Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Hey it’s Mike Walter checking in on Sunday night from the RMI Ecuador's Volcanoes Climb. We are here at the Cayambe climbers hut. We arrived here last night. Today we did some training and review of climbing techniques: cramponing, ice axe arrest and roped travel.
It's been pretty windy and off and on snow and rain. We're hoping for better weather and good climbing conditions tomorrow. There's a lot of snow on the route so we will hopefully be able to climb tomorrow. Maybe some deep trail breaking but we'll give you a shout tomorrow hopefully from the summit and if not, then we’ll check in once we get back down.
RMI Guide Mike Walter checks in from the climbers hut on Cayambe.
Hello from 17,000’. The increasing wind and snow have made the decision to go up or down an easy one, conditions dictate that we sit here and bide our time until the weather clears up. Nearly 2 feet of snow has fallen and drifted around camp and we take periodic forays into the weather to shovel out camp, clear off tents and do weather dances.
We are safely ensconced behind solid walls with enough food and fuel to weather some time up here. Cross your fingers and we'll keep you posted as things hopefully progress. Our spirits remain high and every few hours we will pile into one tent to swap stories and shoot the breeze.
For now a little forced R & R, is the best way to deal with the mountain. So, we'll sit it out until new options present themselves. That's all from 17. This is Jake, Mike and the crew hanging tough on Mt. McKinley.
Listen to Jake and Mike's "Tent Bound Things Considered" Commentary below...
Tent Bound Things Considered by Jake Beren & Mike Uchal
WHOOHOO!! Go Team! So great to hear you have reached 17’000… bring on the summit! I can’t even imagine how you are all feeling at this point but know that we are thinking of you every day and praying that the weather will co-operate. Barry we love you brother. Say a prayer for us too. It’s raining 24/7 here in Vang Vieng, Laos, South East Asia so we might not get to go “tubing”, everybody AWWWW (joking!). Obviously you have a lot more to be thinking about :) God bless you all and may you have the most incredible experience on reaching that summit. Irish love and hugs XXX
Posted by: Kathryn & Pearse Mc Kiernan on 6/28/2011 at 5:27 am
Gilbert are you there…...we have heard from Jake and Mike….where are you? Hope the wind calms down soon and you all can move to the top!
Posted by: Chris chase on 6/27/2011 at 2:00 pm
The Four Day Summit Climbs led by Casey Grom and J.J. Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning shortly before 7 am PT. The teams reported nice climbing conditions, light winds and beautiful views this morning. The teams spent an hour on the summit crossing the crater and taking photos before beginning their descent to Camp Muir. After a short rest at Camp Muir to re-pack they will continue down to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb!
When we woke up early this morning we found clear skies stretching the length of the Kahiltna Glacier but in the distance banks of clouds hung behind the ridges and peaks. Making another early start to take advantage of the frozen surface conditions on the glacier, we were leaving camp by 4am. Whereas yesterday was a mostly flat walk up the Kahiltna Glacier, today we started climbing a few hundred yards out of camp, tackling Ski Hill right away. The trail was straightforward, zigging and zagging up the incline in order to cross the few but large crevasses that stretch across this part of the glacier. The first two hours of climbing were hardwork as it was the first significant climb and we were hauling big loads, our sleds doing their best to pull us back down the hill, but the team did well and took to the terrain and challenge with determination. Soon we crested the steep first pitch of Ski Hill and began ascending the long rolling benches that lead towards Kahiltna Pass - a saddle sitting at the head of the Kahiltna Glacier that spans the watershed divide of the Alaska Range and separates the Kahiltna Glacier running to the south and the Peters Glacier that runs off the other side down to the north slope of Alaska. The upper stretches of Ski Hill can be very frustrating as the glacier's size plays with your perspective, making hills and small features appear close although it takes hours to reach them. So perhaps it was fortunate that the cloud banks which had remained reclusive when we woke ventured out and engulfed the glacier because we couldn't see how far we still had to go. The flip side, however, was that we were soon climbing in a whiteout with snow falling all around us. Climbers liken this to "walking in a ping pong ball" because you are surrounded by white and even your sense of flatness is skewed - everything is a world of white.
We climbed like this for the last two hours, reaching our camp at 9200' with the snow still falling. After probing out camp for hidden crevasses we got to work setting up camp, erecting the tents and building large snow walls to break the wind that is notorious for blowing through Kahiltna Pass. Despite the poor conditions our climbers resisted the urge to climb into the tents and took to the task with energy, building an impressive snow wall around the tents and digging a big kitchen tent for us to eat and cook in.
We spent the afternoon hanging out in the tents, catching up on sleep since we have spent most of the nights walking since arriving on the mountain. The snow let up but the clouds have yet to lift here. We're hoping that they lift by tomorrow so we can catch the amazing views back down the glacier. Tomorrow we are planning to move to 11,200' Camp where we will spend a few nights while we acclimatize and move loads further up the mountain. We will check in tomorrow after we set up camp.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Wow! You guys are sure making progress. All that snow must have been scary. I hope the weather holds for you tomorrow. Keep up the good work. Stay safe.
Posted by: John and Lorraine Lorenc on 6/26/2011 at 6:22 pm
I am in awe of your bravery and strength! What a breathtaking photo. Can’t wait to see more pictures!!! Hugs from Clinton, NY Frank.
Posted by: Terri Erin on 6/26/2011 at 4:05 pm
Remember yesterday when the weather was nice for us...not so much today! We woke up to howling winds and snow. Instead of carrying a load to 17,000', we spent most of the day reinforcing our camp by making our snow block walls higher. It was a good team building exercise. We decided that the team had not really gotten the full "Degnarly" experience before today since our weather and travel has been pretty easy (relatively speaking). We are all safe and sound, hunkered down in our warm sleeping bags, and waiting to see what tomorrow's weather brings. We couldn't possibly have two days of bad weather on Denali right!?
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
go daddy go! stay warm, stay strong, see you SOON.
love,
meer
Posted by: meera on 6/25/2011 at 11:01 pm
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
The team enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Hacienda San Luis. We're a colorful bunch of climbers, and the evening was filled with belly laughter.
After a good night's rest, we packed up our bags and headed north to visit the world famous Otavalo indigenous market. We are currently enjoying the market as I write this. Here you can buy all sorts of hand-made items, ranging from alpaca and sheep wool woven goods to wood carvings to jewelry to artwork. The whole experience is nearly overwhelming to the senses; vivid colors, a unique shopping experience, locals dressed in their traditional clothing, and a beautiful setting surrounded by the Andes all come together to make this an unforgettable experience.
After a few hours of enjoying the market, we will regroup for lunch and then make our way up to the climber's hut on Cayambe for the night. Tomorrow we will rest, acclimate to the altitude, and review climbing techniques like cramponing and ice axe arrest, in preparation for our summit bid.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
RMI Guides and Climbers were ascending the route above 12,500’ today when they came upon a party in need of help. A major crevasse had collapsed at the 12,700’ level with at least one member of an independent climbing team standing on it when it fell. The RMI Guides stabilized the climber, treated the resulting leg injury, and transported the climber down to 12,300’, the top of Disappointment Cleaver for a helicopter evacuation. By the time all of this was accomplished a summit attempt was no longer feasible for the RMI Summit Team. The team has returned safely to Camp Muir and will to descend to Paradise.
We slept for a few hours at Base Camp before the alarm sounded at midnight. Groggily getting out of the tent we were treated to spectacular views of the surrounding mountains, well visible in the bright night sky that looked like the sun had set not long before. The clear skies allowed the temperatures to drop while we were sleeping and the glacier surface was settled into a good frozen surface - exactly what we wanted in order to cross the crevasses of the Kahiltna Glacier. After setting our cache at Base Camp (some extra supplies for our return from the mountain) packing up camp, and wishing Paul a happy birthday, we set out. The first stretch of walking actually descends from Base Camp as we leave the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and join the main glacier itself. While it makes the first bit of walking relatively easy it is named "Heartbreak Hill" because that same slope must be ascended as the final hurdle to reach Base Camp on the return.
But for us it was smooth sailing this morning and we crossed a particularly crevassed section of glacier past the base of Heartbreak Hill without incident thanks to the solid snow surface. The skies remained bright and the sun returned, lighting up the summits of Mt. Foraker and Mt. Crosson as we passed beneath them. The glacier was in good shape and the team traveled well across it, making it to Camp 1 by 9:30 in the morning.
After pitching camp we lounged around watching a series of thick lenticular clouds (which signify high winds) dance across the summit of Denali. It looked like a cold day to be up high. But down here things got hot as the sun beat down on the tents, heating them up to well over 90F.
We spent the afternoon napping and reading in camp, resting from our all night walk. Tomorrow we hope to move to our second camp at 9600' near the head of the Kahiltna Glacier. The team is in good spirits and everyone is taking to life on the glacier well. We will check in tomorrow.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Thanks for the write up. Happy Birthday Paul. Looks like you are off to a good start.
Good luck and keep up thegood work
Stu Beth Sam & Liv
Jazz is studying
Posted by: stu on 6/25/2011 at 3:35 pm
Linden, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your writing. When an email alert arrives that there is a new posting, my heart does a little “leap”. I am so glad to hear the entire team is doing well. Onward and upward guys!
Posted by: Laurie Colaneri on 6/25/2011 at 6:56 am
Ahhh...rest day. We didn't even begin to move in our tents until the sun moved from behind the mountain and shined directly upon us. We weren't completely worthless since we took a hike over to an area called The Edge of the World where you can look over 6,000' down to the Kahiltna Glacier. We also got some fixed rope practice in as we made the team work their way through a course with ascenders. We finished the gauntlet with a rappel into the posh house for dinner. We hope to carry a load up to 17,000' Camp tomorrow if the weather plays nice.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Glad to see that the team is doing well. Patrick I miss you so much and I can not wait to hear about the adventures the mountain brings your way. Stay safe team!
Posted by: Rachel M on 6/25/2011 at 12:15 pm
What a beautiful view. Hoping for good weather. Take care!
Posted by: Brigitte on 6/25/2011 at 7:18 am
This morning we packed up our bags, checked out of our hotel, and headed north. The first stop was at La Laguna Mojanda, a high alpine where the trailhead for our second acclimatization hike is located. We drove through clouds and rain to get there, but when we arrived we where above the clouds and could see the day's hiking objective, Fuya Fuya. Fuya Fuya is a peak that is situated on an ecological reserve, north of the town of Otovalo. The clouds moved in and out throughout the day, and we climbed up through the high-altitude grassland with periods of rain, hail, and wind. The most challenging part of the climb was staying on your feet, as the volcanic soil became quite slippery in the rain. The final 200' of the climb included a fun rock scramble to the summit. Everyone did great, and rose to the challenges that the weather presented.
Now we're warm, dry, and comfortable at the beautiful hacienda San Luis. A big dinner and a good night's rest is on tap for tonight. Tomorrow morning, we'll head to the Indigenous town of Otovalo, and spend a large part of the day enjoying the world famous Otovalo Market. After a leisurely day at the market, we'll head to the climbers' hut on Cayambe for the night. We'll spend two nights there during our summit attempt.
Ciao for now,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Good luck, guys! We’re proud of you and look forward to the pictures. Have a safe climb!
Posted by: Susan Felke on 6/27/2011 at 2:58 pm
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