Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Elevation: 14,200'

Saturday, July 6, 2013 14 K at last! But we had to fight our way up here, it didn't come easy. Back down at 11,000 ft in the early hours of the day, it looked as though we might get decent weather. At least, if one was looking up at the West Buttress, there was good visibility and not much sign of wind, if one turned and looked West, however, there was still a massive flow of cloud, as there had been all week, often overflowing and engulfing camp. We ate breakfast and packed, it seemed especially difficult to get going after having become so deeply dug in for the best part of a week, but we managed. Naturally, as we roped up and and got ready to walk, the clouds swept in and the wind came up. We came full on into strong, steady winds as we topped motorcycle hill and it seemed we found even stronger winds at the crest of squirrel hill. All of this was while inside a big white freezing cloud, so we were getting rimed up and frosty as we leaned straight into the storm to climb higher. On the polo field, we still had wind but we were getting occasional sun breaks. Windy Corner lived up to its name today. Getting past it was the key battle of the day, but we knew if we could pass the corner we could leave the wind and cloud behind. Sure enough, as we reached our cache from yesterday, we'd found a calm and sunny glacier. It took another ninety minutes to get into "Genet Basin" which we reached at 3:30 PM. We were happy to rejoin the teams we'd shared 11 camp with. There were plenty of empty camp sites with good walls, so building our nest at 14,200 ft was made slightly easier. The team was a little weary after pushing through such harsh conditions, but all were excited to be back in the game, to have new and awesome views and to have beat the forecasted "next storm". Yes, that is right, we are in for another one. The western sky was full of wind sculpted wave clouds, as if a fleet of flying saucers were attacking Mount Foraker. By the time we finished dinner, Denali was cloud capped as well and the snow was starting to fall at 14,200. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Yea, ravens at 13,000 ft?!? Those must be some bad ass ravens

Posted by: Fred on 7/7/2013 at 5:54 pm

Erik Nelson’s uncle and aunt here, following the journey eagerly. Proud, Praying, Positive! The Mariners’ Cove crabbing operation has been fun and successful. Hoping the same for your adventure, Erik and team.

Posted by: Jay and Carol Sigafoos on 7/7/2013 at 2:31 pm

Mt.McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Wait Out the Winds

July 7, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Elevation: 17,000'

Saturday, July 6, 2013 It was a beautiful though somewhat blustery summit day yesterday and everyone did great! We woke this morning with the intention of moving downhill, but as we prepared, several other groups returned reporting high winds along the buttress. After assessing, we decided that it would behoove us to rest the day and recover from yesterday, and move down tomorrow in lesser winds. So we'll be in touch tomorrow, hopefully from significantly lower on the mountain! All for now, RMI Guides Pete, Geoff, Robby, and team

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Hello Guapo,
Everyone is asking me how long the trip down is, but I honestly don’t remember.
On the 9th it will be three weeks…..seems like forever.
Looking forward to hearing all about it…everyone is!
We are all proud! Im glad you are resting and recovering.
xxoo
Mairon ad Maya

Posted by: marion and maya on 7/7/2013 at 3:54 pm

Good morning, Tommy! I am grateful you are well and resting. I miss you, but I am happy ya’ll are using caution as you come down. More than anything, I can’t wait to hear your voice! There was lots of excitement on Facebook once everyone learned of your success reaching the top. I can’t wait for you to read the posts and the messages and “likes” of those following you. I posted a special message to you on Facebook from me and your supporters today. To say I am proud seems like an understatement because I am so much more. I am humbled by your courage, strengthened by your strength, and inspired by your passion. We have such an incredible future ahead. Thank you for showing me what is possible. I pray for an awesome day and safety coming down. My love and thoughts are with you going down as they were going up. I am so excited thinking how close you are to coming home! I love you!
Rhonda

Posted by: Rhonda Kitchen on 7/7/2013 at 8:21 am

Mt. Elbrus: Casey Grom & Team Arrive in Moscow

July 6, 2013

Posted by: Casey Grom

The adventure starts today! All team members have safely arrived in Moscow without a glimpse of Edward Snowden. After our long flights here we keep things pretty laid-back tonight with a light meet and greet, then headed out for a quick dinner. Not far from our hotel is a great little place that serves up some wonderful beef stroganoff, so that's where we went. We took a short walk to stretch the legs and get a little dessert and have now retired to our hotel to catch up on some much needed sleep. Stay tuned! RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

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Larry I hope you and the team have a great trip and climb!! I look forward to following your progress and seeing and hearing about this adventure!

Posted by: Paul Kinneberg on 7/7/2013 at 7:44 am

Looking good Larry in the pic…Sage / younger at same time…Ready to notch another…Go go go and Godspeed Walter…Tell the peak “hey”

Posted by: walter glover on 7/7/2013 at 7:08 am

Mt. Elbrus: Tucker & Team Check Into the Garabashi Hut

July 6, 2013

Posted by: Mark Tucker

Elevation: 12,000'

Well we are moving right along. Team is doing well after a couple of trams and a chair lift. Here we are at 12000', the Garabashi luxury dorm-type living. We are sticking with the normal program that has worked so well in the past. We did a nice three-hour hike, acclimatization is going well. Was under nice weather. We are just resting, hydrating, and nesting in our lovely barrel. We're waiting our turn in the dining area. There's a few other groups that are sharing our support crew up here and we're all getting along just fine. Although there is just one guy up here. I think he goes by JJ. You know there always has to be one of those in the bunch. So psyched the team is doing well. Should be another good night to catch up a little more on that jet lag. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls in from the Garabashi Hut.

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Mt. Elbrus: Justman & Team Acclimatize to 15,200’

July 6, 2013

Posted by: JJ Justman

Elevation: 15,200'

Swinging into full climbing mode, our team made a giant foray onto the upper slopes of Mount Elbrus. Hey everyone, this is JJ Justman with RMI and the first Elbrus team of the season. Of course proper acclimatization is key and everyone is doing very, very well. 15,200 feet was our max altitude that we reached today. Donning sharp crampons on our boots allowed us some good practice for our summit day. Now back at camp here feels a little thicker and once again, our cooks are pampering us with some of the best authentic Russian cuisine. After all I have a good saying that a well-fed climber is a strong climber and I do believe the one reason why Russian climbers are so strong, is a secret ingredient they put in the borscht, which is Russian homemade soup here. It's really delicious, our cooks are doing a great job. We're loving life up here on Mount Elbrus. But it is relax time to fully recover. As I mentioned, our team is doing really, really well. We are going to do a rest day tomorrow in preparation for our summit day, which as of right now, is looking like it is going to be Monday, so stay tuned. RMI Guide JJ Justman

RMI Guide JJ Justman calls in from Mt. Elbrus

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Godspeed, Bob Wang and RMI, Godspeed!

Rick de Dallas

Posted by: Rick Sims on 7/7/2013 at 2:29 pm

(Julie first removes pin hole glasses so not to type more errors)
TEXAS IS GETTING EXCITED FOR YOUR SUMMIT.
Amy, be sure to keep Ed in line. (what am I saying?) LIZ, keep both Ed and Amy in line.

Posted by: Julie Marx on 7/7/2013 at 9:55 am

Mt. Rainier: Update July 6th - Summit!

July 6, 2013

Posted by: Paul Maier, Lindsay Mann

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Mt. Rainier Four Day Summit Climbs led by Paul Maier and Lindsay Mann reached the summit at 6:30 a.m. Both teams were able to enjoy the bluebird views for over an hour before beginning their descent at 7:50 a.m. Congratulations to the summit climbers!

Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Back in Talkeetna!

July 6, 2013

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal

Elevation: 346'

Saturday, July 6th, 2013 at 1:50 a.m. PST We made it! We stomped a runway. Ate breakfast. Went like Vikings to raid a cache (unsuccessfully). Made two hours of quesadillas. Packed up camp for incoming airplane. Listened as incoming airplane went away. Made camp again. Made dinner. Packed up camp as planes came back. Flew back to civilization!! Pizza. Welcome home! RMI Guides Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal, Katie Bono and the RMI Summit Team 6

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Thank you RMI, Mike and team for keeping everyone safe and heading in the right direction! Congratulations to all! Have safe journeys home. Steve, I can’t wait to see you!

Posted by: Tania on 7/6/2013 at 3:53 pm

I spoke to Quinn early this morning when you made it down and he called again today. Thank you Mike and the team for taking great care of our loved ones. Have a great rest of the climbing season and God speed.

Posted by: George Landers on 7/6/2013 at 1:37 pm

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Summit!

July 6, 2013

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Geoff Schellens, Robby Young

Elevation: 20,320'

Saturday, July 6th, 2013 1:39 a.m. PST Hi all. This is Pete, Geoff, Robby and team from Mt. McKinley. We are happy to report that we stood on top of North America today! Had our weather window show up and went for it. The whole team stood on top. It was a little bit blustery, but everybody did a great job. We were on top about 6:30 this evening. Now we are all back at 17K Camp safe and sound enjoying a Ramen dinner and getting ready to sack out before we start looking at moving down the mountain tomorrow. So hope everybody is well and glad to be able to give good news. Will talk later, bye. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer calls in after summit success!

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Derek, Congrats on your climb! I’m in North Pole AK and have been looking at the mountain from the fire. ICP is at elem. school stop by if possible.
Stay Safe,
Kim

Posted by: Kim Lemke on 7/10/2013 at 2:20 pm

Way to go!!! Can’t wait to hear the tales, Wy. What an awesome accomplishment. It’s almost like being able to say, “I walked on the moon!” :) Love you!

Posted by: Donna Evenson on 7/7/2013 at 9:01 pm

Mt. McKinley: Hahn & Team Carry to 13,600’

July 6, 2013

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Zeb Blais, Mike King

Elevation: 11,200'

Friday, July 5th, 2013 10:57 p.m. PST Finally a break in the weather. Things calmed down during the night and the upper layer of clouds began to dissipate. As we watched for an hour or two beginning at 5 AM, the weather went back and forth for a while, but once we committed to getting the team up and getting going, it all began to go our way. We dealt with slightly cooler temperatures and steady breezes as we left camp at 9 AM for our carry, but we had big blue skies overhead which was great for everybody's morale. Snow conditions were perfect for walking, which was a little surprising after so many days of falling snow. It seems that it had been such a long dry spell previously, that the surface had gotten firm from wind and sun. When new snow landed on that surface, it just blew clean. At any rate, it was perfect for our crampons today. We got up Motorcycle Hill and halfway up Squirrel Hill in the first hour, which entitled us to enjoy grand views of The Northwest Buttress and the Peter's Glacier. The second hour took us into the "Polo Field" as folks now call the basin which the end of the West Buttress towers over. We moved through this area without much visibility as another cloud had found us. By the time we reached Windy Corner, we were walking out of the cloud and getting big views again. Windy Corner has been a concern for several weeks now as the June heat wave had produced a rockfall hazard in the area. But there had to be some benefit to the storm that was keeping us down, it froze things up nicely above the corner and our passage was fast and safe. We cached food and fuel at 13,600', just past the corner. It had taken four and a half hours to reach our destination. We buried things deep to thwart the cache robbing ravens, and then began an easy descent with light packs. By 3:45, we were back in camp, basking in sunshine. There is still plenty of cloud around, but for the moment it is below us. We hope it stays that way as we want to move to 14,200' tomorrow. All were excited and energized to finally see beyond the corner. Denali's South Peak was no longer far away or on some horizon, it was front and center... and gigantic. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Dave and Team-

Good to hear that you are finally able to move. I arrived in Moscow yesterday with Casey Grom and teamates. We fly up to the Elbrus area tomorrow morning.

-Larry Seaton

Posted by: Larry Seaton on 7/6/2013 at 9:49 pm

Dear Will and team: Glad that you can finally get on the move again, and that it was a good weather for the most part. Heard from Amy yesterday, and she relayed the news. Your Dad says hi, and sends his love. Hope today brings another day of good climbing.

Posted by: Vicki on 7/6/2013 at 10:30 am

Mt. Elbrus: Tucker & Team Hike in the Cheget Ski Area

July 5, 2013

Posted by: Mark Tucker

Elevation: 11,000'

Nice to be in the mountains, especially the Caucasus. What a nice range of peaks it is. A bit of sun, a little cloudy at times, and some wind made for a nice variety during our day of hiking. We used the chair lifts to put us into thin air and then climbed to around 11,000'. Had a momentary glimpse of the Mt. Elbrus' upper mountain but saving the prolonged clear for summit day and time we will spend high on the flanks of the tallest peak in Europe. Good planning indeed. Ran across a number of guide friends today and played a good trick on one of them. The team got into character and did not break till we totally fooled my pal. They met him on the trail and immediately surrounded him saying how great to see you again, giving him hugs and the whole enchilada, while I kept just off stage watching his reaction. He was pretty cool, trying to remember what trip or where he knew them from, being old friends and all to this group of five ladies, acting as if yes, I might just remember you. We all had a good laugh after I showed myself. I better keep an eye out for he will definitely try to get me back. The team did great today on the hike. We are all well and having a fun time. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Chair lift? Now that’s the way to “climb” a mountain! Like to see the dismount from said lift with pack. Does my heart good to see Lucy’s hair still perfect after 4 days in Russia and Sasha in her colorful gear. Fully expect Laura to be in green. Mark has just tapped the potential for humor for this group. He has no idea. Love to you all

Posted by: Kathryn LeBey on 7/6/2013 at 4:58 am

ambushed by five attractive ladies, not a bad joke

Posted by: John on 7/5/2013 at 1:34 pm