Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Friday, June 23, 2023 - 11:43 pm PDT

After a stormy night it was time to say goodbye to our beautiful Camp 2 on the magnificent Kahiltna glacier. Some of us got a little sentimental about it, as it was home to us for the last five nights. I guess we never had a chance to mention it earlier, but we put quite a lot of effort in our camp to make it nice and neat with the snow walls around it, especially our restroom, this was a piece of art :).

We woke up at 6am and following another great breakfast and then packing we had to wait until we got the right window at 10:30 am for Mother Nature to clear up the weather and let us to move to the higher camp. We ventured into Motorcycle Hill, then retraced our steps from yesterday and went through Squirrel Hill which leads us to through polo field and then the famous windy corner. The Windy Corner deserves its name, yet the Squirrel Hill isn’t any less windy. I was about to fly away two times with the backpack and the sled. When we passed the Windy Corner and started going up the last hill before we reached Camp 3, the mighty Denali decided to show us its warm face. As the sun went up and the wind stopped, we started getting extremely warm on the hill. Since nobody ever claimed a name for this hill before I decided naming it "Double Fry Hill" (I have nine witnesses now :) The upcoming two days stronger weather is waiting for us in the Denalian wilderness. Yet we are hoping to carry the cache tomorrow from 13k.

Today we were lucky to get the right time window to move to our new camping place which is one step closer to conquer the fabulous Denali Summit. The team remains strong, positive, and hopeful that Denali will grant us clear skies in the next few days so we can spread your wings and soar towards its magnificent summit!

Stay tuned.

Till tomorrow! A bientot!

Climber Ilknur Colak & Team

Ps. The word of the day is "clutch" (from Travis)

Saturday, June 24, 2023 7:39 am PDT

We’re at Basecamp and I think there is a good chance we will fly. We’ll let everyone know when we arrive in Talkeetna.

Friday, June, 23, 2023 8:28 pm PDT

The crew descended down to 11,000’ Camp where we will depart for basecamp during the night in hopes of flying off the mountain Saturday.

The weather has not been all that kind to us on this trip and we are in and out of snow as clouds stream up the Kahiltna glacier up and over Kahiltna pass. We’re hoping for flyable weather tomorrow but know that no one has flown off the mountain since Monday. Hopefully the next time you here from us, we’ll Be in Talkeetna!

RMI Guide Andy Bond, Jack Delaney, Joey Manship and Team

Friday, June 23, 2023, 8:40 am PDT

Our Team is back at 14,000’ Camp after a long day of waist to chest trail breaking and ultimately avalanche conditions on the West Buttress. We made it to Washburn’s Thumb at 16,800’, all pickets were buried and not found except for the ones near slopes that naturally avalanche. The Autobahn is incredibly loaded with snow, and I am sure you will not find a single one of the 35 pickets across it!

Our plan is to head to the airstrip tonight and hope to fly.  No one has flown since last Sunday and snow is in the forecast all week, so we will see!

RMI Guide Andy Bond and Team

Thursday, June 22. 2023 10:57 PM PDT

There were signs of improvement - or simply a change in the weather. It was still snowing a little and blowing a little, but it wasn't all that cold. We watched clouds and wind for a while, then pulled the trigger.

We set out from 11,000’ Camp at 11 AM and made fine progress up Motorcycle and Squirrel Hills. The Polo Field put up a little resistance, we had to break trail through new snow to reach Windy Corner at 13,200 ft. The clouds denied us the big views. But we were excited to see Denali's South Peak and the West Buttress as we came around the corner and reached our 13,500’ goal for the day. We cached gear and got moving downhill with lighter packs, pulling back into 11,000’ Camp by 6 PM.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team

Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 8:27pm

Yes! After experiencing days of snow and wind delay, the team was blessed with a sufficient weather window to depart the 11,000’ Camp and resume climbing. The objective for today was to cache food stores for future retrieval once the 14,000’ Camp is established. Morale was high as the team stepped off smartly after consuming an amazing breakfast of toasted bagels topped with cream cheese and bacon.

A smooth pace was set up on the significant incline of Motorcycle Hill.  The snow was not too deep for crampons. At the top, the team turned right and proceeded up Squirrel Hill, admiring the beauty of Father and Son Walland, the impressively sharp drop off of Peters Glacier.  Intermittent gusty winds had already exposed some patches down to the blue ice beneath, but our crampons, ice axes, and ropes kept everyone safe and secure. Next came the crossing of the Polo Fields where the snow was quite deep and powdery. Our guides elected to cache a bit short of Windy Corner today. Everyone unloaded the group and personal food for burial in the snow.

The reverse route going downhill was surprisingly quick and in no time the team was back in camp.  Hopes are high that we will have an opportunity to move up to 14,000’ Camp tomorrow and continue our acclimatization for the higher altitudes yet to come. It was a great day!

RMI Climber Rick Sturckow & Team

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Joe Hoch and Jess Wedel reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7 am this morning. Jess reported clear crisp skies, and a great route. The team will enjoy time on the summit snapping photos and taking in the breathtaking views before starting their descent. 

Congratulations Team! 

Wednesday June 21, 2023

Today the team woke up to Groundhog Day!

It has continued to snow but was relatively mild as far as temps and wind go. We masterfully killed a chunk of time in the morning by making a long brunch. After retiring to our tents for the afternoon, we regrouped and planned our potential launch to 17k camp for the next day over some golden, brown, and delicious burritos.

RMI Guide Joey Manship and Team

The team of American Lung Association (ALA) climbers on the Four Day Climb June 19 - 22 led by RMI Guide Abby Westling reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The climbers enjoyed blue skies and sunshine on their ascent and were able to spend some time in the crater.  Abby and the team started their descent from the crater rim around 8:30 am en route to Camp Muir.  Once back at camp, they will get a short rest before continuing down to Paradise.  The program ends this evening with a celebration for the team members for their hardwork and contributions to the American Lung Association. 

Congratulations to today's climbers!

RMI Guide Casey Grom & the Four Day Climb June 19 - 22 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The weather is beautiful with blue skies and a few broken clouds.  The team was able to spend about an hour on the summit before starting their descent.  The teams left the crater rim around 8:30 am to return to Camp Muir.  After a brief stop to repack and refuel they will continue to descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise.  We look forward to their return to Rainier BaseCamp later this afternoon.

Nice work team!

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 - 10:38 pm PT

Another storm day at 11,000'. Though not the worst storm, mostly cloud and snow without a lot of wind where we are... but of course that is why we are camped here. We did a long and slow breakfast, sipping coffee and telling stories. We hung out in our tents, napping, reading and watching tv and then it was burrito night. We celebrated Mitch's birthday and celebrated solstice in our snowstorm.  We hope to get climbing again soon but we need the storm to move along first.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn