RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Sunday, May 30, 2021 - 9:45 pm PT
The weather trend is finally improving for us! Today was a relatively pleasant day at 14,000' Camp. The ridgeline above was showing some wind this morning but that diminished through the day. Rather than jump up there and get cold, chilly, and tire ourselves out doing a small cache, we opted to stay in camp, organize, and prep to move to 17,000' Camp tomorrow. That didn't seem to stop most of camp from taking a run at it, which only reinforced our decision. We'll look to get up early tomorrow, be early out of camp, and be settled in to 17,000' comfortably so that we're ready to summit the following day. The pace of things will accelerate now and everybody is excited!
RMI Guides Pete, Matias, Chase, and team
Posted by: Mike King, Alex Halliday, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
Sunday, May 30, 2021 - 9:36 pm PT
I woke to the sound of song birds chirping by our dining tent. That could only mean one thing, that the storm had broken and we’d likely get a nice day to move camp. We woke up at 5 am and we were walking by 8 am. The storm had put 18” of new snow down. Since there were no early risers to break trail, we took that on ourselves. The day was hot and included lots of deep snow. We pulled into 11,200’ Camp at 4 pm. Camp setup, dinner and bed was all the bandwidth we had. Tomorrow we will back carry to 9500’ to retrieve our cache of food and fuel. It’ll feel like a rest day compared the effort put forth today. Goodnight.
Awesome stuff Rob and team! All the best!!
Posted by: Andrew, Alex, Oscar and Anabelle on 5/31/2021 at 10:49 pm
Way to go Abby and team!
Posted by: Mark Westling on 5/31/2021 at 10:09 pm
Posted by: Christina Dale, Joe Hoch, Dustin Wittmier, Dominic Cifelli, Erika Birkeland, Seth Burns
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Climb May 28 - 31th led by RMI Guides Christina Dale and Joe Hoch led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. It's a beautiful day on the mountain and Joe reported the route was in good shape and would likely be improving with the warm temperatures and stable weather expected. The teams enjoyed about an hour in the crater and began their descent from the crater rim just before 8 am today. The team will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Yeahhhhh Aunt Sam and Matt!!!! We are cheering you on the whole way, and can’t wait to hear your summit story!! Baggin’ peaks and being awesome. ❤️❤️❤️
Posted by: Ellis Bond on 5/31/2021 at 2:54 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Avery Parrinello, Luke Wilhelm
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Sunday, May 30, 2021 - 4:34 pm PT
The storm finally blew itself out last night at 14k, and we woke to a light breeze and partly cloudy skies. Winds persisted up high and, after an early breakfast, we decided to pump the breaks on moving camp today. The next few days look good in terms of wind, so we’re gunning to move to High Camp tomorrow and hopefully having a shot at the summit.
Over 100 climbers moved or carried up the fixed lines today, making for a heinous traffic jam that we wanted no part of; this is the first big push of the season, as many teams have stacked up waiting for a weather window. If the weather cooperates we plan to get an early (and cold) start tomorrow, with hopes of getting to 17,200’, building camp, and having enough time to recover for a potential summit bid the next day. The weather and the mountain are in control here, though, and we’ll adjust to whatever is thrown our way. We’ll be in touch tomorrow.
We are all hoping for the window to open for you guys. Up-up to the top!! Good Climbing Y’all. Vt. Is thinking of you. N. & P.
Posted by: Sandy on 6/1/2021 at 4:54 am
Fantastic news to hear that the weather has cleared! We’re hoping for continued good spirits, clear skies and a smooth route to the top. Good luck from Vermont! Stay safe y’all.
Posted by: Tracy Wilhelm on 5/31/2021 at 4:31 pm
Posted by: Eric Frank, James Bealer, Jack Delaney
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 11:35 pm PT
Sleeping in was mandatory this morning as we waited for the sun to hit camp. Rest was the name of the game today as a storm laid siege on the mountain. Wind battered the tents with occasional snow as we all practiced the art of not getting bored. We had a delicious and grand dinner which devolved into (surprisingly well informed) debates on which Disney characters were best. The weather will hopefully improve tomorrow and we’ll be able to get up and stretch our legs.
Such an exciting adventure. Go NORM! Looking forward to seeing more photos and hearing your stories. Stay safe, my cousin. :)
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Leslie on 6/1/2021 at 4:40 pm
Ptaying you all up and down and sunny no storms, sure-footedness. Love to Norm, from Uncle Kaz too
Posted by: Old aunt Karen on 6/1/2021 at 9:10 am
Posted by: JM Gorum, Grayson Swingle, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Seminar
Elevation: 7,300'
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Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 10:52 pm PT
The wind died down for us last night, but in its place the snow ramped up. Our hope was to try to climb one of the peaks surrounding camp, but lack of visibility and new snow avalanche concerns kept us away from big steep slopes. Instead, we opted for plan B, which was to head east out of camp and do some ice climbing on an exposed part of the main Kahiltna Glacier. It turned out to be a great venue.
Twenty minutes of walking out our front doors put us on top of a few different 60-80 foot climbs. We lowered in from the top and climbed back out. Everyone got a handful of laps in. We even put up one notable first ascent which earned the name, I Just Need a Minute to Rest(MFA), AI4, 60 feet. Due to the long approach and shifting nature of the glacier, we do not expect this route to become a classic. That’s a real shame, because it got five stars in our book. We wrapped up the day with a bunch of macaroni and cheese with bacon, and some surprisingly deep and affirming kitchen tent talks. The only way this day could have possibly been better is if we could have seen a single thing all day, but living in a whiteout is part of being in the Alaska Range.
Tonight looks to be another snowy one, so we’ll see what we can get done tomorrow. At some point we’ll need to start working our way back towards base camp. As always, everyone sends their best and we’ll check in tomorrow.
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Matias Francis, Chase Halbert
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 10:25 pm PT
The weather that was forecast to show up, came in the late morning. Everyone enjoyed quality tent time with movies, cards, and even some song writing. Stay tuned for the artists debut. We see improving weather conditions in the forecast, and are hoping to make some moves in the coming days.
RMI Guides Matias, Chase, Pete, and team
Praying for better weather to continue your journey. Praying for you, Luke and all of the team!
Posted by: Rae Wilson on 5/30/2021 at 7:19 pm
I have been following the blog everyday with growing excitement when you have a climbing day. Sounds like everything is going good. Be safe. Mom
Posted by: Becky smith on 5/30/2021 at 1:17 pm
Posted by: Andy Bond, Alan Davis, Ben Liken, Cal Smith, Liam Weed, Leif Bergstrom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 12,800'
The Four Day Climb May 27 - 30 led by RMI Guides Andy Bond and Alan Davis reported pockets of wind slabs on the steeper portions of the route which forced the teams to turn around at 12,800’. They enjoyed a spectacular sunrise with great views as they descended to Camp Muir.
Photo: Andy Bond
Posted by: Mike King, Alex Halliday, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 4:19 pm PT
With snow falling through the night and low visibility in the early morning we decided that a weather day at Camp 1 was better than packing up a wet camp and moving to a crowded 11,200’ Camp. We got some solar on the tents which makes for good napping. Lots of good conversations over a big breakfast of hash browns, eggs and bacon. Our plan is to move to 11,200’ tomorrow in better conditions. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to moving uphill.
RMI Guide Mike King
Take in Every moment and treasure them!!! Climb High!!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 5/31/2021 at 3:01 am
Love my daily update. Sounds like a delicious breakfast.
Posted by: Louise Rothwell on 5/30/2021 at 9:34 am
Posted by: Mike Walter, Avery Parrinello, Luke Wilhelm
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 2:54pm PT
Strong winds and lots of blowing snow have us tent bound today. The fortresses of snow walls we built yesterday are paying huge dividends, protecting the thin pieces of nylon between us and the elements. We can hear the winds roaring over the West Buttress above us, a sound that evokes images of violent ocean waves crashing onshore.
Fortunately life in our tents is relatively serene and warm.
We’re hoping for better weather in the wake of this storm; we’ll figure out our next move then. When will ‘then’ be ‘now’? Soon.
RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team
Gearing up for some good stories :) Sending good vibes for some calmer skies!
Posted by: Margaret on 5/30/2021 at 5:50 pm
Theme song for today:
WHATEVER IT TAKES!
Falling too fast to prepare for this
Tripping in the world could be dangerous
Everybody circling, it’s vulturous
Negative, nepotist
Everybody waiting for the fall of man
Everybody praying for the end of times
Everybody hoping they could be the one
I was born to run, I was born for this
Whip, whip
Run me like a racehorse
Pull me like a ripcord
Break me down and build me up
I wanna be the slip, slip
Word upon your lip, lip
Letter that you rip, rip
Break me down and build me up
Whatever it takes
‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do whatever it takes
‘Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains
Whatever it takes
Yeah, take me to the top I’m ready for
Whatever it takes
‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do what it takes
Always had a fear of being typical
Looking at my body feeling miserable
Always hanging on to the visual
I wanna be invisible
Looking at my years like a martyrdom
Everybody needs to be a part of ‘em
Never be enough, I’m the prodigal son
I was born to run, I was born for this
Whip, whip
Run me like a racehorse
Pull me like a ripcord
Break me down and build me up
I wanna be the slip, slip
Word upon your lip, lip
Letter that you rip, rip
Break me down and build me up
Whatever it takes
‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do whatever it takes
‘Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains
Whatever it takes
Yeah, take me to the top, I’m ready for
Whatever it takes
‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do what it takes
Hypocritical, egotistical
Don’t wanna be the parenthetical, hypothetical
Working onto something that I’m proud of, out of the box
An epoxy to the world and the vision we’ve lost
I’m an apostrophe
I’m just a symbol to remind you that there’s more to see
I’m just a product of the system, a catastrophe
And yet a masterpiece, and yet I’m half-diseased
And when I am deceased
At least I go down to the grave and die happily
Leave the body and my soul to be a part of thee
I do what it takes
Whatever it takes
‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do whatever it takes
‘Cause I love how it feels when I break the chains
Whatever it takes
Yeah, take me to the top, I’m ready for
Whatever it takes
‘Cause I love the adrenaline in my veins
I do what it takes
~ Imagine Dragons
Posted by: Julie Morris on 5/30/2021 at 10:37 am
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Pulling hard for you Big Marc!! You got this!
Sending love and warmth from your fans in Seattle! Looking forward to cheersing your success with an ice cold rainier
Posted by: Patrick Smyton on 5/31/2021 at 10:31 pm
It is about six pm Pacific and I’m hoping you are all so snug at 17,000’ tonight. Wishing you all safe climbing and clear skies. Go, team, go!!
Posted by: Bethany on 5/31/2021 at 6:07 pm
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