RMI Expeditions Blog
Ominous yet beautiful spoons of spin drift continue to tear across the upper mountain. For now we wait safely at 14 camp passing the time reviewing knots, going on training hikes and practicing skills needed on this expedition.
Our camp at 14,000' is an ideal place for us to wait out the weather so that is what we'll continue to do.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
The Four Day Summit Climb June 19 - 22 led by Brent Okita reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning with 100% of his team. Leon Davis lead the Five Day Summit Climb June 18 - 22 on their summit climb this morning. The teams reported clear, cold and slightly windy conditions this morning with about 35mph winds. They were descending from the crater rim at 7:30 a.m. PT making their way back to Camp Muir and then down to Paradise.
Congratulations to the Four and Five Day Climb Team Members!
Good evening from the land of the midnight sun. The RMI June 21st Mt. McKinley Expedition Team gathered in Anchorage this afternoon, overcoming the first potential obstacle of any climbing expedition - the moment when you find out if all of the gear that you've spent days and weeks meticulously sorting and packing actually arrives with you after the flights. Thankfully, all the needed bags popped out on to the conveyor belt at Ted Stevens Airport at one point or another.
After loading the van with our gear we headed out of town, low lying clouds hanging above Anchorage and just obscuring the peaks of the Chugach that border town. After a quick grocery stop in Wasilla (yes, the legendary Wasilla, AK) we kept driving up the Parks Highway as the skies gradually broke. By the time we arrived in Talkeetna the mountains of the Alaska Range were beginning to poke out of the clouds in the distance and we spent a few minutes on the edge of town admiring the views.
Tomorrow we will spend the day organizing our gear and getting ready for the mountain. It has been many months of preparation an thousands of miles traveled to arrive here and the excitement about the adventures ahead is growing.
It is 11:30 at night here in Alaska and we just watched the sun finally settle out of the sky, disappearing the peaks of the Alaska Range that sit on the horizon. Happy Summer Solstice to everyone.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Another early wake up to good weather; good weather for Denali anyway. The skies were a bit overcast and light snows were falling but the winds were calm. We did a "back carry" today. This means that we went from our 11,000' camp back down to retrieve our cache at 10,000'. We bury our caches well over a meter deep so the ravens don't get into our food if the warm days melt the snow. Our strong team ascended back up to camp with style and spent another afternoon sport eating in the posh house (cook tent).
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Four Day Summit Climb June 18 - 21 Team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. It's a beautiful day with blue skies and sunshine. The team began their descent from the crater rim at 7:58 a.m. en route to Camp Muir. They will continue down to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to the team members!
We left camp this morning on our way to 11,000' camp in okay weather only to end up climbing in white-out conditions. Despite the poor weather, we made good time and arrived in camp mid-morning. We dug in a great camp and spent some time making our cook tent (the posh house) into a kitchen and dining area that would make Martha Stewart proud. We then proceeded to "sport eat" all afternoon and into the evening.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Greetings from 14,000’ camp on Mt. McKinley. Part any mountain adventure is reacting to the weather conditions. And today’s weather has us waiting, resting and acclimatizing for another day. The team is getting better acquainted as our conversations are ranging much further today than on previous rest day. Our spirits remain high as we sit here in great shape with our cache already stored above the fixed line. Now we're just waiting for a good weather window to make our move to High Camp at 17,000’ and then a bid for the top. So we are patiently waiting: relaxing, drinking tea, and enjoying each other’s company here at 14 camp.
We'll hang tight up here and wait for a good stretch of weather, to go higher. That's all the news from Mt. McKinley and we'll be talking to you soon.
RMI Guide Jake Beren and Team
The Four Day Summit Climb June 17 - 20 led by Mark Falendar and J.J. Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:00 a.m. PT. They reported gusty winds and cold temperatures but blue skies above them and great views all around.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
We bit off another chunk of the mountain with our move to 9,500' camp today. The weather threatened to close in on us around mid-morning with clouds surrounding us and a bit of snow. Around noon, the clouds cleared and the sun warmed us up as we finished out our day with a hard afternoon of napping.
Slow is steady and steady is fast.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Hello, this is Jake Beren with the RMI McKinley Expedition. We would like to wish everybody a Happy Father's Day from 14,000 feet on Denali.
Today we rested at camp and used the opportunity to practice our fixed line and running belay techniques to get ready for the upper mountain. With the weather system kind of sitting over the mountain right now it looks like we might have another day or two here at our 14,000’ camp. But our fingers are crossed that will be heading up to 17,000’ and then getting our chance at a summit attempt in the not too distance future.
So wish us well from down low. Again, Happy Father's Day to all the proud papas out there.
We'll be checking in from either here or higher up. Thanks everybody, and will be talking to you soon.
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Hi Everyone
Hope the weather is clearing on the mountain top and you all will be able to move up there soon. Are you cold yet?? We love you Anne Gilbert and are very proud!Dad loved his call from up there. Mom and Dad
Posted by: chris chase on 6/24/2011 at 7:15 am
Glad you are hanging in there. We miss you and can’t wait to hear about your grand adventure.
Posted by: carolyn crandell on 6/24/2011 at 6:34 am
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