Entries from Expedition Dispatches

We summited Illiniza Norte at 8:30am this morning. Cloudy and threatening but we started dry and had a great climb.

I'll write a proper dispatch once we get down to the refugio and send some photos.

RMI Guide Eric Frank

RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier checked in from Camp Muir at approximately 7:00 a.m. High winds and blowing snow prevented the team from making a summit attempt today. The team plans to begin its descent from Camp Muir later this morning and is expected to return to Ashford this afternoon, where they will conclude their program.

Monday, June 8, 2026 - 7:51 pm PT

D(ave): Hey ChatGPT, I’m writing a daily update blog for the 14 people following our expedition up Denali and I need some clever ideas about how to structure it so that it isn’t just a bland update about what we did that day. Can you help me generate some ideas?

C(hatGPT): Sure, happy to help. Before I get started, can you give me an idea about what you did today so that I can start to

D: Yep. Today we woke up to a delightful brunch of breakfast burritos and hot drinks, our guides then confirmed that the following day (Tuesday) we would be heading up to 17 camp from where we would then make a summit push on Wednesday or Thursday (obligatory “whether permitting” disclaimer, of course). We went over a lot of details about what to bring to 17, expectations and what to wear on the summit push - basically, it is going to be cold so bring every layer you have and the guides will give final instructions on the day of the summit push based on conditions. After brunch we brought our ice axes into the cook tent and we taped them up with foam and duct tape to further insulate our hands from the cold metal. Once we were done with that we  and brought our overboots and crampons into the tent so we could cut slits into the over boots so that our crampons fit. Ray did mine. It was like showing a horse. He was very gentle. Would recommend.  After that, we all broke up and anxiously went through our gear, making sure that we knew where everything was so that we could get an early start tomorrow. That’s pretty much it.

C: Ok, that is a great blow by blow of what happened during the day. Did anything else noteworthy, funny, or unusual happen? Do you want this update to only factual, or do you want to throw in some made up or funny things.

D: Ummm, Peter led the building of an arch with snow blocks to stay active. We listened to Alonzo’s pump up song “Into the Danger Zone”. We learned that Jackson and Ray used to neighbors and that they had opposite schedules - one getting up early while the other stays up late. Matt taught a few of us Farkle (a dice game), and Ricky gave a lecture on dark matter, dark energy, the difference between special and general relativity, and other mind bending astrophysics topics. You know, just random conversations. 

C: Ok, that is helpful. Since you are on an expedition have you thought about putting this into a cabin fever theme?

D: Yeah. I thought about that. Something like “Day 2 of sitting in the tent waiting for the storm to pass. No one is here except Peter, and his pug tattoos to keep me company. Peter doesn’t say much anymore but one of his pugs, the grumpy one, told me that I smelled today, which I thought was pretty rich coming from a dog” Anyway, I didn’t think that would go very far as it is so far from our actual experience.

C: Ok, I think I have everything that I need. Here is a clever blog post for your expedition “Today we got ready to head up to the next camp and then to the summit. Everyone is in good spirits and anxious to get going.”

D: Wait, that’s it? 

C: Yep. What did you expect. I’m not even connected to the internet.

D: Fair point. I guess I’ll go with that and close with the answers from yesterday’s secrets post. Here they are!

1. Dave

2. Ricky

3. Pattie

4. Matt

5. Alonso

6. Lacie

7. Ray

8. Peter

9. Lizzie

10. Jackson

RMI Climber Dave

The Four-Day Climb (June 5 - 8) led by Dave Hahn and George Hedreen turned at 13,300' today due to deteriorating weather. They will be back in Ashford this afternoon.

Sun 6/7/2026 - 10:58 PM PST

Today’s haiku:

Heat panic in tent
White out on the back carry
Rest day tomorrow

- RMI Climbing Team

Sun 6/7/2026 6:45 PM PST

With all the prerequisite caching, acclimatization, and skills prep compete, we now hunker down at camp 14k to await a weather window. Things look optimistic for Tuesday, so between now and then we snack, rest, snack some more, get beaten by Matt at backgammon (sorry Dad, I’m in deep after losing a 64-point game), nap, chat, read while snacking, snack while reading, stretch the  legs, and repeat until dinner time. Pad Thai, let’s go! Make sure to leave room for dessert though.

We did take a break from snacking to learn how to do efficient running belays, which will become critical during our summit day. When temperatures are as low as negative 25, and wind chill potentially doubling that lower, every minute counts.

With conditions potentially deteriorating tonight, we also learned the fine art of digging a snow block quarry and constructing 4 foot high walls to block the wind from flapping our tents all night long. Good to know that if my career in proprietary trading ever stalls I can pivot to high altitiude masonry.

Ray lead construction of a magnificent new bathroom, complete with soaring white marble walls, ergonomically designed toilet platform, gender neutral urinal, and unobstructed views of the summit. If he could just rig up a heated bucket seat I might not poop anywhere else ever again.

After spending the last 11 days and nights together, chatting, laughing and snuggling in our tents (looking at you Alonso) you might think we know everything there is to know about each other. But as I’ve learned today, we all still have secrets.

What follow are blind secrets, one for each member of our team (including the guides). Only I know who wrote each one. After dinner, we will try to match each secret to its owner. For the 12 hundred readers of this blog, wager your own guesses in the comments! Answers will be provided in tomorrow’s post.

1. During college I worked in a sorority kitchen washing dishes in exchange for free food.

2. I once panicked inside a busy IKEA when I couldn’t find my way out and had to go home and sleep for three hours.

3. I once angrily told someone to shut up during a musical only to find out during the intermission that it was a disabled person and her guide, who was explaining the plot to her.

4. I have an MBA, two bachelors degrees and two associates degrees.

5. I listen to “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins before every major life task/event to get myself amped up and in the zone. It has worked time and time again.

6. I learned an instrument in 12 months, which lead to joining and training with the states symphony orchestra for young adults, and played one concert with the LA opera.

7. I used to ride bucking horses at the Friday night rodeo.

8. One of my favorite things to watch before bed is live ‘speed running’, events, which is essentially watching people watching people beat video games really fast.

9. I can touch my elbows behind my back.

10. My ancestors were the only family in the Donnor party to survive without losing a single family member.

- RMI Climber Peter

Sun 6/7/2026 11:40 AM

Dear reader, pardon the lateness of now-yesterday’s dispatch, but after our ascent to 14k camp, we awoke covered in frost yesterday, only to have our rest day cruelly ripped away from us. Please, sir, but a small helping of hot water for Lizzie’s single-origin Kenyan pour-over coffee? No. Instead, an unspecified group update.

Much to our dismay, our guide’s (*sigh*) relentlessly unimpeachable decision-making meant that in the face of oncoming weather, we would expedite a run to 16k feet to acclimatize and cache food for a later summit bid.

We therefore enjoyed a hasty but quite respectable breakfast of rehydrated eggs and hash browns. (What would it take for *you* to ingest a liter of uncooked egg slurry? Comment below!) As the sun rose from behind the mountain and conditions transitioned in the span of two minutes from bitter cold to oppressive heat, we roped up and set to work.

Everyone climbed admirably. With good communication and low-moderate lingering resentment, we ascended the fixed lines smoothly, cached our food, and enjoyed sweeping views of Mount Hunter (somehow now below us!) and Mount Foraker (watch out, you’re next).

In light of this progress, we now face one of the most strenuous and imposing segments of the climb: three to four rest days while the weather passes with no internet and long since exhausted even-passably-from-a-distance-clean-ish clothes.

But like ice to so many mountains, we cling to optimism. As long as we don’t lose essential gear to our guides in games of chess, and as long as Pattie has enough puzzles and Matt continues to summon answers like two six-letter countries that start with “r” and end with “a,” prospects for the next segment—like the subarctic sunlight at 2 AM—are bright.

To all 13,000 readers of this blog, we send our love and best wishes and eagerly await seeing you on the other side of the mountain.

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- Climber Ricky

6/7 - Given a questionable forecast, the team met at 5:30am this morning for a quick coffee and early launch for Rucu. It turned out to be a great decision as we were rewarded with spectacular views of the other Ecuadorian volcanoes and dry conditions for our climb. After traversing the grassy plains below the peak, we linked together sections of easy trail with some short rock scrambles until we arrived at the top in only 3 hours. 

Everyone performed well and felt strong despite the fact that we are only on our second day in country. After returning from the climb we gorged on pizza and look forward to an afternoon of relaxing before we pack up to head to our next peak - Illiniza Norte. 

- RMI Guide Eric Frank & Team

Saturday, June 6th

Burns & team make it back to Talkeetna.

Congratulations everyone!

Saturday, June 6th - 8PM PST

Late last night, the guide team received news of the passing of an NPS ranger in a tragic accident. The morning greeted us with crystal clear skies, sunshine and the mountain shining and glowing extra special. The day was spent reflecting and remembering the fallen Ranger. A mountain guide, Ski patroller, Nurse, and Denali NPS pro Ranger, she dedicated her life to selflessly serving others in the front country and in some of then most austere environments. She will be missed and celebrated. Also in our thoughts today are the RMI guides currently on NPS volunteer ranger patrols, all previous volunteers, the Pro rangers and pilots. These folks give their time, effort, and sometimes lives to make Denali the special and life changing place that it is.

The team had smooth move day to 11 camp.  We dug in Camp deep in anticipation of a short storm. Now at 11 we are looking forward to starting the acclimatization process and setting ourselves up to move further up the mountain.

-RMI Guide Team