Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Clear skies were a very welcome sight as I peeked out the vestibule on this frigid, frosty morning. Definitely our coldest morning yet! But, we had a cache to put in so the wheels were set in motion for our climb.
Unfortunately, the weather deteriorated to the point where we pulled the plug and took a well deserved rest day instead.
What a treat. Lounging about in the tents, eating, listening to tunes, reading, sleeping, eating some more. Our bodies sucked in the energy from the calories eaten and the warmth provided by the radiation getting through the clouds and snow showers. Tents and sleeping bags dried as our bodies got the recharge we all needed.
The smell of fried onions, red peppers, chicken and chilies greeted us when the dinner bell rang, and no doubt made the rest of camp salivate with envy. Chefs JT and Christina put on yet another fine spread.
It's these simple pleasures that we tend to value so much in the mountains.
After our dress rehearsal this morning and rest day I think we'll be ready to rock tomorrow. The forecast hasn't changed any, but the winds aren't bad. It's just a bit irritating to climb in the occasional snow showers and cloudy weather. But, I guess we've been doing it all week. This team has demonstrated the capacity to climb well, so hopefully we'll get our cache established at 13,500' and be primed to move to
14,200' camp when we can.
Not that I'm a great believer in the weather forecasts around here, but they say high pressure is coming our way by Monday. We're due!
Good night from 11,200', where I'm in our tent at the very reasonable hour of 9:00p after camp chores, and not freezing my fingers in the frigid cold of these Alaskan nights.
Oh, and by the way, your loved ones are all happy and doing exceptionally well. The guides included. If you all have any messages for the team, our office staff will send them our way sometime. Hopefully coinciding with our next rest day where I'll have time to share them with everyone. Just don't get carried away with the heartfelt mushy stuff. I hate choking up in front of the group.
Your messengers of news from above,
RMI Guides Brent Okita, Christina Dale and JT Schmitt
On The Map
This mornings skies were a welcome sight after a few days of white. Clear skies also brought colder temps for us at
Kahiltna Base Camp. It was not long before the clouds rolled back in but that did not stop the team from having some fun. We ventured to a crevasse field and gave folks a chance to see the inside of a the icy maw and climb out. Lots of laughs and pictures today around those cracks. Later in the afternoon we received word from K2 that they were launching the fleet to drop a team off and that we should be ready within the hour. That was a frantic hour indeed but the team got it done in short order. As soon as the dust settled we found out that the planes turned back so we set up a new camp downtown on the airstrip. Forecast is calling for more snow the next few days so we will see what the future holds.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
We awoke to our first real look at the
Condoriri Group and it was absolutely spectacular. Crystal clear skies highlighted a couple climbing groups heading up a rolling glacier on the way toward Pequeno Alpamayo. For our group that path waits for tomorrow, so after a languorous breakfast, the team headed up to 16k to continue our acclimatization and practice the skills for the upcoming day. We managed to refresh everyone's prior knowledge and even add a technique or two to the group's toolbox. Our schooling came to a swift close as the afternoon clouds rolled in and forced us back to camp to lounge away the late afternoon and rest up for the long day ahead. Now the team is wrapped up in our tents watching the night sky clear above us!
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Last night's winds abated in camp, but up high that was not the case. A large, menacing lenticular cloud covered the upper portion of the mountain and wind could be seen blowing plumes of snow off of the
West Buttress. But, the storm seems to be on its way out. We are hoping to move to high camp tomorrow or the next day and have a go at the summit. We'll see what the weather has in store, but at least it is improving.
From Robbie:
Happy birthday Vanessa!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir May 21 - 26, 2017 led by
RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Steve Gately have spent the week training at Camp Muir. Today they made an alpine start for their summit attempt. The team reached the summit around 8 am and was able to enjoy the views. Dave Hahn reported a light cloud cap on the summit and otherwise good conditions. The team will return to Camp Muir today for their final night on the mountain. They will complete their program tomorrow and wrap up with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's team!
May 24, 2017
Well, the weather has changed, and not for the best. Wind and snow intensified this morning, so much so that we postponed our departure to retrieve our cache from 10,000' for a bit to make sure a big storm didn't move in.
But the weather held off enough for us to bring our cache back to camp. Now we're set.
This continually amazes me. When we got back I thought we all deserved a break, figuring an hour or two of tent time to rest up would be most welcome, 20-30 minutes later I hear most everyone out cutting blocks to beef up the walls we already had. Impressive!
We're sitting pretty now, ready for anything. Should tomorrow's weather preclude a
carry to cache at 13,500', that would be just fine. Everyone has been working so hard and so well that some tent time is probably in order. Even, I am looking forward to a rest day soon.
And we're all looking forward to some better weather. Our peek at the mountains surrounding us last night just made us want more.
Oh, and in case you were wondering what was on the menu today. Scrambled eggs, hash browns and bacon for breakfast. An assortment of Indian food, served on a bed of rice and chicken, followed by a nice pudding for dessert. Mmm.
That's it from 11,200' camp. Good night.
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
On The Map
May 24, 2017
Well, the
Denali storm has arrived (we are calling it the Horiskey storm). We woke to snow this morning, and as the day had progressed, the winds have strengthened. Lots of snow is moving around camp, and being out of a tent is really unpleasant. So we've stayed in the tents. Our cook tent is nice and tight, and our individual tents were occupied with napping, music, and reading. The storm is supposed to peak tomorrow, so probably more of the same in store. Our walls are strong, our sleeping bags warm, and our bellies full, so all in all, life is good.
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team
On The Map
May 24, 2017
Today began the exercise in storm living. The low pressure south of us arrived and brought with it a foot of new snow. The team entertained themselves with funny stories over a few rounds of hot drinks and a long breakfast. In the afternoon we stretched our legs with a four mile walk on the main
Kahiltna Glacier before blowing snow and a disappearing track turned us back. Thankfully a little bit of stormy weather is not enough to lower the morale of this great group of strangers become friends. Tomorrow we anticipate more snow and winds but that will not be a problem for this team. Hope everyone at home is warm and dry.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
Pickled and fresh cut veggies, mouth watering empanadas, chicken thighs that fall off the bone. I think the
Bolivia team assumed our days of feasting on this trip were over, but no! Today we ventured into the mountains under cloudy, threatening skies, accompanied by our cook staff. Fortunately we made it into base camp before it started to rain. Once the tents were up, our kitchen team treated us to a three course dinner where we laughed and told stories, dragging the meal out to two full hours. After dinner, we walked outside to find that the clouds had lifted and we could see the Southern Cross stretched across the sky. Life at 15k ain't so bad!!
RMI Guide Eric Frank
We're hunkered down in camp today as a strong storm is producing snow and wind over
Denali. We can hear the winds howling a few thousand feet above us, sounding like waves crashing on a rocky shore. Here at camp it is windy but not nearly that extreme. Winds here are gusting in 20 mph range, which is not too bad at all. We have big walls built to protect our camp, so our tents are just barely shaking. We expect this storm to persist through tomorrow and hopefully we'll have better weather in its wake with which to make a summit push.
Our fingers are crossed!
RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team
Alex and Tom!
Sounds like you are eating well! Didn’t know you would have a chief on board. We hope you are all doing well, we miss you! Keep up the great work!
Love the endocrinology staff :)
Posted by: Endo staff on 5/26/2017 at 3:47 pm
Happy Birthday Patty! I can’t think of a better way for you to celebrate you, today! So happy that Sally is there with you to share in your joy along with your new friends ! Love and hugs for eternity! Regina
Posted by: Regina Brown on 5/26/2017 at 8:42 am
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