Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
After three consecutive days of hard work, we had a lighter day today. But it wasn't all rest; we had work to do, to go back down to 10,000', dig up our cache, and haul it in sleds and backpacks back to our camp at 11,200'. It wasn't easy work, but compared to the last three days it sure felt that way.
The snow conditions were excellent for travel on snowshoes and the temps were enjoyable. Intermittent clouds and light snow showers added to the great day. By the time we made it back to camp it was snowing a bit harder, but with no wind it didn't really bother us too much.
This afternoon we are resting, eating and drinking, and preparing gear and supplies for our next cache, which will be up around Windy Corner at about 13,600'. If the weather is good, that might happen tomorrow. We'll keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Posted by: Steve Gately, Ben Ammon, James Bealer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
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Wednesday, May 15, 2019 11:00 PM PST
After a good night's rest the team had early start and a quick breakfast before meeting at K2 Aviation to finalize our departure. Weather was looking great and by 8AM we started loading up the planes. Before we knew it we were airborne and on our way. A couple hours spent reorganizing gear at KIA (Kahiltna International Airport) and we donned the weight of a 22 day trip and took off down the Southeast Fork.
It's such a pleasure to be able to travel through this stretch of terrain with good visibility and weather. The Alaskan giants of Hunter and Foraker are staring you down and making the turn North up the Kahiltna glacier Denali slowly reveals itself.
The team did great handling the heavy weight and readjustment to life on the glacier. We are now camped at the base of a major feature known simply as "Ski Hill" at a popular interim camp at 7,800ft. Tomorrow we will bring a cache of gear to 9,600ft, bury it and return to 7,800ft. This will help get all of our food and equipment further up the hill without having to carry it all up at once. I didn't have to do much convincing! Thanks to everyone whose following along!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
Our team had another big day today. We rose early, ate breakfast, and proceeded to break down our camp. We moved from our camp at the Base of Ski Hill (7,800') to 11,200', a big day indeed. When we got here the real work started though: building camp, setting up tents, the kitchen and the bathroom, and the arduous task of melting snow for water and then cooking dinner. We're currently in the melting snow for water stage and we arrived in camp over four hours ago. There's still a lot to get done tonight. Tomorrow we'll go back down to 10,000' to retrieve our cache. Til then...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Posted by: Steve Gately, Ben Ammon, James Bealer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
Good afternoon from Talkeetna everyone! The May 13 Denali Team is safely in Talkeetna and ready to get this grand adventure underway.
The team spent the morning exploring Talkeetna before sitting down for an orientation with NPS to discuss the many facets of life on Denali. After a brief but informative discussion we shifted over to an empty aircraft hangar provided by K2 Aviation to begin tearing apart our equipment and making sure we have the necessary items for safe travel and a long trip. By early afternoon the team had their duffel bags and backpacks packed and ready to be weighed and marked by K2.
During that time my two assistant guides were busy running through our 22 days of food and organizing the rest of our group gear for the trip. It's an overwhelming process at times and the shear amount of gear needed for a successful Denali expedition slowly began to show itself.
It's a good feeling however to now say that everything is prepared and ready for our flight onto the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.
We'll take the afternoon to relax, unwind and enjoy the amenities of town life before hopefully leaving it all behind tomorrow. We're all looking forward to a great meal tonight at Denali Brewing Company and a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we'll rise early and be ready for a potential flight in. In Alaska, flights in and out of the great range depend greatly on the weather. We'll cross our fingers for a decent window tomorrow to kick things off. Hopefully by this time tomorrow I'll be sending these dispatches from the Kahiltna Glacier!
The team is psyched, the guides are psyched and life is good! Thanks for following along and as always, stay tuned for more!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
Looks like you are all making great moves and listening to the mountain. Keep it up. Routing for you!
Posted by: Darren Beck on 5/22/2019 at 9:22 am
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 7,800'
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The weather seems to have changed its tune as of late and is cooperating with us nicely. Today was mostly cloudy with an occasion light snow shower and a light breeze. It was perfect for climbing up Ski Hill and continuing up the Kahiltna to 10,000' where we made a cache of food and fuel and gear. The glacier is in excellent condition and the traveling was smooth. Our team all did well today and we're now in position to move camp to 11,200', hopefully tomorrow.
We'll let you know what shakes out,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
It’s so exciting following your adventure! Wishing you all safety and success.
Posted by: Mary Beth on 5/15/2019 at 6:15 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 7,800'
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Three times is a charm, I guess. On our third flight trying to get to Basecamp over the past few days, we had good clear skies and smooth sailing and finally made it in. After a few hours of repacking our gear, rigging our sleds, and digging a cache hole, we set off for our first camp at the Base of Ski Hill. The Kahiltna Glacier was in great condition and the weather was nearly ideal; mostly cloudy with the occasional snow shower - which kept temperatures from getting too hot. We made it to camp with full packs and sleds in tow in just under six hours. Today we'll carry a cache of supplies up a couple thousand feet and then return to camp. We'll keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Good luck to everyone!
Posted by: Richard Kalish on 5/14/2019 at 9:03 am
RMI Guides Mike King & JT Schmitt led their summit climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Mike reported cold temps and wind at the summit. The team descended from the crater rim at 8:00 am. They will continue their descent to Paradise today. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 348'
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Well, it was another day of waiting in Talkeetna for the weather to improve enough to fly into Kahiltna Base Camp. The FAA webcams looked socked in all day, but every once in a while some clearings would emerge. Finally, around 3 pm, we decided to round up the troops and don our climbing clothes and boots to be ready to board if a flight was possible. After a recon report from another K2 airplane on a scenic flight confirmed that it looked like we could land at Base Camp, we boarded the two Turbo Prop Otters and launched for the Alaska Range. A beautiful flight with partly cloudy skies took us all the way to Base Camp …but a small but thick cloud hung over the landing strip. We held in a waiting pattern for as long as we could and the conditions did not improve. Finally we regained our elevation and pointed back south for Talkeetna. An awesome flight, and oh-so-close. We’ll try again early tomorrow, with a more promising forecast.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Nikki Champion
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 10,781'
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall checked in this morning to let us know the entire Mt. Baker Summit & Ski team reached the summit around 9 am today. All is well and they will descend to camp. Once back at camp they will pack up and continue down to the trail head.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Posted by: Mike Walter, Alan Davis, Alex Halliday
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 348'
Sunday, May 11, 2019
Today was another day spent on standby in Talkeetna, waiting to fly into Basecamp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The weather didn’t seem to notice that we were waiting on it, as it rained in town and snowed in the mountains all day. The team is in great spirits, enjoying some unusual down time from our hectic lives, and busy packing in the calories. We will see what tomorrow brings; the snowy weather looks to continue throughout the day, but lighter than the past two days. Monday will bring high pressure with relief from the precipitation for at least a few days. Today's photos are courtesy of the FAA webcam for the Kahiltna Glacier Air Strip, current conditions and view on a clear day.
We’ll keep you posted with any changes in the status.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Thank you for all the great updates and pictures, Mike! So happy to hear you all are making some good progress and the weather is cooperating.
Tom M, we all are thinking of you and hope your fingers and nose are happy this year!
Posted by: Susan Mulvey on 5/17/2019 at 8:23 am
I’ve been away from internet/cellular coverage for several days but finally I’ve been able to read up on your progress.
So good to hear you’re now well on your way after the initial delay and a couple of false starts -although still fun to catch a flight or 3. Loved the video from the May 10 flight –Hi Tom M xoxo
Here’s hoping the weather continues to cooperate so the team can continue with more of the awesome progress made over the last few days. Mike, thanks so much for the updates –much appreciated.
Best wishes to all. Stay strong, stay safe and enjoy the adventure!!
Go Team Walter!!
Posted by: Jacquie Byatt on 5/16/2019 at 9:38 pm
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