Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Sunday, June 18, 2022

Dun-dunana-dun-dun-dunnn (Imperial March music...please use your imagination)

We continued our migration down glacier from 14 Camp to the airstrip. Instead of a Flying V, we are in a Tromping I, roped together as always but this time it is very obvious as to why. The Kahiltna Glacier has melted down and broken up significantly since our last crossing. Weaving left and right, searching high and low for snow bridges that looked like they would support our weight. We finally make it the base of Ski Hill and decide to call it a day. The heat of the day has started to weaken the already soft snow and low and behold who do we see on the horizon??! It’s an RMI team headed uphill! Andy Bond and crew have just arrived at Camp 1. So we decide to spend the night with them to both let the snow and our bonds of friendship strengthen! Ends up there are mutual friends not only amongst the guides but also the teams! Let us rejoice! Tomorrow in the wee early hours of the morning we shall resume our march with refrozen snow and renewed strength in our quads.

We have the downhill mentality and the end is in sight (figuratively)!

Cheers,

RMI Guides Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed and the team

Sunday, June 19, 2022 - 4:37 PDT

The dispatch takeover continues!

We woke today to overcast skies and a light dusting of snow. Luckily RMI Guide Andy Bond coached us well, and told us we had to have the most pristine camp of any of the teams here at 7,800'. We had pulled all of our gear inside before we went to bed so no one woke up to soggy clothes. Unlike RMI Guide Avery Parinello’s guide team who slept out in the snow.

There was a luxurious breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and lox before our daily exercise. By 6:30 a.m. we were leaving camp with full packs.

We cruised up Ski Hill and cached our gear at Kahiltna Pass, roughly 10,200’. It was a delight to have empty packs on the stroll back to 7,800’ Camp.

Camp was warming in the early afternoon sun as we arrived around 12:30 p.m. We spent a leisurely afternoon enjoying the comforts of our home and the luxury items we brought on the trip.

There were tea tree oil foot rubs, beard combing, using our sleds as lounge chairs to catch some rays, eating charcuterie over some riveting conversations - and my personal favorite, hula hooping!

We will have an early dinner in a few hours and climb into our turtle shells for an early evening. Tomorrow we make the move to 11,200'.

-- Another mystery writer from the Denali Expedition led by RMI Guides Andy Bond, Grayson Swingle, and Ben Luedtke

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Well there’s been a blog takeover, a special thanks to RMI Guide Andy Bond allowing us to take turns writing it for the team. First a huge shout out to our guides Andy, Grayson and Ben who have already proven themselves to be super human.

We have settled into camp at the base of Ski Hill after a long day of hauling heavy things uphill. Tomorrow we are hoping to cache at 11,000’. We are learning all new kinds of new skills like how not to face plant on snowshoes and fall into crevasses, which we avoided due to stellar guidesmanship. Also, how to keep a tidy camp and perhaps most importantly, how to keep Ben telling awful guide jokes when he isn’t Macgyvering a fix for a snowshoe.

Also here at camp, we have been graced by the presence of RMI Guide Jack Delaney, the illustrious writer, and will do a group dinner with Avery Parrinello’s team here at camp as they are on their way down. Fun fact: it has been three days since a clean mountain can (CMC) disaster, which means there has been no CMC disasters. Another fun fact: we are having quesadillas for dinner! We leave you with a trivia question: which team member authored this blog post?

-- A mystery member of the Denali Expedition led by RMI Guides Andy Bond, Grayson Swingle, and Ben Luedtke

Saturday June 18th - 11:52pm PT

The Denali team formed up in Anchorage this afternoon.  We flew from Seattle and Frankfurt and Johannesburg and a few other places.   Not every single piece of luggage made it through, but we have high hopes for getting it all together soon.   

It was cloudy in central Alaska today, but we could see hints of mountains as we drove up toward Talkeetna.  We made the traditional stop in Wasilla to round out our expedition food supplies, and then got on board the Denali Overland van once again for the final 90 minutes into Talkeetna.  A brief stop at K2 Aviation around 6 PM allowed us to offload gear, and then we checked into our rooms at the Swiss Alaska Inn.  The team made the short walk into town to relax with outside beers and pizzas.  Town was busy and bustling on this endless summer evening.  We went to the banks of the mighty Susitna River to see if Denali was visible, but the clouds stayed put and made us guess at what we were missing.  

Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet over breakfast and dive into the details of packing and prepping for our Denali West Buttress Expedition. 

Best Regards,

Dave Hahn and Team

Saturday, June 18 - 8:57pm PT

Today was bitter sweet. On one hand, we made our move to 14k camp. On the other,we said goodbye to one team member as she headed down hill having tested positive for COVID. You can't escape COVID, even in the mountains. Our climber is doing well and will be enjoying a margarita, clean clothes, and a flushing toilet soon. 

For the rest of us, it was a big day moving to 14k camp. Gaining 3,000 feet with heavy packs and a sled is no small feat. We started in a cloud and only in our base layer but quickly walked into a breezy snowfall. The snow fell on us walking to our camp for half the day. By the time we got to our cache site, we had lost the snow and gained some heat. The sun's solar intensity was immense the last hour. You could feel your right side burning up. Our sunglasses felt hot. Heat panic was a thing. The team preserved and we rolled into 14k with a feeling of air conditioning as the clouds rolled back in and we lost the solar intensity. Moving in was quick since our tents were already set up and left by Avery's team. Some Ramen for the tummies and hot cocoa bring us to bedtime. 

Everyone's bodies are excited to lay down and relax after our day and it is well deserved. We will see what the weather brings tomorrow for our agenda.

Rest well everyone,

Hannah and Team

Friday, June 17, 2022 10:41pm PT

Today we fled the thin air of 17 camp for the more tolerable altitude of a mere 14,000 feet. It might seem easy but descending was anything but that. The team was definitely still in a energy and hydration deficit from summit day. So on weak, sore and wobbly legs we made our way down the West Ridge, slithered our way down the fix lines and groaned, moaned and hobble down the final hill into camp. Everyone quickly scurried into their tents for some much deserved rest. A hearty meal of bacon mac & cheese was swallowed with gusto and then off to early bed. We still have thousands of feet and many miles before we make it to the airstrip.

Talkeetna here we come!

RMI Guides Avery, Jack, Liam and the Team

Due to avalanche activity, the Four Day Climb with RMI Guides JT Schmitt and Alex Halliday did not climb above Camp Muir this morning. The mountain received 8+" of new snow yesterday afternoon and there were numerous slides on the Cowlitz Glacier with several going over the trail. In the first picture, you can see evidence of avalanche debris that has been deposited along the first steps of the route.

The team has started their descent and will back at Ashford Basecamp early this afternoon.

Evening everyone,

Who knew climbing Denali had so much resting involved in it. We all train for the heavy packs, long days, thousands of feet of elevation gained. What we don't train for is all the tent time. Time in the tent is important for our bodies to adjust to the altitude but it can be a challenge for the mind. Boredom can sink in very quickly. One must be good at self entertainment and comfortable with you, yourself, and I. It's a crucial skill of the mountain life and the team is currently learning it. Even with all the down time, today went fast. Per usual for our trip so far we had sun, we had clouds and we had snow flurries. A mixture of weather keeps it interesting. Now that we are rested we are ready to move  onward and upward. Hopefully tomorrow the weather holds and we are able to move to 14k camp. It will be a welcomed move with new views, a new camp, and likely new neighbors.

Send all your good weather vibes,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

After an early breakfast In Talkeetna we loaded our gear in the single otter airplanes and changed into our mountain attire before taking a scenic flight into the Alaska Range, with the final destination being Kahiltna Base Camp. After another round of shuttling gear, setting up a quick camp and enjoying a quick dinner, it was an early bedtime as we will be getting up in a couple of hours to start our journey up the mountain to Camp 1.

We will check in soon!

RMI Guides Andy, Grayson, and Ben

High winds kept the Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Bryan Mazaika and Matias Francis at Camp Muir overnight. The guides repoted an upper level cloud deck at 11,000' with a lower level cloud deck just above Paradise at 6,000'. 

The team has started their descent and will be back at Rainier Basecamp in Ashford this afternoon.