Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Mt. McKinley: Haugen and Team Establish Camp at 11,200’

June 16, 2015

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal, Pepper Dee

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

June 15, 2015 10:20 pm PT We woke up early to beautiful weather. After a quick breakfast and packing session, we were headed up glacier towards our next camp at 11,200 ft. We made great time with our strong crew and found a partially dug out camp. We proceeded to make it an RMI quality camp. Since we arrived into camp early and had most of the day to work, we decided to go big. Instead of stairs leading down into our cook tent, we decided to make a large tunnel through the side of the hill as our entry way. It turns out you have to move a bunch of snow to make a six foot entry tunnel. RMI 7 "El Siete"

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Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Calls from the Summit

June 15, 2015

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Eric Frank

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

June 15, 2015 8:57 pm PT Hello everybody this is Geoff Schellens with the Upper West Rib team calling from the summit of Denali. It’s been quite a long day and a lot of tired folks but we are happy to be here. We are about to start our descent and we will check in from 17 Camp. Thanks everybody for following along. RMI Guide Geoff Schellens

RMI Guide Geoff Schellens calls from the summit of Mt. McKinley with the Upper West Rib Team.

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Congrats Kim and happy belated bday!! I have been thinking of you constantly. You are my hero! Xoxo

Posted by: Steph on 6/20/2015 at 9:09 pm

Congratulations KIM!!!! What an accomplishment!
Christa Huseby

Posted by: Christa Huseby on 6/16/2015 at 12:53 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Tyler Jones & Team Call from the Summit of Mt. McKinley

June 15, 2015

Posted by: Tyler Jones, Lindsay Mann, Chase Nelson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

June 15, 2015 4:42 pm PT Hi everybody it’s Tyler and the team. We are on the summit of Mt. McKinley currently. We hope that everyone is doing well at home. We have a lot of hours of work left but we did a really good job getting up here. We can see hundreds of miles. There is a light wind up here and everybody is doing great. We have had a spectacular trip and we are half way now. We will give you a report when we get back to 17 Camp and hope that everyone is well. We will be in touch. Cheers – RMI Guide Tyler Jones

RMI Guide Tyler Jones calls from the summit of Mt. McKinley.

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A huge congrats to you and the team, Ken. You are a man of your word—you said you were going to do Denali and you did—all the way to the top—20,320 feet—WOW! A colossal achievement. Cheers to you and the team from hapless Hollis.
Budd

Posted by: Budd Burnett on 6/21/2015 at 1:34 pm

Congratulations to all on reaching the summit, be safe travels down. Ken, we are anxiously waiting your return to hear all your wonderful stories, be safe!!

Posted by: Lilia Godinez on 6/16/2015 at 8:48 am

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Mt. Rainier: Climbing Teams on the Summit!

June 15, 2015

Posted by: JJ Justman, Leon Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide JJ Justman along with the Four Day Summit Climb led by Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. After spending some time on top enjoying the views both teams began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 AM. JJ reported that it was “an absolutely beautiful day”. Once the teams return to Camp Muir they will have a brief stop and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!

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What an awesome experience to climb with you guys. Special thanks to Leon, our amazing guide, for keeping us encouraged and safe!

Posted by: Yasha on 6/18/2015 at 8:42 am

Congratulations Rick, so happy you made it.

Posted by: Sharon on 6/16/2015 at 6:20 am

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Mt. McKinley: Haugen and Team Establish Camp 2

June 15, 2015

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal, Pepper Dee

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,600'

June 14, 2015 10:58 pm Hi friends and family! Team Haugen continues to make strong moves up here. Today we got a bright and early start, broke camp, and made short work of Ski Hill en route to Camp 2 at 9,600 feet. Upon arrival, the boys of "El Siete" enthusiastically dug what may be the burliest camp ever to grace the slopes of Denali, then harvested the fruits of their labor by way of a long half day of relaxing, napping, and eating truly preposterous quantities of Mac and cheese. We're all excited for a move up to 11 camp tomorrow. And now, for the more literary inclined followers, please enjoy a summary of the day's exploits in haiku: Bright and early start, Solid work on frozen slopes, Camp 2 chilling, FUN! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

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Doug, glad to hear things are going well up there. Hope the weather holds up. Take lots of pics, b/c we can’t wait to see the views you are seeing.

Posted by: Greg on 6/18/2015 at 3:51 pm

Good to see the daily progress. How cold is it?
Stay warm and safe
Love
Mom and Dad

Posted by: MaryAnn and Arthur on 6/18/2015 at 1:27 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Preparing for Summit Bid Tomorrow

June 14, 2015

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Eric Frank

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 16,900'

Sunday June 14th 8:20 pm PT Hello, this is RMI Guide, Eric Frank, calling in from Alaska. I'm at the Balcony Camp on the Upper West Rib, here at 16,900 feet. Our team climbed up here today from our 14,000-foot camp. We're doing great. It is about 7:20 PM, Alaska time. We have tents up and we are settling into dinner. It's beautiful evening out here. We can see several hundred miles from our vantage all throughout the Alaska Range and into the tundra to the north, so we're doing well. We anticipate great weather tomorrow. RMI Guide Eric Frank

RMI Guide Eric Frank calls in from Balcony Camp.

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I am glad to see that our prayers cleared the weather for you. May God be with you all during your climb. I can not wait until I am able to climb this mountain sometime in the next couple of years or so.

Thanks

Posted by: Kevin Stone on 6/16/2015 at 8:16 am

Kim- it’s me again- just wanted to give you a heads up that dad has been waiting for you on the summit- so act totally surprised when you see him- he brought a stuffed colobus monkey with him so you won’t be able to miss him!
Xoxoxo
Lora

Posted by: Lora on 6/15/2015 at 11:37 am

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Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team Training Day 2

June 14, 2015

Posted by: Jake Beren, Christina Dale, Andrew Kiefer

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Sunday June 14th 8:50 pm PT Today we wished our dear friends "Bon voyage" as the other RMI teams moved up on the West Rib and Buttress. Good luck everyone! As for our esteemed crew, we spent the midday training to be as agile as the mighty wolverine when we tackle the fixed lines. It was great to see everyone both excel at the training course and take the time to enjoy the absurdly beautiful views of Hunter, Foraker and the Kahiltna Glacier. It was a stunning day up here. Tomorrow we hope to carry goods higher up to prepare for moving when the weather allows. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

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Jake, you’re killin’ me! It’s been over 48 hours since your last post. What’s happening? How’s the weather? Is everybody OK? Did you guys summit already?

Posted by: Norm Vork on 6/16/2015 at 9:58 pm

Hi,

I hope you’re having a good time AJ.Good work till now,keep up the spirit.Take care see you soon at sea level. :)

Posted by: Megha Bhardwaj on 6/16/2015 at 8:24 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Jones and Team Battle the Buttress to Reach High Camp

June 14, 2015

Posted by: Tyler Jones, Lindsay Mann, Chase Nelson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

Sunday, June 14, 2015 - 6:37 pm PT At last, our patience has paid off. After eight nights at 14 Camp, we finally got the weather today to move our camp up the West Buttress to our high camp at 17,200 feet. The team did great work, traveling up the fixed lines, along the Buttress proper, past Washburn's Thumb, and into camp. Upon our arrival the team was greeted by blustery winds so we immediately put all of our wall building practice to good use and hammered out a camp in short time. Now we're tucked out of the weather and cooking an early dinner to get ready for a big day tomorrow. If the weather looks good in the morning, we plan on making our summit push! The team is looking strong and everyone is excited to see the last 18 days of hard work pay off. Time for an early evening, and hopefully the next time you hear from us will be from the top of North America! RMI Guide Tyler Jones and Team

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Ken your almost there. Keep safe and don’t give up. The view from up there is breath taking, enjoy. Jose

Posted by: Jose Gonzalez on 6/15/2015 at 4:18 pm

18 days of hard work….at D.G.‘s rate you guys are going to be minted!!

Best of luck in the coming days!

Posted by: Will Ivy on 6/15/2015 at 3:24 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Awaits a Perfect Weather Window

June 14, 2015

Posted by: Geoff Schellens, Eric Frank

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Sunday June 14th 12:00 a.m. PT The weather has turned and things in the Alaska Range are looking up. All day we lounged under blue skies and made our final gear decisions. It appears from the forecast that tomorrow and Monday will be our best opportunity to climb. We anticipate leaving in the morning and starting a 72-hour cycle of nearly continuous movement, punctuated with some periods of sleep, that will hopefully take us to the top and all the way back to our plane ride to Talkeetna. RMI Guides Geoff Schellens and Eric Frank

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Kim- in the immortal words of Diana Ross “way to go Kim & the rest of your group”!! Oops I mean, “ain’t no mountain high enough”- good luck on the big climb!!
Michael

Posted by: Michael on 6/14/2015 at 3:15 pm

Kimapotamus- exciting news about your trip!!! Good luck with the big climb-you will totally rock-it!!!!
Lora

Posted by: Lora on 6/14/2015 at 3:11 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Half Day Cache Day

June 14, 2015

Posted by: Mike Haugen, Mike Uchal, Pepper Dee

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Saturday June 13th 11:15 pm PT In days of yore when men where men and battles raged across the lands and glory rose in the mountains, there came upon the mountaineering stage a great climbing team called "el siete". This fellowship of dynamic professionals hailed from all corners of the great U.S. of A. and even called on brethren from distant Norwegian lands to converge here below "Ski Hill" at Camp One on Denali (which is French for "The Nali"). The determined team worked to achieve the glory of their pursuit by trudging upward to 10,000 feet to strategically deposit in their mountain bank expedition supplies for safe keeping. Nestled in their beds the great team awaits a strong move in the wee hours of the morning to 9,600 feet. Stay tuned for more adventures of the soon to be mountaineering legends know as "el siete." Stay classy lower 48 - and Norway! RMI Guide Mike Haugen

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Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Mt. McKinley: Haugen and Team Establish Camp at 11,200’

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Calls from the Summit

Mt. McKinley: Tyler Jones & Team Call from the Summit of Mt. McKinley

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: Climbing Teams on the Summit!

Mt. McKinley: Haugen and Team Establish Camp 2

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Preparing for Summit Bid Tomorrow

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team Training Day 2

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Jones and Team Battle the Buttress to Reach High Camp

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Awaits a Perfect Weather Window

Mt. McKinley: Haugen & Team Half Day Cache Day

On The Map

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