Saturday, June 9, 2018 - 8:43 PM PT
A message written by the team:
"Today we took a rest on the edge. At the aptly named Edge of the World outside of 14 camp we stopped for some great photos. Photos so grand, you’ll never see them. The snow fell gently in the afternoon air. We pondered our favorite planets. Security felt a little lax around camp and with murmurs of winter coming we built some walls around camp. Afterwards, during dinner, we concluded that the sun is the collective favorite planet. Have to be honest, the mountain food is just food. But the guides cooking skills are super awesome. Looking forward to capping off the night with some gentle snoring to keep the local wildlife at bay. Tomorrow should probably be a super epic day."
RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team
Just want you to know that the 2018 Stanley Cup is off bounds! it’s in the hands of first time
winners - The Washington -Caps!! But don’t despair—the Denali Cup for 2018 - is still available!!
So chomp on you mountain rangers! Sending love, prayers, and long distance hugs -
Your momma
Posted by: Myra Welsh on 6/10/2018 at 7:44 pm
Matt Hill, the Sunnyvale gang is behind you all way. Bubbles even named one of his new kitties “Denali”.
Saturday, June 9, 2018 - 5:36 PM PT
Day 4 had us up early and breaking down camp. The surrounding area at 2:30 AM with no wind seems like it's perpetually 9:00 PM. We hauled our camp and personal gear to 11,000' Camp over 6.5 hours and the team did great. Some people have sore feet and some have sore hips, those real pressure points a constant reminder of what it's like to do hard work in the mountains.
Our new camp is nestled in a basin that is surrounded by large glacial features and the backdrop is Motorcycle Hill and the Father and Sons Wall. Tomorrow we will go back to 9,700' to retrieve our cached food and fuel and then rest the remainder of the day.
Weather continues to be great and the forecast inaccurate so when they forecast a clear day we'll probably be battening down the hatches. Until then I am hoping for a forecast of snow that never a arrives and winds that don't materialize. So much in life we can't control, this team is doing a great job of focusing on the things they can control.
That's all from 11,000' on Denali.
RMI Guide Mike King
Sat 6/9/2018 9:42 AM
Hello friends and family,
We are slowly getting moving this morning after yesterday's 13 hour summit day. It was long but everyone moved with confidence up and down. We celebrated with a midnight mountain house dinner back at camp and went straight to bed.
Today's goal is to descend back to 11,000 ft camp. The only down side to a smooth, quick trip is that we will have to pick up and carry out all our extra food, but I would pick that over a long trip with bad weather everyday.
If the weather continues to cooperate, we will fly off the mountain first thing tomorrow and the next time you will hear from us will be from the sunny street of Talkeetna. Thanks for following along with our Denali adventure Alden, Brett, Chip, Tyler, JM, and Walt.
Safe travels,
RMI Guide Walt Hailes & Team
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Christina Dale reached High Break at 13,500' on Mt. Rainier before high winds forced the team to turn. Dave reported very strong winds and clouds above and below the them. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir.
Good evening from the Pika Glacier, on the Alaska Range! We had a great first day of activity today. We had a late afternoon flight in yesterday, and the pertinent camp building marathon. Today, with blue skies, we ventured down Glacier to the "Hobbit's Footstool" rock formation for practice; besides some rock climbing-cragging, we reviewed a lot the rope systems that we'll be implementing in the upcoming days. Everyone enjoyed their time on the glacier and rocks, but the hit today was definitely the steak dinner.
We're now headed to bed, waiting for a better day of fun on this incredible area of the Alaska Range!
Regards RMI Guide Elias and the Alpine Climbing Team.
Friday June 8, 2018 8:37 PM
The Jones Team had an excellent and hard day getting our cache established at 17 Camp! The cold morning had us clawing our toes to keep them warm but by our first break of the day we hit the sunshine to warm us up. Our practice yesterday in camp had us dialed to send it right up the fixed lines with style and in good time. The weather was beautiful on the ridge, with sun and no wind, it allowed us to continue climbing higher to deliver our supplies to 17,200 ft. The descent was just as exhausting but we are back at 14,000' camp cooking up dinner to replenish ourselves from the effort.
Tomorrow calls for a rest day before we await our window for our summit bid! The forecast is calling for high winds on the summit through the weekend so we may be waiting down here at 14 camp till early next week. Either way some rest and further acclimatization will be beneficial and we are ready when our chance comes!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team
Friday, June 8, 2018 9:18 PM
Hello friends and family from the summit of Denali! This is Walter Hailes and the climbing team with Alden, Chip, Brett and Tyler had a successful summit day today and we are enjoying a beautiful, sunny, almost windless summit. Couldn't get any better. We got to climb with Pete Van Deventer and team and had a good time switching leads with them. We got to enjoy lots of fun summit photos and beautiful blue skies with Pete and Team. We are back at camp now, we're going to have a late dinner. We are probably going to wake up pretty late in the morning and head back to 14,000' Camp. We will keep you informed with our dispatches until we talk to you again. A lot of love and safe travels.
We'll talk to you soon. Bye.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes & Team!
Walter Hailes on the Summit of Denali June 8, 2018
Congratulation fellas! A great accomplishment for a worthy cause! All the best. D.
Posted by: Dirk Gilliard on 6/18/2018 at 2:27 pm
Way to go Chippy and Alden! So proud of you guys! Be safe heading down and can’t wait to hear all about it over a nice cold beer on our patio! xxoo Stacey (& Sean)
Saturday, June 9, 2018 1:04 AM
The couple weeks of hauling massive loads, sitting through snow storms, sunburns, and eating way too much bacon culminated in that fleeting joy of standing on the summit of Denali this afternoon! Our forecasts have been a bit vague, and sometimes less than confidence inspiring, but we woke up this morning to stellar conditions. It was clear, calm as a koala with a full belly of eucalyptus, and the sun promised to warm things from the forecasted overnight temp of -25. We made our way across the autobahn, glad to see the sun part way across. We ticked off the stretches: zebra rocks, arch deacons tower, the football field, pig hill, and the iconic summit ridge. After 8.5 hours of climbing, we were standing on the summit! It was a warm, beautiful day, with an intense sky of clouds that had built at all levels, making surrounding Alaska incredibly dramatic. After our photos and some time, it was time to head home.
We are safely back in camp working on a late dinner. Tomorrow we hope to descend to the land of oxygen and warmer temps, hopefully 11,000' or 7600' camp.
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Taylor, and Team
Way to go Henry and Caleb! Awesome achievement. Look forward to hearing details when you get back.
Posted by: Charles Platt on 6/11/2018 at 1:53 pm
MANY congratulations to the whole TEAM!! That’s an awesome effort by one and all - look forward to hearing details from Henry and Caleb and seeing lots of pictures. Thank you to the guides!!
Gran/Mom
Posted by: Jennifer Huntington on 6/11/2018 at 1:30 pm
Friday, June 8, 2018 - 3:15 PM PT
The clouds cleared after dinner last night with expansive views of the lower Kahiltna Glacier. We were able to see the descending RMI Group after their successful summit and glean some route info. With the surrounding peaks providing the backdrop, we set off at 5:30 AM for 9700' on the glacier. The route ascends Ski Hill, think fun blue run at a resort. Our goal was to cache food and fuel to make the move to Camp 2 lighter. We took a lot of breaks to take pictures and not over do it after yesterday's heavy day.
We are all back in camp at 7800' drying our boots and enjoying the heat on the tents. The plan is to eat, sleep then move to 11,200' tomorrow. We'll take advantage of the cooler temps and leave before 5 AM. The route is in incredible shape with lots of snow and a well traveled route. The climb doesn't get easier but these first 5 days of getting in position to climb above 11,200' are tough on the hips, feet and shoulders. Still keeping our fingers crossed while we listen to bush planes fly overhead.
RMI Guide Mike King
Following your climb as Scott’s mom is a life long friend. Scott I hear my son tell her baseball players “you have the best equipment money can by, you have the talent and are physically fit, s just .....hit the f——-g ball. I think you have all those things and more so jus climb the mountain. May your God be with each of you and keep you safe.
Glenda Bemis
,
Posted by: Glenda Bemis on 6/10/2018 at 4:38 pm
Climb on Scott!
Posted by: Chris Beaudette on 6/9/2018 at 10:56 am
Friday, June 8, 2018 - 1:00 PM PT
Hard rain overnight added to our adventure this morning as we loaded up in our land cruisers and navigated the Bolivian country side. At one point a bridge had washed out and we were forced to navigate a river bed. Much like scouting a rapid on a river, we were forced to send scouts with radios ahead to find our way. But don’t worry we’re all safely in La Paz enjoying the comforts of a shower, internet and even street side shoe cleaners to clean off our dirty shoes.
We’ll enjoy one last group dinner tonight with the whole group. This trip would not have been possible without the help our amazing Bolivian staff. They’ve become like family to us and it’ll be our honor to treat them tonight for one final celebration!
RMI Guide Andy Bond
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Jim & Paul and all you Ice Chompers,
Just want you to know that the 2018 Stanley Cup is off bounds! it’s in the hands of first time
winners - The Washington -Caps!! But don’t despair—the Denali Cup for 2018 - is still available!!
So chomp on you mountain rangers! Sending love, prayers, and long distance hugs -
Your momma
Posted by: Myra Welsh on 6/10/2018 at 7:44 pm
Matt Hill, the Sunnyvale gang is behind you all way. Bubbles even named one of his new kitties “Denali”.
Posted by: Paul Downs on 6/10/2018 at 3:20 pm
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