Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Monday, June 11, 2018 - 3:42 PM PT
We made it through a very snowy and windy night at
14,000' Camp and also made it through the coldest night we have had near -10F. The skies were clear and cold when we crawled out of the tent to nearly two feet of fresh snow. The team cleared the snow from the tents and shoveled the snow out of our snow block fortress. Then we had another amazing breakfast that started with coffee then hash browns, then blueberry pancakes, a Tyler Jones special. We then proceeded to have another round of hash browns and pancakes. This was obviously paired with a healthy serving of crispy bacon.
The new snow along with the wind has most the camp relaxed and waiting till the winds up high on the mountain subside and give the new snow time to settle. The forecast is looking up later this week. We will be patient and out chill the wind and snow, then when the opportunity presents, we will make our move to High Camp. Till then we have a fierce game of Yahtzee in the cool tent and laps around camp to keep us busy.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Tyler Jones and team
On The Map
Sunday, June 10, 2018 - 12:56 AM PT
Good evening from the
Pika Glacier! Another great day for the team. We started the day shortly after midnight, and headed to the "Guard Tower" formation, about one hour north of camp. Summiting during the permanently lit Alaskan night was special, despite the lack of cold temps we were hoping for in order to have better snow conditions. Back at camp before mid day, we had a good lunch and nap, and the afternoon found us ice climbing out of a nearby crevasse. We didn't seem to be affected by the long hours of activity today, and the conversations prevailed at the dining tent for a while. It seems that the weather is changing, so we'll see what tomorrow brings.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team
Sunday, June 10, 2018 - 9:04 PM PT
To Fresh Prince of Bel-Air:
Here is the story all about how
We’re stuck at 14 with so much pow
Just wait a little minute and sit right there And we’ll tell you all about these snow walls up in here.
These walls are high, they are not low
Like the saying goes, you reap what you sow.
The storm’s a brewin, it does not matter It just means we make these walls fatter.
Everyone’s spirits are high
Despite this
Denali blizzard
Though we admit
We’d rather sip on some sizzer...d
Don’t you worry though
Because when this passes
We’ll be cruising up the pass the masses to the top I tell you loud and clear is our intent so don’t you fear.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
The
Five Day Summit Climb June 7 - 11, 2018 made their summit attempt of Mt. Rainier this morning but were turned back at 11,200ft due to poor weather and route conditions.
RMI Guides Jenny Konway and Jordan Cargill reported several inches of new snow at Ingraham Flats. The teams returned safely to Camp Muir and will descend to Paradise later this morning.
Sunday, June 10, 2018 - 3:08 pm PT
Clouds and snow moved in last night just prior to dinner. We had the chance to see our 2 RMI Teams who had been on the summit Friday and get some route info. The snow continued through out the night with minimal accumulation. When we woke, there were faint views of the surrounding peaks and ridges. After breakfast we roped up and walked down to our cache at 9700' and dug up our food and supplies. There has been a low pressure system moving in from the North and being near the demarcation line was quite stunning. As we turned the corner onto the
Kahiltna Glacier, we could see clouds rolling over Kahiltna Pass and Kahiltna Dome while the view South was blue skies and calm weather. Soon we were engulfed in the clouds and light snow for the walk back to 11,000' Camp. Now we are back in our tents listening to snow fall and enjoying the warmth of the sun trying to cook through the clouds. The Team is doing well, we are hopeful that the winds stay calm so we can carry around Windy Corner or even into Fourteen Camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Saturday, June 9, 2018 - 9:26 PM PT
Good afternoon again from Little Swiss! We had a great second day on the ice, reviewing more skills, and getting ready for our first climbing objective tonight. We ventured to the top edge of this
Pika Glacier, overlooking the tundra, and spent quite some time getting familiar with the transitions and rope work on snow, as well as checking potential routes for later in the program.
We have switched to a night schedule, so we can move efficiently during the coldest hours of the day, as it has been scorching hot here. We are waking up shortly after midnight, and heading down glacier for a mixed steep snow-rock climb. Stay tuned for more!
RMI Guide Elías de Andrés Martos
Saturday, June 9, 2018 - 11:13 PM PT
After a late night making dinner and filling water bottles, we were content to sleep in a bit until the sun hit the tents and made things a bit warmer. With packs full, we rallied back along the
West Buttress, beating the oncoming traffic to the fixed lines. We rendezvoused with Tyler Jones's team at 14,000', where they were so kind as to hook us up with water and high fives, then we kept the train rolling down to 11, where Mike King's team let us use their kitchen tent and had already dug up our cache for us. We're going to sleep a few hours here, then wake up in the (not) dark (it's Alaska in the summer time) to walk the last piece to base camp, aiming to be there for first flights in the morning. Keeping our fingers crossed for flyable weather and a cold IPA before noon!
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
On The Map
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
On The Map
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
On The Map
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
On The Map
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Dave and Team Jones, the ice fortress looks pretty cool. Hopefully you guys get to move to new digs on higher ground soon (winter is coming after all).
Sending lots of love,
Your big sister and the family.
Posted by: Beth on 6/12/2018 at 11:31 pm
Nothing better than a good game of Yahtzee to pass the time! Can’t wait to see the pictures from the summit! Continued prayers for good weather and a safe climb! Big hugs to Nick from his Mom. XO
Posted by: Coeli Scott on 6/12/2018 at 7:45 pm
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