Entries By eric frank

It is a beautiful day on Mt. Rainier. The Five Day Summit Climb July 7 - 11 led by Eric Frank and the Four Day Summit Climb July 8 - 11 led by Mike Haugen reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reached the crater rim around 7:30 a.m. They reported clear skies, great conditions and winds ranging from 0 to none. The Five Day Kautz Climb is descending to Paradise this morning. Their entire team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier yesterday morning. Congratulations to today's summit teams!

The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Tyler Reid and Eric Frank reached 12,600' before turning around due to avalanche hazard. It is a beautiful day on the mountain with light winds and clear skies. The cold temperatures from overnight are dimenishing with the sunshine. The team will be making their way back to Camp Muir after the guides spend some time working on the route. RMI Guide Tyler Reid said it was a difficult decision to turn the climb on such a beautiful day, however, conditions on the mountain were not safe enough for them to continue. The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons led by RMI Guide Seth Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today! The team enjoyed a beautiful day on the mountain. They will return to Camp Schurman for their final night on the mountain. They may do some additional training tomorrow morning before returning to the trail head. Congratulations to today's team and Happy Independence Day!

Our Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Win Whittaker and Eric Frank reached the top of Cathedral Gap today, but strong winds and heavy precipitation forced them to turn back. The teams have left Camp Muir and we expect the back at Ashford Basecamp in the early afternoon.

The day is coming to a close and things are back the way they were at the start of the trip. Our tents are laying here and our sleeping bags in the thick, moist air. It's tough to imagine that we were at 20,320 feet just the day before yesterday. Thank you for all of your continued support as we took on Denali successfully. I realize how much it took both on the mountain and at home. Again, thank you. The amateur summiteer. Thanks to all who continue to support my crazy adventures!! Your positive vibes and supportive thoughts mean more than you'll ever know! I return from the highest peak in North America simultaneously proud and humbled!! Michael C Thanks to my family and friends and especially my wonderful wife Megan for supporting me in this adventure. It is difficult to describe the feeling of humbleness inspired by the the grandeur, majesty and (not least of all) weather of the Alaska Range. The seasoned judgment of TJ, Eric and Logan truly kept us alive and (mostly) comfortable. I cannot thank them enough. MJB Thanks to all the friends and family for the awesome support! Despite the fact I was unable to make the summit the trip was amazing and will certainly be unforgettable. Much appreciation goes to the best guides anywhere for their judgement. "climbing mountains ain't easy"... The mountain won this time but I'll be back again! CPL Thanks to all my family, friends, and business associate for supporting my " habit". The summit of North America is an amazing place. Our RMI guides are the best - Tyler, Eric and Logan !!!! LWS Belle expedition. Merci RMI. Merci a tous pour vos blog. N Now that the day is coming to a close, things are looking eerily similar to the way they did before we left. Tents and gear have been dried. Gear is slightly dirtier, but once again prepared for air travel. It would seem to the unknowing observer, that nothing has happened other than a few mild sunburns. As the warm rain arrives in Talkeetna, the group runs for cover indoors. It's nice to be dry when it rains and warm when it's cold outside without to much effort. That said, there was something nice about even the coldest days on the mountain. As guides, we hope out clients feel the same way. Like proud parents, we have enjoyed the time we spent with the team as they grew. We have seen the group grow together and grow as individuals. We hope that this growth will have some relevance even in the dry and warm front country. Thanks to our clients for their time, energy, patience and passion. The guide team hopes to work together and with members of our 2012 Denali trip soon. Weather this trip was the first big expedition or the last, we hope team members will keep trying new things, keep climbing mountains, or at least stay in touch. The summit was great, but the team was better. Thanks guys, RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Eric Frank and Logan Randolph

On The Map

The word "team" is what we are; the confidence and style this team has possessed has been outstanding. Team Jones/Frank/Randolph is excited to be in base camp on the Southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. We woke up a number of times through last night to gusty winds and white-out conditions at 11k camp. The guides choice was to wait the weather out. Denali was again giving our group another challenge. The team solved this one with some rest and a long pancake breakfast. An afternoon clearing provided motivation for an evening walk, our final walk that provided everything from blowing snow to pristine clear skies. The sunset reeled us in toward the north face of Mt. Hunter lit in the soft evening light completing our final push to Kahiltna Basecamp at 7,800 ft. While conditions look prime at base camp and it looks like we will fly out tomorrow, we don't want to count our chickens before they hatch. You never know what Denali, or as we have called her "De-Gnarly," has in store for us. Laying here in our sleeping bags in the thick, moist air, it's tough to imagine that we were at 20,320 feet just the day before yesterday. The crew is ready to celebrate our safe and successful summit with the loved ones that allowed us to be in Alaska for this journey. Thank you family and friends for the support. This journey to the top of North America and back has been a long and never to be forgotten experience. We look forward to recalling our time spent in the mountains with a dinner out wearing sandals and shorts along with being back on turf with trees, rivers, and just plain dirt in Talkeetna. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

We awoke today to subzero temperatures at 17k camp and are now enjoying the thick air at 11k camp. After a quick breakfast, the team packed their belongings and headed downward. Despite some fatigue from our successful summit bid yesterday, the team safely negotiated the descent to 14k camp. There, the team was met by another RMI team. Jake Beren and team topped off our bottles with water and our stomachs with warm quesadillas. After this hour long break we headed down to 11k camp. While the air was thick and warm, Denali was quick to remind us that we aren't out of the woods yet. While snow fell and wind blew around us we consolidated our left over meats and cheeses for a quesadilla smorgasbord. We enjoyed these tasty morsels until we were full, then ate some more. Then we had dessert. We are now snuggled into our sleeping bags, staying warm and hoping to fly out tomorrow. While we are all set to walk to the runway, the weather is not ripe for a speedy flight to Talkeetna. We are still at the mercy of the big one, Denali. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Today was our time to shine; it was our 16th day on the glaciers of Denali and our opportunity to take a shot at the top of North America. Early sun on the tent at high camp, coupled with the solstice less than a week away had the guides up starting the stoves by 7:30am. With the winds moderate and temps near -15F we stalled our departure for the summit bid until 9:45am with the thought of summiting during Alaska's peak heat of late afternoon. The wind and cold had us in full equipment. We wore face masks, goggles, mittens and climbed in our heavy weight parkas a good portion of the climb. The guides stressed many times of the importance of self care and the critical nature of getting frostnip or frostbite. All of us had cold hands, feet, and faces a number of times throughout the day, but all of us took responsibility for keeping close eyes on each other and managed to keep the cold injuries at bay. The climb took our team 7 1/2 hours to reach the summit. Our time plan was perfect as the summit provided some the the lightest winds of the day allowing us to spend just over thirty minutes on the summit expressing emotion, embracing our team mates, and snapping photos of an unforgettable 360 degree view of central Alaska. Given the conditions our team made great time, though we all had to dig deep in our reserves to make an uneventful descent back in our high camp- 11 hours after our departure. Hot drinks, a warm meal and memories from our summit push ended the evening with high stoke and excitement to get down and reunite with our friend, families and loved ones. Every member of the team would like to thank all of you for your support, love, and compassion in letting us fulfill a dream. Tomorrow we plan to disassemble our high camp and move down the picturesque West Buttress. We will be recovering our cache at 14k and, if weather and energy allow, a descent to 11k for a well deserved rest in what now has become the low country. We look forward to the thick air. RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Eric Frank & Logan Randolph

On The Map

Hey everyone, It's Tyler and team on the summit of Denali. Pretty nice weather, little bit of breeze and quite a cold day. Everybody is in good shape. We are going to spend a few minutes on top taking some pictures and then we will be headed back down to high camp and we'll let you know when we get back. Thanks for all your support. Talk to you soon. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

This morning provided blue bird skies and little to no wind. Though the air was cold at around -5F, the team broke camp, dug a cache and loaded our packs for our summit push. With Okita's team reaching the summit yesterday we once again shared the burden of equipment transportation by swapping some equipment to lighten the load. Okita's team saved some weight for their long descent to the bottom, and more importantly our load was lightened up to high camp. We are thankful for the established camp with wind walls and a ready to go kitchen. The stroke of luck rarely happens as teams do not often come up and down from high camp on the same day. As we have been saying throughout the entire trip "Patience pays" and today it most certainly did. Water boils at a fairly low temperature at this elevation. In fact, you can drink a hot cup of your favorite flavor right out of the boiling pot - a wild first for many team members. A hot dinner and soup re-energized our spirits and warmed our souls. The team is climbing strong and with a little more luck from the weather tomorrow we will make a push for the top of North America to Denali/Mount McKinley's summit at 20,320'. Wish us well for our final push! RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map

Last night dropped over a foot of new snow and the morning dumped close to six more inches. As we hide in the midday heat of the tents, the wind blows 50+mph in gusts. One minute it is calm, the next minute we brace against the walls of the tent as the wind tries to push them flat. After a few rounds of shoveling, we break for a toasted bagel breakfast, then more shoveling, building snow walls and hiding from the gusts. The sky has cleared as we watch enormous plumes blow off the Buttress above us as well as enormous avalanches coming down from the upper slopes. Other climbers and our team our able to enjoy the show, knowing that we are a safe distance from the action. The snow currently continues to patter our tents. We are hopeful that better weather is coming on the horizon. RMI Guide Tyler Jones

On The Map