Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Denali Expedition: Haugen & Team in Holding Pattern in Talkeetna

June 18, 2019

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

Monday, June 17, 2019 - 11:43 PM PT We were excited to fly up to Denali Basecamp this morning. We hurried through breakfast and headed to the hangar where our gear was organized and ready to go. Even when we got the word that there was too much fog in basecamp to fly, we were optimistic that it would happen today. We waited into the afternoon when we finally got our chance to fly on. We got everyone and all the gear loaded up and headed to the mountain. About halfway there, the pilots could not find a way through the clouds and were not about to poke around in the big mountains without visibility. We thank them for trying and for using good judgment. We are currently in a holding pattern and definitely not flying today. Hopefully tomorrow will be our day! Fingers crossed. RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team Siete

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Set up at 11,200’ Camp

June 18, 2019

Posted by: Mike Walter, Taylor Bickford, Nikki Champion

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Monday, June 17, 2019 - 10:15 PM PT Today was very productive for our team. We woke at 1am, packed up camp, and hit the trail at 3am. By 8:30 am we had made it to the 11,200' Camp, colloquially known as Camp Three. We set our tents up, had breakfast and coffee, and a few hours of rest, and by 1 pm we were back on the trail headed back down to pick up our cache at 10,000'. By 3:30 pm we were back at camp with all of our supplies. But there was still work to do flattening tent platforms, building a kitchen, and fine tuning camp. Dinner by 6 pm and bed by 7:30 seemed appropriate for today. And tomorrow we earned a rest day. Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow, so we won't be missing anything. We'll touch base again tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

GO Brendan and Min Wo!

Posted by: Arie Rowaan, Marlene Rowaan on 6/19/2019 at 1:17 pm

We’re all excited Casey and enjoying the blogs. Go team Walter!

Posted by: Cheri Kenney on 6/19/2019 at 12:58 pm

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Denali Expedition: King & Team Weather Day at 14,200’ Camp

June 17, 2019

Posted by: Mike King, Avery Parrinello, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Monday, June 17, 2019 - 8:40 PM PT Not much to report except that due to some weather and a few extenuating circumstances we took yet another weather/rest day. The forecast is looking good for the remainder of the week. We will plan on moving up to 17,200’ tomorrow. The Team is doing well, we are all anxious to get out of this camp after eight nights. They built an igloo to stay busy and spent a lot of time chatting in the kitchen tent. That’s all from 14, hopefully you’ll hear from us after a successful move day to High Camp. RMI Guide Mike King

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Safe climbing! We’re following your blog and hoping you can get the weather move on up.

Posted by: Stephanie Smith on 6/18/2019 at 4:44 pm

Hi y’all!
EIGHT DAYS?!!! I’ve been without connectivity for 4-5 days. I thought King et al was taking new group up. Okay, weather forecast looks promising. Igloos sound fun. But, it sounds like your turning native. Climb forth and conquer! Lol! Be safe

Posted by: Susan Moore on 6/17/2019 at 9:42 pm

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Mt. Elbrus Ski: Reid & Team Arrive Moscow and Explore City

June 17, 2019

Posted by: Tyler Reid

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Ski

Monday, June 17, 2019 - 4:22 AM PT Greetings from Moscow. Most of us awoke at 4am this morning for no reason. The sun rises early here, which doesn’t help with the jetlag. Today we embarked on a city tour of Moscow that included St Basils Cathedral, the Kremlin, and Red Square’s otherworldly shopping mall. We’re working on rounding up some delayed ski bags and delayed teammates, which hopefully will all be in one place by this evening. So far so good here in Russia... RMI Guide Tyler Reid

Denali Expedition: Haugen and Team Prepare in Talkeetna, Ready to Fly

June 17, 2019

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Jenny Konway, Grayson Swingle

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

Monday, June 17, 2019 - 1:06 AM PT After a rainy arrival in Talkeetna last night, we had a nice day to get our massive amount of gear ready to be flown on the glacier tomorrow. Our meeting with the Denali National Park rangers was great as always and we were rewarded with 20 CMC's (clean mountain cans) to make sure that all of our human waste gets removed from the mountain. Denali is a pristine mountain and the park service does an incredible job of making sure it stays that way. We are scheduled to fly into base camp tomorrow morning. The group is hopeful that the weather allows us to fly at some point tomorrow so our adventure can begin and all of our climbers' hard work and anxious packing can start to pay off. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Mike Haugen & Team Siete

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Best wishes for good weather and a safe flight. I think I am as excited for the team as you are!

Posted by: Kristi (AKA Tym's Mom) on 6/18/2019 at 5:52 pm

Mike and team,
Hope you landed safely. CMC sounds so 21st century. Lol! But hey, happy Denali is being kept clean. Everest peoples are trying so hard to clean mountain up, but it’s years worth of refuse, and the deceased. So basically, y’all have to carry your own doggie bags, I mean CMCs.

Posted by: Susan Moore on 6/17/2019 at 9:51 pm

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Mt. Rainier: Five Day Climb Team Reaches Summit

June 17, 2019

Posted by: Brent Okita, Chase Nelson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

RMI Guides Brent Okita & Chase Nelson led their Five Day Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Brent reported a beautiful day on the mountain with clear skies and a light breeze. The team began their descent from the crater rim shortly before 7 AM PT. The team will return to Camp Muir for a brief break and to repack before continuing down to Paradise and concluding their program later this afternoon. Congratulations to today's climbers!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

So excited to hear you summited! Congratulations and wishing you a continued safe descent.

Hugs all around,

Kathy

Posted by: Kathy Simpson on 6/17/2019 at 11:54 am

Congratulations Everyone!!

Posted by: Carol Kean on 6/17/2019 at 9:25 am

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Denali Expedition: King & Team Send Father’s Day Wishes

June 16, 2019

Posted by: Mike King, Avery Parrinello, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Sunday, June 16, 2019 - 11:36 AM PT Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads reading this. We got a little snow and slight breeze last night. The weather from the SE continues to bring clouds and precipitation towards the mountain. We have opted to stay put today and see what Monday brings. There is a period of improving weather Wednesday to Friday. Since we have our cache in at 16,200’ we just need 36-48 hours to launch up for a summit attempt. Moral is still high in the Team. A snow couch and lounge area was built yesterday with a large snow “TV” carved out for viewing the clouds roll over Mt Foraker. Obviously we would have preferred to have been up and down by now but that’s not what Denali had planned for us. We will improve camp today, eat a big lunch and continue the 14,000' Camp hangout. Everyone is healthy and happy, fingers crossed for improving weather. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Summiting!!
Not flippin submitting, stoopid autocorrect ;)

Posted by: Dan Naylor on 6/17/2019 at 1:26 pm

Rogers & Gaz, keep it up lads sounds an amazing expedition.
Good luck with the weather for submitting :)
-Naylor

Posted by: Dan Naylor on 6/17/2019 at 1:25 pm

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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Carry Gear, Ready to Move Up

June 16, 2019

Posted by: Mike Walter, Taylor Bickford, Nikki Champion

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Sunday, June 16, 2019 - 10:13 AM PT We let the snow surface freeze up a bit after dinner and left camp at 9pm, headed up the Kahiltna Glacier with our backpacks and sleds loaded with food and supplies we'll need a we move higher. The traveling was efficient and the views were stunning as out team enjoyed beautiful pink alpenglow on Kahiltna Dome and Foraker, two neighboring giants that are dwarfed by Denali. In three hours time we made it up to around 10,000' where we cache our gear in a hole dug deep into the snow. By 2 am, five hours after we started, we were back at our camp at the Base of Ski Hill and ready for bed. This morning we slept in and will enjoy an extended egg and bacon brunch. Then we'll have some more resting in store as we will wait for the glacier to freeze up again in order move our camp to 11,200'. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Happy (belated) Father’s Day to all the Dads on the climb! Hope everyone is staying warm and having a blast—views sound amazing! Since you’re having all the brunch without the mimosas, we’ll be sure to have some ready for when you return. Wishing everyone a wonderful time! :) - Savannah

Posted by: Savannah on 6/17/2019 at 2:42 pm

Glad to hear the weather cooperated for you last night. Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads up there especially Eric. We love and miss you and are having fun watching your progress. Stay safe and have fun. Love, Jack Jack, Maya, Luke, and Jill

Posted by: Jill on 6/16/2019 at 3:47 pm

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Denali Expedition: King & Team Retreat Back to 14,200’ Camp

June 15, 2019

Posted by: Mike King, Avery Parrinello, Dominic Cifelli

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Saturday, June 15, 2019 - 2:21 PM PT We got up with a few more clouds in the glacial valleys below us and figured we would hope for the best. After breakfast we packed up camp and headed towards the fixed lines. As we climbed the lower slopes out of 14 Camp the clouds moved in with a light wind and snow. After an hour we caught our last view of the upper mountain and saw snow blowing 500+ feet into the atmosphere. Since there hadn’t been any snow accumulation up there for a while we decided the winds on the Buttress were to high for the exposed terrain we needed to travel through before reaching 17 Camp. The Team is back in camp at 14,200’ and settled in for our continued hangout. We will be watching the forecast closely and looking at the “nowcast” and hope for a 36-48 hour window to sneak up there and have a summit bid. Thanks for following along. RMI Guide Mike King

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Wait Out the Weather

June 15, 2019

Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Saturday, June 15, 2019 - 1:51 PM PT When we hit the sack after dinner last night the weather was beautiful and we expected much of the same today. But the weather threw us a curve ball and at 3 AM we woke to snow and wind. We felt like we were inside of a Ping Pong ball, and the cloud cover prevented the snow from freezing last night. So, all in all, not an ideal morning. We pumped the brakes a little and decided to postpone this morning's climb for tonight. Instead, we had a great breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon to pass the morning. We're currently still in the Ping Pong ball and wet snow is still falling. Hopefully tonight's weather will treat us better and we can get a cache of supplies up to around 10,000'. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Denali Expedition: Haugen & Team in Holding Pattern in Talkeetna

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Set up at 11,200’ Camp

On The Map

Denali Expedition: King & Team Weather Day at 14,200’ Camp

Mt. Elbrus Ski: Reid & Team Arrive Moscow and Explore City

Denali Expedition: Haugen and Team Prepare in Talkeetna, Ready to Fly

Mt. Rainier: Five Day Climb Team Reaches Summit

Denali Expedition: King & Team Send Father’s Day Wishes

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Carry Gear, Ready to Move Up

On The Map

Denali Expedition: King & Team Retreat Back to 14,200’ Camp

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Wait Out the Weather

On The Map

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