Entries from Expedition Dispatches
The
Four Day Summit Climbs for July 16 - 19 reached the summit today. RMI Guides Brent Okita and Gabriel Barral reported clear skies and moderate winds on the summit this morning.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent led the
Expedition Skills Seminar - Kautz to the summit also. The team will descend back to their high camp for a final night on the mountain.
In the North Cascades, RMI Guide Eric Frank and team reached the summit of
Forbidden Peak yesterday. The team is making their final descending today and returning to the trail head. Near by, RMI Guide Jake Beren and team reached the summit of
Mt. Shuksan via the SE Ridge.
Congratulations to today's summit teams!
I'd intended to wake the climbing team at 2 AM for their final day on Denali, but folks were snoring so hard at that hour that it seemed kinder to wait until three. Besides, our camp at 7,800' on the
Kahiltna Glacier was blanketed with cloud and I didn't figure the snow surface had frozen up. But at three, the clouds began to flee and the snow got crusty, making sled-pulling and crevasse-crossing vastly easier and safer. We ate a hot breakfast, knocked down the tents and hit the trail at 5:15. There actually was a trail since a West Rib team had gone out the evening before, plowing an easy-to-follow groove in what had then been soft snow. After weeks of telling the team how tricky it could be to get through the lower glacier in mid-July, I was almost embarrassed that our task had become so simple. As we cruised along in the early morning shadows it was something of a surprise to realize that we were finding better bridges and fewer open crevasses than on our way in. The constant snowstorms that kept us from climbing high had greatly improved conditions down low. We made it to the Southeast Fork in just a couple of hours and began a slow walk up "Heartbreak Hill". The last of the clouds seemed to evaporate, leaving us in bright sunshine and giving us excellent views of Mount Hunter and Mount Foraker. By 9:30 AM we were unclipping our carabiners and shaking hands at the "upper strip". Since it was the first clear day over the
Alaska Range in some time and there was a lot of flying to be done, we had to wait our turn for a pickup. But waiting was pretty easy in such wonderful conditions... we rolled out sleeping pads and napped, threw snowballs, and nibbled at the last delicacies in what -until then- had been our carefully rationed lunch food. K2 Aviation landed two beautiful DeHaviland Otters at precisely 4 PM. Fifteen minutes later we slid down the runway and off the mountain that had been our home for 19 days.
The flight out in perfect summer weather -our first of the trip- was spectacular. A million shades of green dazzled our eyes as we left the mountains and neared Talkeetna. Then it was a few frenzied hours of drying and sorting gear in the hot sunshine. With the chores done, we got to the pleasant and easy hours of celebrating over a fine dinner at the West Rib Pub. And finally there was the obligatory visit to The Fairview where open mike night was already in progress. Our Norwegian teammate, Frode, took the stage and had the big stuffed animal heads rocking off the walls with his thundering rendition of Hootchie Cootchie Man. And that was how our Denali climb ended... Without a summit, but with a lot of laughter and twelve new friends.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
The American Lung Association's Climb for Clean Air team had a beautiful day in the snow above Paradise. They learned some important skills to help them reach their goal of reaching the
Mt. Rainier summit and also had a lot of fun.
RMI Guide Jake Beren called to check in from
Mt. Shuksan. They are at high camp enjoying warm temperatures. With this team's later goals of
Mt. McKinley, Jake is teaching them all the necessary skills that will help them attain this goal and will finish the week with a summit bid on Mt. Shuksan.
Our Four Day Summit Climb team led by
Mike Walter and Five Day Summit Climb team led by
Seth Waterfall made it to the summit of
Mt. Rainier today. The teams reported clear skies above 6,000’ and light winds from the west. The teams have started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
We enjoyed a leisurely day in St. Petersburg on our last day in Russia. From our hotel we walked the several hundred yards to St. Isaac's Cathedral, climbing the 211 steps to the Colonnade that offers sweeping views of the city below. Built in the early 1700s, Peter the Great designed
St. Petersburg after European cities and the city is often referred to as the "Venice of the North". Dozens of canals wind through the city, connecting to the Neva River running through the heart of St. Petersburg. From the Colonnade we could see over the rooftops of the city's early fortress, it's palaces and government buildings, and its beautifully restored churches.
Descending from the Colonnade we made our way to the Church of our Savior on Spilled Blood, an ornately decorated Church built over the stones where Tsar Alexander II was stabbed. Although built on a gloomy premise, the church's interior is incredible, with intricate, colorful mosaics covering the multistory interior. Lastly, we visited the Hermitage Museum, Russia's largest museum and home to over 4 million pieces of art. While the artwork matches any museum in the world, the building alone, built by Catherine the Great, is worth the visit in itself. Stretching out along the banks of the Neva, each room and hall is decorated in it's unique style.
After dinner (an excellent seafood restaurant) we climbed on board a boat and toured St. Petersburg's canals, winding through the buildings, under the roads and bridges, and along the Neva. Many of us leave early in the morning for flights home. It's been a great trip through
Russia to Europe's highest peak, and we are looking forward to sharing the stories and photos with all of you at home.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
RMI Guide Mike Haugen led his team to the
Mt. Rainier summit via the Disappointment Cleaver Route this morning with beautiful weather and a slight breeze. The team began their descent at 10:00 a.m.
RMI Guide Jason Thompson was leading his team on the Emmons Route on the northside of Mt. Rainier. Due to firm conditions and a cloud cap developing on the mountain, the team had to make the tough, but more importantly, safe decision to turn at 12,500'. They will stay at Camp Schurman tonight and descend the mountain tomorrow.
Back down at 8,000 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier. We packed things up at 14K this morning with the usual mix of clouds and clearing. Nobody was looking upward any longer even though the peak was out. Our focus became getting down safely. We went into the clouds and murk as we came around
Windy Corner. Walking in fresh powder with big packs and sleds was a challenge, but we were able to find the remains of a packed trail under the powder for much of the day. We took a good rest at 11k as we dug up our cache there and switched out crampons for snowshoes. Travel on the upper Kahiltna was much less complicated than the steep hills we began the journey with. We found excellent glacier conditions and even came out of the clouds a little below 10,000 ft. At the base of Ski Hill we set a quick camp, had dinner and dove in the tents for a few hours of rest. We'll give the glacier surface a chance to freeze up hard before we aim for the airstrip in the morning.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
We left the mountains this morning, piling all of our gear into the back of our van and following the small, twisting road out of the Baskan Valley and into the farmlands surrounding Mineralnye Vody. The fields of sunflowers were in full bloom and the day was clear enough that we could see
Elbrus off in the distance.
Thanks to the upcoming winter Olympics in nearby Sochi they have recently finished renovating the Mineralnye Vody Airport and it was an easy process to get checked in, even with all of the excess baggage and climbing gear. Before long we were airborne, flying north across the country. We arrived in
St. Petersburg in the early evening under grey skies, where the temps are far cooler than the planes to the south. We navigated the crowded streets of the city to find our hotel before heading out into the city for a nice dinner at a nearby cafe.
It's been a long day of traveling and we are happy to be here. St.Petersburg has a very different feel than Moscow and the Caucasus Mountains and we are looking forward to seeing the city. We are spending tomorrow, the last day of our trip, exploring St. Petersburg.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
The
Four Day Summit Climb teams led by Kel Rossiter and Walter Hailes reached the Mt. Rainier summit this morning in cold temperatures and windy conditions. With a cloud layer settled in at Camp Muir, the team enjoyed clear skies on the summit.
Congratulations to today's summiteers!
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Congrats to the Davis quad! Any way you can just slide back down - enjoy!
Posted by: Deborah on 7/19/2012 at 8:00 pm
Congratulations Erik, Bob, and Chadd! Which mountain is next?!
Posted by: Lolo and Lola on 7/19/2012 at 3:27 pm
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