RMI Expeditions Blog
Well I'm sure you all have been wondering where in the world we are. Forgive the suspense, but it has been an action packed few days. After our last sub-space frequency, we had to re-reevaluate our situation and make the difficult, but ultimately very clear decision to return to lower elevations. After many days at 17,000 feet and over a week waiting for a window at 14,000' camp we were plain out of time for a realistic summit attempt. Often these expeditions make allowances for running over budget on time and our team was prepared to hold out for a workable window to go for the top. However, the weather never did us the favor of cooperating. Such is the way of the mountains and we are wise to read their signals.
Our stay at 17,000 feet was marked by deep snow, drifting thigh to waist high outside of camp and persisting for days. Accompanied by high winds that loaded start zones and released multiple full track avalanches that ran down almost to the ranger station at 14 camp, stability seemed far from our reality. Our route to Denali Pass ran several times and when the storm cleared long enough the famous autobahn is positively pregnant with deep windslabs. The weather reports we have been monitoring continue to predict unstable weather, high winds and more snow, followed by a large low pressure system bringing more bad weather to the mountain. Still we didn't want to head down, but staying longer in such weather exposes us to greater risk the longer we stay.
Capitalizing on a lull in the weather, we began our descent of the West Buttress yesterday. That is my favorite part of the route and presents some of the most interesting climbing on this route. Our 19 days on this beautiful mountain prepared us well to move efficiently and though I would gladly have gone to the top with such a great team, I was glad to be able to handle the route's namesake feature in windy conditions with safe teammates.
Despite the spindrift and new snow, conditions did present us with some pockets of sunshine where we were able to see this mountain in its stormy glory. We made it down to 14 camp where we regrouped and hoofed it down to 11,000 feet for a hot meal and a few hours sleep with some amazing skies on our way around Windy Corner.
Three hours of downtime, then it was off again and we raced the warming Lower Kahiltna Glacier's snow bridges to the runway. On our exit we were able to see the upper mountain up the NE Fork and again from the airstrip. It was still socked in with a cloud cap and high winds and our call to escape, though bittersweet, remains sound.
Having not heard the sound of planes in the air for days, it was a treat to see the Otters, Beavers and Cessnas amongst the spectacular backdrop of Mt. Hunter and Foraker. Our gear sorted, we were on the afternoon flight and are now back in Talkeetna, magically back to summer and a land where green things flourish and showers imply happiness instead of misery. In a few hours our team will meet again for another dinner, prepared by strangers and without the ambiance of a snow fort. It will be a welcome treat.
Thank you friends and family for the support and love on our adventure. We went out not knowing what would happen and we returned safe, but with some unfinished business. I am content that we gave it our all and emerged friends and stronger for the time amongst the clouds and upper atmosphere. Thanks to a great team and excellent colleagues, it was an adventure I am happy to have shared with everyone,
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Despite a forecast last night calling for the arrival of a low pressure system blowing in from the Bering Sea, the unsettled weather finally swung in our favor this morning. The skies were mostly clear above us when we got out of the tents, and the bank of clouds hanging just to our west hung stationary, not quite reaching past Mt. Foraker and Kahiltna Dome. Seizing the first day of good weather we've seen since leaving Base Camp, we loaded up our packs with food, fuel, and a few extra supplies and headed up out of 11 Camp. To say it was an amazing morning for climbing is an understatement (although I realize we're a bit jaded by the whiteout conditions of the past few days) - it was calm, crisp, and clear, the route was in perfect shape, much of the new snow blown away making for perfect cramponing, and the temperatures comfortable. By the time we reached the top of Motorcycle Hill, just above 11 Camp, we all had grins from ear to ear - we couldn't believe how nice the conditions were especially because we were anticipating spending the day hunkered down in camp battling wind and snow.
We climbed all morning, making great time up to Windy Corner at over 13,000', finally stopping just past Windy Corner at 13,600'. There we dug a big hole and dropped all of the gear we were carrying. Caching gear like that benefits us in two ways: it allows us to break down the massive amount of supplies we need to carry on this mountain and move them up in more manageable loads as well as helps us acclimatize and get used to the altitude. By climbing up higher during the day we expose our bodies to thinner air and help kick start the body's acclimatization process before descending back to a lower camp where we can rest and recover - hence the climber's adage "climb high, sleep low".
After finishing our cache we turned back down our trail and motored back into camp, reaching our tents mid-afternoon. While the clear skies filled with clouds throughout the day the conditions remained warm and calm without even a breath of wind. The clouds are certainly building, indicating the arrival of a possible front, but they haven't stacked up like we were anticipating so we are in a wait and see mode. If we are feeling up for it and the weather cooperates we would like to move up to our next camp at 14,200' tomorrow but we need conditions, both weather and the group to align perfectly for that. If we aren't able to make the move tomorrow we will stay here at 11 Camp and rest and recover from the past several days of travel. We will check in tomorrow and let you know how it goes.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Daaad! You’re Mr. Popular on this blog, eh? Miss you and love you! You guys have inspired me to increase my own workout- I ran 2 miles today! Doesn’t seem very impressive compared to your daily trek but I’m taking baby steps. I hope everyone enjoyed their rest day! Love you mucho!
Posted by: samantha marini on 6/30/2011 at 9:19 pm
Hey Frank! We’ve been thinking about you. It looks like alot of fun! Everyone here is good. Nick is still getting “A’s” but had his new laptop stolen from his dorm room! Never a dull moment with him….
Hope all is well. Stay safe!
Steph
Posted by: Stephanie Tovar on 6/30/2011 at 8:45 am
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Hi, this is Mike Walter calling from Chilcabamba.
We awoke last night at 11 pm to check the weather for our summit attempt on Cayambe. I took a quick check out side and was greeted with a strong wind, some snow and poor visibility. We kept checking the weather to see if it would improve but by 3 am it became apparent that the storm wasn’t going to let up. It wasn’t going to be our day on Cayambe.
Instead we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the warm and dry comforts of the Cayambe climber’s hut. After lots of coffee, hot chocolate, oatmeal and cinnamon rolls, we packed up, put on our Shell jackets and headed down to the trail head and our waiting vehicles.
We headed to south to Chilcabamba where we will rest and prepare for our next climbing objective: Cotopaxi. Chilcabamba is located just outside of Cotopaxi National Park, on the flanks of Cotopaxi and has great views of the mountain and our climbing route.
We are hoping for more cooperative weather down south and our climb of Cotopaxi. In the mean time We are all in good spirits and enjoying each other’s company and the wonderful culture of Ecuador. Right now I am standing outside of Chilcabamba on a cloudless morning looking at Cotopaxi.
So all is well and we’ll check in later from the Cotopaxi hut.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Best of luck for good weather on Cotopaxi——kick in some steps for next week’s team.! Safe climbing.
Posted by: Darryl Schimeck on 6/28/2011 at 11:58 am
The Five Day Summit Climb led by Mark Falender along with the Four Day Summit Climb led by Chad Peele were forced to turn around at the top of Disappointment Cleaver (approx. 12,300') due to high winds and poor visibility. The teams returned safely to Camp Muir and will begin their descent to Paradise around 9 a.m. PT.
RMI Guide Jake Beren and team of climbers have decided to return to Talkeetna. The group was at 11,000' this morning and making their way to the Kahiltna Glacier where they hope to be flown off the mountain later today.
Congratulations on a wise and prudent, if difficult decision. Wishing you all the best in future climbs—on Denali and elsewhere. Andrew, call me. Gary Towne
Posted by: Gary Towne (Andrew's Dad) on 6/28/2011 at 10:20 am
We began the day well before the direct sun was in 14,000' Camp, which made for a chilly start. After a delicious Cinnamon Toast Crunch and coffee breakfast we made our way uphill. The weather was not perfect, but Elias and I were sure that the morning sun would burn off some of the clouds and the winds were going to subside. We made our way kicking steps through deep snow up to the fixed lines that take us to the top of the West Buttress. Our goal was to keep going up to 17,000' Camp to cache some food and gear, but the deep snow and icy conditions on the fixed lines made travel a bit slower than was expected. We were very happy to cache below a beautiful, giant piece of granite called Washburn's Thumb at 16,770'. It will be very easy to pick up our cache from there on our move to 17,000' Camp. We made it back to camp in good style right about dinner time. Elias and I continue to be impressed by the climbers on this expedition.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Hi Dad! Glad the weather improved a bit and your team is eating well :) Meera and Rina have been giving me updates from your calls. Things are going well here in the Hague, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Qaddafi yesterday. Good luck with the move to 17,000. I miss you!
Love,
Maya
Posted by: Maya on 6/29/2011 at 2:09 am
DAD HERE NOW. THINGS GOING GREAT. LEAVING THURSDAY. AVAILABLE ANYTIME. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
Posted by: BCK on 6/28/2011 at 8:29 pm
The clouds cleared last night after dinner and for an hour or so we sat in the evening light at 11 Camp, watching the cloud bank below us race through Kahiltna Pass and over Kahiltna Dome, a peak across the valley from 11 Camp. Unfortunately the improved conditions did not persist and when we woke up this morning we were back in the clouds with a light snow falling. After a quick breakfast we grabbed our nearly empty packs, pulled on our gore-tex shells and goggles, and headed back to our previous camp. As is typical near Kahiltna Pass, where the weather funnels through the low gap in the mountains, the conditions deteriorated with the wind whipping snow by us. But we pushed through it, reaching our old camp at 9200' before long.
We dug up our food bags and supplies we left cached there yesterday and loaded everything into our packs before setting off back uphill. The knowledge that our warm tents awaited us was good motivation for the team and we motored back to 11 Camp through the wind and blowing snow. When we got back to camp we found our tents starting to sink beneath the accumulating snow so we pulled out the shovels and cleared out camp from the drifted snow. Before long everything looked as it had when we left this morning. We've spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out in the tents. The skies have cleared a bit and the sun is managing to poke through every now and again.
We are hoping to carry a cache of supplies to 13,600' tomorrow but the conditions are looking questionable. There are a few teams here that have been waiting for a few days to do the same thing but haven't because of the weather. Unfortunately the forecast for tomorrow looks like more of the same, but we're keeping our fingers crossed anyways.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Wow! Talk about a bucket list item. Send some of that cold weather our way. I’ll say a prayer that the weather cooperates.
Posted by: Ric G on 6/28/2011 at 4:33 pm
Remember what Ed Viesturs says: Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.
Posted by: g3niusgirl on 6/28/2011 at 4:32 pm
The Four Day Summit Climb June 24 - 27 led by Brent Okita reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team reported cloudy conditions with winds approximately 20 mph. They spent a short amount of time on the summit and were beginning their descent to Camp Muir shortly after 7 a.m. Once at Camp Muir the group will take a short break to re-pack their gear and then begin the remaining descent to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb!
After a night of howling wind and snow, we woke up to a morning of howling wind and snow. We spent the morning digging out camp and continuing to reinforce walls. About the time we got everything squared away, the winds died down and it became pleasantly warm! The whole crew is happy and healthy.
All of us want to thank our family and friends for their love and support. We love you and miss you too! I love you Amber and the P's!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Time is winding down quickly for us. Glad to see you are all safe and sound with such a strong team. Crossing my fingers for good weather. Talk to you soon.
Posted by: BCK on 6/27/2011 at 5:38 pm
Hey, team. Glad to know that everyone is happy and healthy. Elias, you would be happy to know that I did 3 14ers over the past 2 days, and the training for Shisha Pangma is going even better than expected.
Hope the howling winds are showing some mercy today. Can’t wait to hear from you again,
Bridget
Posted by: Bridget Schletty on 6/27/2011 at 6:52 am
Our hopes of the clouds lifting overnight were of no avail and we woke to snow, light to moderate winds, and visibility dropping to less than a 100 yards at times. Despite the snow it was warm enough that we could be out in the elements comfortably and we felt confident navigating the route so we broke camp and prepared to move. The team continues to impress Kel and me as they packed up in great time - not an easy feat when the snow is blowing sideways - and were again ready to go before the two of us. Its an irritating thing for a guide to have the climbers waiting for us to get our act together and today was the second day they have managed to beat us out of camp. Its a trend I'm determined to put an end to, Kel and I are considering hiding snowshoes from them to give us a better shot...
Once we finally joined everyone on the ropes we set off up the Kahiltna, instantly plunging ourselves into a world of white. It was slow going as we broke trail through the 6 - 8 " of new snow and route finding was difficult when the visibility dropped to dozens of yards. Yet despite the obstacles we made good time, reaching the base of Kahiltna Pass by midmorning and turning to the east into a shallow valley that ascends the final 1,000' into camp. We were more protected from the wind here but the snow was also much deeper and it was difficult going to climb the final steep pitch into camp. After what felt like ages we saw the tops of tents at 11,200' camp poke above the crest of the hill and we rolled into camp just after noon.
Sitting on a bench in a protected spot at 11,200', "11 Camp" saw a lot of snowfall in the past few days and we spent the rest of the afternoon shoveling out tent sites and building our snow kitchen. The team rallied to the cause and constructed another great looking camp. We will be comfortable here over the next few days.
The sun finally poked through the clouds just before dinner and we've been enjoying the views for a few minutes. Tomorrow we will descend back to our last camp at 9,200' to retrieve a small cache of food and supplies we left there this morning and we'll haul the remainder of our gear back to 11 Camp. The team continues to do well and sends their best to everyone back home.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
At trail magic, the 2 time thru hiker now climbing Mt. Mc was a big hit. Your wife told lots of stories about your adventure and they were all suitably impressed with your latest. Stay ahead of the guides, Will. Maybe they will invite you back.
Posted by: Chris on 6/27/2011 at 7:25 pm
You guys must feel like you are living in one of those “snow globes”... Sending warm thoughts to all of you!
Posted by: laurie colaneri on 6/27/2011 at 5:43 am
Thanks Jake, Gilbert and Mike for your outstanding leadership on this climb. We all made it out safely, and that was the ultimate goal. It was great to meet new climbing (and ultimately drinking) buddies and friends. An awesome experience and we are a little older and wiser in the ways of Denali. We have some unfinished business, and I suspect some of us will be back to take care of things. Thanks again, guides! Vince
Posted by: Vince Vilasi on 7/1/2011 at 5:45 am
Thanks so much for generously allowing me to tie in on the descent. Both the folks that I roped up with, and the fantastic welcoming committee at 11,000’ were awesome!!!
Posted by: Leslie on 6/30/2011 at 12:10 pm
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