RMI Expeditions Blog

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Enjoy Rest Day

May 19, 2014

Posted by: Josh Maggard, Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

May 18, 2014 10:57 pm PT Today was a glorious day for a rest day. The sun was shining, and the winds stayed calm though we could tell they were blowing elsewhere. We spent the day watching clouds pour over the ridge of Kahiltna dome, rolling down the backside and dissipating. It was beautiful to watch, and we were glad to be protected from the gusts. After a big breakfast of quesadillas, we sorted some food and gear for our carry past windy corner tomorrow. A quick review of cramponing and self arrest was as much activity as we needed this afternoon. We finished up the day with a big pasta meal and called an early night. We'll be heading uphill tomorrow to put in our 13,500' cache, which will set us up to move to 14,000' camp! The rest day was a great opportunity to recover from the last few days, and we'll be ready to go tomorrow! All for now, RMI Guides Pete, Robby, and Josh

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: May 19th Summit!

May 19, 2014

Posted by: Tyler Jones, Kel Rossiter, Ben Liken, Sean Collon

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Tyler Jones and Kel Rossiter stood on top of Mt. Rainier this morning! The teams enjoyed calm and warm conditions while on the summit and are making their way back to Camp Muir. We will see them back in Ashford later today. Congratulations!

Alaska Seminar: Davis & Team Prepare to Fly

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Leon Davis, Mike King, Katrina Bloemsma

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

May 18, 3:27 pm PT Greetings friends and family! The second Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Expedition team is here in Alaska and almost ready to fly! Most of our gear is packed and weighed and now we are waiting for departure time. We have a few hours to go so we are setting up tents and prepping for our first night onto the glacier. Fingers crossed for an on time flight! RMI Guide Leon Davis and Team

Mt. McKinley: Walter and Team Rest at 14,000’ Camp

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

May 17, 10:31 pm PT The team spent today resting and acclimating at 14k Camp. Winds up high were strong today and about a half a foot of snow is forecast for tomorrow. We're all healthy and happy in our well-built camp. Hopefully the weather will break soon and we can put a cache in up high. During the day, RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and I teamed up with some other guides and climbed up above camp to establish the fixed lines on the headwall that go from about 15,500' to 16,200'. The previously existing lines were buried in ice and damaged to the point of being unsafe and unusable. Now that we have good fixed ropes up there we all feel better about the prospects of safely climbing higher with our team. With the weather forecast as it is, we plan to take another rest/acclimatization day tomorrow. We'll be in touch and keep you up to date with our progress. RMI Guide Mike Walter

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer and Team Settle in at 11k Camp

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

May 17, 11:50 pm PT Despite the forecasts that we have been getting the last few days, we woke to sunny skies and calm conditions. Everybody was excited to get the move to 11k done. Now that we are here, the first part of the challenge of McKinley is wrapped up. From here on out, we'll be done with the sleds and snowshoes until we head back for the airstrip. The move only took a few hours, but we spent several more hours building snow walls and digging in. Right around dinner time the clouds moved in and it started to snow, about an inch in the last two hours. It looks like we'll wake to several more in the morning. The weather dovetails well with our overall plan however; we've had three hard days with big loads and tomorrow is the perfect time for our first full rest day. Our plan is to eat a fat breakfast, read some books, practice cramponing, prepare for a carry to 13k, and then eat a big dinner. Everybody is psyched with our progress even more so with the prospect of a mellow day. We'll let you know how it goes! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, and Josh Maggard

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

So glad to hear you’re having some sunny skies! Happy trails!!

Posted by: Courtney Winston on 5/19/2014 at 8:05 am

Great to hear that the team is making such great progress every day, and congrats on completing this first arm of your journey. For Marko, a big warm hug. XOXO
Gina

Posted by: gina badescu on 5/18/2014 at 9:50 am

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Mt. Rainier: May 18th Teams Summit!

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Sean Collon, Bridget Belliveau, Chase Nelson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Adam Knoff reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday afternoon in cold and windy conditions. The team descended back to Camp Muir for the night. The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Brent Okita reached the summit this morning and reports blue skies on top with a cap beginning to form. Both teams will be back in Ashford later today.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congratulations Uncle Chris!

Posted by: Jen Maseda on 5/20/2014 at 10:36 am

Well done to my sister Carmela and my brother-in-law Max Brouwer, i am so proud of you guys!!! Mariana xxx

Posted by: Mariana Pinillos on 5/18/2014 at 12:52 pm

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Mt. Rainier: Brent Okita and Team en route to Camp Muir

May 17, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita

Categories:

We enjoyed some surprisingly good weather on the way up to Camp Muir. Dry, cool, but at the cost of minimal visibility. That's ok though, because now that were up at Muir it's beautiful. Everyone is doing great! RMI Guide Brent Okita

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Move to 9,700’

May 17, 2014

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,700'

Another beautiful and successful day. We woke this morning to sunny skies and a cool, fresh breeze blowing. We put away breakfast and coffee, and then packed camp. The first stretch up ski hill is a steady, consistent grind, and in many ways we were happy for the breeze. Several other teams were moving around us as well, so we were trading leads with a handful of them. One of the great parts of climbing McKinley is meeting other climbers from all over the world. The camaraderie of the mountains is pretty special. Once we reached our camp, we spent several hours setting up tents and building some burly snow walls. We aren't sure if the winds will ramp up as forecast, but we'll be ready if they do. We are going to play tomorrow by ear, but for now everyone is settled into tents with full bellies. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Looks amazing - good luck to the whole team (from Marko’s coolest sister)!

Posted by: Tatiana on 5/19/2014 at 6:01 am

Glad to hear everything is going well. Good luck to the team. Robert take care.
Love, Lisa, Joe, and Gabe

Posted by: Lisa Hohn on 5/17/2014 at 11:47 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Settle into 14,000’ Camp

May 17, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

We woke this morning to pretty robust winds at our 14,000' camp. After breakfast and hot drinks we headed back down to retrieve the cache we left a few days ago at Windy Corner (13,700'). The winds subsided and we had a busy day between the back-carry, building stout walls for our camp, and digging out a kitchen tent. Everyone worked hard today and is doing well with the altitude. The weather forecast is calling for some pretty strong winds for tomorrow, so we're just planning on resting until conditions improve and we can put a cache in up high. Hopefully the winds will subside sooner rather than later. That's it for now. We'll check in again tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Hope those winds give you a break soon. Every message is coming through, but I don’t think you’re getting any of my replies. Wondering about future weather forecast sharing…

Stay safe, mind the blue stuff, and keep having fun!!

xoxo K2

Posted by: K2 on 5/18/2014 at 5:48 am

Steve and Team,

Glad to hear you were as to move despite the winds. Hope things settle soon so you can keep moving. Waiting is never fun at any elevation.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/18/2014 at 5:03 am

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Mt. Rainier: May 17th Summit!

May 17, 2014

Posted by: Casey Grom

Categories: Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Casey Grom reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. They are in the clouds with snow showers off and on and winds of about 10 mph. The will keep their visit to the top short and will be descending back Camp Muir. Congratulations to Today's Team!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Wish you well and be safe and enjoy we love you.

Keven Padrenoss

Your Grand Parents George and Janet padrenoss

Posted by: george/janet padrenoss on 5/21/2014 at 12:05 pm

Wishing to my sister Carmela and my brother-in-law Max Brouwer all the best in this great experience, love you guys!!! xxx

Posted by: Mariana Pinillos on 5/18/2014 at 8:02 am

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RMI Expeditions Blog

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Enjoy Rest Day

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: May 19th Summit!

Alaska Seminar: Davis & Team Prepare to Fly

Mt. McKinley: Walter and Team Rest at 14,000’ Camp

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer and Team Settle in at 11k Camp

Mt. Rainier: May 18th Teams Summit!

Mt. Rainier: Brent Okita and Team en route to Camp Muir

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Move to 9,700’

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Settle into 14,000’ Camp

Mt. Rainier: May 17th Summit!

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