Entries By ben thorneycroft
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 11,200'
Wednesday, May 27, 2026 - 9:03 pm PT
We woke up to a chilly morning with clear skies. After a couple days of carrying gear and moving camps, our lead guide Seth, called for a rest day. That called for a rest day. meant a slow morning enjoying extra coffee and english muffins and ham. Camp renovations soon followed and after building the best snow bench seen at 11 camp, we enjoyed some real rest on said bench. For five minutes until one climber said “man, I hate sitting... what else can we build!?”
We found a few other useful ways to pass the time (including some actual rest in our warm tents) but try to get a group of motivated mountaineers to do nothing on a nice weather day and that just might be harder than climbing the mountain itself.
- RMI Climber Connor
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McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 11,200'
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 - 10:36 pm PT
The orange snake slithers slowly in front of me, at a mountaineers pace I follow it knowing it is going where I can find shelter, food, and water. Flexing left cheek, right cheek, then left again. We stop for a break and laugh and smile at each other as we check for signs of our faces getting too cold. Puffies on, stay warm, move your fingers and toes. Breaks over, both too short and too long as we are tired but need to move to stay warm.
I'm following the orange serpent to wherever it takes me next.
RMI Climber Wayne
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McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Reading these updates is incredible. I’m Julia’s older brother and more importantly Treavor’s brother-in-law, XF and I are amazed! What a cool adventure. Stay safe, trust the process, we’re all watching!
Posted by: Alex Hickman on 5/27/2026 at 7:55 am
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 11,200'
Tuesday, May 26th 11am PST
An early dinner with early bedtime made for an early morning start out of Camp 1. Our team woke up at 5 am and were headed back up ski hill by 7. We got our first glimpse of the top of Denali on our way out of camp.
In our current game of cache or carry - today was a carry day. We set out with sights set on 11 camp. We hauled sleds, did maths in our heads, and considered would you rather have constantly rotating or eternally damp socks. Our bluebird day turned cloudy, eventually giving way to snow and wind at 9500 feet.
We were happy to arrive at camp at 11,200 ft and after a quick group effort our camp was up and functioning again. We tucked ourselves in our cook tent with hot tea out of the wind and snow, and entertained alternative uses for tea bags. Now waiting for our impending delicious dinner from our amazing guides, we look forward to tomorrow and what the weather will have in store for us. I leave you with a quote I often utter as I hoist my body up this cold mountain. As a wise Mexican chihuahua once said “With my bean and my sombrero, the candy is never far away”
-RMI Climber Julia (aka Juls/Jube)
PS - Shout out to my mom and dad, who are currently watching my dog so I can run around Alaska for 4 weeks, my family/my best friends/my girls at Pennsy following along/my child dog Coco.
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McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Go Jube and Treav and team!! Coco says hi!! Stay safe and hope you are enjoying the journey!
Posted by: Anna Hickman on 5/27/2026 at 11:55 am
So happy to be able to follow along to the coolest person I know’s journey! Keep crushing it! So proud!!!
Posted by: Ashlee on 5/26/2026 at 6:14 pm
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 9,800'
5/24 - Our team woke up to beautiful views back down heartbreak hill which we had conquered the day before and cloudy skies up the mountain towards which we set our sights. Breakfast consisted of granola and powdered milk and as much hot coffee as we could get down before rigging our sleds and packs.
With lighter loads than day 1 we slowly made our way up ski hill, eventually reaching our cache site around 9800'. Our guides dug a large 6-foot hole and we piled in bags filled with our extra clothes, gear, and food that we will grab in a couple days for the higher mountain. The cache was then topped with the extra snow and plenty of bamboo pole flags to mark it and we headed back down with empty sleds and lighter packs.
Cloudy skies when we arrived back at camp broke and we again had some sun. A couple of us started charging our batteries with solar panels we brought and we relaxed, snacked, and dried our gear in the greenhouses of our tents.
We just finished a delicious early dinner of hearty pan fried burritos and cookies. Tomorrow we will cache some of our extra food and used clean mountain cans (CMCs) which we’ve taken turns using after meals here at 8k feet and make our way to 11k camp.
Denali continues to loom large across our camp above us, occasionally peeking out to show off its raw majesty. While we usually can’t make out the top above the clouds, we continue to set our sights there as we make our way closer and closer, day by day.
RMI Climber Climber Treavor
P.S. Hello to all our friends, family, and coworkers following our progress!
New Post Alerts:
McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Hi Treavor and team! Safe travels on your journey ahead!
Posted by: Brianna Bellis on 5/26/2026 at 5:54 am
What an amazing journey, already underway and so much still ahead! Stay safe!
Posted by: Paul Randolph on 5/25/2026 at 6:04 pm
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 7,800'
May 23, 2026
The weather was on our side today. Broken skies and light snow in the morning gave way to sunshine as we made our first move of the trip. We left base camp and descended down to the Kahiltna carrying heavy packs and fully loaded sleds. The weight on this first day is always a rude awakening to the trip but the team took it well and soon got into a groove. After several hours of true work we arrived at the base of ski hill and set up camp. We hope to carry to 10,100' tomorrow and are happy to have the first day behind us.
RMI Guide Seth Burns & Team
New Post Alerts:
McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Well done!!
Posted by: Nancy Geldean on 5/24/2026 at 8:53 pm
Good work Team.
Posted by: Jeff Lewis on 5/24/2026 at 5:30 pm
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7200'
May 23, 2026 - 12:50am PDT
And so, it begins.
After another Talkeetna morning cursing the clouds, we distracted ourselves practicing crevasse rescue, anchor systems and running belays. By noon there were glimpses of hope in the eyes of the pilots, a potential clearing in the evening. Our tender hearts had heard it before, so we kept doing what we do best: hacky sack and repacking. At around six our pilot came in with confirmation that it looked good enough to give it a shot! Our eager crew sprang to life, called our loved ones and loaded the planes. To our surprise lots of the range was visible in the setting sun, with a few dark clouds wisping with the wind. We flew down into the Kahiltna with little turbulence and landed at base camp. Stunned by the magnificent views that peaked in and out, we set up a hasty camp with smiles on our faces. We are all happy to be here and ready for the challenge ahead!
RMI Guide Ben Thorneycroft and Team!
New Post Alerts:
McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Wishing everyone a safe experience! Go Con!
Posted by: Karen Lipps on 5/24/2026 at 10:34 am
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 348'
Rain rain
go away
K2 said not today
Today is not looking like our day. Grey skies and on and off rain is the theme so far. We spent the morning enjoying a slow breakfast and hot cups of coffee. With our extra time we went over sled set up and rigging as well as fixed line climbing. We hope things change for us tomorrow.
Best
RMI Guide Seth Burns and Team
New Post Alerts:
McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Go Connor. Epic adventure. Safe climbing.
Posted by: Jeff Lewis on 5/23/2026 at 6:25 am
Ben and team, wishing you all a safe and exciting expedition!!
Love,
Aunt Katy
Posted by: Katy Angello on 5/21/2026 at 5:21 pm
Posted by: Seth Burns, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 348'
Hello from Talkeetna!
All of our travels went well yesterday and we are moved in to our hopefully temporary accommodations in Talkeetna. Today will be a packed day with a meeting with the park service and then lots or organization and preparation for our expedition. Everyone is excited to be here and get things moving. Send us good weather vibes!
-RMI Guide Seth Burns and Team
New Post Alerts:
McKinley Expedition, May 19, 2026
Sending all the best vibes your way! Good luck team! Go Tim and Tina!!
Posted by: Emily Chaplin on 5/21/2026 at 9:58 am
Posted by: Mike King, Sam Hoffman, Ben Thorneycroft, Margo Kerr, Layne Peters, Mac Nolde, Julian Kral
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir May 2 - 7 led by RMI Guides Mike King and Sam Hoffman met for a day of training and gear checks at Rainier BaseCamp and then headed onto the mountain. The team ascended to Camp Muir on Sunday and has enjoyed sunshine and blue skies during their training. Climbers practiced ice arrest, crevasse rescue and glacier travel before making their summit attempt. Today the team launched from Camp Muir with an alpine start, reaching the summit of Mt. Rainier at sunrise via the Ingraham Direct route. RMI Guide Sam Hoffman reported sunshine and moderate winds during their summit climb. The team has returned to Camp Muir where they will spend their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will descend to Paradise and return to BaseCamp to conclude their program.
Nice work team!
PC: Sam Hoffman and Layne Peters
Posted by: Dustin Wittmier, Seth Burns, Layne Peters, Ben Thorneycroft, Erika Barrett, Mac Nolde, Julian Kral, Brooks Ordway Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
RMI’s Four Day Climb, Aug 11-14 successfully reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today.
They reported 100% of the team was on top enjoying the calm weather and beautiful views this morning.
They are currently descending and will take a short but much needed break at Camp Muir before heading down to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to all of them!
Let’s go Connor and team! Reading these updates is making me stoked for you man. I know Denali is nothing compared to North Table Mountain, but try to find some ways to make it hard for yourself.
Posted by: Steven Azzano on 5/29/2026 at 9:20 pm
Enjoy doing what you love! Stay warm and safe and sleep well. We will be thinking of all of you and will be pulling for you. Wish we could pull your sleds for you, too! Hope this will be one of the best experiences of your lives! Sending lots of love!
Posted by: Susan Reusser on 5/28/2026 at 8:14 pm
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