Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 17,200'
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Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling from 17,200 feet on Mount McKinley. We made it to High Camp. Huge day, beautiful day, great weather. One of the nice things that started off the day for us was we got to talk to Mike King. He and Will and Shawn had made it to Basecamp by this morning and they were looking to get picked up within a half an hour of our conversation. They reported good conditions down there and they had a smooth exit from the mountain. We were very happy to hear that. And a big happy birthday to Mike King and a thank you for all that hard work. We set in with our hard work right after that. It did take a long time to get up here to 17,200' because we had so much snow on the Headwall.
If tomorrow is a decent day, we're going try for the summit. And that's it for tonight. Talk to you soon.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn calls in from 17,200 ft on McKinley.
On The Map
We did it!
The whole team managed to stand on the highest point in Europe this morning. Everyone did a fantastic job of taking care of themselves and pushed hard in the thin air. It was a beautiful day for sure, in fact it was the nicest summit on Elbrus I've had. Not too cold and just the slightest breeze.
We spent about a half hour on top then quickly descended all the way back to the Barrels. After a quick lunch, we packed up and made our way back down to Cheget to our hotel where everyone ran for the first shower in days.
The team is doing great and are looking forward to some much earned sleep.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summiteers
On The Map
Congrats guys, Reading about your climb was amazing. I can’t wait to start climbing those higher peaks. And Casey, I’m excited to meet up with you and Syd. Congrats again on the climb.
Posted by: Jay on 7/18/2013 at 9:53 pm
Congrats Larry and team!! Great job and the summit pic is awesome as well. Here’s hoping your already down safely.
Posted by: Paul Kinneberg on 7/14/2013 at 11:56 am
Posted by: Jake Beren, Eric Frank
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 6,200'
Hello everybody. This is Jake calling in from Boston Basin up in the North Cascades checking in after a great day of mountain adventure. Eric Frank wanted to let everybody know that they are working well on Torment-Forbidden Traverse and they were on the top of Torment, I think around noon today. Nice work fellas. Thomas Greene and I are out with James, James and Steve up out on Sharkfin Tower today and heading for the West Ridge tomorrow. So cross your fingers for good weather and we will be checking in tomorrow afternoon. That's it from the Basin.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Jake Beren calls in from the Boston Basin Camp.
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
New team member! We now have a second man on the team. Carter is his name and is husband of Lucy. We put him right to the test by climbing the 218 steps up to the colonnade at St. Isaac's Cathedral. No crampons, nor ice axe needed, but we did put on at least another six miles touring around and he handled it no problem. Super nice guy and loads of fun to be with, guess I need to make him a summit certificate. So much to see, what a great job they do here to make it user friendly. The rich history and the sights we visit, accompanied by a local guide, are overwhelming to say the least. Can't forget the multitude of food options with the group making some great choices. Definitely not cheap to get some calories on board, but if you do a little research the taste buds are well rewarded. I have been on the Borscht taste testing program when possible, this kind of beet-type soup can take on many identities. So far the smoked pear version has been the most far out in flavor. Being at the end of the Bay of Finland and part of the Baltic Sea,they say that they get about fifty sunny days here a year. The usual maritime climate prevails. We have been fortunate with the glorious days we have been so lucky to experience. Better get here quick before the nice days are gone for this year. That said, could not of had a nicer evening boat cruise to top off such a wonderful day.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
We spent the past two nights camped near the base of Antisana, at an altitude of around 13,500', getting ready for our summit bid. Last night we woke well before midnight and were pleased to find a starry sky with calm winds. The climbing on Antisana was very enjoyable, weaving in and out of crevasses and climbing steep slopes, all on consistent snow for cramponing. Everyone did very well, but as our altitude increased throughout the climb, so did the wind speed. Very strong winds and moisture were streaming in over Antisana from the Rainforest to the east and far, far below. The winds were consistently blowing 30mph with much higher gusts, and it made it challenging to stand up, much less climb a volcano that is well over 18,000' in height. We climbed strong but the winds proved too much, and we turned around about 500 meters shy of the summit.
We all arrived back at camp safely and packed up our tents and now we're headed south. Our first stop, tonight, will be the historic Hosteria La Cienega. Hot showers, warm beds, and delicious food awaits our team as we will take a much needed rest day tomorrow.
That's all for now. We'll be in touch again tomorrow!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
great effort to make that summit. best of luck with weather tomorrow. can’t wait to hear from you brother Bob
Posted by: Karen Deeds on 7/13/2013 at 9:09 pm
Today was our rest day, and that's exactly what we did!
We started the day off with a brief review of how to use our ice axes and crampons just a few feet from our camp at 12,000' on Mt. Elbrus (there's plenty of snow very near). And quickly transitioned into another delicious breakfast with plenty of coffee. Once our bellies were full everyone returned to our bunk space and relaxed till lunch. It is vacation after all! We had lunch and then discussed tomorrows climbing plan so that we could do a little prep work before settling in tonight. If all goes well our plan is to have breakfast at 1am then catch a snow cat ride up to about 15,000ft and begin our climb from where we left off yesterday. I'm expecting the climb to take about 6-8 hours up and about 3-4 ours back down. So, if all goes according to plan we should be on top around 9 a.m. our time!
Everyone is excited for tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Congratulations to the whole team. What a wonderful view from the top and a great achievement. You all look happy and healthy. And best of all you have arrived safely at the lodge. All our love to Jennifer and the whole team. Thanks for the safe journey. Love Mama Z
Posted by: patricia Blitz on 7/13/2013 at 2:06 pm
Larry,
Well done, once again!
Howard
Posted by: Howard Norman on 7/13/2013 at 10:58 am
Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb July 9 - 12 led by Seth Waterfall and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise July 7 - 12 led by Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 6:30 a.m. PT. The teams reported 10-15 mph winds, temperatures in the mid-teens, light snow and visibility of about 200 yards.
Both teams started their descent from the crater rim shortly before 8 a.m. They will return to Camp Muir for short break to rest and re-pack before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon.
We look forward to seeing the teams at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulation to today's climbing teams!
Herbie….......Stay awesome. Remember, there is no tomorrow!
Bob
Posted by: bob Millar on 7/12/2013 at 8:29 pm
Congratulations!!! Snow, Wind, Cold and Work getting to the summit.. Ah, better you than us. :-)
Posted by: Ellie & John Brazee on 7/12/2013 at 1:53 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike King, Zeb Blais
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Thursday, July 11, 2013
We couldn't have asked for a much nicer day, but we'd have loved to have used it differently. It was clear and sunny from start to finish at 14,200' ft, just as we'd hoped it might be to settle the slopes above us. But I'm sure every climber on the team would rather have used such sparkling and fine weather to climb, rather than for waiting to climb. It was a bit of a tough day for the team as we had two climbers descend with Mike King, bound for base and Talkeetna. Their problems, a head-cold and a sore foot, were relatively minor, but 14,200' is not the best place for such issues to resolve and we had a golden chance to team Mike up with a descending team led by guides we know and trust. But we are sorry to not finish the entire climb together. It has been a great team. We can't say for sure that we ourselves won't be headed down in a day or two, but we cling to a slim chance for getting to the summit. Zeb and I went on a short recon mission on the suspect slopes and found things better than we'd expected. Good enough that we will make an attempt on 17 camp in the morning if the weather cooperates. We are still getting reports from those at 17,000' that the route to Denali Pass (18,300 ft) is presumed to be avalanche prone and impassable at present, but we'll just try to solve one set of problems at a time.
The National Park Service rangers at 14,000' used the fine day to remove their seasonal base. A B3 helicopter flew laps for several hours to get the gear and personnel down. Camp -and the mountain in general- is getting very quiet as we near the end of the climbing season.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
take great care! good luck!
Posted by: michelle on 7/12/2013 at 3:16 pm
Good luck and be safe.
Rachael
ABQ Uptown 985 NM/CO
Posted by: Rachael C. Lujan on 7/12/2013 at 9:59 am
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
It is tough to leave the Baksan Valley, what a gorgeous range of mountains. After another wholesome breakfast we loaded up the van and made the three-hour drive to Mineralnye Vody. Once there we said good bye to Jonny, our local guide, who shared the adventure on the mountain with us. He will be going back up the mountain very soon and we wish him all the best.
We arrived in St. Petersburg with all our bags and a van ready to take us to the center of town. We are all pretty good at packing and unpacking,so a quick stop at the hotel and we were off to start exploring this city of so many sights. After another very nice meal, we enjoyed wandering around the neighborhood. Since we are so far north, at this time of year we had a beautiful sunset over St. Isaac's Cathedral at around 10 PM. This is a town surrounded by water with many canals running through it. There were many people taking boat rides late into the night. Tomorrow we will explore some of the historical sights topped off with an evening canal boat ride.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Wow! The close to expeditions happen so quickly. After spending two weeks working our way into position, and then waiting for our summit window, the descent flew by. After a day of waiting for winds to die to leave 17k, we left camp in much more moderate winds, but with moderate snowfall added to the mix. The group did a great job of working down the exposed sections of the West Buttress and down the fixed lines to 14k. We ran into Dave Hahn's group there, and traded stories while sorting and organizing our cache, and then continued on our way down to 11k for the evening. Once again the weather moved in, and we arrived at 11k with a chilly wind and snowfall. We set a hasty camp, dug our cache, and ate a hot dinner, before heading to bed. With snow in the forecast for the next day, and hoping to have some visibility, we opted to wake in the dawn hours of morning. The day turned out to be perfectly clear and calm, and we walked out under warming conditions, arriving at Basecamp just in time to see five K2 airplanes land to take out 24 climbers that had been waiting to leave for several days. We were next in line, but spent the day on standby, as K2 launched plane after plane to come get us, only to have to turn around due to clouds and obscured visibility in the passes that allow access to the Alaska Range. Finally, at 8 pm, we got word that the last flight for that evening had turned around and that we would spend another night on the glacier. We set a hasty camp, and cooked up a big dinner out of all of the tasty looking ingredients we could pull from our remaining meals. The next morning dawned clear, calm, and warm, but again, clouds hung in the passes, preventing planes from making it to us, until later in the afternoon. Finally, we had planes on the runway, but the pilots hurried us along, saying it wasn't going to last, and sure enough, as we headed out, pass after pass had shutdown with big white banks of clouds. As we rounded the corner of the Pica Glacier towards Pica Pass, we say the hole we needed and scooted through, with gray rock and white glaciers giving way suddenly to bright green forest and bog lands. Landing in Talkeetna is always a shock to the senses, as smells of grass, trees, pavement, jet fuel, and everything else come flooding in. We stepped off of the planes Tuesday evening to a warm, bright, scented scene, excited to be off the glacier, and gratitude to K2 for trying so hard to get us off.
This trip brought together seven climbers who previously had never met to attempt and test themselves on the tallest peak in North America. The group did an amazing job quickly coalescing into a very functional team. We moved over the mountain efficiently (critical for the weather we would see in the second half of the trip), set camp quickly and solidly, and everyone supported everyone else. It was a pleasure for the three of us guides to work with the group, and their dedication showed as the conditions became more challenging, and everyone persevered despite.
Thanks for tuning in and watching our adventure progress. Until next time,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young, and team signing out!
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Lots of energy and positive thoughts from the other side of the world. Thinking of you guys today. Be safe and crush it!
Posted by: Kelsey on 7/13/2013 at 11:02 pm
Rock on! Hoping for good weather and safe climbing! ‘Welcome to the City Bra’
Posted by: Joe Cole on 7/13/2013 at 9:37 pm
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