Entries from Expedition Dispatches
May 21, 2017
We had another chilly day at
14 Camp as the the sun never poked out from the overcast sky. We spent a several of hours reinforcing the snow walls surround our tents in anticipation of a significant upcoming storm. We're planning to hunker down, weather the storm, and hope to have decent weather for a summit push on the flip side. Time will tell...
As we were reinforcing our camp, we were joined by the RMI Denali team led by Pete Van Deventer as they moved into 14 Camp. They're busy building camp and adjusting to the thin air up here as I write this.
We'll keep you in the loop with how the weather treats us.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
...Happy anniversary Kelly!
On The Map
May 20, 2017
A visit to the
National Park Service to sign in for our expedition followed our team meeting this morning. Good stuff was covered at both get togethers, and set the tone for a safe, fun, and otherwise successful trip.
And then the work began, starting with checking the ton of gear we all have, the group gear and food we'll be taking, and packing all this stuff up so we can actually move someplace tomorrow. We certainly couldn't have fit more into the day.
As we were working, the clouds of the morning finally gave way to clear skies this evening, just in time for us to enjoy a last dinner together under an Alaskan sun that never really sets. Halibut, reindeer meatloaf and local brews were on order - menu items we'll not see for some time.
We're all really enjoying one another's company already, and I look forward to starting our climb in the morning, provided the skies stay reasonably clear overnight.
We'll be in touch tomorrow, hopefully from the Kahiltna Glacier.
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
May 20, 2017
The 11,000' Camp Diner opened for business late this morning, though still before the sun warmed its patrons' bones. The menu had one question: with or without. Bagels and cream cheese with or without bacon. It turned into a beautiful day, and we got some National Geographic worthy photos of
Mt. Foraker and the Kahiltna stretching out below us. Lots of naps, reading, movies, and some time catching up with our good friends and RMI Guides Robby and Lucas from Mike W's team rounded out the day. Tomorrow, back to the grindstone, as we move up to 14,000' and dig in. Everyone is looking forward to the good living of 14 Camp.
Until tomorrow,
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny and team
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb May 18 - 21 led by
RMI Guides ElÃas de Andrés and Paul Rachele reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just after 7 AM this morning. It is a beautiful and clear morning and the team reported a windy start, but pleasant conditions on top. They will return to Camp Muir and continue their descent to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team.
May 20, 2017
The clouds did not stick around so long this morning but the chill lingered for much longer. The team enjoyed blue skies as they built a few snow block walls around camp under a steady drone of the numerous otters flying in to drop off more climbers. After a short siesta we moved into some anchor building and simple hauling systems in preparation for proper crevasse rescue. For now we are doing some packing for a morning trip around the
SE Fork to see how things are for climbing.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
May 19, 2017
The rain fell as we debarked from the plane after touching down at Anchorage International Airport. With three hours before meeting the team Christina, JT and I reviewed paperwork and plans for the trip.
Then, one by one folks started showing up, with everyone gathered well before our 4:30 departure. A good sign of things you come.
We had plenty of time to get to know each other while awaiting our shuttle to
Talkeetna and I was struck by the ease of conversation between everyone right from the start.
Having climbed with most everyone already it was fun to catch up with folks. By dinner time the mood was even looser as we enjoyed a nice meal at the West Rib.
Most of the team showed restraint in passing up calls to have 'one' at the world famous Fairview Inn, but for those of us who showed weakness and entered those decadent halls, a proper tradition was upheld. The music wasn't half bad either.
It's now time for some rest as tomorrow promises to be quite busy as we prepare for our flight on to the mountain on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to getting that one step closer to the climb we've all been waiting for for so long.
Goodnight from Talkeetna, elevation 300'.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
May 20, 2017
We spent today building more snow walls for our camp, and trying to stay warm. Temps stayed cold today as our camp in
Genet Basin was in the clouds and snow most of the day. The morning dawned clear though, save for another lenticular cloud on Denali's summit, a not-so-subtle hint of the strong winds above.
Our team is hanging in there, but we sure would like to see a change in this weather. We'll keep you in the loop.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
We saw the sun on day one and haven't really seen it since. The trend of southern flow pushing moisture our way continues, and it snowed off and on all day. While climbing on bright, bluebird days is nice, it really doesn't get much better than conditions today. While we couldn't see a lot, there was very little wind on a piece of the mountain that is known for wind, the clouds and snow kept the temps pleasantly cool, and the fresh snow has set up creating great cramponing conditions. We cruised out of camp a bit after the main rush, which kept us out of traffic all day. A few smooth stretches later, we rounded
Windy Corner and reached our cache site. All told, the day was really smooth and pleasant, and we're feeling really good about getting a big chunk of weight uphill. On the docket for tomorrow is done hard chilling time, nap competitions, and general self care before we look to move to 14.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Jenny Konway, Jess Matthews and Team
May 19, 2017
This evening we are coming to you from
Kahiltna Base Camp! The team enjoyed a relaxing morning and leisurely lunch as we waited for a break in the weather. Just when we thought we would be spending another night in town, K2 gave the signal and our two pilots Randy and Barry carried us over the clouds into the range and descended into the heart of the mountains.
Now we are enjoying some late evening sun cooking dinner and setting up camp. The team is very excited to be here, especially the ladies who cannot stop smiling.
RMI Guide Leon Davis & Team
May 19, 2017
Once again we fired up the stoves early in the bitter cold of morning in Genet Basin. Another large lenticular built over the summit and the
West Buttress, this time accompanied by snow. We decided to pump the breaks once again and kept watching the weather as the sun began to crest the West Rib. But despite our best hopes, the weather never improved enough for us to break camp and move higher. Instead, we spent the day building snow walls to protect our camp against the the strong winds that are forecast in a couple of days.
Right now our plan is to sit tight through this next weather system and hope for a window of good weather early next week. With strong winds forecasted over the next few days, an bitter cold temps (lows of -38F and highs of -25 to -30), we aren't even entertaining moving to high camp tomorrow. Hopefully our time to move up will come soon.
RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team
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Rooting for good weather after this storm…hopefully you all aren’t running our of movie quotes and limericks! Or sriracha…
Hang in there though, as the Dude would say “Strikes and gutters, ups and downs.”
Thom and Todd…hurry back so you all can catch the Preds win the Stanley Cup!
Posted by: Rob on 5/22/2017 at 8:35 am
Mike, David, Todd and Thom, You guys will make it this time. Best wishes! Lei
Posted by: Lei on 5/22/2017 at 6:02 am
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