Entries from Mt. McKinley
Awakening to blue skies we were ready to carry to 13,500', but, unfortunately, the winds picked up suddenly at the top of
Motorcycle Hill and we were forced to bury our load there and retreat to the protection and comfort of camp. The weather taught us some valuable lessons about taking care of ourselves, lessons that will do us well later in the trip as we get higher on the mountain.
As I've mentioned before, we do have a pretty cool team. Perhaps I'll share a brief sketch of the individuals on this team.
I'll start with an incredibly impressive lady who's palmares in mountain climbing outshines most of our accomplishments. And her ability to handle the outrageous loads this climb demands rivals climbers half her age. Oh, she/we hope this summit will be her 50th.
Another member who shares 'senior' status with the aforementioned climber comes from Vermont and is no stranger to cold, harsh conditions. He hasn't been fazed by any of the weather challenges and has handled the climbing like a rock star! No surprise though - I've climbed with him before and reached the summit with his step daughter on this mountain a few years ago.
A climber very dear to my heart, and a favorite of us all, hails from England, and is here with me for the second time. Having not reached the summit the first time, he's back for more. Such a kind-hearted, nicer person you will never meet, and he's more comfortable with the mountain this time around. He is the type of person who makes you feel good to be around him.
We have a couple from Colorado who climbed with me last fall on Rainier. She is amazingly strong, and weighing in at half the weight of some of my climbers, she has still been able to do her part in load carrying and always manages to greet the day with a huge smile.Her other half has the strength of two men, and the energy that knows no bounds. Always helping out with camp chores, we have to sometimes rein him in so he doesn't make us guides look like slackers.
Another couple climbed with me two years ago, but could make this trip happen last year, so here they are. We've really needed to help her come out of her shell here (NOT). She's a dynamo, and I remember her strength two years ago. I think she's even stronger now, as evident in the guns she's sporting for quads. Her husband balances her outgoing nature so nicely, and it's fun watching them together. he has trained incredibly hard, unwilling to be outdone by his partner. In fact, when there is trail breaking to do, I put him right behind me in the hardest spot.
Our last member I remember meeting as I passed one of our Alaskan seminars that take place on the mountain. And now he's here, doing it. Sometimes a bit quieter than the others, he constantly impresses me with strength and ability. Apparently, he's sporting a battery of electronics, but the guy can definitely handle it. He works for Samsung, so I guess it just makes sense.
And then there are the guides:
On his first trip here, JT is rocking it! Always working and asking great questions, he's guiding like a seasoned pro. Great in difficult situations, he's been great company in the tent too.
On our second trip together, Christina has been nothing but exceptional. A joy to be around, she also knows the ins and outs of these climbs and I rely upon her for tying together all the details that makes the expedition run so well.
Then there's me. Just a simple guy that likes walking uphill and bore you with details of life here on the mountain. I'll try not to be so long winded next time.
Good night from 11,200'.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
May 26, 2017
When I awoke at the frigid hour of 5 am (temp -23F), I was greeted by a beautiful blue sky above
Denali's summit. I layered up, got out of the tent, and fired up the stoves. By the time the stoves came to life, winds picked up and a cap had formed on the summit. It quickly grew in intensity and size, reaching all the way down to ~16,000'. We had hot drinks and breakfast and them retreated to the tents to stay warm as we monitored the situation. The weather continued to deteriorate and now we find ourselves once again at 14,000' Camp waiting for our shot. The forecast still looks favorable, and we have a few more days left to make it happen. We'll stay in touch...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
May 26, 2017
Welcome to our team's first dispatch!
We had two unsuccessful attempts to fly into Kahiltna Base Camp yesterday. The current weather on the mountain has only left us with short windows to make a landing. With our returned attempts it allowed us to do some more dry land training and re packing to give us a head start when we do land on the glacier. The team is excited and prepared to start our expedition. Our extra night in Talkeetna provided us with another evening of good food, company and playoff hockey!
As we speak the hanger crew is telling us to get our boots on and load up the planes again. We hope the third time will be the one!
Thanks for following our team and we'll keep you posted along the way!
RMI Guides Tyler, JM and Bryan
May 25, 2017
The
Denali Expedition May 23, 2017 led by
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, JM Gorum and Bryan Mazaika has met their team in Alaska. The group transferred from Anchorage to Talkeetna and spent time arranging their gear, meeting with the National Park Service and enjoying some restaurant meals and showers. The team is prepped and ready to fly but the weather has not yet cooperated with them. At one point they loaded the Twin Otter plans and headed out toward the Alaska Range but the weather deteriorated and they were forced to return to Talkeetna. The group is on standby and will jump when the pilots call and tell them to meet at K2 Aviation. We are hoping the weather clears and they can fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier soon.
Best of luck!
May 25, 2017
We had the sun this morning, but a large cloud
cap over the summit convinced us to wait another day to carry. It was a great day to let the tents bake, dry wet items, and people watch around camp. We capped it with a dinner of quinoa, lentils, kale, and squash in a red wine, bouillon, and Dijon reduction. It was a nice to have some fresher tasting food after 12 days on the mountain. Hopefully we wake to clear skies tomorrow and get our cache on above!
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team
On The Map
Clear skies were a very welcome sight as I peeked out the vestibule on this frigid, frosty morning. Definitely our coldest morning yet! But, we had a cache to put in so the wheels were set in motion for our climb.
Unfortunately, the weather deteriorated to the point where we pulled the plug and took a well deserved rest day instead.
What a treat. Lounging about in the tents, eating, listening to tunes, reading, sleeping, eating some more. Our bodies sucked in the energy from the calories eaten and the warmth provided by the radiation getting through the clouds and snow showers. Tents and sleeping bags dried as our bodies got the recharge we all needed.
The smell of fried onions, red peppers, chicken and chilies greeted us when the dinner bell rang, and no doubt made the rest of camp salivate with envy. Chefs JT and Christina put on yet another fine spread.
It's these simple pleasures that we tend to value so much in the mountains.
After our dress rehearsal this morning and rest day I think we'll be ready to rock tomorrow. The forecast hasn't changed any, but the winds aren't bad. It's just a bit irritating to climb in the occasional snow showers and cloudy weather. But, I guess we've been doing it all week. This team has demonstrated the capacity to climb well, so hopefully we'll get our cache established at 13,500' and be primed to move to
14,200' camp when we can.
Not that I'm a great believer in the weather forecasts around here, but they say high pressure is coming our way by Monday. We're due!
Good night from 11,200', where I'm in our tent at the very reasonable hour of 9:00p after camp chores, and not freezing my fingers in the frigid cold of these Alaskan nights.
Oh, and by the way, your loved ones are all happy and doing exceptionally well. The guides included. If you all have any messages for the team, our office staff will send them our way sometime. Hopefully coinciding with our next rest day where I'll have time to share them with everyone. Just don't get carried away with the heartfelt mushy stuff. I hate choking up in front of the group.
Your messengers of news from above,
RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale and JT Schmitt
On The Map
Last night's winds abated in camp, but up high that was not the case. A large, menacing lenticular cloud covered the upper portion of the mountain and wind could be seen blowing plumes of snow off of the
West Buttress. But, the storm seems to be on its way out. We are hoping to move to high camp tomorrow or the next day and have a go at the summit. We'll see what the weather has in store, but at least it is improving.
From Robbie:
Happy birthday Vanessa!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
May 24, 2017
Well, the weather has changed, and not for the best. Wind and snow intensified this morning, so much so that we postponed our departure to retrieve our cache from 10,000' for a bit to make sure a big storm didn't move in.
But the weather held off enough for us to bring our cache back to camp. Now we're set.
This continually amazes me. When we got back I thought we all deserved a break, figuring an hour or two of tent time to rest up would be most welcome, 20-30 minutes later I hear most everyone out cutting blocks to beef up the walls we already had. Impressive!
We're sitting pretty now, ready for anything. Should tomorrow's weather preclude a
carry to cache at 13,500', that would be just fine. Everyone has been working so hard and so well that some tent time is probably in order. Even, I am looking forward to a rest day soon.
And we're all looking forward to some better weather. Our peek at the mountains surrounding us last night just made us want more.
Oh, and in case you were wondering what was on the menu today. Scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon for breakfast. An assortment of Indian food, served on a bed of rice and chicken, followed by a nice pudding for dessert. Mmm.
That's it from 11,200' camp. Good night.
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
On The Map
May 24, 2017
Well, the
Denali storm has arrived (we are calling it the Horiskey storm). We woke to snow this morning, and as the day had progressed, the winds have strengthened. Lots of snow is moving around camp, and being out of a tent is really unpleasant. So we've stayed in the tents. Our cook tent is nice and tight, and our individual tents were occupied with napping, music, and reading. The storm is supposed to peak tomorrow, so probably more of the same in store. Our walls are strong, our sleeping bags warm, and our bellies full, so all in all, life is good.
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team
On The Map
We're hunkered down in camp today as a strong storm is producing snow and wind over
Denali. We can hear the winds howling a few thousand feet above us, sounding like waves crashing on a rocky shore. Here at camp it is windy but not nearly that extreme. Winds here are gusting in 20 mph range, which is not too bad at all. We have big walls built to protect our camp, so our tents are just barely shaking. We expect this storm to persist through tomorrow and hopefully we'll have better weather in its wake with which to make a summit push.
Our fingers are crossed!
RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team
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Hi Bill!
Been lots of fun following your trip, makes me want to get back there for sure. Sounds like you’ve got a great group and are climbing strong (of course!). Knee is doing well, taking my stitches out was an adventure and school is busy. Enjoy these rest days, an extra day to acclimatize is never bad although I’d imagine you’re also eager to keep moving. I know you’re good at taking care of yourself when the weather turns! Have lots of fun! And tell Brent I say hi!!
Love K
Posted by: Kristen Kelliher on 5/28/2017 at 7:47 am
I love your emails…..the longer the better….Look forward to and enjoy them everyday! Thanks for sharing!
Stay safe and a great big “miss you” to Lindsay and Steve!
Posted by: Sandra Friaglia on 5/28/2017 at 6:32 am
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