fortifying camp by building walls and also practicing fixed rope travel for climbing on the headwall above camp. The next step for us is to establish a cache for our high camp. If all goes well, we'll get that done on Monday. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Alex, Tom and Team,
Glad to see the great progress! Hope you are having a blast….
Stay warm and be safe.
Love,
Dad

Posted by: Larry on 5/28/2018 at 8:56 am

Tommy and Alex
Wishing all great weather and summit!
Love from brooklyn
Lulu is happy and having fun
In the hood.
❤️
Aunt Elisa and Uncle Garrick

Posted by: Lulu on 5/27/2018 at 1:48 pm

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Settle in to Mountain Routine

May 26, 2018

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

We finally made some big moves! Weather was perfect this morning, so we ate our first mountain breakfast and worked on getting our ropes, sleds, and packs rigged for travel. The first morning always takes a bit, between organizing things for the first time, breaking down camp, and all of the other chores like digging cache that have to get done. By noon we were walking, and from there, things couldn't have gone more smoothly. We made excellent time, rolling in to camp with tons of daylight left. We move into a nice camp that had been left, retrofitted it a bit, and then settled in to the mountain routine: making water, dinner, and then more water. Our goal is to cache a load of food and fuel higher up tomorrow, probably just below 11,000', putting us in place to move camp up there the next day. We'll let you know how it goes! RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Taylor, and Team

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Go John Go! Go Raj Go! Hope you can feel the Pom Poms

Posted by: Sue Mamer on 5/27/2018 at 4:34 pm

Magnus! Awesome to read that you are on your way and that the weather is on your side!
Sending you lots of strength and hope you and the team will take you all the way up to the top.
Be safe and know we are following your progress! Björn reminds you! In Sweden blue skies and +25C every day :)

The plant team in Billes!

Posted by: Anne on 5/27/2018 at 5:09 am

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Entries from Mt. McKinley

Denali Expedition: Hailes & Team Make Carry to 10,500

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Rest Day Hang Out

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Carry a Cache to 17,200’

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer and Team Find New Home at 11,000’

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Hailes and Team Fly Onto the Kahiltna Glacier

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Visit the Edge of the World

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Carry to 11K Camp

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Hailes & Team Packing and Checking In

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Settling in at 14,200’

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Settle in to Mountain Routine

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