What a day!
A team meeting over breakfast followed by our park service orientation was just the beginning. The real work started at the hanger of our flight service, K2 Aviation. It was here that the tedium of going thru our gear, both personal and group stuff will pay off hugely when we get to the mountain and are stuck with the equipment we've chosen. REI has yet to set up shop on the Kahiltna Glacier.
As we wind down the day a great meal sits in our bellies and we look forward to a final night luxuriating in a real bed where a hot shower and toilet lie but a few carpeted paces away. Tomorrow will be different!
With luck we'll be flying onto the glacier at 9:00am to start our trip... One that we have all been working so hard and dreaming about for so long. And we start it as a group of individuals already well on our way to being a team of climbers and, more importantly, friends.
I know that we're all excited to get under way. I know too that I'm excited to climb with this very impressive group.
Well, all for now from the cozy little town of Talkeetna.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Well, we've made our move on up to camp at 14k on a scorching hot day with our second trip around (not-so) Windy Corner. We rolled in around 4:15 pm where Mike Walter and his crew were kind enough to leave us a great looking camp to move into. This left us with significantly less work building walls and digging platforms, lucky us! Thanks Mike! Clouds have moved in this evening and it has started to snow a bit but we are already fed, settled in, and for the most part crashed out. It was a tough day especially with the heat but the gang persevered.
'til tomorrow,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Woke up today to splitter (blue) skies and warm temps! The original forecast was for a snowstorm to hit the range sometime today but it didn't appear that way to us this morning. The incorrect forecast was great news for us and we were able to push a load of supplies up around Windy Corner this afternoon. The crew made it back down to camp at 11,000' in time to soak up a bunch of afternoon sun. Needless to say our tans are coming along nicely with all of this good weather. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we plan on picking up camp and heading up to 14,000'.
The team is climbing great and in great spirits! Wish us luck on a big day tomorrow...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Hey SENIOR! Haha good luck on the mountain must be freezing up there while its a horrible 100 degrees back in Tucson :b. Well I drove my bros to pinetop without crashing I think Im ready for my drivers test! Anyway God bless you SENIOR everyone misses you down almost 14,000 feet! From the JUNIOR
Posted by: Junior on 5/25/2012 at 7:31 pm
I love you so much, mom. I was crying about it five minutes ago. Maybe Im on a sugar high from mission carnival. Sherman
Hello from Everest Base Camp,
I spoke with Dave and Melissa at Camp 3 and WOW did they sound great!
The climbing team left Camp 2 early this morning under perfect conditions. As they periodically checked in it sounded like they were truly enjoying the climb and taking pictures when possible. As you can imagine, under harsh weather there isn't time to enjoy the mountain and the views.
Our super Sherpa team started a bit earlier and set up tents at Camp 3 then returned back to Camp 2 to spend the night. The equipment that had been brought up there weeks ago was all intact and the team was able to pull into a well provisioned home for the night. Last I heard Melissa was kicking Dave's you know what in the stove boil off competition for dinner, Go Melissa Go!
As this climb is quickly coming to it's conclusion, and a day like today that can be so pivotal in the future success I get so excited with this good luck. Not that these tough individuals wouldn't meet the challenge of wind, cold and snow. I just like the way it is shaping up.
The weather forecast is still looking good with winds decreasing over the next few days. You have to love that!
The Sherpa team will get out of Camp 2 early tomorrow morning and the climbing team will try and have a seamless hand off of some gear to them from Camp 3, check out time should be around 6:00 am. Then the whole team should climb together up to high camp the South Col, getting there midday, that should allow enough time for rest and preparation for early departure toward the summit that night.
RMI Guide & Everest Base Camp Manager Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Camp 3 on Mt. Everest.
We spent today resting at the 14,000' camp on Mt. McKinley, getting stronger for our impending move to high camp (17,000'). The weather today was pretty mild for this time of year, with light snow showers throughout the day. The weather forecast looks pretty good, with similar weather on tap for the rest of the week. Everyone is doing well, and we'll likely take one more rest day here at 14,000' before moving up to high camp.
We'll keep you posted.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
May 22:
Resting here at 11,300' on Mt. McKinley... Not much to report other than worsening weather through the day today and that while hanging in the posh (cook tent) the team was able to solve most of the world's problems. We broached the taboo subjects of politics, religion, economics, ancient societies/civilizations, space exploration, extraterrestrial copulation, ancient ruins, plate tectonics, coral atoll nations and the rising sea level, doomsday cults, classic car restoration, moral bankruptcy, and escalating health care costs just to name a few. Currently it's snowing moderately but fortunately without wind. A good day to rest after all. Hopefully we get a small break in the weather tomorrow so we can push a load of food and fuel up around Windy Corner which will put us in position to move up to 14k camp.
Ciao,
RMI Guides Billy Nugent, Geoff Schellens and Gilbert ChaseMay 21:
After an uneventful night we awoke to more mostly sunny weather with some high cirrus clouds. The plan was to sleep in a little and enjoy the first morning of the expedition where we didn't have the chore of breaking camp. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast of smoked salmon on toasted bagels with cream cheese and then geared up for our walk down to the cache at 9,600'. After less than four hours we had retrieved all of our groceries and returned to camp at 11k. After eating dinner and hanging out, the glacier in camp suddenly settled sending a large shock-wave through the ground, needless to say scaring the crap out of everyone. I've never really felt a glacier do that before, pretty wild. Tomorrow calls for a rest day which might be good timing with the weather as things seem to be slightly deteriorating. There are some lenticular clouds forming on the peaks across the Kahiltna which may be indicative of some moisture on he way.
Will check in tomorrow from our rest day...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent and the gang.
May 20:
Hi everyone.
Today was another great day of unbelievable weather for our push up to the 11,000' camp. We left behind a cache at our previous camp at 9,600' of mostly food and fuel (alongside some miscellaneous personal items) and thus enjoyed a significantly lighter move than the loads from the previous two days. After a little bit of digging and improving of an abandoned camp we moved in and enjoyed a great tortellini dinner.
Hoping for a smooth first night at a new elevation,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
Paul, missing my mountain man!! I’m very Proud of you baby.
The temperature at the happiest place on earth will hit 100 degrees for the holiday weekend.
143
Sherri
Posted by: Sherri on 5/24/2012 at 6:58 am
Hi John C and gang ,everything seems to be going to plan for you.Mart and gang arrived ok.Be good and be safe,talk soon.
Our team enjoyed a rest day at Camp 2 (ABC) today. Their plan is to head for Camp 3 tomorrow.
This really is the start of the Mt. Everest summit push in my eyes. How the next two days go, can have real impact on the summit day.
It is so hard to try and maintain strength at these higher camps that you better hope the internal battery is charged, you will be drawing off of your reserves for sure. The team is focusing on eating and hydrating, keeping their bodies strong and ready. Four of our climbing Sherpa left Base Camp today and joined the climbers at ABC. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to the next few days.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn is one of the best mountain guides in the business. With many expeditions under his belt, he knows how to climb this mountain. The weather forecast still looks promising. Good luck to the team!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from ABC on a rest day.
Today was a crucial day for us to get in position for a summit bid. We carried a couple of days of food plus some personal gear to the bottom of Washburn's Thumb at 16,800'. This cache is an integral part of the strategy of climbing this mountain. Once in place, we can wait for a weather window to move up to camp at 17,000' and then summit. It now becomes a waiting game for us as we need a good forecast for a string of a few days.
It was also a great day for us to practice our climbing skills because the real climbing on Denali starts above 14,000'. We got to practice using the fixed lines up to 16,200' to attain the West Buttress. From there, we were greeted with beautiful views and climbing on a thin, rocky ridge. The buttress is the namesake of the route, the reason people come up this way. It requires great attention, but affords amazing climbing and vistas. Everyone did a great job with these 2 new challenges. We even had some members of the group attain new personal high marks!
Now, we're back at camp ready for some rest. We are playing the waiting game now, holding out and hoping the mountain will give us the weather window we need. But the forecast looks pretty good, and we're patient, stubborn, and well prepared. 14K Camp is a great place to get strong, and with a rest day tomorrow we definitely won't be getting out of sleeping bags until the sun hits us.
Bringing back an old feature to the blog: the stoke meter is all the way up at a 9.5 right now!
RMI Guide Maile Wade and the southside dwellers of 14K!
You are in good hands. Keep listening to Mike, make good choices and be safe.
Posted by: Diana on 5/23/2012 at 5:50 pm
Kyle, you are an amazing and wonderful boyfriend. Thank you so very much for the beautiful flowers and the sweet note. It definitely made me cry! We are all rooting for you and are so proud of you. Juliana asks me everyday where you are. Even my friend Dan says how inspired he is. On to the top! Hurry home! Love you! Stephenie
The weather is forecasted to change around here in the following days but today was one of the hottest days we've had. Lenticular clouds continue to be impressive. We spent today playing inside crevasses and went ice climbing. Everyone had a blast.
The glaciers are an enormous amount of ice up here in Alaska. Researchers currently on the glacier conducting some studies have found the depth of the Kahiltna Glacier to be about 500 meters deep. As we climbed on the walls of the crevasses peering down into the dark black hole beneath us, we felt small.
So long from the Kahiltna.
RMI Guide Jason Thompson
This is Dave Hahn calling down from Camp 2 on Mt. Everest. Finally! We are out of Basecamp and on our summit bid. We had a great morning coming up. The climbing route is actually in pretty good condition. The ice fall is scary as ever but the Ice Fall Doctors have been doing a good job and we got through in pretty quick time. It was a beautiful morning nice and clear and calm.
The mountain is quieting down a little bit. There were a lot of Sherpas carrying loads down today for expeditions that were finished. So the mountain is quieting down and we think that is a hopeful sign for us. The forecast is coming together and there are still a few teams still around that are on the same time frame as us. We have been comparing notes.
Things are going pretty well. Our Sherpa team is going to come up tomorrow to ABC. We are going to rest tomorrow and get ready for the Lhotse Face and moving to Camp 3 the following day. We are pretty optimistic. We are all feeling really good right now and we are going to keep you informed.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Just heard the news of crowding in the death zone and subsequent loss of life this past weekend. So glad to read the blog and to be assured all is well with you both. Have fun and be safe. Can’t wait to read about your successful return.
Cheers,
Jo
Posted by: Josephine Johnson on 5/22/2012 at 8:06 am
Now, we're back at camp ready for some rest. We are playing the waiting game now, holding out and hoping the mountain will give us the weather window we need. But the forecast looks pretty good, and we're patient, stubborn, and well prepared. 14K Camp is a great place to get strong, and with a rest day tomorrow we definitely won't be getting out of sleeping bags until the sun hits us.
Bringing back an old feature to the blog: the stoke meter is all the way up at a 9.5 right now!
RMI Guide Maile Wade and the southside dwellers of 14K!
Doug and Audrey - we’re thinking of you every step of the way. Hope you’re enjoying it and seeing remarkable views. Love, Mom and Pops
P.S. Twins are losing to Detroit
Posted by: Matt and Sue on 5/26/2012 at 1:31 pm
Please tell Phil Usher: uphill and into the wind! Heather
Posted by: Heather Grahame on 5/26/2012 at 10:04 am
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