Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
Wednesday, May 18, 2022 - 11:19 pm PT
Here is the first dispatch from the third RMI Denali team! We are all packed up and ready to fly in the morning. Our team was efficient and prepared today as we organized all the necessary items for a Denali expedition. The weather is beautiful in Talkeetna and we are excited for the climb ahead.
RMI guides Jackson Breen, Matias Francis, JT Schmitt and team.
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Thursday, May 18, 2022 - 12:46 am PT
We took our time over coffee and breakfast burritos this morning, enjoying the slow start and the warming sun that doesn't hit camp until 9 am. Satiated, we left camp and moved quickly downhill to our cache at 9600', relishing the opportunity to stride it out and cover ground. We passed a lot of teams headed towards 11,000' Camp, slowly trudging under the loads of big packs and full sleds. With our cache retrieved, we worked out way back uphill to our cozy camp. Overall, 11,000' Camp felt like it doubled in size today and lots of folks were strolling around, enjoying a warm afternoon. We'll look to continue our momentum tomorrow caching a load of fuel and food up high near Windy Corner.
RMI Guides Pete, Leif, Erika, and team
Wonderful reading the news. We are with you in spirit. Enjoy. Love, Barbara
Posted by: Barbara Corona on 5/20/2022 at 6:11 am
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
We enjoyed great weather and snow conditions yesterday as we moved our camp from 11,200' to Genet Basin at 14,200'. We have a well-deserved rest day on tap today as we fortify camp, eat, drink, and lounge.
This afternoon we will practice some fixed rope travel techniques in preparation for our next task, establishing a cache up high on the West Buttress proper. The weather forecast is looking good, and we may head up the fixed ropes tomorrow to get that cache established. Our team is doing well, taking the challenging work in stride, and adjusting to the lack of oxygen and colder temps up here at our new home. We will keep you updated with our status as we work to get into position for a summit bid. There is still a lot of work to do, a lot of acclimating, and a lot of variables, but so far, we're very pleased with the progress of our expedition and we're not complaining about the beautiful views of the Alaska Range.
We'll be in touch again tomorrow with the latest. Until then, know we are enjoying the rare mountain air.
RMI Guides Mike, Abby, Henry & Team
Keep up the great work! There are a lot of people cheering on your team. Really making headway on the elevation climb. Good luck to all of you.
Posted by: Deb Beaudway on 5/19/2022 at 6:24 pm
Take care all! Great job so far!
Posted by: Tina on 5/19/2022 at 11:47 am
Posted by: Grayson Swingle, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
Hi Everyone -
Our Baker Ski team is back at camp after a successful ski descent of the summit with everyone!!!
Beautiful day up there with great snow.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
Amazing, amazing, amazing all I can say about this experience. Grayson and Lauren are incredible!!!
Posted by: Jason Seitz on 5/18/2022 at 3:43 pm
Awesome!!!!!
Posted by: Mary Abraham on 5/17/2022 at 8:19 pm
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 9:37 pm PT
At 4 am this morning the wolf tried his first huff. He then continued to huff and puff and try to blow down our house but we had built it strong. While we hunkered in our tents it was clear that it wasn't a day to try to walk anywhere. It blew for the morning but by early afternoon began to abate and have us a chance to get out of the tents and stretch our legs. This evening turned gorgeous as the wind went calm and the skies cleared. We should have smooth sailing for a move to 11,000' Camp tomorrow. We'll touch base.
RMI Guides Pete, Erika, Leif, and team
Albert!!!
Imagino que podrà s rebre el nostre missatge. Pel que veig, de moment dies amb bones vistes i només un dia de fort vent. Espero que estiguis bé i en forma i que l’expedició estigui anant bé. Les fotos del blog es veuen espectaculars. Molts à nims des de Catalunya!!! Endavant amb l’expedició!!
Posted by: Marc on 5/22/2022 at 11:08 pm
My wife and I are in Alaska and have a flight planned on Sat, 5/21 at 13:30 to view Denali and land on a glacier - with K2. Stu - I hope to see ya somewhere around the 14K camp - from the air. Good luck Stu - and the entire team. Kyle
Posted by: Kyle Martin on 5/20/2022 at 11:54 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 9:47 am PT
Yesterday (Sunday) we awoke to beautiful blue skies and light winds. After a nice breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and salmon we packed up gear and food to cache around Windy Corner. This was the first day of the expedition in crampons without sleds which felt awesome as we made our way up Motorcycle Hill. We had excellent views of the surrounding mountains and could even see all the way down to the tundra below the Peter's Glacier! After rounding Windy Corner the weather was holding and everyone was climbing strong so we decided to keep pushing all the way to 14,000' camp! As soon as we finished burying our cache winds picked up and we got our first taste of some nasty Alaska Range weather. By the time we got back to the Polo Fields the winds had abated and we enjoyed a nice walk back to 11,000' Camp. Winds picked back up overnight and this morning has been a bit frigid and blustery in camp today are taking a well earned rest day to recover from the previous five days of hard effort. We're looking forward to moving to 14,000' Camp in the coming days.
I can’t wait to see your pics from the top, MAK!
Posted by: Jenn on 5/20/2022 at 8:54 am
Keep the toes warm and good luck!
I’ll be just over the pole in Svalbard…hit me on the radio….
Posted by: U2 on 5/17/2022 at 8:29 am
Monday, May 16, 2022 - 6:54 am PT
We spent our first night in the Alaska range cozy in our -20 bags and woke to clear skis and a stunning view all around. The peak of Denali above had a small cloud hat, but otherwise the mountains jutted up into the blue and the sky promised another gorgeous day. We fired the stoves for breakfast and as the sun got closer to camp, woke everyone.
After bagel bacon sandwiches, we set to the task of organizing what gear we were going to move uphill to cache. A fair bit of our food and fuel made up the bulk of it. We departed, loads considerably lighter than yesterday and worked our way up Ski Hill. Several hours of steady uphill work brought us to 9700', where we opted to dig a deep hole in the snow and hide our treasure, to be retrieved in a few days. Moving light and downhill, we made quick work of the descent back to camp and a dinner of burritos. And so goes the rhythm of Denali - wake, eat, walk, eat, sleep. We'll touch base tomorrow.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland, and team
Yay burritos!!
Wishing you guys best of rest and best of power and energy for your journey.
Thanks for blogging, it makes it lovely to day dream about majestic Alaska. Be sure to look near Cassiopeia for the Andromeda galaxy, you can see it from up there with just your eyes, looks like a little smudge up there.
Posted by: Kasia Pawluskiewicz on 5/20/2022 at 6:44 pm
Hello there!!
Have d’un, enjoy a lot and record all the special moments you’re gonna live
Posted by: Beth on 5/18/2022 at 2:12 pm
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 4,500'
Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 10:19 pm PT
We waited for the sun to rise this morning before packing up camp and heading back to our cache. We cooked burgers for lunch while repacking our sleds for the long haul back out of the Ruth Gorge. After some difficult hours of travel we arrived at the Mountain House airstrip. We made a quick camp and enjoyed our last evening in the gorge. All is looking well to fly out tomorrow morning.
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Sunday, May 15, 2022 - 1:10 am PT
It was an auspicious start to our May 12 Denali Expedition today. When we called K2 in the morning to ask how things looked they replied "unlimited visibility and perfect". We rallied a hasty breakfast and headed for the hanger. We had gotten all of our bags set yesterday, so it didn't take much to get the planes loaded and launched. The pilots were taken with how clear and gorgeous the day was too, taking several detours to show us stunning corners of the Alaska Range on the way.
We landed and hit the ground running. Fully loaded sleds and packs were an indication of the magnitude of our undertaking, but the team cruised through the 5.5 miles of mellow glacier travel, and we rolled in to our first camp looking fresh. Everyone is fed and tucked into warm sleeping bags and as we write, a stunning full moon is rising over Mt. Hunter.
We plan to carry a load up towards Kahiltna pass tomorrow and then return to camp. We'll be in touch.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland, and team
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Saturday, May 14, 2022 - 10:08 pm PT
We enjoyed some pretty amazing weather today. We had a relatively easy day retrieving our cache and returning to 11k camp. On our journey we were treated to a unique wildlife viewing, with snow geese flying in formation above us. They landed on the glacier up around Kahiltna Pass, something I have never seen before. Back in camp, the good weather continued and we relaxed and shuffled gear for the next stage of the game. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will establish a camp up above Windy Corner. The forecast looks good and we're climbing strong, so we're optimistic that will happen tomorrow. I'll let you know how it shakes out. Either way, it's good to be in the mountains and we're enjoying our time here.
Go, MAK, go!!!
Posted by: Jenn on 5/16/2022 at 5:46 pm
Great to hear the weather is holding up for the team, sounds like smooth climbing so far. Keep up the hard work!
Go Mike K, Go!!!
Posted by: Tina on 5/15/2022 at 8:57 pm
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They’ve got great guides!
Posted by: George Strait on 5/20/2022 at 2:16 pm
Looks like a strong team!!!
Posted by: Anna Budayr on 5/20/2022 at 7:35 am
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