Entries By chase nelson

Elevation: 11,200'

June 15, 2014 - 10:31 pm PT Greetings from Camp 3 at 11,000'... We enjoyed a sunny and warm wake up today while we packed for a quick move up to 11,000 ft on Mt. McKinley. After a few hours on the trail in mostly whiteout conditions we arrived and set to work digging and building platforms and walls to protect our tents and posh (dining tent). The weather has been coming in and out all day with sun breaks punctuating a generally cloudy day. It's actually begun snowing moderately as I write this... Anyway, we left a sizable cache of food and fuel buried down at 9,600' that we hope to retrieve tomorrow morning after sleeping in and enjoying a more substantial breakfast. Breaking camp every morning for the last 3 days has meant quickie breakfasts like oatmeal or granola. We also got to enjoy a visit with some of our comrades from higher on the mountain as they came through camp. Good vibes all around. All for now, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

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Bruce, I hope the weather improves. Just pretend you are in Mexico again going an easy summit. Best of luck on summit day. I will get all the details from Katie at GFH3 tomorrow.

Posted by: Reid on 6/17/2014 at 3:45 pm

Michael. I printed the leopard photo from your Kilimanjaro trip in two sizes and it came out great! It will look good matted and framed. Hang in there and stay warm. Say hi to your dad. What a great way to spend Fathers day. Love you. Mom

Posted by: Joyce on 6/16/2014 at 6:56 pm

Mt. McKinley: Nugent & Team Grooving on in to 9,600’

June 15, 2014

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 9,600'

June 14, 2014 - 10:44 pm PT Checking in from 9,600'! All is well up here, despite a very hot day cooking in the microwave. A breezy and chilly morning made for a brisk break of camp this morning but it eventually gave way to stillness and a low level cloud clinging to the glacier. With full humidity and scorching temperatures we poured sweat despite stripping down to just our base layers. By the end of the day, a nice breeze greeted us as we neared Kahiltna Pass and put in our camp. We enjoyed the evening with a good meal outside and are all crawled in waiting for tomorrow and our planned move up to 11,000'. More as the situation develops, RMI Guide Billy Nugent

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Happy Father’s day dad!! I am so proud of you and so inspired by you. I keep bragging about you to all my 20-something friends just to make sure they know how cool my dad is!! I miss you, keep pushing, and I love you!!

<3 Your Dollface

Posted by: Lauren Quandt on 6/16/2014 at 11:37 am

Rafael, so very proud! Keep on pushing! Moa

Posted by: Mo Mendonca on 6/16/2014 at 8:23 am

Mt. McKinley: Nugent & Team Reach Camp 1

June 13, 2014

Posted by: Billy Nugent, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 7,800'

June 13, 2014 - 9:40 pm PT Welcome! To the first of many blog installments for the June 10, 2014, RMI expedition to Denali. Our team first met a couple days ago in Anchorage and enjoyed a cramped van ride up to Talkeetna. There, we spent the following day packing and prepping for our bush flight in the midst of a shaky weather forecast. We went to bed on Wednesday night locked and loaded with our fingers crossed for blue skies in the a.m... As luck would have it our good friends at K2 Aviation were able to drop us off at Kahiltna Basecamp in a pair of Otter ski planes first thing in the morning! After building and moving in to our camp we spent the rest of the day making our final preparations for the trip. Today was the first real day of the expedition. We woke early and broke camp and packed up for our single-carry to Camp 1 at 7,800'. A single-carry means we are loaded down with all of the equipment, food, and fuel to sustain our expedition for 22 days... It rounds out to about 100lbs of gear per climber split between a sled and backpack. We had a couple of occasional breaks of clear skies but spent most of the day sheltered from the blazing sun by a thin layer of clouds and light snow flurries. While it might sound inclement, it actually kept temperatures from getting too warm and made for nice walking. We are all settled in at 7,800' for the night and are hoping to continue up tomorrow with another single-carry to 9,600' and Camp 2. We'll check in again and let ya'll know how it went... RMI Guide Billy Nugent

On The Map

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Happy Father’s Day Michael and to any other fathers with you! Your life lessons have been and continue to be incredible. Enjoy the journey! Love you and stay safe!!

Posted by: Mary Lou Quandt on 6/15/2014 at 7:15 am

Mike,
cycling class isn’t as fun without you! We are thinking of you daily!
Well wishes-Paige and Warren

Posted by: paige woodward on 6/14/2014 at 7:02 pm

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team Continue to Wait For Better Weather

June 11, 2014

Posted by: Jake Beren, Leon Davis, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 7,800'

June 10, 2014 - 10:33 pm PT Can you guess where we are? Yes, 7,800' camp on Mt. McKinley. The snows continue to blow up glacier and keep us from advancing higher on the mountain. The team is doing a fantastic job staying dug out and keeping spirits high. We have plenty of food and fuel, we just need to the weather to allow us to go a little higher. It will and all we need is a little patience. Wish us luck. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

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Hey Scott Thinking about you and wish you the best. Ben

Posted by: Ben on 6/15/2014 at 12:12 am

Hey J-Rod are you going to summit that? Whin misses you…well at least I think thats what her hissing at me means, haha. I’m eating all of Rice Crispies at your house FYI. They are delicious. Catch you on the flip side brother.

Posted by: Gunter on 6/12/2014 at 6:30 am

Mt. Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir Reaches Summit

June 5, 2014

Posted by: Casey Grom, Chase Nelson, Mark Falender, Katrina Bloemsma

Elevation: 14,410'

The Expedition Skill Seminar - Muir reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 7:25 am PT. RMI Guide Casey Grom reported a beautiful day with clear skies, light winds and cool temperatures. The team will descend to Camp Muir (10,060') where they will spend their final night on the mountain and conclude their training tomorrow with a final descent to Paradise. Congratulations to today's Seminar team!

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¡Felicitaciones!

Posted by: Margaret Amalfitano on 6/6/2014 at 6:11 am

Way to go Mike McBride and Seminar-Muir team!!!! Congradulations !!!

Posted by: Pat Noe on 6/5/2014 at 12:19 pm

Mt. Rainier: May 31st Summit!

May 31, 2014

Posted by: Katrina Bloemsma, Casey Grom, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Casey Grom reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at about 7:35am PT. The team reported clear skies and calm climbing conditions. The team will spend some time on the Summit before starting their descent to Camp Muir. Congratulations to today's team!

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Looking for info on Sheldon Spivey a Georgia climber who is there attempting to summit Rainer

Posted by: Diana Spivey on 6/1/2014 at 8:58 am

Reading the sad news from MT Rainier - it does not
appear to be Robert’s team led by Matt Emht that
was lost but a team led by Matt Hegeman taking the Liberty Ridge route.

Prayers to all involved.

Posted by: Mitchell on 6/1/2014 at 7:53 am

Mt. Rainier: May 18th Teams Summit!

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Adam Knoff, Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Sean Collon, Bridget Belliveau, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 14,410'

The Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Adam Knoff reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday afternoon in cold and windy conditions. The team descended back to Camp Muir for the night. The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Brent Okita reached the summit this morning and reports blue skies on top with a cap beginning to form. Both teams will be back in Ashford later today.

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Congratulations Uncle Chris!

Posted by: Jen Maseda on 5/20/2014 at 10:36 am

Well done to my sister Carmela and my brother-in-law Max Brouwer, i am so proud of you guys!!! Mariana xxx

Posted by: Mariana Pinillos on 5/18/2014 at 12:52 pm

Mt. Rainier: May 14th Summit!

May 14, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Tyler Jones, Chase Nelson, Mike King, Nick Hunt, Ben Liken

Elevation: 14,410'

Camp Muir reported that RMI Guides Brent Okita, Tyler Jones and the Five Day Summit Climb Team reached the Summit of Mt. Rainier at about 7am this morning. The team reported clear skies and absolutely beautiful climb weather. The team has started their descent and are en route to Camp Muir. We expect them back to RMI Base Camp this afternoon. This is the First Summit of the our 2014 summer season! Congratulations Teams!

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Great Job? How was the trail up? Going up in June!

Posted by: brandon on 5/15/2014 at 8:59 am

Congrats…2 weeks till my climb, hoping the streak will continue!

Posted by: Dan on 5/14/2014 at 3:01 pm

Mt. Rainier: The 2014 Season Begins!

May 12, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Tyler Jones, Ben Liken, Nick Hunt, Mike King, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 10,060'

RMI Guides Brent Okita and Tyler Jones are leading our first 2014 Mt. Rainier Summit Climb! The team is doing great and had beautiful weather on their ascent to Camp Muir today. Tomorrow the team will go on an acclimatization hike and get ready for their summit bid on Wednesday.

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Best of luck with the summit bid! Please post more pics! My kids want to be inspired by their Uncle Chris. We love you Uncle Chris!
Love,
Your Sister

Posted by: Jennifer Ward-Maseda on 5/20/2014 at 7:27 am

Wish I could be there with all of you,...someday, I will go.
Be careful and have a great time!

Posted by: Deblan on 5/13/2014 at 5:16 pm

Mt. Rainier: July 20, 2013 Summit!

July 20, 2013

Posted by: JJ Justman, Chase Nelson

Elevation: 14,410'

The RMI Four Day Summit Climb team led by JJ Justman reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team reported a beautiful morning with clear skies and light winds of about 20mph. The ascent to the summit took about 6 hours and 10 minutes. The team left the summit and will descend back to Camp Muir and then continue to Paradise. RMI Guide Billy Nugent led a team of climbers in the North Cascades. They reached the summit today around 2 pm PT. They returned to camp around 5 pm and will spend their final night in the mountains. Tomorrow they will descend to the trial head and complete their trip. Congratulations to today's team!

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Great job guys! I have enjoyed seeing the pictures on facebook. Anxious to hear the stories. Congratulations!

Posted by: Jeff Lindmark on 7/20/2013 at 3:36 pm

You guys rock! I never thought I’d see my mom in shorts while in the snow..must have been working hard. Congratulations on summit!

Posted by: Erica on 7/20/2013 at 12:05 pm