Sunday, May 12, 2019
Well, it was another day of waiting in Talkeetna for the weather to improve enough to fly into Kahiltna Base Camp. The FAA webcams looked socked in all day, but every once in a while some clearings would emerge. Finally, around 3 pm, we decided to round up the troops and don our climbing clothes and boots to be ready to board if a flight was possible. After a recon report from another K2 airplane on a scenic flight confirmed that it looked like we could land at Base Camp, we boarded the two Turbo Prop Otters and launched for the Alaska Range. A beautiful flight with partly cloudy skies took us all the way to Base Camp …but a small but thick cloud hung over the landing strip. We held in a waiting pattern for as long as we could and the conditions did not improve. Finally we regained our elevation and pointed back south for Talkeetna. An awesome flight, and oh-so-close. We’ll try again early tomorrow, with a more promising forecast.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Sunday, May 11, 2019
Today was another day spent on standby in Talkeetna, waiting to fly into Basecamp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The weather didn’t seem to notice that we were waiting on it, as it rained in town and snowed in the mountains all day. The team is in great spirits, enjoying some unusual down time from our hectic lives, and busy packing in the calories. We will see what tomorrow brings; the snowy weather looks to continue throughout the day, but lighter than the past two days. Monday will bring high pressure with relief from the precipitation for at least a few days. Today's photos are courtesy of the FAA webcam for the Kahiltna Glacier Air Strip, current conditions and view on a clear day.
We’ll keep you posted with any changes in the status.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
We loaded our on two de Haviland Otter turbo prop single engine airplanes this morning and took off for Kahiltna Base Camp. The flight over the tundra was beautiful as we soared beneath a low ceiling of clouds. As we approached the range it became apparent that our normal access points of One Shot and Second Shot Passes were not options due to the low clouds. So the pilots opted to try "the long way", which means accessing the Kahiltna glacier at its toe and following it up toward Base Camp. The problem was that as we gained elevation on the glacier the cloud did not, and eventually we were flying in the cloud, a thick pea soup, with very little visibility. So the team of K2 pilots made the prudent decision to turn around and head back for Talkeetna.
We spent the rest of the day on stand by to see if weather would improve. It did not, and in fact it deteriorated a little. We'll play the same game tomorrow, with a less than ideal forecast. The good news is that high pressure looks to be moving our way soon!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The 2019 Denali climbing season is getting under way. Our team met this morning for breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse for heaping servings of eggs and sourdough hotcakes. After breakfast we strolled down to the Susitna River where chunks of recently broken up ice flowed out from the direction of the Alaska Range. On a clear day we would be able to see Denali from here, but our view was obscured by clouds.
Next up was a trip the National Park Service office for a pre-trip orientation. We went over specifics of the route as well as safety issues and environmental stewardship responsibilities we climbers have in keeping the mountain clean.
The rest of the day was the meat and potatoes, where we headed to the K2 Aviation hangar to sort our gear and food to be prepared to fly into the range, hopefully tomorrow.
We'll keep you posted with our status...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Congratulations to the team who was the highest people in North America today, assuming no one is climbing Denali or Logan. We had a restless night of sleep listening to the winds howling but by the time we awoke at 11:30pm they were just gusting. The team did a great job taking care of themselves and climbing well.
One of our favorite parts of this trip has been the people in this group. The other night at dinner we came up with trail names for everyone. Breezy is an up for anything Appalachian Trail through hiker. Flama Blanc is a high energy positive Greek restaurant owner. Payday is a world traveler and mountaineer who makes everyone feel comfortable. Lorenzo is the backbone of our team, supporting us with snacks and good advice. Posh is a calculated climber who can take on whatever he wants. Major Tom is a photographer who captures the beauty in the land and smiles on our faces. St. Ronaldo is a fun loving athlete who makes a ten-hour day look easy. Data is a brilliant and curious life long learner who always has a great story to share. Endurance is the calm and confident leader who everyone wants to follow for his perfect form. Baklava is a smart trail chatter who is great for trail distractions. Then the guides: Muel has the strength of a lion and the courage of a bear, Doc is a determined and amazing leader, and lastly me named Jefe, who has the pleasure of traveling and climbing with this great team!
Thank you all.
-Jefe
I couldn’t have asked for a better guide team in Christina, Grayson and Alan! It was an absolute pleasure meeting some great climbers and getting ourselves up some mountains. Keep climbing everyone!!
Posted by: Mychal Wooldridge on 1/27/2019 at 12:47 pm
Jefe Mule and Doc deserve all the credit for making this the best RMI trip yet. Hope our paths cross again! Breezy
Posted by: Andreas Renner on 1/27/2019 at 12:42 pm
After a full day of rest in the historic and colorful city of Puebla the team is ready to attempt to reach the highest point in Mexico! We left Puebla this morning for Tlachichuca and Señor Reyes' climbing hostel and former soap factory. Here we ate a hardy lunch and admired the climbing history that has passed through on the way to Orizaba before loading up in a 4×4 truck to making our way to our camp for the night at 14,000 feet. Its sunny up here with gusty winds and clouds below to the East. Now we are getting ready for some sleep before waking up to climb through the night.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
After a good night of sleep, lots of coffee, and a two hour breakfast the team explored the city of Puebla today. We love this city for its charm, beautiful churches, and friendly people. The hotel we stay in has a huge rooftop terrace that gives us a view of La Malinche to the North, our last climb to the west and our next goal to the east. Yesterday, as we descended Ixta, our group was tired, wind blasted, and hungry so talk of another mountain was not appealing. But, today is a different story, our team is well fed and rested and happy to embark on the next climb. Here are just a few quotes from the group today: "I've traveled to over 50 countries, and Puebla is blowing my mind!" And, "I'm in a great mood!" Yep, we are lucky to have these folks to climb with.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
The team is in fine form today as we loaded our heavy packs onto our strong backs and hit the steep trail up from La Joya to Campo Alto Ixta. We all moved under the hot Mexico sun as a tight unit of perfectly timed rest steps. A small dog, we later named Ixta, decided that our group is great company and came with us all the way to 15,500 feet. Now we have our tents up and are treating ourselves to an hour of rest before firing up the stoves and making a hot dinner. We'll be turning in early because we'll be back up in the middle night for a climb to the top!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
This morning we left La Malinche for the Altzomoni Hut at 13,000 feet on Ixta. The team was able to stock up on water and last minute snacks in the town of Amecameca before we begin our two-day attempt on Ixta. We've got all of our equipment sorted for our move up to our high camp at 15,000 feet tomorrow.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
Today the team left the lively Zona Rosa district of Mexico City bright and early to make our way to the mountains. A beautiful drive through the Mexican countryside took us up through a cloud layer that blanketed the City to sunny skies above.
Once we arrived at our home for the night, La Malinche, the team began our first big step towards getting our bodies acclimated for the peaks to come by hiking up to 13,700 feet. Here, we got our first views of the surrounding volcanoes including our next objectives Ixta and Orizaba.
Tonight we will enjoy a much deserved authentic Mexican dinner, sleep at 10,000 feet and try to catch a glimpse of the Lunar Eclipse.
RMI Guide Grayson Swingle
Hope you guys see/saw the lunar eclipse. The moon was bright and shiny here in Atlanta and I hope it lights your way to the top! Best wishes and stay strong!
Posted by: Stephanie Renner on 1/21/2019 at 5:32 am
Good prudent decision of the K2 pilots. Thanks for keeping it safe. Hope the high pressure comes in with better weather.
Posted by: Susan Royce on 5/11/2019 at 6:31 pm
Clouds be gone!
Posted by: Mike Watt on 5/11/2019 at 12:57 pm
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