Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Everyone did well on our first night sleeping above 14,000'. We spent the bulk of the day working around camp, building snow walls for protection from the wind, and digging out our kitchen. We also hiked back down to retrieve our cache at 13,600'.
Tomorrow we will rest and prepare for taking a cache of food and fuel to high camp. The weather forecast is calling for warmer temperatures, and we're all looking forward to that.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Greetings from beautiful Kahiltna Base Camp! Despite breezy conditions this morning the guys at K2 Aviation were able to get us on the glacier later this morning. We spent the rest of the afternoon setting up a simple camp and getting everything ready to head out on the route early tomorrow morning. The views on the flight in were spectacular as always but this time especially so because there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The team has been hanging out and soaking in the immensity of our new environs. We'll check in tomorrow from our next camp around 7,800' or so.
Ciao for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
The weather at Everest Base Camp is cloudy but the temperatures are nice. We have heard that more climbers have successfully reached the top of Mt. Everest.
Kaji and Dawa after going to the South Col yesterday have comeback to Base camp. Lam Babu has also returned to Base Camp from Camp 2.
Tsering and Yubarj plan on carrying loads to the South Col tomorrow early morning early if the weather allows.
Speaking of weather, the forecast for lighter winds has been adjusted to more moderate speeds, we have heard of a number of teams adjusting their summit schedule to a later date. Everyone is looking for that perfect weather window. Some teams are in position for summit attempts tonight and tomorrow night.
Our team at Base Camp continues with the resting and eating routine. We are working hard to fatten up Dave, Linden, Sara and Bill. We had a few friends over today to throw some horseshoes. The focus now is keeping track of the forecasts and monitoring resting patterns. How much simpler could life get.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Hello everyone!
Billy here checking in for the rest of the crew after the first official day of our Denali expedition. Today's theme: attention to detail. Lots of packing- group gear, food, hardware, clothing systems, etc. etc. After a great orientation with the park service this afternoon the team tied up all the loose ends and we are officially ready to rock and roll. Tomorrow morning we are hoping to fly in to Kahiltna Base earlier rather later but that is contingent upon the winds. The weather should be clear but possibly a bit breezy. Regardless, the pilots at K2 seem optimistic about getting onto the mountain tomorrow.
Wish us luck!
Mike would also like to make a shout out to his grandfather. He's thinking of you.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
This is Ed and Seth checking in from 14,200 feet on Denali. Today we dropped 750 vertical feet back down the route to pick up our cache of food and fuel. It took us an hour and a half round trip. The weather has been great all day. We are now well positioned to begin climbing on the upper mountain.
RMI Guides Ed Viesturs and Seth Waterfall
On The Map
We woke this morning to very cold temperatures and gusty winds, but clear skies at Camp 3. After breakfast we packed up the tents and headed out; the wind had quit and the weather was beautiful as we headed up Motorcycle Hill and then Squirrel Hill. It even got hot as we climbed toward Windy Corner.
We are now in our new home, Camp 4 (14,200'). We will go back to Windy Corner tomorrow to retrieve the cache of gear we left there 2 days ago. Everyone climbed well and we're cozy in our sleeping bags trying to get used to this new altitude.
My fingers are cold as I type this, so that's it for now. I'll be in touch again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Now it gets interesting in Everest-ville. Chherring, Dawa Jamba and Kaji made a significant contribution to our team's potential success today. They got up around 2 AM, put on big packs at ABC and climbed all the way to the South Col, establishing what will be our High Camp at 26,000 feet. All three were safely back down the Lhotse Face and into ABC by noon. They'll hope to repeat that extremely big morning of work in the next few days... boosting enough tents, fuel, oxygen and miscellaneous heavy stuff up to the Col so that the door will be open for our summit bid.
Just when that summit bid will take place is uncertain at this point. To be sure, when Linden, Sara and myself came down from ABC yesterday we were bucking the local trend. There were dozens of our friends, fellow guides and Sherpas pushing up the lower mountain with summit stars in their eyes already. This season is turning out to be different from those in recent memory in that the weather window is open early and people are taking advantage. This has long been a hope for those of us who habitually attempt Everest..."If only the weather could be good enough, early enough so that everybody wasn't going for the summit on the same four crowded days in late May" Climbers are getting to the top now... we heard that Apa Sherpa got his record 21st summit of the mountain today... British climber Kenton Cool is already back home after a head-spinning and nearly unheard of three-week round-trip to the summit (we are on our seventh or eighth week). In the next couple of days it should get quite busy at the top of the world as the bulk of the assembled expeditions look to get it all done while the jet-stream seems to be otherwise occupied.
If it seems like I'm jealous then perhaps I am... but only mildly. A good shot at the top for others is not necessarily a good shot for us. Having just come down the mountain from our last round of acclimatization yesterday, I'm satisfied enough with our exertions and not yet restless and bored enough to be jealous of anyone else's. Although the three of us are each feeling strong and healthy now, we need a good chunk of rest and we cling to the belief that a viable weather window later in the month will be warmer and quieter than a viable weather window in the middle of the month... we want every single advantage.
That is why we were trying to get up to sleep at Camp 3 a few days ago. Without question it would have been a big plus for our small team to have the experience and confidence that results from an admittedly dreadful night in a tent at 24,000 ft. But it was clear to each of us that Sara was getting worn out in the most-recent effort to reach that camp... who knows why? Perhaps the last rest period in Base Camp wasn't long enough... perhaps the windy-night at Camp 1 deprived her of the sleep she needed... perhaps the hot sun in the Western Cwm or the cold morning at ABC drained her reserves... perhaps, perhaps, perhaps... it doesn't really matter. It is a huge disadvantage that younger climbers suffer from -that they don't always know their bodies well enough to know just why and when they'll be tired instead of burly. But in any case, Sara was getting worked by the climb to Camp 3... she knew it, I knew it, and Linden knew it. We all were completely clear that despite this, she could make it up to the camp under her own power and spend the night if necessary. But the day's goal no longer seemed to be a smart one of it meant getting our most important climber exhausted on the doorstep to the "death zone". It became crystal clear that we needed to focus on a bigger picture than a counter-productive practice night at Camp 3... we needed to get down, to get in a good rest and to get focused on a summit bid that fit our needs.
And so here we are... listening to other teams high up on the hill, cheering on our own Sherpa team of heroes, eating everything in sight, beginning to talk just a bit of things we might do in June, keeping Tuck occupied with horseshoes, card games and dice, enduring daily snow showers, making one another laugh and trying to stay focused on a big picture that involves going to 29,035 ft soon... and coming down safely.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Ed Viesturs and I, along with the team, pulled into the 14,000 foot camp today! We spent 5.5 hours climbing. It was a great show of strength for our group. We started out in questionable weather but after two hours of climbing the clouds lifted and we were able to round Windy Corner in sunshine. We then spent a few hours building camp. Its necessary to build snow walls at the upper camps here to prevent the tents from being crushed by the wind. We're all settled in now for the evening.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Our crew is resting today at Camp 3 (11,200'). We were tempted to move up to Camp 4 (14,200') today but the weather was a little squirrely this morning. Our team is strong, and climbing very well, but I decided that we would all benefit from rest and more time at 11,200' before pushing camp up to 14,200'. We're all eager to move up higher, and we're hopeful that tomorrow will be the day.
Hopefully next time I update our progress it will be from Camp 4. May the weather gods cooperate!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Dave, Sara and Linden descended from Camp 2 in nice weather only to have the last half hour to Base Camp turn into a snow zone. Base Camp has remained in and out of snow showers all day. The climbers are doing well, enjoying the thick air of 17,575' and getting into the rest and eating routine. Bill could not be happier with Sara now back at Base Camp.
Our Sherpa team continues to prepare the upper camps for the summit bid. Lam Babu carried a load from Base Camp to Camp 2 today. Tsering, Dawa and Kaji were up early at Camp 2 with plans to carry to the South Col but due to snow and poor visibility they remained at Camp 2. They will take a look at it again tomorrow and hopefully we'll have a nice report from the climbing team tomorrow.
Many other teams are leaving Base Camp today beginning their push for the summit. We wish them well!
Today marks the twenty-first anniversary of my summit of Mount Everest. (Mark reached Everest's summit on May 10th, 1990 as a member of Jim Whittaker's Peace Climb along with climbers from Russia and China via the North East Ridge. Happy anniversary Tuck!)
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
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Dave hurry back to work, I am having them future all my packages…Waiting for your return. Be safe.
Posted by: Stacee Holmes on 5/13/2011 at 9:12 pm
I am happy to hear clear skies. Enjoy the beauty and be safe. Love you Drew.
Posted by: Shirl on 5/13/2011 at 7:34 pm
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