Entries By joey manship

A new chapter in the adventures of the newly named RMI Denali team - The Bond Girls - The flapping sound of our tent walls in the winds acted as our alarm clock this morning. We awoke to a freshly snowy and wind drifted camp. Egads! After shoveling off / out our various camp structures including the kitchen, living room, bedrooms and bathroom, we set about to enjoy a slow morning. Hot drinks were casually sipped and topics with no answer were discussed. Is Texas just a terrible place or just an awful place? Whatever happened to David Hasselhoff? Or Oprah for that matter? At some point smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels were devoured. It became clear as morning went on that we would not be granted a break in the weather to head uphill to cache supplies. So with the plans for the day settled the team got ready for another weather day. Snacks were devoured and stories were told, all while the wind and snow raged on. We dug trenches through the snow that would have made a French WW1 general proud. Hopefully in the night the storm will break and the wind will cease. I know I would love myself some sunshine right now. Or perhaps a beer in a Bavarian town. If the weather persists, you’ll find us here again, same place, same time. Doing battle with The Great One.

Signing out from,

Camp 2 (11,000 feet) - Denali, Alaska

RMI Guide Jack Delaney and the Team

Today was our promised “easy day” by our guides and the jury is still out. We climbed down to 10K to grab our previously buried cache and climbed back up to camp 2. The day was and still is snowy and windy, but we got to spend a lot of it in our tents eating our newly uncovered snacks.

Tomorrow - should Denali allow, we will climb to 14,000, to bury another cache.

Happy adoption day to my dog Mav and early birthday to my best girl Alex, and lastly to my mom, we are giving it hell! I love you.

Ps I wrote a really great dispatch yesterday, but the German guy stole my blog.

Thursday, June 8, 2023, 9:52 pm PDT

This morning we woke up to Joey the Guide’s scrumptious pancakes.  Does he moonlight at Benihana’s?  Conditions weren’t favorable so we made it a rest day.  We ended the day with dinner and optimism for a move to Camp Two tomorrow.  And now, a poem:

All day we were stuck at Camp One
Blueberry chocolate chip pancakes are fun 
Tomorrow we’ll try for 10 And if this happens again
Call our team the cloistered nuns 

- Lenhardt Stevens and the June 4 Denali Expedition Team
 

--

Cache and carry was the theme of the day; or more appropriately the reverse. We carried loads up Ski Hill to the Kahiltna pass and buried them in a cache, to be dug up on a later day. We did this to acclimate and make moving camp easier. The weather was hot, cold and windy; so typical for the mountains. We then loaded our sleds in our backpacks and looking like characters in a Mardi Gras parade tromped back down hill to some of Jack’s spicy Jambalaya. Check back tomorrow to see what  kind of adventure or mischief we get into - same time, same channel. -

RMI Climber Scott Coffey

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 - 11:11 pm PT

The RMI team lead by RMI Guides Andy Bond, Jack Delaney and Joey Manship thoroughly enjoyed the K2 flight in to base camp this morning. The views were spectacular! We began our climb for a short distance down hill before beginning the arduous journey with heavy packs and full sleds up what we referred to as Blister Hill. The team made excellent time and established our camp at 7,800 feet elevation on the flats at the base of Ski Hill. As the clouds rolled in and a light snow began to fall we enjoyed delicious burritos and looked forward to a well deserved nights rest. 

Climber Jeff Ebeling

Tuesday, June 6, 2023 - 9:53 am PT

The weather is cooperating and we're taking off to the Alaska Range and landing on the Kahiltna glacier! Our next update will be via satellite messenger and the climb will have started! 

Bon voyage!

RMI Guides  Andy Bond, Jack Delaney and Joey Manship

Monday, June 5, 2023 - 7:13 pm PT

Denali Team Assemble!

Everyone has made it to Alaska with our bags in tow. After brief introductions we loaded up the shuttle and took off for Talkeetna. The day was beautiful with clear skies and warm temps. After an hour we did a quick pit stop at the grocery store in Wasilla for last minute supplies, mostly beer and cookie dough. Another hour of driving and we arrived in the quaint town of Talkeetna. Unloading the dozens of duffels and supplies really put into perspective the sheer scale of preparing for an expedition of this size. We then relaxed for the evening, had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed the midnight sun. 

Cheerio,

RMI Guides Jack, Andy, Joey and the team

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons May 27 - 1 June, led by RMI Guide Alex Halliday reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today!  Alex reported cold and windy conditions from the summit so the team did not spend much time on top. They will return to Camp Schurman for their third and final night on the mountain.  The team will continue their descent to the trail head tomorrow and return to Rainier BaseCamp tomorrow afternoon. 

Congratulations to the Emmons Seminar Team!

The Four Day Climb September 1 - 4 teams led by Dave Hahn and Abby Westling climbed to Ingraham Flats this morning and were able to enjoy the sunrise.  The teams were unable to climb higher due to route conditions.  As of 7:45 am all climbers had returned to Camp Muir. They plan to begin their descent from Camp Muir to Paradise around 9:30 am.  Thus the teams should reach Paradise around noon today.  Once back at Rainier BaseCamp they will conclude their program.

The Four Day Climb August 28 - 31 led by RMI Guides Avery Parrinello and Jack Delaney were unable to summit today.  Climbers reached 12,300, the top of Disappointment Cleaver, before deciding to turn back due to unfavorable route conditions and warm temperatures.  The teams were back to Camp Muir just after 7 am.  They took some time to repack before beginning their descent from Camp Muir back to Paradise. We expect the groups to be at Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.