June 20, 2014 - 10:16 pm PT
Hello, this is Jake calling from the summit of Denali with our crew. Everyone did a wonderful job today and I'm super proud of how everyone kept it together. We had a little flurry of conditions in the morning and then had just about the most beautiful day you could imagine on top. Thanks to everybody back home for the support. And now we are gonna get down to the business of getting down, so we will call when we get back to camp and look forward to seeing everybody soon, alright. Bye.
June 21, 2014 - 2:54 am PT
Hello, this is Leon, Katie and Jake just calling in to let everybody know that most of us are asleep back at camp. The rest of us who are not will be shortly. A beautiful climb and we will touch base on our way out of here. Good night.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren calling in from the Mt. McKinley summit!
RMI Guide Jake Beren calls in from high camp after successful Mt. McKinley summit.
June 20, 2014 - 8:56 pm PT
Hi there, it's Tyler and team. We are standing on the summit of North America currently with our team. A little bit in the evening around 8 o'clock [Alaska time]. We are out of the wind on our side and it's sunny, beautiful, and everything is going well. We'll give you a shout and a little dispatch when we get back to safe and sound to our high camp. Hope everyone's well. We're doing great. Thanks for all of the support. Take care you guys. Talk to you soon.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
RMI Guide Tyler Jones call from the Mt. McKinley summit.
Wow! Wow! Wow! How exciting and what an amazing accomplishment! I cannot imagine the thrill you must have felt at the summit! I will keep all in my prayers for the decent and Jen….I think you should write a book! Love…Karen
Posted by: Karen Pratte on 6/21/2014 at 9:11 am
Wow! Wow! Wow! I can’t imagine the thrill that you experienced reaching the summit! I am so very proud of you…I think you should write a book!!! Be safe on the way down and I will keep all in my prayers! Much love….Karen
After a couple of nice days in Quito, our team packed up early this morning and left the city life for more rural flavors. We traveled north a few hours from Quito to the beautiful mountain lakes of Lagunas Monjanda and went for a great acclimatization hike up Fuya Fuya.
The hike consisted of a steep trail through high altitude Andean grassland, or "paramo", followed by a rock scramble to the summit...with great views of beautiful lakes below us. Everyone climbed really well as we made short work of the 14,000'-plus peak.
Now we're resting at the tranquilo Casa Sol, watching Ecuador play Honduras in the World Cup. Buena suerte Ecuador!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
June 20, 2014 - 7:14 am PT
Three O Clock PM Talkeetna time. The kids in orange vests that load and unload the planes we were to fly in asked if it was okay to unload the 2,700 pounds of gear weighing down the aircrafts still grounded by ugly mountain weather near Mt. McKinley. Sure we all said. By this time the thought of messing around with gear just to pass the time seemed like a safe plan. The flying conditions were reported to be bad all day so the perceived notion that we would fly at all was dwindling. The forecast for the next few days looked worse so I knew unloading those planes was the best move we could have made. Not more than 20 minutes after our climbing outfits came off and we were literally heading into town for a beer, base camp called, said conditions looked good and if anyone was ready, load 'em up ASAP and get them in! So, off with the jeans and tennies, on with boots and a mild-hurried panic and onto the plane. Forty-five minutes later we were on the glacier! Yeeee haaaa.
Everyone is buzzing with good energy and the days to come. Wish us luck on our move to Camp One.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
June 19, 2014 - 8:43 pm PT
Hello, this is Leon, Katie and Jake up at 17K Camp. We moved today up the Buttress. We dealt with a little wind and a little bit of snow, but the team did super well. We're all buttoned up tight hoping to go for it tomorrow if the weather allows. That's all from 17K, we will be checking in tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Jake Beren calling in from Mt. McKinley's 17K Camp.
June 19, 2014 - 10:41 pm PT
We have arrived at 14,200'! The weather today was marginal with moderate winds, occasionally heavy snow, and sometimes even hot sunbreaks. A little bit of everything made for an interesting move. McKinley's 14K camp is uncharacteristically empty; lots of snowed in abandoned camps to choose from but they were all pretty crummy. We ended up digging out some old platforms and quarrying new blocks to rebuild some delapidated walls to protect our tents from the wind. We did find a great pre-dug posh that must have been abandoned by Jake or Tyler's crew as they moved up to 17K today. Thanks guys! Our team is racked out already after our big day and eating a hot meal. Tomorrow's plans call for an easy back carry and hopefully some rest in the afternoon.
Talk soon...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
June 20, 2014 - 8:29 pm PT
We woke up to snowing and blowing again this morning. We pushed our wake up/ departure time back a couple of hours and the weather cleared up nicely for us. Although leaving early is a bit colder, it keeps us off the glacier when it heats up and it gets us into camp early. We arrived at 14,200' camp around 11:45 this morning and got the pick of the litter for already dug out camps. Since many of the other teams that were stacked up because of the weather headed up to 17k today, camps with big snow walls were in abundance. With a little bit of prep we got a great camp set up. We just finished some tortellini with salmon...roughing it. Thanks RMI, the food has been great on this trip!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Team "The Ocho"
June 19, 2014 - 6:43 pm PT
Today on our next to last day for up hill travel we got the window we needed! The no troubles crew had no trouble with our move, reaching our high camp at 17,200ft! An early departure from our 14K camp meant cold hands and feet as we approached the fixed lines, but by the time we reached our first break the sun had crested the ridge to our south. We basked in the most welcome UV, and continued up to the base of the fixed lines without feeling the bite of the -5F temperatures.
We dispatched the fixed lines without incident, and were soon taking a break in a crisp little nook on the buttress proper. High, wispy clouds took the heat right out of the sun, and the constant winds reminded us of our arctic location. The last little bit of steep fixed line at Washburn's Thumb posed no issues, and we climbed into some of the most spectacular terrain of the West Buttress.
Steep walls fell away on both sides as we climbed the last stretch into camp, and soon we had reclaimed a couple of tent platforms, set up our shelter and had stoves running for water. The constant burn is a reminder of our high location and is helping to drown out the stiff northeast breeze currently moving through camp.
Tomorrow looks like it'll be our window for a summit attempt, provided the winds die down and the temperatures stay reasonable. We're psyched for the camaraderie of sharing camp with Jake Beren's team, and look forward to being on the route with them tomorrow. Wish us luck!!
Cheers,
RMI Guide Tyler Jones and The No Troubles Team
Hi Dad! I really miss you. I have been having trouble sleeping, thinking of you on that cold mountain in an igloo, when I am here in my warm dogloo. I am very proud of you. Hope you are having an amazing adventure. Abby,Lulu and Goldie all say “ruff ruff ” to you !
Love, Boone
Posted by: Boone Stenderup on 6/20/2014 at 9:18 pm
Hi David J. and the great No Troubles Team! I was so excited today when I saw that you got to 17,000 ft.!!!!! I can’t wait to hear of your summit and see those awesome pictures! I doubt that you will be on the plane on Sunday. I will wait to hear from you when you get down. Love you and enjoy the rest of your adventure!! Pam
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Mike Soucy was 30 minutes from the crater rim at 7:40 am as reported by Camp Muir. Camp Muir reported calm winds, and clear skies. The team will spend a bit of time on the summit before starting their descent.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons spent a misty afternoon practicing crevasse rescue and ice climbing skills on the Emmons Glacier near Camp Schurman The spent the evening in camp, having dinner, relaxing, and celebrating an exciting, strenuous and very windy climb to 13,200' yesterday. The team is descending from their camp this morning and will return to Ashford this afternoon around 3:30 pm.
Congratulations to Today's Teams!
Hola from Ecuador. We had great weather today as our team went on our first acclimatization hike, summiting Rucu Pichincha, a volcano that forms part of the western perimeter of Quito's valley. To start our hike, we took a gondola from Quito up to an altitude of around 13,500'. Then a well-maintained trail with stunning views led us out onto a ridge toward Rucu Pichincha. An easy rock scramble later and we were on top, at 15,700'.
Our climbing was very strong today, making quick work of the altitude. We had good views of volcanoes Cotopaxi, the Ilinizas, Pasachoa, and Ruminuai the south, and Cayambe and Cotacachi to the north. We will leave Quito tomorrow morning, heading north towards Cayambe. But, before we get to Cayambe, we'll take another acclimatization hike tomorrow on Fuya Fuya, and then visit the market in Otavalo the next day. We'll keep you posted!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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HURRAY, George!! BRAVO - what a celebration - You are a GREAT GUY !!! LOVE YA !~~~ R ‘n L
Posted by: Rosemary and Larry on 6/23/2014 at 12:42 pm
Congrats Jared!
Posted by: James on 6/23/2014 at 6:19 am
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