Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Brent Okita, Lindsay Mann, Leon Davis
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
"Its a miracle, I lit the stoves!" Exclaimed Roberto as he woke up the team this morning. When we entered the cook tent Roberto and Brent had laid out a spread of bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon. Roberto was quite the Italian gentlemen this morning running the stoves and serving hot water, while insisting everyone enjoy their morning coffee and cider, and even giving us a short Italian lesson. A big grazie to Roberto, our favorite Italian chef at 14,000 feet!
After a leisurely breakfast we took a walk out to the edge of the world. The edge of the world got its name because it drops away 6,000 feet below you. Allowing us to see our previous camp at 7,800 feet and giving us fantastic views of the Alaskan range.
That was our big event of the day, and now we are resting and preparing for our move to 17,000 foot camp.
Other exciting news was that RMI Guide Gilbert Chase on the McKinley May 15th Expedition checked in this morning as RMI Guide Billy Nugent and team were making their summit bid. We expect to hear from them later on tonight.
Sitting strong at 14,
RMI Guides Lindsay, Brent and Leon and team
On The Map
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leon Davis, Lindsay Mann
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Today the team succeeded in getting our cache all the way up to 17,200'. What an achievement! Another early start had us beating the madding crowds up the fixed ropes and allowing us to enjoy our climb on the Buttress with a peaceful solitude.
At Washburn's Thumb everyone was climbing well, but we decided to send one team on up to high camp while the rest of us conserved our strength and descended back to camp from 16,600'. After all, we had reached the highest point many of us had ever climbed to and were doing well. Our team of go-getters who went on higher even carried some of our personal caches with them so that all our cache would be together at our next and final camp. I'm still so impressed by how this team pulls together and helps each other out in times like these. It should be noted that seldom do any teams make the effort or have the strength to carry all the way up to 17,200' camp.
What we experience while climbing the terrain between the fixed ropes and 17,200' is nothing short of awesome. And for most of us this is the most exciting climbing we have ever done. Steep, exposed and beautiful. What more could we want.
Back at camp now everyone is resting well and looking forward to a real rest day. We'll sleep in and dine on smoked salmon, bagels and cream cheese. And maybe after that we'll get into something else. It will be a well deserved day of rest!
Until next time...
RMI Guides Brent, Leon and Lindsay
On The Map
Posted by: JJ Justman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
The Four Day Summit Climb turned at the traverse of the Cleaver (11,500') this morning. They were back at Muir and did some crevasse rescue training before descending to Paradise. The team is back in Ashford at Rainier Basecamp.
Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Adam Knoff
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
The Camp Muir Skills Seminar is back down off the mountain! We had hoped to give the summit one more shot but, as was our luck, the rain returned overnight. The mountain did clear at the mid elevations yesterday giving us hope but the weather fronts were stacked up end-to-end this week so we packed our things this morning and headed down.
Even though we weren't able to summit, Camp Muir provides an excellent high-altitude training site so we were able to train in the complex skills necessary to climb a glaciated peak. And so when the team parted ways everyone was psyched up for new adventures. One of the main things that makes a successful trip for me is if everyone returns as friends. This is no small feat with 15 climbers and 5 guides, but if this is our yardstick we definitely succeeded after our week at Muir.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Seth, Adam, Solveig, Thomas and Zeb were excellent guides and made the trip a worthwhile experience even though the weather did not cooperate for a summit bid. I look forward to other guided adventures with any one of these guides.
Thank you for a memorable trip.
Posted by: John Gallen on 6/4/2012 at 8:28 am
This morning we awoke to 6 to 8 inches of light fresh powder. We didn't allow this to stop our momentum. With calm winds and overcast skies we decided on a carry for today. We cached a portion of our gear at 10,000 feet with the intention of lightening our load when we move to 11,000 feet.
We are now back at our camp at 7,800 feet hiding from the sun, rehydrating and relaxing. For the past two days we have seen many climbing teams from all over the world. This trip of a lifetime is well underway and the team is climbing strong. As the winds pick up here at Camp 1, we are headed out to tighten up our camp and build some wind walls. Cheers for the team.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
Hey, everybody it’s Billy.
I’m calling from 17,000’ where we are enjoying our third rest day or you could call them weather days. We have been sitting around in the clouds, it has been snowy and windy. We are hoping that this high pressure that is supposed to build this weekend over the mountain actually happens and we’ll get a chance to climb. Right now the team is hanging tight, chilling in their tent, every now and then getting out and working on the snow walls, trying to maintain sanity and waiting for this weather to lift so we can take a crack at the top. I’ll give you guys a call again tomorrow, let you know if anything new develops.
Take care,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent checks in from 17,000 ft on Mt. McKinley.
On The Map
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leon Davis, Lindsay Mann
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Breakfast was early this morning as the night was fairly warm and if we were to make a carry we wanted to not be caught up in the sometimes crowded scene that happens on the fixed ropes later in the day. But a quick survey of how everyone was doing at breakfast confirmed our suspicion that the day would be better spent resting and fortifying our camp from windy, nasty weather that can happen at any time. After all, we'd been going strong for six days straight. So, we enjoyed a leisurely meal of western omelette, bacon and bagels, followed by some warm pop tarts. And the best part of the morning was when Roberto Pellegrino took over and started turning out some killer pancakes leftover from another days breakfast. The morning amounted to a relaxed time just enjoying each others company. But of course my mind is always spinning and after my third hot drink I thought it might be worthwhile to at least get some food up to our high camp, and perhaps even see our friends Billy, Geoff and Gilbert. So, off Lindsay and I went. It was her first time actually on the Buttress itself, and it made for a fun trip. And visiting with our other team at 17,200' was great too.
Tomorrow we plan on all climbing up the fixed ropes and on to the Buttress. How far we just don't know. But, we'll be sporting nice light packs, a very welcome change for us all.
We'll be in touch tomorrow night as long as we get back early enough.
Brent, Leon and Lindsay
On The Map
Way to go Elizabeth, Brandi, and the rest of your team. The photos are absolutely stunning. We miss you here but are glad you’re having a wonderful adventure!
Love, Victoria
Posted by: Victoria Bailey on 6/1/2012 at 1:20 pm
Doug and Audrey, we’ve enjoyed following your journey and wish you well. I hope you’re having a blast and enjoying a look at life “from the top”. Much love.
Mom/Sue
Posted by: Sue Rusch on 6/1/2012 at 10:02 am
Greetings from Camp Muir. We've had an interesting 24 hours weather wise. Last night we planned on waking up at 1 AM and heading for the summit, but when the alarm went off it was raining hard. We checked every hour from 1 to 6 am but the weather never relented so we called off our summit attempt.
We did make the best of the day though. In the morning we trained with our avalanche beacons practicing companion rescue. After lunch we set up a fixed ropes course with a rappel descent. The sun even poked out for a bit. We have one more night and we're still hoping for a shot at the summit but either way we'll be heading back home sometime tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leon Davis, Lindsay Mann
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
What does normal feel like at 14,200'? Certainly not what it feels like at home. At least not at first. The headaches and weariness that some felt last night evaporated by morning and it was nice to see smiles on everyone's faces at breakfast. Yet still, we are not fully adjusted to the elevation. This becomes obvious when some normally easy things like shoveling snow or even walking to the 'bathroom' cause our respirations and pulse to surge a bit. But, it's getting better.
Today we retrieved our cache from 13,500' and did some training in preparation for the most challenging climbing yet. Becoming comfortable with the mechanical ascenders that we will use for protection while ascending the steeps of the fixed ropes leading to the West Buttress is critical for our safe and efficient ascent. Next, being proficient in dealing with running belays used for protection on our climb up the exposed and most beautiful ridge of the Buttress is essential. And I'm happy to say that everyone is well prepared for tomorrows climbing.
Good news from our friends, RMI 2, led by Billy Nugent, who are now at 17,200' camp, is that there are plenty of supplies at camp there, so our packs will be fairly light on our first foray up to 16,000' or 17,000'.
Our climbing tomorrow serves two purposes. We do need to get food and fuel up to our next camp. But more importantly, tomorrow will serve to heighten our acclimatization greatly, allowing our bodies to feel even more normal up here. And the more 'normal' we start feeling here at 14,200', the more prepared we will be for our eventual move to high camp at 17,200'.
But that's jumping ahead a little. For now we'll just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other for a few hours and see if we can't get a cache in somewhere above us.
Goodnight from 14,200' camp where our expected low temp tonight will hover around 0 degrees.
RMI Guides Brent Okita, Leon Davis, and Lindsay Mann
On The Map
Good Luck boys!!! So wish I was there physically as its warmer with 3 in a tent but I am there in spirit!!
Posted by: Shoshana on 6/14/2012 at 6:49 pm
I’m so proud of you mom. Keep eating those sourpatch kids!
P.S I’m in computer class right now and Evelyn says hi!
Posted by: Sheena on 6/1/2012 at 11:39 am
Hey everybody back at home, this is Billy I am checking in from our high camp at 17,000'.
The team moved up yesterday. It was looking a little bit iffy weather wise but it looked like we were going to get a window. The weather cleared right up for us for our move and we moved right into high camp and set up shop. We were considering taking a shot at the summit today but winds returned and we opted to rest here at 17,000'. So everyone is snug in their sleeping bags, hanging out in the tent. Things are sunny here in camp right now but we had a fair bit of wind up on the ridge above Denali Pass that is going to keep us from going at least today. We are keeping our fingers crossed for tomorrow. We have enough supplies to last about a week up here. So we are hoping for a good weather window and the team should be able to get out there and punch the summit.
So we'll give you a call tomorrow and let you know what we are up to.
Take care,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
RMI Guide Billy Nugent checks in from 17000 on Mt. McKinley
On The Map
Howzit Elizabeth!
Hope you’re staying warm up there at 17,000’...fricken crazy man! Safe travels to you and the team
Dent & Jenny
Posted by: Dent & Jenny on 6/1/2012 at 2:31 pm
I just left a comment for the wrong team. Im in computer right now and Evelyn and I say hi. Don’t worry it’s freetime. Love you mom
Posted by: Sheena on 6/1/2012 at 11:43 am
Happy birthday Phil!! Meatloaf sandwich on me this time. Looking forward to the stories. Be well!
Posted by: mark deffe on 6/4/2012 at 8:30 am
Happy Birthday Phil, what a wonderful place to celebrate! We are inspired by you and your teammates, hope you aren’t tired of the poptarts. xox Suzy & John
Posted by: Suzy & John on 6/4/2012 at 7:27 am
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