Entries from Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

May 20, 2017 The 11,000' Camp Diner opened for business late this morning, though still before the sun warmed its patrons' bones. The menu had one question: with or without. Bagels and cream cheese with or without bacon. It turned into a beautiful day, and we got some National Geographic worthy photos of Mt. Foraker and the Kahiltna stretching out below us. Lots of naps, reading, movies, and some time catching up with our good friends and RMI Guides Robby and Lucas from Mike W's team rounded out the day. Tomorrow, back to the grindstone, as we move up to 14,000' and dig in. Everyone is looking forward to the good living of 14 Camp. Until tomorrow, RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team

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Keep up the hard work Jordan! Pinnacle is excited for your journey, big climb ahead, we know you can do it! Should’ve taken the dogs ;)

Posted by: Chris Streno on 5/22/2017 at 6:13 am

Great to have a rest day- hope you able to keep warm and get some reserve sleep in the tank. How thoughtful of the climbers to rise early and deliver breaky in bed to the guides - tales from the dreamtime ! Hope the weather holds for the hard slog ahead -safe climbing to you all - with kind thoughts P and V.

Posted by: Philip and Vonne Calvert on 5/21/2017 at 10:02 pm

Denali Expedition: Okita & Team Arrive Anchorage and Transfer to Talkeetna

May 20, 2017

Posted by: Brent Okita, Christina Dale, JT Schmitt

Elevation: 348'

May 19, 2017 The rain fell as we debarked from the plane after touching down at Anchorage International Airport. With three hours before meeting the team Christina, JT and I reviewed paperwork and plans for the trip. Then, one by one folks started showing up, with everyone gathered well before our 4:30 departure. A good sign of things you come. We had plenty of time to get to know each other while awaiting our shuttle to Talkeetna and I was struck by the ease of conversation between everyone right from the start. Having climbed with most everyone already it was fun to catch up with folks. By dinner time the mood was even looser as we enjoyed a nice meal at the West Rib. Most of the team showed restraint in passing up calls to have 'one' at the world famous Fairview Inn, but for those of us who showed weakness and entered those decadent halls, a proper tradition was upheld. The music wasn't half bad either. It's now time for some rest as tomorrow promises to be quite busy as we prepare for our flight on to the mountain on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to getting that one step closer to the climb we've all been waiting for for so long. Goodnight from Talkeetna, elevation 300'. RMI Guide Brent Okita

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Hanging On for Better Weather

May 20, 2017

Elevation: 14,000'

May 20, 2017 We spent today building more snow walls for our camp, and trying to stay warm. Temps stayed cold today as our camp in Genet Basin was in the clouds and snow most of the day. The morning dawned clear though, save for another lenticular cloud on Denali's summit, a not-so-subtle hint of the strong winds above. Our team is hanging in there, but we sure would like to see a change in this weather. We'll keep you in the loop. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Hope you caught a break and are moving up to 17 camp today. Robby, congrats on your new nephew. Good luck all. Art Muir.

Posted by: Art Muir on 5/21/2017 at 10:57 am

From my zen calendar - Your mind is the mountain before you.

Hang in there for better weather!

Love you Papi

Posted by: Giulia on 5/21/2017 at 7:50 am

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Enjoy Time at 11 Camp

May 19, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Jenny Konway

Elevation: 11,000'

May 19, 2017 Light snow overnight made everything quiet and still this morning. Camp was sleepy, as it seems everyone took the opportunity to sleep in. We munched our way through a big brunch of hash browns and eggs, and then trotted back downhill under empty packs to grab our cache. That short trip left plenty of time for naps and some chilling time this afternoon before a quick climbing skills refresher to get ready for tomorrow. We intend to trade sleds and snowshoes for crampons tomorrow and get our cache up to Windy Corner. We'll see if the weather let's us. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

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Go Jenny!! How exciting! We miss you and hope you are loving it up there. The pictures are beautiful. Can’t wait to see more. Sending love you’re way.

Big Sis & Fam ❤️

Posted by: Jessica on 5/20/2017 at 9:10 am

The views are amazing! You guys are doing great!

Jan- Delta found your backpack! It never left JFK, they delivered it to Lucja’s apartment yesterday. We miss you! Stay safe!

Joanna

Posted by: Joanna on 5/20/2017 at 8:23 am

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Waiting on Weather at 14K Camp

May 18, 2017

Elevation: 14,200'

Well, we woke early once again with optimism that we would be moving up to our high camp today. As we bundled up and crawled out of the tent, we were greeted by big, nasty lenticular clouds (UFO-looking, disk-like clouds that are indicative of high winds aloft) over the big three peaks in the Alaska Range: Hunter, Foraker, and our objective, Denali. We continued with our plan and fired up the stoves and made breakfast. Then we returned to our tents to stay warm as we kept an eye on the winds above. In the end, they didn't dissipate and we weren't able to move camp today. Although we are anxious to move up and have a shot at the summit, the flip side of taking another day at 14k is that we continue to acclimate and get stronger for our eventual summit push. Hopefully we will have that opportunity soon. We'll keep you up to date with our progress. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Hi Mike, David, Thom and Todd, Just have a good rest. Such a thing wouldn’t happen twice. You guys definitely know how to enjoy the time:) I will keep tracking the progress. Good luck! Lei

Posted by: Lei W on 5/19/2017 at 5:47 am

Robby…..Congrats….you’re an uncle again!!!!! Isaac Robert born Thurs 5/18. See you soon.

Posted by: Mom on 5/19/2017 at 4:45 am

Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Move to 11,000’ Camp

May 18, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Jenny Konway

Elevation: 11,000'

May 17, 2017 We're done with the Kahiltna for now! It's been snowing lightly all day and for most of the day it was hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began, but we had a good gps track to follow and we plugged our way along. The wind was moving snow around as we got close to Kahiltna Pass, making for some tough trail breaking. With all of that the team did great, hanging tough through a hard day and then rallying and buffing out a nice new abode at 11,000' Camp once we arrived. We've been going hard for three days now, and it's time to spend some time recovering from our big loads, sleds, blisters, etc, while we acclimate and get strong here. Our plan is to make the short jaunt back to our cache tomorrow to retrieve it. Some time in the tents chilling is in order too. RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Pump the Breaks on Moving to High Camp

May 17, 2017

Elevation: 14,200'

We arose early this morning and fired up the stoves with the intention of packing up camp and moving up to 17,200'. At breakfast we kept an eye on the conditions on the upper mountain. The wind was blowing plumes of snow off of the upper mountain and the Buttress and we decided to pump the breaks. With a good forecast ahead of us, and plenty of food and fuel, we decided not to push it by moving up into stormy weather. We decided to wait it out down here at 14k where we are comfortable and are getting stronger. Our team will remain on standby and hopefully tomorrow's weather will allow us to move up to high camp. Currently it is snowing lightly here at camp and we are resting, hydrating, and eating. We'll be ready when the opportunity presents itself. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Make Carry

May 17, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Jenny Konway

Elevation: 7,600'

We woke in the shadow of Denali, but the skies were clear and promised sun. Bagels and lox got everything started, and since the sun was shining we made hay. We grabbed 34 bags of food, 17 days worth, and a bunch of gas and moved it all uphill to 10,600 or so, just below 11,000' Camp. The loads were heavy and Ski Hill made us work for it, but compared to yesterday, the loads didn't even compare. Today's work set us up well to move to our 11,000' Camp with reasonable loads and establish our new home! 7,600' Camp has been fun, but we are ready to move on. Loaded quesadillas for dinner have us feeling the oncoming food coma, so for now, over and out from the Kahiltna glacier. RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny, and the team

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G’day from Sydney Australia,It’s 20degC and we feel cold !Well on schedule so far- hard work but hopefully enjoying the experience in particular such surroundings.In retirement we feel part of the adventure but without the pain thanks to the regular messages from Mark and Rachel and the great RMI updates - especially the photos - keep safe - we are with you all in spirit.

Posted by: Philip and Yvonne Calvert on 5/19/2017 at 12:14 am

Hi all!
Pete Bilodeaus sis here… Just wanted to say hi! Looks like beautiful weather and unbelievable scenery! Love the blog updates…you all are bad ass!!!

Have fun and be safe! Thinking of you all..
Carol

Posted by: Carol Goetz on 5/18/2017 at 7:08 pm

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Set Cache at 17K Camp

May 16, 2017

Elevation: 14,200'

May 16, 2017 We had another productive day yesterday, as we put in a cache of food and fuel all the way up to our high camp at 17,200'. We crawled out of the sleeping bags early and braved a bitterly cold morning (-20F) to get a head start of the day. We climbed in the shade for our first hour and enjoyed the first rays of sunlight at our first break. Everyone climbed smoothly up the fixed ropes up to 16,200'. The next 1,000' was climbing the ridge top on the West Buttress with thousands of feet of relief on either side of us. We spent about an hour at 17,200', digging a cache hole and breathing the rare air. It was a long, hard day and everyone did well. Now, we are taking a much deserved rest day. We are now in position to move to high camp and take a shot at the summit. The weather will dictate the next move, but right now the forecast looks good for a summit bid in the next few days. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Denali Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Move to Camp 2

May 16, 2017

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Jess Matthews, Jenny Konway

Elevation: 7,600"

May 15, 2017 This morning, the team arose bright and early with the sun to enjoy a nice, hot breakfast before packing up camp for the move to Camp two, at roughly 7,600 feet. After rigging our sleds and burying our cache, we started our long walk up the Kahiltna Glacier. The team did great and after only five short hours, we pulled into camp, tired but excited. Another hour or so later and camp was built. The team took a well deserved rest before joining the guides in the cook tent for dinner and dessert. Everyone's all tucked into their tents for the night now, resting up for tomorrow's carry to cache supplies up higher on the mountain. Hopefully we'll get to enjoy more sunshine tomorrow! Thanks for following along, RMI Guides Jenny, Jess, Pete and the team

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Joel,
Cannot wait to hear about your adventure. Note from Linda at the gym (in Sue’s class). Stay safe!

Posted by: Linda Luth on 5/17/2017 at 10:10 pm

A lot of best wishes from all of us in Pinnacle, Denver.
We are following your daily updates.
Enjoy every moment and take a lot of pictures.
TEAM JORDAN !!

Posted by: Danellys Perez on 5/16/2017 at 7:37 am