Entries from Expedition Dispatches
The "moving up" picture wasn't all that clear this morning at 5 AM. Nor was it at 6 or 7 or 8 or 9. There was plenty of cloud about and some signs of wind on the ridges where we wanted to be. By the time the weather had improved, it was our judgement that we'd be getting into high camp at a later hour than we'd prefer. We traded the physical difficulty of moving up for the mental difficulty of sitting tight for one more day at 14 K.
One more day of rest, one more day of acclimatization, one more day of anticipation.
We managed it just fine. Ultimately the clouds closed in on
14,000' Camp and took away our views. We had sporadic radio contact with Mike Haugen's RMI team as they felt their way up through higher clouds toward Denali's summit.
Tomorrow is our day to move!
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Buenas tardes from
Artesonraju Base Camp! We enjoyed a good rest day today. We fiddled with our gear, re-fitted crampons and practiced climbing anchor transitions. Good conversations were had at the dining tent too, all while enjoying the tea selection that our cook Emilio has brought, which we sweeten with the super natural honey from the bees of his next door neighbor. Rain has made a short appearance in the afternoon, but we look forward to start hiking up Paria North soon, our acclimatization peak, under sunny skies.
That's it for now!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team
June 28, 2017 9:41 pm PST
Today our team practiced arguably the most important skill in all of mountaineering: patience. After a blustery, snowy night up here at
17K, the mountain finally came out this morning, but the upper reaches were cloaked in spindrift, lenticular clouds, and all the hallmarks of high wind. So, we decided to opt for a rest day at high camp to wait for the weather to clear up. The signs are looking more promising for tomorrow, and we're all hoping
Denali will give us a shot. Keep your fingers crossed for us for clear skies in the morning!
Hugs from 17,000',
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
June 28, 2017
We waited until the sun came around today to get out of the tents. That made breakfast a little more like brunch, but everybody was happy to wait for Avery's legendary blueberry pancakes. Weather high on
Denali was unsettled, making us a little concerned for our friends at 17,000 who'd hoped to summit today, By midday things stabilized a little and we had a relaxing afternoon in mostly sunny and calm conditions. Hannah McGowan led a well attended high altitude yoga session for the restless. The rest of us rested and read. We're hoping for climbing weather tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
RMI Guides Win Whittaker and
Paul Rachele lead their teams of ALA Climbers to the summit of
Mt. Rainier this morning. Win reported light winds, mild temperatures and an overall beautiful day. The teams began their descent from the crater rim shortly before 7 am. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise.
We look forward to celebrating with them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Good evening from Taullipampa, the meadows where our Base Camp sits. We had a beautiful hike up Punta Union Pass, 4,700m, and then down to
Artesonraju Base Camp at 4,000m. The journey, while long, will sure help with acclimatizing. Upon arrival, we enjoyed another incredible meal from our cook and had time to relax, listen to some music at the dining tent and share some stories of High School prom. We are looking forward to a full day at BC tomorrow before the action starts.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos and team
We woke to light snow and strong winds, but after a leisurely breakfast and a few hours of relaxing it cleared up. We took advantage of the clearing and hiked to the glacier to practice climbing with ice ax and crampons. Now, back at the hut, we'll rest after lunch in preparation for our summit bid tonight.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The
Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team, led by
Zeb Blais, radioed from Columbia Crest on the summit of Mt. Rainier. They are starting their descent and will stay at Camp Schurman tonight. Tomorrow morning the team will pack up and head back to the White River Campground. We look forward to congratulating them back at Rainier Basecamp tomorrow afternoon.
The
Four Day Summit Climb Teams for June 25 - 28, 2017 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning just after 7 am.
RMI Guides Kel Rossiter and Robby Young reported winds higher than expected but clear skies and an excellent route. The teams spent almost an hour enjoying the views from the summit crater. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break and then continue to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
June 27, 2017
Things looked good at 6 AM today, so we rolled out, fired the stoves, rousted the team, breakfasted and got walking. All of this was in the cold shadow before the sun came around. Our pals on Mike Haugen's team were two hours ahead of us, already starting the fixed ropes at 15,000 as we left 14K. We made steady progress up the initial hills with perfectly packed snow to walk on. The sun caught us as we neared the ropes ourselves, making it a little easier to keep hands and faces warm. We launched up the steep headwall, getting into the rhythms of mechanical ascenders on rope, and moving crampons and ice axes on firm snow and ice. We hit the 16,200 ft top to the lines and continued up the spectacular West Buttress to 16,400 ft. Only
Denali, Foraker and Mount Hunter were above the Alaskan sea of clouds today. We cached supplies and enjoyed the views from our lofty perch. Interestingly, this height wasn't a new record for any of our well traveled climbers. Our descent to 14,000 was relatively easy and fun with light packs. We hope our friends at 17,000 have a nice night and a good summit tomorrow while we rest.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
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Team Hahn - our family loves getting your posts. We are sending strong vibes for clear skies and low winds for the next push!
The Tannenbaum’s - flatlanders from NY
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