Entries By dominic cifelli

Sunday, June 29, 2025 - 12:24 am PT

1 step, 1 breathe. 2 steps, 2 breaths. On and on, the rhythm continues as we leave 14,200 feet, move up the fixed lines, around Washburn's thumb, over the exposed yet beautiful West Buttress, and crest the hill to grandma's. Kidding about that last part, but we did finally arrive at 17,200 feet. Again, the tabloids misconstrue, do not listen to them, listen to us! :) it has been a long wait at Camp 3, but a huge shoutout to our entire team for sticking it out; Together! Its hard to wait for the right window while hanging with a bunch of strangers, but this Brady's bunch ain't no strangers no more. So, we're not done just yet. Tomorrow will test the reason we came here in the first place. Making it to the top of North America has already proven itself difficult. We're either gonna bring it home hot or bring it home cold. It's up to us. Cheers to everyone back home following along, we miss you, we're close, wish us luck, and we'll see you soon.

RMI Guide Ben Luedtke & Team 

Friday, June 27, 2025 8:21pm PDT
 

Blog Denali – Day 19

Bonjour à tous!

Today marks day 19 since we all met in Anchorage, and day 17 on the mountain. Since the first week went so well, many of us believed we’d be off this frozen rock after 15 days... However, Mother Nature had different plans for us. I now understand why Denali has such a tough reputation: the freaking weather!

Today is our 10th day at 14k camp, and the 6th day of weather delay. We’ve endured two snowstorms, and the last one—lasting almost 36 hours—brought 40 cm of fresh snow. Although the weather is finally on our side today, we still can’t move due to avalanche hazards.

Over the past week, no one has summited, and the few teams that made it to high camp were stuck in even worse conditions than we’ve experienced. I’m grateful to our responsible and professional guides for making the decision to stay put.

On a more personal note, this has been one of the hardest weeks of my amateur climbing career. I’ve never waited this long in full winter camping mode, with almost nothing to do. Mornings are cold, and many toes in the team are freezing. On top of that, I feel weaker every day at this altitude. I’ve lost weight and am probably missing plenty of essential nutrients like vitamins and soluble fiber. (Also, the fact that I ran out of food and entertainment played a big role—LOL.)

On the bright side, my amazing team is kindly helping me survive—special thanks to Andrew for the Kindle, Tait for two bags of beef jerky, and Mikaila for letting me use her InReach. I’ve also gained valuable experience for future adventures. I’ve learned about clothing layers (my thin ones suck), baby Nalgene bottles, Leuko tape, pressure breathing, how much toilet paper to bring, glacier travel, gnarly supplements, and more.

Overall, it’s amazing that all 9 team members (and 3 guides) are still here, holding onto hope of reaching the summit. We’re also lucky, in a way, to have a weather window this weekend for a summit attempt. Many teams haven’t even gotten that chance this year.

À ma famille et mes amis, j’ai hâte de vous revoir! J’espère que vous passez un beau mois de juin, plus chaud qu’ici! Même si je manque une partie de l’été montréalais, je profite énormément du plein air, et les paysages glaciaires sont à couper le souffle. J’ai hâte de vous montrer les photos! Évidemment, je suis très stressé pour les deux prochains jours... Envoyez-moi des ondes relaxantes, haha!

Étienne XOX

EAT.

SNOW.

LAY.

Today, is another rest DAY.

But, tomorrow we will PLAY.

RMI Climber Andrew

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 - 8:51 pm PT

It’s been 8 days since my last dispatch. Eight days since those heady times at 11,000' Camp, when our pounds and pounds of food seemed excessive, when trading for extra toilet paper and coffee were moments of mirth; now we covet our remaining pounds of food, and those trades seem like masterstrokes of genius.

Our first week at 14,000' is coming to a close, our team has experienced wind, snow, and searing heat. Being simultaneously as hot and cold as we have ever been in our lives. While the recent weather has not been as amenable to a quick summit as we would have liked, this past week has still been an incredible and hard to describe experience. The views (when they are available) are breathtaking, reminding us of how lucky we are to be here at all, and how thankful we are for our family, friends, and coworkers supporting us back in the real world allowing us to stay focused on our goal.

The team’s morale remains high, supported by our amazing guiding team of Dom, Ben, and Mike, who keep us active, both physically and mentally, every day. Special shoutout to Dominic’s wife for providing the team a rousing trivia night via satellite messaging a few days back.

As we enter our second week at 14,000', the team is a coiled spring, ready to launch as our hopeful weather window approaches, but until then thank you for all the love and support as we wait out the weather (but god save us if the hot sauce runs out).

RMI Climber Tate Bishop 

Tuesday, June 24, 2025 - 9:03 pm PT

Top Ten Things Happening at 14,000' Camp right now:
10. Snow on the inside of the tent and blue skies outside the tent
9. Running out of snacks and entertainment (but we’re good on toilet paper)
8. Secret Aardvark
7. Buzz Lightyear sightings around camp
6. Walking laps and laps on the 14k Main Street
5. Walking out to the Edge of the World, which overlooks the Valley of Death, to take precarious photos*
4. Texas dice and Wizard
3. Welcoming the next RMI team coming up from 11,000' camp
2. New flavors of bowlines—on a bight, snap, etc.
1. SPAM

RMI Climber Nate Brunner
*While roped in

Monday, June 23, 2025 - 10:21 pm PT

I have this idea for an experiment. All type- A individuals are eligible for sign up. I’ll entice  them with the allure of a once in a lifetime challenge that will test their physical and mental aptitude. Maybe a tall mountain or something. Now, we’ll observe as we keep these folks in one spot, with 2 rooms, and one hall as we wait….and wait…. and wait. While they once filled their time with stair steppers, tire pulls, and long hikes. We’ll fill their time with overfilling meals, books they wish had more words, card games, and time. Lots of it.

Climbing books, movies, stories always glaze over the reality. The waiting. What most think is filled with lung searing, adrenaline pumping climbing is often times just half the tale. The part that everyone skips is the patience of it all. Expedition climbing forces you to slow down and take it one step at a time. While the climbing has you honing in on the next step, the next breath,  the next stretch. The waiting has you broadening your appreciation for the little things. A meal with good conversation, quality time with friends loved ones, a good snuggle with a pet, or… a flushing toilet and a good shower. All of it’s important in its own way and it’s why this style of climbing is like no other. We don’t do this to just have the experience of climbing a peak, but also to show us all what we have at home and appreciate those reading this blog more and more.

Last night it snowed half a foot on us and we awoke to a winter wonderland. Our first real storm day. Boots full of snow, belly’s full of salmon and bagels, and competitive tendencies satiated with games. We will continue to wait. Just like the days before. But that’s ok. I fricken love both sides of this coin. And there’s no game like the game of strategy that expedition climbing provides. When to move, when to wait, when to launch. Best game in the whole world.

So thank you to those who let us step away, to train for hours and climb for weeks. Your patience with our masochistic hobby does not go unnoticed.  Now it’s time to have our 14 Camp trivia night courtesy of my lovely wife Emily. Thanks to all the questions!!

RMI Senior Guide,

Dominic Cifelli

Sunday, June 23, 2025 - 8:15 pm PT

Another rest day. Right now we are in waiting mode, as the winds have picked up at the summit and we await a break in the weather for our summit push. Luckily, there are few waiting rooms more majestic than 14 camp.  

Breakfast is a leisurely affair of breakfast burritos - democratically voted as the best breakfast yet. Then, it’s time for a Hot Girl Walk up and down 14’s Main Street. The fashion is a bit different though - in lieu of Alo yoga matched sets are brightly colored sun hoodies, face shields, and triple boots - but never just down booties. We have standards. 

Post fashion walk, it’s time for stretching, hydrating, and a carnival classic: knocking over the cook pot with a snowball. It becomes readily apparent we won’t be forming a McKinley softball league anytime soon. 

Next up on the agenda is home improvement. Tents must be moved and foundations leveled with caddy-like precision. Hot tip for the golfers out there - get yourself a McKinley climber - we are happy to carry heavy bags over hilly terrain, can read the slope on any surface, and are likely broke from funding this hobby. 

Since the NPS won’t share the wi-fi password, the rest of the day is a mix of hydrating, reading, card playing, napping, snacking, and reapplying sunscreen. At 7pm the NPS weather report and daily trivia will crackle over the radio - unintelligibly, despite our direct line of sight to their tents. 

Post dinner, it’s time for another stroll up and down Main Street, though it’s giving more Fart Walk than Hot Girl Walk at this point. I’ve heard Fart Walks are the new summer wellness fad, so at least we’re trending. 

To everyone at home reading this blog, leaving comments, sending messages to our Garmins - you have no idea how much your love and support means everything to us. Thank you. 

- Sophia Bishop

Saturday, June 21, 2025 - 8:30 pm PT

Hello!
And welcome back for another installment of Doing Really Hard Things for Fun-Denali Edition.
I'm Aspen, and today I will be your host.
Previously, the team has gone up, up and down, up, down and up, up and down, up, down and up, and finally up and down again on their quest to climb The Tall One, the highest peak in North America, Denali.
After the most technical day yet, climbing up and down the fixed lines to cache gear and food for their summit attempt, the eclectic team looks forward to a day of rest.
Today, on the longest day of the year, we sleep in, tired not only from a physically taxing day at altitude, but also from staying up late watching. movies, like Deadpool, in our tents or playing the most riveting game of Texas Dice yet. Shout out to Etienne for stealing the win from not one, but two other players with his final roll of nearly 3,000 points. 
The day started out with delicious blueberry pancakes, made by Dom, after which the group split to relax in various ways. Some of us went on a walk or two to warm our toes, while others snuggled back into sleeping bags where good books and knitting await. We chat, we nap, we do some self care. The cook tent serves as a gathering place. People come in and out throughout the day. Sometimes to share snacks; other times to play games or read in the company of others. Without any defined tasks for the day, we are forced to slow down and take in the views. The mountains around us look different today, like they seem to every day. I am filled with a sense of adventure and awe. This is what I love about climbing. The amazing views, the good company, and the incredible sense of pride I get from doing really hard things.
After having such perfect weather thus far, the winds have blown in clouds. They pass over and through camp throughout the day leading to constantly changing temperatures and visibility. Snow falls and taps on the tent walls, and so the waiting game begins.
Do we have enough toilet paper? Does anyone die of boredom? Do I get so sick of my hair that I shave it off? Tune in next time to find out.
A special thank you to Jake and Nomad for all their love and support of this Happy Cappy.
Until next time, 

RMI Climber Aspen Hansen out.

Friday, June 20, 2025 10:02pm PDT

You must go up to go down, and go down to go up.

The team started the day with a simple yet efficient breakfast of cereal and coffee before donning their crampons, roping up, and beginning their walk out of camp at roughly 8:30 a.m.

The climb out of 14 Camp quickly gains elevation, built up by rolling slopes that offer brief stretches of reprieve before reaching the base of the fixed lines. A steep and icy headwall, the fixed lines provide both access to the upper mountain and a formidable challenge to anyone seeking passage. Installed each season by climbing rangers and maintained by guides, the fixed lines serve as a two-lane highway to Denali’s flank—the West Buttress.

The team made great progress, gaining elevation quickly as they found a rhythm in the often awkward and unfamiliar technique of fixed-line travel. After nearly 1,000 feet of “jugging” up various rope sections, the team broke through to the ridge, rounded a corner, and found shelter at the base of the Buttress—the high point for the day. Sheltered by rocky outcroppings, the team took a well-earned break while the guides collected gear to be left behind and dug out a cache.

Once the gear was stashed, the team turned and began the quite different, yet equally challenging, descent down the lines. Using arm wraps and steady footwork, they made their way down in a timely and stylish fashion.

Good snacks, a cozy tent, and the promise of a rest day awaited them upon return to 14 Camp.

RMI Guide Michael Bennet & Team

Thursday, June 19, 2025 9:27pm PDT

Today was, oxymoronically, an “active rest day.” Yesterday, we endured a grueling move of 3,200 feet with half our gear and established a new camp at 14,200 feet, so our bodies needed rest. But as any fitness enthusiast or doctor will tell you, it’s important to move a little even during recovery so your gears don’t get rusty.

We woke up to our first frost at 6:30 a.m. A quick granola bar for breakfast, and by 7:30 a.m., we were on the move. Our first task of the day was a back carry. We took a quick 15-minute jaunt down to our cache site at 13,500 feet, where we had stored half of our gear three days ago. Our dutiful guides dug out our belongings, and then we returned to camp in an hour.

We had a leisurely breakfast of pan-roasted bagels with cream cheese and bacon—a method of warming my Tarrytown bagels I’ll definitely adopt upon my return. After a brief respite, our second task at noon was to refine our campsite. Snow walls were built around our tent structures to protect us from high winds, and the bathroom and kitchen structures were spruced up.

The third activity of the day was a mid-afternoon refresher on how to walk along fixed lines with an ascender. By dinner, many of us were questioning whether we had experienced “active rest” or rather “restful activity.”

This location has me, a psychiatrist, reflecting on the psychological challenges people have spoken of during this trip. Retracing your steps on a back carry day can be a bit of a mind trip. Above us looms the steep hill that the fixed lines run along, rising 2,000 feet to the ridgeline of the West Buttress. It harkens to the long journey ahead.

However, two things keep me inspired and motivated. The first is the story of Barbara Washburn, who was the first woman to summit Denali in 1947. While at Camp 2, I read her memoir The Accidental Adventurer, which recounted her pioneering journeys. I tell myself that if she could accomplish so many feats with initially little experience and training, surely I can dig deep and find that grit too.

The second is remembering my emancipated ancestors on today, Juneteenth. So many people of that time, over the centuries, and even today, take long journeys of hundreds to thousands of miles seeking a better life. My journey on the mountain is pleasure-seeking and limit-pushing, but there are parallels in that the conditions are inhospitable and decisions here have life-or-death implications. Therefore, I am motivated to keep going despite my fatigue, trepidation, and excitement—knowing that my ancestors couldn’t stop, and I’m summoning their strength now.

Onward to more adventure.
Happy Juneteenth.

Adjoa Smalls-Mantey