June 2, 2015 - 10:40 pm PT (Both updates received)
New heights achieved! Today we rose early to no wind and blue skies with a satellite lenticular cloud slowly inching closer, cluing us into the fact that the weather may change in the next few days. We loaded our food, fuel and other equipment making for a smooth and relatively quick trip up to our next camp at 14,000'. We dug a large pit in the snow in the center of the Genet basin and filled it with many of the supplies that we will need for the next stages of the climb.
With the weather still holding we passed the infamous Windy Corner in breathless air. The crew flowed down hill flawlessly making a short stop at the rarely visited lunch rock bump view point. Taking in the full panorama of the enormous Father and Son wall, the upper Peters Glacier, NW Buttress and the Washburn Wall! Spectacular!
The short nap was well deserved this afternoon and the days timing was impeccable. The snow and a brisk breeze blew in shortly after our arrival. Which was followed by one of the best Ramen meals ever consumed on the slopes of Denali. Now as we crawl into our tents a light snow continues and we wait to see what tomorrow brings. Good evening all.
RMI Guide Tyler JonesJune 1, 2015 Blog
Today was another great weather day! We had bagels salmon and cream cheese. Not bad for mountain food! Yet we decided after four days of hard work we took a real full rest day in order to regain our strength and further our acclimatization.
The day progressed with some tent time laying around like mushrooms on a pizza. As the afternoon rolled in we spent time training our walking skills and prepping our kits for carrying our load to 14,000 Camp. We're hoping for good weather tomorrow. Send us good vibes. As the sun crests the horizon to the north in this latitude we stare at purple sky's to the south in the shade of the mountain.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
June 2, 2015 - 6:56 pm PT
The last few days of a trip always fly by. The summit, descent, and celebration in town all came together over the course of three days. Our summit day was spectacular, with blue, sunny skies, little wind, and balmy (0 degrees F) temps. We got up with the sun the next morning, which felt considerably colder, and packed our bags to descend. We originally planned to go as far as 11,200' Camp, picking up our cache at 14,000' along the way, but when we walked into 11k at 4.30 in the afternoon, and with plenty of energy to spare, we decided to keep the momentum rolling, rig sleds, and head to 7,600’ camp. The few hours of fighting with our sleds downhill proved well worth it. We got to camp at 8:30, where RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Eric Frank with their Upper West Rib team were super nice and had stoves boiling for us already. We set a hasty camp since we were only going to be there for a few hours, and went to bed. We had our only real alpine start of the trip, waking at 2.30 am. The walk out the lower Kahiltna was one of the highlights of the trip. High thin clouds reflected the light of a not yet risen sun, and the alpenglow on the surrounding peaks burned a brilliant red. A wind at our backs pushed us towards Base Camp. The scene kept our eyes drifting to the sky, and it was impossible not to enjoy the walk despite the heavy packs and sleds. By 7:30 we were at the airstrip, ready for the first flights of the day to Talkeetna. In no time the incredible pilots from K2 descended in two Otters, we loaded the planes, and we were in town, taking in the scents of grass, flowers, and trees for the first time in weeks. We showered off the smell of 18 days on the mountain, and set about filling our bellies with something that we hadn’t carried on our backs. We spent the afternoon drying gear and packing bags for our inevitable separation, and then had a final celebration dinner at the West Rib, a restaurant that is synonymous with Mt. McKinley climbers. Now, we are beginning to part ways. Some of our climbers have left for Anchorage and flights home, while others are staying in Alaska for a bit longer, albeit as tourists. Jet boat adventures, bicycle tours, and road trips to the North side of the park all lie in the future. The guides will amuse ourselves tomorrow with some time on a boat, dropping lines for Halibut, before we also head South to the Mt. Rainier climbing season. The group did a spectacular job on the mountain, climbing smoothly and safely, and we were rewarded with a truly fine summit and 100% of our group on the summit. The guides thank the whole team for their efforts, laughs, and incredible chemistry; it was a really memorable trip for us as well! Thanks to everyone for following along. Now its off to a boat, where someone else baits the hook for us and the fish can’t help but bite!
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and Team.
June 2, 2015 - 5:43 pm PT
Light snow is pelting the outside of our tents this afternoon, but we are warm and dry inside. Soon we will need to venture out and build high walls around our camp to protect the tents from any potential wind damage. Despite the fact that it is a lot of hard work, wall building tends to be a favorite among groups. It is half artistry and half big-kid Legos.
The group was already productive today. After a leisurely breakfast of bagels with smoked salmon, we took a three hour stroll down to our cached food and brought it back up to 11,200' camp. Now we are firmly established here and getting stronger for our next move uphill.
RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Eric Frank
Stay warm Kim with all that new snow. Remember, with your height you will have an advantage getting more Oxygen!
Posted by: JDT on 6/4/2015 at 8:10 am
Hi Kim: Looks like you & the team are doing terrific! We look forward at some point to seeing photos of the snow walls you are building around the tents. Sounds like it could be a “work of art” suitable for gallery viewing.Go Kim Go!!! Be safe & stay well!! Love, Dad
Tuesday, June 2nd 11:23 am PDT
Hello, this is Adam Knoff reporting from high camp on Mount McKinley. I am happy to report that the entire team summitted Mount McKinley yesterday. It was an exciting day in the morning. We were anticipating moving back down to 14K camp to wait out a pending storm that is supposed to arrive this evening. But instead we were granted a weather window in the afternoon that allowed us to go for the summit and achieve the summit. Everyone did great and this morning we are exhausted but happy that the sun is out. We are packing up camp, high camp, and will be moving down to 14K, where we will potentially be waiting out the storm that it supposed to hit us tonight. Stay tuned for more tomorrow. Thank you. Bye.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
RMI Guide Adam Knoff calling from high camp after successful summit!
Monday, June 1st 10:23 pm PDT
This morning we woke up at 7:30 to another beautiful day. Despite the chilly breeze, we packed up camp and had a quick breakfast and hit the dusty trail. Soon the wind dissipated and we found ourselves in base layers again. The team moved very well up Ski Hill and past our cache site on up to 11K camp. Luckily 11K camp was somewhat vacant so we moved right into an old camp saving us a lot of work, although we will need to fix up the snow walls a bit tomorrow. After a delicious dinner of mac and cheese, we crawled into our tents as the low clouds crept higher with the incoming front. Weather permitting tomorrow we will retrieve our cache at 9,600' and do some work around camp here at 11. Thanks for following along with us.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
“Greetings up there!” Hope you are the team that my brother “Steve” is with as I am tracking your progress. Sounds like the trek has been pretty smooth thus far- “GOD SPEED”
“TO THE SUMMIT!!!”
Posted by: Pamela Wincapaw on 6/2/2015 at 5:15 pm
Hey Kim! It looks amazing up there! Stay dry and warm, but most of all enjoy every moment!
Sunday, May 31st 9:38pm PDT
Hi there. This is Adam Knoff calling from High Camp on Mount McKinley. I would like to report that we had a very successful and warm rest day today. We practiced putting on all of our warm clothes, walking around like stay-puffed marshmallow people, getting ready for tomorrow. The weather outlook is still in our favor so we expect to have a good, but somewhat exciting, day on the upper mountain on Mount McKinley. We will call you some time along the line. Adios.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Ben Liken reached the top of Mt. Rainier today. Casey reported a touch and go summit as the team had climbed into a cloud cap and a bit of poor weather with some new snow and a bit of wind. The Team is en route to Camp Muir and we expect them to be celebrating back at Rainier Basecamp later this afternoon!
Congratulations Team!
Sunday, May 31st 11:45pm PDT
Today the weather was wonderful! We woke up with the sun warming the tents. With a leisurely breakfast of pop tarts and grits we then sauntered down to hit our cache at 10,000ft. The groceries now in hand, we walked back up hill on firm snow dawning our crampons which was a pleasant change from waddling like platypus in snowshoes! Do platypus even walk anyway?
Back at camp our food bags were calling us as we climbed in our tents to beat the afternoon radiation. We welcomed RMI teams Walter and Van Deventer back to 11 camp fresh from the summit yesterday. Great work teams!
After giving high-fives to our friends, we worked on fortifying our camp. We built walls, bathrooms and a new cook tent. Camp looks good and we are snug as a bug in a rug here at 11,000ft.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
Sunday, May 31st 11:16 p.m. PDT
The team got a late start this morning after a middle of the night arrival at 7,800 ft camp. Breakfast took the majority of the morning, but eventually we loaded up a portion of our food and gear to make the three-hour trip up the glacier to cache our load. Everyone did well despite the heavy packs, and we are looking forward to the them lighter and lighter as we eat more food.
This evening we were able to congratulate both Mike Walter and Pete Van Deventer's teams who are on their way down from the summit.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
Sunday, May 31st 1:54pm PDT
This afternoon our team descended to 14,200 feet. Once evening hits, we will continue our descent to either the McKinley camp at 11,200' or 7,800'. If we stay on schedule and pending the weather, we will be at the airstrip and ready for our flight back to Talkeetna by tomorrow afternoon.
We will be home soon!
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
Go Naie Naie! Enjoy the final climb down the mountain with team PJR! So happy for you all. You truly are an inspiration Renee. Tell Jord to buy you a nice beer and enjoy a hot shower.
Thinking of you always you bobby dazzler.
Love ya,
Sarah xxx
Posted by: Sarah on 6/1/2015 at 9:28 pm
Wooohooo the final countdown is on team PJR!!!
You are such a champion Renee, can’t wait to see your smiling face back in Melbourne again :) Bet you can’t wait for that cold beer, hot shower and a warm bed for a well earned snooze !!! You really rock the world little one :) xxxx Love you a bit ;)
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Nice job guys!! I hope you are all having fun and staying warm :)
Posted by: Jen Boekenoogen on 6/3/2015 at 2:36 pm
Daddy! 6th Grade is over! Excited to play some video games and sleep in!
Be careful!
Love you,
Oz
Posted by: Oz on 6/3/2015 at 12:39 pm
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