Monday, July 1, 2013
Our storm got real in the night, with cannon-like broadsides of wind and ice particles assaulting the tents. It was serious enough that the guides were out stumbling around from midnight to 2 AM, cutting snow blocks and building walls, but not serious enough that the whole team needed to be in on the fun. It snowed and blew for much of the night, with the wind changing direction every now and then in order to keep things interesting. Although the alarm had been set early for climbing, it was obvious as the morning progressed that we'd simply have to hunker down and ride out the storm. Around mid-morning we rallied the whole crew to eat breakfast, dig out tents and build more walls. Then it was back into the tents for a few hours. We finished the day with some avalanche transceiver training by Zeb Blais, a fine dinner by Erik Nelson and Mike King, and some tall tales by yours truly.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hope the weather improves so that you guys don’t have to stay cooped up in tents on the side of the mountain. Hopefully the avalanche transceiver training will be for naught, but glad that you have it.
Sunday, June 30, 2013Another Denali day, another camp built. We slept in until three this morning and then sprang into action. It doesn't get dark in this part of Alaska in late June, but it gets shadowy, which can be a beautiful thing, even with a storm moving in. It was pretty plain, as we ate breakfast and then knocked down our tents at 9500 ft, that the forecasts were correct and that it wouldn't be long before weather deteriorated. But we felt we still had a little time. As we were getting ready, we enjoyed seeing Mike Haugen's victorious climbing team passing through on their descent. We exchanged handshakes, hugs, route information and then wished each other well. We were out of the old camp and on the site of our new one at 11,000 ft in just over three hours, which meant that we were sitting pretty a few hours after that when things began to get nasty. It rained a bit through the afternoon, which is not so typical this high up Denali, but by evening it was the more typical onslaught of wind and snow. By then we were well dug in and ready for it.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Saturday, June 29th, 2013
Conditions at 4:45 AM were perfect for moving from 8,000' on the Kahiltna Glacier to 9,600 ft. So we did. We'd gotten up at 2:00 a.m. to have a hot breakfast and we could see scattered clouds overhead and a cap above Denali's summit but there was no wind. Our route up Ski Hill was blissfully free of dicey crevasse crossings and the snow surface had frozen up enough to make walking and sled pulling a bit easier than yesterday. Even so, Ski Hill was long, slow, and uphill. We were up to 9,600' in just over three and a half hours. Already by this point, digging in and building a new camp in a beautiful place was becoming routine. Clouds cleared down valley so that we had unobstructed views of nearly the entire length of the Kahiltna while we worked. The sun became brutally intense by midday, but by then we were sheltered in the tents, napping, drinking water and reading.
We got together for dinner in the evening as things cooled down. We talked strategy for our move to 11,000', secured camp for the night and turned in early once again.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Thankful for technology that gives a picture into this experience. 93 in Tacoma. Headed for Whidbey and Dungeness crab tomorrow. Prayers for your safety going up constantly.
Posted by: Donna Nelson on 6/30/2013 at 4:23 pm
Mike & Max Reese + team - Wishing you cold , firm snow and calm weather during your ascent! Thinking of you while sitting on a beach in Costa Rica. Best Wishes!
Friday, June 28th, 2013
As planned, we fired up the stoves shortly after our 1 AM wake up. The plan in getting up so early, was to be moving during the coldest part of the day when we could hope that the glacial surface would be frozen solid. That would make sled hauling and walking in general a lot easier than pulling through slush, but more importantly, a freeze would make things safer, bridging the crevasses we'd need to cross. It was apparent this morning, as we ate breakfast and took down tents, that we weren't going to get a hard freeze. Temperatures hadn't dipped low enough, and there was cloud overhead that seemed to act as a warm, damp blanket, insulating the glacier and messing with our plans. But things had firmed up a little anyway, and by 4:15 AM when we hit the trail, snowshoes were doing the job in preventing "post-holing". Rigging up properly for such travel is far more complicated when sleds are in the mix, so the fact that it took some time to get organized was not unexpected. That extra time paid off when we were able to move good and steady without any gear glitches or malfunctions. The first hour took us down about 500 feet in elevation to the main Kahiltna Glacier where we turned North. We began to meet a few rope teams on their way out and it was great to meet an old friend or two in passing and to hear of their adventures on the mountain. Our second and third hour-long pulls took us past Mount Francis (hiding in cloud) and the junction with the East Fork of the Kahiltna. By the fourth and fifth sections of the climb we passed the Kahiltna Peaks and made it to the NE Fork junction... about where we wanted to be at the base of Ski Hill. By this point we were thankful to have cloud cover giving us relief from the sun as we built camp and crawled into tents for an afternoon snooze.
After a quiet and easy afternoon in the tents, we met for dinner in the deluxe POSH dining complex dug by Zeb, Erik and Mike King. We turned in early once again anticipating another early start tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Thursday, June 28th, 2013
We enjoyed a final, but ample breakfast at the Roadhouse and then hurried out to the airstrip to get ready for flying. Sure enough, conditions were favorable and so we loaded up in two big and beautiful K2 Aviation ski-equipped Otters. There was some smoke in the skies from forest fires and a little cloud as well, but we had magnificent views of forests, rivers, lakes... and then eventually of nothing but gargantuan mountains and glaciers. Our pilots, Randy and Jeff, had us into the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and safely landed by 9:00 AM. After unloading and a few handshakes, they were off and we were left in our breathtakingly beautiful new home. We set to building camp and then spent a lazy afternoon reviewing rope techniques and getting set for glacier travel. We ate an early dinner under the intense Alaskan summer sun, did a few more last chores and then turned in. It was good to touch base, via radio, with the other RMI teams on the mountain and to feel like we'll soon be joining in the fun. The plan is to be up at 1 AM if the weather stays fine and we'll hope to be on the march a few hours later.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The Christofferson family is sending our best to Anders and the rest of the team. We love all the pictures and updates! Looking forward to hearing how you are all doing after carrying all those heavy loads “on your march” today!
Posted by: Judy Christofferson on 6/28/2013 at 5:51 pm
Hahn Team
To Mike & Max - we are grateful to be able to follow you on this blog and will enjoy watching your adventures. Thinking of you and wishing you good weather and a safe climb.
Bill & Caryl Reese
Posted by: Bill & Caryl Reese on 6/28/2013 at 11:48 am
Wednesday, June 26th, 2013
The climbing team ate a hardy breakfast at The Talkeetna Roadhouse. We talked climbing and safety as we chewed bacon and swilled coffee. Our excellent meal prepared us for a giant day of packing and organizing to fly on to Denali. Longtime legendary NPS climbing ranger Roger Robinson gave our pre-climb briefing at the ranger station, after which we trooped on out to the K2 Aviation hangar to get into the nuts and bolts of getting our gear ready for the mountain. We worked through some unbelievably hot hours, checking tents, stoves, ropes, pots and clothes. Massive cumulonimbus clouds formed as the day went along and thunder boomed, but the storm never really hit Talkeetna.
We enjoyed a great dinner together at the popular West Rib Pub and then turned in. All were intent on resting up from this big and busy day to be ready for a bigger and busier day tomorrow, hopefully one that gets us onto Denali.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
To Max and my Dad: Wanted to let you know that although the wifi here is limited, I’m still able to check up on the blog at least once a day. Thinking of you and wishing you the best! Have a safe climb!
Posted by: Ellie on 6/27/2013 at 12:26 pm
Dave Hahn and Team -
Sounds like that warm weather is still hanging around up there. I’ve followed some of the previous RMI teams and they were all hit with hot weather at some point during their climbs.
I bet the lower Kahiltna has opened up quite a bit and you will have a severe zig-zag path through that area.
Have a safe climb!
The last RMI Denali team of the 2013 climbing season is in place in Talkeetna. All people (12) and all baggage (24 plus) made it to Anchorage without delay. We met at four in the afternoon and shortly thereafter we'd connected with Bill, our Denali Overland shuttle driver and we began the shuttle to Talkeetna. We got to feel the much discussed heat wave... It was hot. We took a short break in Wasilla, to take on final provisions, and then Bill took us up to Talkeetna town. Most elected to take it easy on this jet lagged evening, settling down to a comfy night in the Talkeetna Motel.
Work starts tomorrow.
(And there will be pictures)
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our Sherpa climbing team went up through the Khumbu Icefall a final time early this morning. The rest of us sat out in the warm sunshine and continued the packing process as we watched the glacier and listened to our radios. It was great to relax, and to be safe, but of course that relaxation wasn't complete until Lam Babu brought the entire team down from Camp One with the final loads. Then the day passed slowly and easily, listening to avalanches and rocks falling off the surrounding peaks. Helicopters buzzed the camp incessantly, either capturing the last film footage of "Basecamp 2013" or looking for riders with VISA cards. Summer is coming to the Himalaya and the forecasts tell us the monsoon is only a few days off. There are still climbing teams on the mountain, but the vast majority have finished and gone home. Tents and puja flags were coming down in every direction today and strings of yaks and porters were taking everything down-valley. Trekkers quit coming around about a week ago as weather down low shifted to cloudy mode. We'll leave base tomorrow and the remaining team will collapse the camp in our wake. It seems hard to believe that we've lived in this place for seven weeks now... That will have to be enough for this year. We'll just hope to hang on to the spectacular imagery and the sense of camaraderie we've built up through the experience. Thank you for following the expedition.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Way to go Seth. I’m proud for you and the entire team - Jon.
Posted by: Jon Keith on 6/17/2013 at 7:05 pm
AWESOME AND WONDERFUL JOB…YOU ALL DO AMAZING WORK…I LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING AND SOMEDAY BEING ON THE TEAM…THANKS FOR BEING EPIC DAVE…SUPERMAN ON THE MOUNTAIN…GODS BEST AND ENJOY ...AIRYSWE
Dave and I are safely back at Everest Basecamp. The Sherpa team has one more load to carry down from Camp 1 in the morning and then the expedition will officially be done with the Everest climb.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
[Audio posted from Dave Hahn after returning to Basecamp]
Dave Hahn calls in after returning to Everest Basecamp.
Great job Dave and Seth! You guys really put the peddle to the metal at the end there. Can’t wait to talk to you about it at the Mountain Festival in Septmber! Mike
Update 7:21 p.m. PST:
Mark Tucker sent a message that the team is descending from Camp 1 to Basecamp. All is well!
Voicemail update 7:20 a.m. PST:
Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling from Advanced Base Camp once again. We finished our whirlwind tour of the upper mountain. You remember we went from here, 21,300, to nearly 26,000 feet the South Col and went to the summit this morning. And then all the way back down here to Advanced Base Camp. So a long day of climbing and an exciting day of climbing for myself, Seth, Kaji and Tshering. With Gyaljen playing lifeguard back at the South Col looking out for us and having some hot drinks ready when we got back there - which was pretty nice. And we loaded everything up, up there at the Col and came down with the pretty heavy packs down the Lhotse Face. It feels very good to be a little bit lower on the mountain but what a big day! Certainly intended to give a voice dispatch from the summit, had the sat phone up there but there was a little bit of a cold wind blowing from the north, made it hard to do things like work with your fingers with your gloves off and make phone calls and things like that. But we were able to talk to Mark Tucker down a base camp on the radio and Dan as well who was standing down there with Lam Babu and our whole Base Camp staff. So, that was nice to be able to connect with those guys, while we were up there. (broken transmission).
Conditions weren't all that bad, ended up a pretty good weather summit day but a little cold. Wind kind of goes with what we consider a good day. Anyway this was a good day. And now it's clearly the season is changed. And it's time to get off the mountain, it's heating up. The anchors we're melting out on our way down the Lhotse Face and we had to be pretty careful of that. So we're taking that as a sign that it is time to be heading down. Alright, bye for now. Thank you.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from ABC after their summit climb.
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Erik can cook?
Posted by: Kurt Nelson on 7/3/2013 at 7:25 pm
Hope the weather improves so that you guys don’t have to stay cooped up in tents on the side of the mountain. Hopefully the avalanche transceiver training will be for naught, but glad that you have it.
Posted by: Vicki on 7/2/2013 at 4:45 pm
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