Entries from Expedition Dispatches
June 17, 2014 - 11:00 pm PT
A rest day on Mt. McKinley! And well earned. The weather has been kinda funky; we woke this morning to around a foot of new snow but things steadily improved over the course of the day. Eventually, the sun broke and we enjoyed some turbo-tanning for much of the afternoon. But now the flurries are back and the flow has shifted from southeast to westerly. We briefly got a view of the tundra over Kahiltna Pass with a wall of large cumulus clouds headed our way. We are now in those clouds but they haven't hit with much wind so camp is still pretty pleasant. The gang is packing up for tomorrow's forward carry where we are hoping to get a cache in around Windy Corner, setting us up for a move to 14,000' if the weather cooperates.
We will talk to you later,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
June 17, 2014 - 7:14 pm PT
Once again the weather turned nasty overnight. We woke up to howling winds, snow, and low visibility. We waited until later in the morning and the weather began to get better. We decided to do our back carry since the weather was just good enough to travel. We made great time getting back down to our cache at 10,000'. We dug up our cache and were reunited with much of the food and gear that we will not be using until higher up on the mountain. As we were headed back up to camp, the skies cleared somewhat and the weather was downright pleasant the rest of the day.
Our plan for tomorrow is to cache much of the same food and gear up
towards 14,000'. This will take some of the weight off from our move day and help us acclimatize to higher altitudes.
Climb high and sleep low.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and "The Ocho"
On The Map
June 16, 2014 11:31pm PT
Happy Monday from all us sinners up here at 14 Camp! Today we rested and trained for our foray up the
fixed lines. After a bit of afternoon rest we then spent some time fortifying camp. It's been great up here so far and we are lucky to be surrounded by the other RMI teams. Everyone had been super hospitable and helpful getting settled in. If the weather allows, we will try a mission to the top of the fixed lines. If not, a day of rest sure wouldn't hurt.
That's all from 14!
RMI Guide
Jake Beren & Team
June 16, 2014 11:05pm PT
Well, the Rolling Stones hit the nail on the head with this one. We've sort of adopted it as our theme song of the day, as the weather continued to thwart upward movement for our team. Temperatures and wind in camp were more conducive to resting inside than hanging around outside, and the team spent most of the day relaxing in our posh, eating pancakes and sharing stories with the other climbers who stayed in camp.
While the forecast isn't the greatest we've seen, we're still hoping for a window of high pressure for a summit attempt this week. We are getting close to a go/no go date, but spirits remain high and the stoke for the experience is strong. Keep sending the positive vibes and we'll do our part if the mountain cooperates!! Cheers from a well-lived-in
14K camp,
RMI Guides
TJ,
Garrett,
Bryan and the No Troubles Crew
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer checked in from Camp Muir at 6:45 am. The
Four Day Summit Climb team was forced to turn around at Ingraham Flats due to deteriorating weather. They experienced gusty winds, drifting snow and heavy precipitation. Camp Muir had a small accumulation of snow throughout the morning.
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz led by Elias de Andres Martos checked in from their high camp. The team was expecting to make their summit attempt today but we unable to do so due to the poor weather. The team experienced a very stormy night with consistent winds.
The Four Day Summit climb will return to Rainier BaseCamp later today. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz will continue their training and spend another night on the mountain. They will return tomorrow afternoon.
June 16, 2014 - 8:03 pm PT
We arrived at our
11,000' camp in the late afternoon today. Our plan was to leave early this morning to head up here, but the weather was pretty terrible. White out conditions and strong winds kept us in the tent all morning. Just after noon, the weather started to get a bit better and we got word that the conditions were better higher up. We heard a couple of planes that take people on scenic tours overhead, so our suspicions of clear skies above were confirmed. We packed up our camp in record time and headed uphill. The conditions grew steadily better the higher we went and the traveling was actually pleasant.
We arrived in camp way earlier than we predicted as our team has been very steady and strong as we travel up the mountain. We built a storm fortified camp and are just finishing up a well earned meal.
Our plan for tomorrow is to do a back carry. This means that we will go back down to dig up our 10,000' cache and bring those supplies up to our new camp. We will hopefully have the weather to complete this task early so that we can rest up for our days at higher altitudes.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and RMI Team "The Ocho"
On The Map
June 16, 2015 - 6:07 pm PT
Snow, wind, sun... Repeat. That's been the story of our day today with rapidly changing weather that seems to change every twenty or so minutes. Despite the moderate weather our team was able to descend to the cache at 9,600' in a total whiteout, retrieve it, and climb our way by Braille back to our
camp at 11. For a lot of our guys it was their first experience in not so perfect weather so it served as good training for the inevitably bad weather we'll endure higher up. Even though it was a little crummy, we made short work of the back-carry and are settling back in with a planned rest day on the docket for tomorrow.
Also wanted to make a brief shout out to all the dads out there... Sorry I forgot to mention it yesterday but out here you lose track of what day it is at all. Happy belated Father's Day!
More news as our saga unfolds,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb Team led by Casey Grom and the Five Day Summit Climb Team led by Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 8:00 am PT. The teams reported clear skies and good climbing conditions with some chilly temperatures. They were able to enjoy some time on top today and began their descent around 9:20 am. The teams will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
June 15, 2014 - 11:35 pm PT
Well, the weather keeps us down in from higher altitudes. Though a short window during this morning allowed us to venture out to one of the best view spots in all of the
Alaska Range, The Edge of The World. We took pictures and told stories as the clouds came in and out, enjoying the company and scenery. But we'd like to give some personal shout outs from each of the folks here, so keep reading:
Happy Father's Day Dad, Ken, and Frank! Love you guys! Nicole, Emma, and Baby Jake- love and miss you guys! Mom- I am warm and happy. You can sleep now :) all of my love! Aunt Marie and Uncle Kelly- thanks for the prayers! Houston Nicole, thanks for all of the comments! Wish you and Shaun were here. Have a great trip Wade! Thinking of everyone down there! -Jen
Hope all is well at home, can't wait to catch up. Hopin for good weather as the clock is ticking. Happy Father's Day a little late. The views are great as is the food. Missing my little lady a lot. See u all soon.
-jake
Hi Oz, I love you and miss you. So happy and proud to be your father. See you soon.
On this Father. Day at camp 14 I'm thinking of my father. When you were alive. you would say you didn't ever want to know when I climb McKinley. I'm so glad that you are my gaurding angel on this trip. Dave Johnson
Happy father's Dad and Tommy! To all the other dads in my family! Love you all. Ty
Happy Father's Day dad! Thinking of you from a frosty 14 camp, hope you're enjoying a sultry southern Sunday! Love, Garrett
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens & Bryan Hendrick
On The Map
June 15, 2014 - 11:57 pm PT
We celebrated Father's Day on
Mt. McKinley with a move from 11 Camp to 14 Camp. The team did a super solid job getting up here with enough gas to build a good camp just before the weather came in. It sure feels good to be in position to move a bit higher after a day of rest and training tomorrow. Now it's off to bed to enjoy a good night's rest after a big day in the mountains.
Thanks to all the Poppas out there, we love you.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
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Hey Mountaineers! Love the pictures, keep them coming! I’n getting in shape just thinking about the challenge you have had. Stay strong, positive and reach for the stars! Hugs waiting back home!!
Posted by: Mary Lou Quandt on 6/18/2014 at 8:40 pm
Hot off the press, the PTO has canceled the Redskins Trademark registration. Do you guys still have those authentic jackets? If upheld on appeal, their worth will be the shipping cost :-)
Posted by: Jen on 6/18/2014 at 12:55 pm
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