Entries By alex halliday

Monday, May 31, 2021 - 4:55 pm PT

After going to bed last night there was an earthquake that shook camp and caused some ice to fall waking up the guides and a few in the group. The others were too deep in sleep from our exhaustive day of trail breaking. Today we got a casual start with a big bacon and cream cheese bagel breakfast. Around 10:30 we headed down to our 9,500’ cache and by 11:30 we had started back up hill in the sunny weather and thin clouds that can feel like your being microwaved. The team did well and are all back in their tents enjoying some down time and their luxurious accommodations. Hard saying what will happen tomorrow cause there is stormy weather in the forecast. We will shoot for a carry of food and fuel around Windy Corner. Thanks for following along.

RMI Guide Mike King

Sunday, May 30, 2021 - 9:36 pm PT

I woke to the sound of song birds chirping by our dining tent. That could only mean one thing, that the storm had broken and we’d likely get a nice day to move camp. We woke up at 5 am and we were walking by 8 am. The storm had put 18” of new snow down. Since there were no early risers to break trail, we took that on ourselves. The day was hot and included lots of deep snow. We pulled into 11,200’ Camp at 4 pm. Camp setup, dinner and bed was all the bandwidth we had. Tomorrow we will back carry to 9500’ to retrieve our cache of food and fuel. It’ll feel like a rest day compared the effort put forth today. Goodnight.

RMI Guide Mike King

Saturday, May 29, 2021 - 4:19 pm PT

With snow falling through the night and low visibility in the early morning we decided that a weather day at Camp 1 was better than packing up a wet camp and moving to a crowded 11,200’ Camp. We got some solar on the tents which makes for good napping. Lots of good conversations over a big breakfast of hash browns, eggs and bacon. Our plan is to move to 11,200’ tomorrow in better conditions. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to moving uphill.

RMI Guide Mike King

Friday, May 28, 2021 -  5:09pm PT

We had another stormy night here at the base of ski hill. We woke to clear skies and decided to try and move some food and fuel towards Kahiltna Pass and the turn up to 11,200’ camp. 30 minutes into the day the wind picked up and the loose snow started spinning. With some warm gloves and a few layers we leaned into the very consistent and very cold 15 mph wind and took it an hour at a time. Eventually we got to 9500’ which met the goal for the day. The ravens will dig up shallow caches so we dug a deep hole and buried our food and fuel. We beat feet down to camp and are currently enjoying some sun on the tents while that very consistent 15 mph wind spins snow everywhere.

We’ll see what we get tomorrow and a move to 11,200’ is planned.

RMI Guide Mike King & Team

Thursday, May 27. 2021 - 8:48pm PT

We flew onto the glacier late yesterday and did little else but get camp set up and ate some dinner. By midnight there was a blizzard that moved in until 9 am. After rigging our sleds and packs the wind had died down to a dull roar and the sky turned blue. We packed up and headed out around 12:30 pm with the sun to help balance the cold breeze. The route down heartbreak hill and onto the Kahiltna glacier was straightforward but windy. The wind would not abate for the next 5 hours as we leaned into it and got to camp. Heavy packs and sleds have us happy to be eating dinner and getting ready to sleep.

We’ll see what this storm brings tomorrow, but for now our fully bellies and tired legs could care less.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Mike King and Team

The Denali Expedition May 25, 2021 led by RMI Guides Mike King, Alex Halliday and Abby Westling arrived in Anchorage on Tuesday, May 25th.  The team made their way to Talkeenta with a stop for groceries and fresh food to fly with them onto the mountain.  Once in Talkeetna they sorted and packed gear, met with the National Park Service and prepared to begin their adventure on Denali.  The forecast for Wednesday evening looked to have a break in the weather that would allow them to fly to Kahiltna Base Camp.  And sure enough, the team loaded up in the K2 Aviation Twin Otters and headed into the mountains around 5 pm local time.

The Four Day Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Alex Halliday reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today.  The guides reported light winds and great climbing conditions. They have left the crater and started their descent back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations to Today's Teams! 

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Adam Knoff and Alex Halliday reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today on the newly established Disappointment Cleaver Route. Guide Adam Knoff reported clear and windy skies. Tempratures were cool in the morining, but starting to warm up, so the team will have a pleasant descent back to Camp Muir.

Congratulations to Today's Team!

After waiting all morning for the rain to stop and the clouds to lift we made our summit attempt. The clouds towered around us as we climbed up the glacier in the sun, getting a good look at Mt. Shuksan's snow-covered summit pyramid. Mother Nature had other plans for us as we approached 7,600’ the clouds closed in around us creating white-out conditions and forcing us to follow our footsteps back to camp. RMI Guide Alex Halliday

We are back at our Mt. Shuksan camp after a successful day of training on the slopes near our camp. The clouds have settled back in around us and we are having a round of hot drinks to keep morale up before dinner. RMI Guide Alex Halliday