Entries By christina von mertens

June 16, 2015 3:18 pm PT Yesterday our team made a carry to 17 Camp. Leaving early, we avoided the crowds and enjoyed one of the more beautiful days the Buttress could serve up. Spectacular views from the Kahiltna to the tundra kept us company all day long and we really got a great sense of our surroundings. Now we are all set to capitalize on the next weather window and move up! Until then the team is enjoying a well earned rest day here at 14 Camp. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Sunday June 14th 8:50 pm PT Today we wished our dear friends "Bon voyage" as the other RMI teams moved up on the West Rib and Buttress. Good luck everyone! As for our esteemed crew, we spent the midday training to be as agile as the mighty wolverine when we tackle the fixed lines. It was great to see everyone both excel at the training course and take the time to enjoy the absurdly beautiful views of Hunter, Foraker and the Kahiltna Glacier. It was a stunning day up here. Tomorrow we hope to carry goods higher up to prepare for moving when the weather allows. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Saturday June 13th 7:15 pm PT Today has been fantastic. We left 11 Camp early this morning and enjoyed perfect conditions and weather on our way up to 14 Camp. The team climbed very well and we were again treated to supreme hospitality by the other RMI teams at 14 Camp. Plenty of water and some pre-made tent platforms will make us soft if we aren't careful. Now for some well-deserved rest before dinner. Tomorrow we will handle some training and wish our friends good luck as they move into position for their time in the stratosphere. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

June 11, 2015 11:17pm PST What a day! We woke early to begin the day's nowcasting (real time weather) to see if it was workable to put a cache higher on the mountain. Motorcycle Hill stayed more or less visible throughout breakfast, so we decided to give it a shot. As we climbed higher the weather smiled upon us. Little wind and some good reports from our friends up at 14 Camp and we just kept on trucking. Arriving at 14 Camp was a real treat. Hugs from the other RMI teams as well as a pre dug cache hole made for a solid foray to our future home. Thanks again guys! Now back down in camp at 11, we are about to sleep. Tomorrow we plan to rest. With any luck our forecast for improving conditions (thanks guys) verifies and we hope to move higher soon. June 12, 2015 3:52pm PST Ahhhh. It has been a great day today. So far we have had a leisurely brunch followed by some excellent chatting in our kitchen tent. Then some spice sampling followed by headstand yoga practicing. Now the team is napping and reading. The weather has been quite pleasant here in camp, but sure looked windy up high this morning. All in all a perfect day to sit tight and recover after a few big days of climbing. With any luck Denali will let us up a little higher tomorrow. If so, we'll be ready. RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

Wednesday, June 10th 10:15 pm PT The winds subsided enough today to allow us safe passage back to our buried cache at 9,600 feet. It was a fun stroll and though we broke trail in a full whiteout to get there, we enjoyed extremely pleasant walking conditions on our quest for the rest of our snacks. The afternoon held time for a nap and a review of climbing techniques before dinner. If the weather cooperates we are set to jet and bump a load higher on the route tomorrow. Wish us luck! RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

June 9, 2015, 3:39 pm PT Awaking to light snow and little wind yesterday we decided to see if moving was realistic. Denali decided to make us earn it and we climbed through consistent wind and snow to make it up here. The team did great, and evening found us snug in our sleeping bags. This morning we battled the same wind and snow that followed us up from 7,800' as we fortified our living space, building artistic (yet functional) walls to protect us from the elements. This afternoon we will rest and recover from a few big days before retrieving our cache and sending a new one higher on the route. Great to be posted up higher on the Great One. RMI Guide Jake Beren

On The Map

Sunday, June 7, 2015 7:42 pm PT Yesterday we stormed the Kahiltna Glacier, officially ending our occupation of Talkeetna. We were able to catch an early afternoon flight, skirting the clouds and safely getting ourselves and all our groceries into the mountains! We expected a huge backlog of climbers at basecamp, and there were more than a few parties waiting to get off the mountain. However a buried tent city resembling a parking lot of white Fiats, was nowhere to be found. We landed to spectacular views and decided to hit the ground running. Making it to 7,800 Camp in the evening was a great start to the climb. Today we got a reasonable start to the day, leaving camp at mid morning and carrying to 9,700 feet. It was a pleasant day for walking, with enough cloud cover to keep us from getting too scorched. The team made it and we are now resting before dinner. Hopefully we can use that fuel to move to 11K Camp. Keep those fingers crossed for good weather! RMI Guide Jake Beren

June 6, 2015 11:08am PST No trip to Denali is truly complete without a taste of the Talkeetna Hang. With the unsettled weather this week continuing, it hasn't been possible to fly in to the Range. While that can be tough for some to hang out in town, it doesn't take many days stuck in a storm on the mountain before we will be wistfully remembering our down days in town. The team is doing their best to stay in the game. Despite being ready with planes loaded and boots on, we spent the day in town, not flying. With nothing else to do for the trip, we set out to really get into the Talkeetna Hang. An afternoon pizza party prompted a trip to the river to skip some rocks and look towards the mountains. We couldn't see anything but dark clouds toward the Range so we pushed on. Making a stop at the historic Fairview Inn the team got into some fierce ping pong action. Doubles, singles, it didn't matter. Nice to get the heart beating again. After the games a farmer's market set up shop nearby, a concert in the park struck up and we eventually returned to the hanger for a game of Cards against Humanity. A solid day of hanging. With any luck we will fly today, but if not I think we can find a museum or two to explore. RMI Guides Jake Beren, Christina Von Mertens, Andrew Kiefer & Team

The group has made it to charming Talkeetna for burgers, beers, and packing. We spent the day yesterday dialing in our 100 liter packs and duffels with sleds. The food for 22 days is packed and our spirits are high. Now that we are all ready the weather needs to cooperate. We were scheduled to fly this morning but are in a waiting pattern at the moment, well, I guess it's back to the coffee shop. All is well! RMI Guide Jake Beren & Team

Well it sure has been an action packed few days for our team here in Mexico. After a wonderful rest day (I'll let everyone share their own tales when they return) where the crew scattered about the city causing mayhem and generally having a ball, we launched for Tlachichuca. We'd all been nervously watching the weather after our trouncing on Ixta and the forecast was unclear, on all fronts. We had seen everything from the apocalypse to passable, but there really is never any substitute for the nowcast. Upon arrival at the base of the mountain, in our old friend Dr. Reyes' climbers compound, we learned that no one had summited in days and that getting to the hut would require a few hours of walking. Snow had overtaken the road and trucks couldn't reach the hut. No one had ever seen such a low snow level, let alone heard of a vehicle making through drifts feet thick in spots. We were in for it if we were going to even make it to the hut. We decided to go see how far we could get anyway and started climbing up the steep, muddy road towards the hut. The higher we drove, the more snow there was on the road. Eventually the trucks couldn't climb much higher and it looked like the walk was going to be epically long. But then, an ace up our sleeve saved the day and a teammate who probably doubles as a stunt driver for the winter chase scenes in James Bond movies stepped to the plate. Voila, we took hours off our approach, making it much further. In the end we walked for under an hour before laying claim to a deserted hut. As we walked to the hut, Orizaba loomed over our heads. It sure looked nasty up high, dark clouds whipping over the summit and most of the glacier fully obscured. No one was really mentioning what we all were thinking, but some sure would have to change if we were going to get very high on this one. After a quick review of some climbing techniques, we feasted and turned in for the night. We woke very early and could see a few stars!! Dios mio! As we readied ourselves, the wind came out and it began to lightly snow the higher we climbed. Since we were the only climbers in days, the team broke trail through the night and as the storm built turning back was on everyone's mind. Each break we reached we reassessed the merits of continuing and we kept reaching the same conclusion, "one more stretch." When we reached the top of the Labyrinth (a rocky maze broken by snowy, usually ice, gullies), the wind and snow were peaking. Everyone was dealing so well with the weather that we decided we would climb for a half an hour on the glacier and turn back if it didn't improve. As we kicked steps up the glacier, the skies lightened slightly in the morning sun and the wind lessened a knot or two. "One more stretch?" "Por que no?" we concluded and repeated the question for the next few hours, constantly aware of our conditions and strengths. Continually assessing progress and our teammates, eventually it looked like it was going to be a fight, but that we just might stand on the cumbre! No summit is worth an injury, so the minute things looked like they COULD be sub ideal, we were ready to head back knowing we gave it our best. Orizaba respected the effort and graciously offered our team of intrepid explorers a glimpse of the top and happily we accepted the invitation. What a treat! Standing on top was a real achievement, and as the only crew on the whole mountain we had the whole hill to ourselves. Amazing day in the mountains. The weather cleared a bit for the descent and our team did a great job handling the hardest part of the climb, the descent. A truck was even able to make it to the hut and happily saved us an hour of tired walking through the mud at the end of a long day. When we got back to Tlachichuca, hot showers and a marimba band made dinner even that much better. Quite an adventure down here in Mexico, can't wait to see everyone back home! RMI Guide Jake Beren