Entries By seth burns

Tuesday, June 20, 2023 - 8:20 pm PT

After a night of heavy snow we had an awesome breakfast of blueberry pancakes. We then reinforced our camp in anticipation of the continuing storm. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and so I was inspired to write a poem about our adventure. Here goes:

Denali is the mountain, they call it the “great one”.

Here in North America it’s second to none.

To get to the summit, that is our goal. 

Standing so majestic, it captures the soul.

On our way to the top, we have to dig deep.

With courage and strength, a reward we will reap.

On this journey, new friends have been made.

The memories we share will surely never fade.

Each step gets us closer to reaching our dream.

I know we can do it, we have a great team.

Look up to the clouds, the beauty that we see.

Rising so high, its name is Denali.

RMI climber Mark Kulow

Monday, June 19, 2023 - 8:49 pm PT

We awoke early to crisp cold air, and stepped out of our tents onto the fresh snow which was like a field of frozen Baja-blast. We then headed downhill to bring up our cache, The sound of our snowshoes crunching on the ice sounded not too unlike biting into a fresh Crunchwrap supreme. Once we reached our cache we stuffed our duffel bags like they were beefy 5-layer burritos, and then we were on our way back up the “unrelenting” hill to camp. The sight of our orange sleds sliding across the glacier resembling slices of bacon gliding across a skillet. Out in the distance we had a spectacular view of Mt. Denali, a colossal tower of ice and black rock, looking like a delicious Oreo milkshake.

Once back at camp, after a quick meal of smoked salmon and cream-cheese bagels, there was no time to rest as we prepped our  camp for some snowy and windy weather for the next few days, cutting ice blocks and building walls in an assembly line like a bunch of McDonald’s workers prepping the most delicious McDouble….And it looks like this McDouble will be our home for the next few days.

RMI Climber Joey Myers

Sunday, June 18, 2023 - 9:54 pm PT

After an early wake up of 0330 and a quick breakfast the team began the ascent toward 11,000' Camp. The brisk morning air called for thick gloves and layers that were quickly shed as the sun broke over the peak, illuminating the lower Kahiltna Glacier. The suns rays consistently beat down on the team and in combination with the still air caused an almost equatorial heat, despite the ambient air temperature being near freezing. The vastness of the Kahiltna cannot be understated. While sitting on the top of Ski Hill we speculated we could see nearly 15 miles to where the glacier took a turn out of view. Outside of the vibrant, tropical colors worn by the climbers, the only other colors were the icy blue of the sky, white snow, and black rocks jutting out from cliff sides. Despite the lack of other visual stimuli the shear beauty of this area strikes the team with awe every morning when they rise from their tents.

RMI Climber Travis Sturckow

June 17, 2023 8:56 PM PT

The weather had other plans for us up here at the base of ski hill. We woke up to wet snow hitting the tent and an ominous cloud staring at us from our intended path.

When Denali speaks, we listen. After a lot of watching and waiting, we turned our move into a rest day. We ate, slept, played cards, and read books to pass the time. Luckily, it’s in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Tomorrow, we’ll try again. Wear your pajamas inside out for us.

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli and Team

June 16, 2023 10:20 PM PT

Day 2 started with a much enjoyed few extra hours of sleep as light snow delayed our alpine start. The skies cleared quickly though, and we were able to begin our work for the day - carrying a load of gear and food to cache just below 10,000’.

Everyone put in a good effort, and we were back down to out tents just as light snow began again. The rest of the day was filled with naps and relaxation in preparation for our move to 11,000’ tomorrow.

-RMI Guides Seth, Dom, Dan & Team

Thursday, June 15, 2023 - 9:20 pm PT

Day one on the climb is always a tough one. The excitement is swirling, the nerves are high, and the bar for entry is even higher. There is a lot to get used to during expedionary life, especially one as remote as Denali. We have to pretend we could lose our gloves at any gust of wind, lose our gear during the next snowstorm, or rip our homes if we’re careless. The mountain is tough, but today proved that we can be just as tough. The first day is one of the only days that you’re carrying everything you brought all at once. The road to Camp 1 is just too long to do the typical; carry and cache, move camps, grab the cache. So we must make the long slog to the base of Ski Hill. With cold temps, clear skies, and crunchy snow we weaved through the crevassed Kahiltna glacier and made camp at around 8:30 this morning. We’re at camp now, waiting for weather updates and refueling for tomorrows effort. We’ll cache up at Kahiltna pass.

Thanks for following along,

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Tuesday, June 13, 2023 - 11:57 pm PT

The team has arrived in Talkeetna with all of our bags! 

Yesterday, we spent the day doing the hard work of packing for a three week expedition. It is hard to visualize how much you will actually need and hard to come to terms with the sheer weight of the equipment needed for a Denali Expedition. There are no porters here. We have to carry everything we need on our own backs, but that’s what makes Denali special. You can’t pay your way to the top. 

At the moment, we’re waiting in a dreary Talkeetna for a weather window to fly. We’ll be hanging out in the hangar, practicing and refining the skills needed to climb “ The Big One”, and crossing our fingers for an opening. 

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Dominic Cifelli

Success! The Four-Day climb led by Taylor Bickford and Seth Burns reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning around 7:45am. They enjoyed a good climbing route and weather during their ascent.

The team will be back at Basecamp this afternoon to celebrate their hard work!

The Five Day Climb led by RMI Guides Eric Frank and Seth Burns climbed the Ingraham Direct Route on Mt. Rainier and reached 12,800'. Firm route conditions kept the team from climbing higher.

The team is at Camp Muir where they are in and out of the clouds. They will spend some time re-fueling and organizing their gear before starting their descent.

Congratulations Team! 

Today was the day! Cayambe summit bid. 

The guides “woke up” at 11pm to check the weather outside and stepped into an uncharacteristically warm and cloudy night. Glimpses of stars came in and out of view with the wind dull and chilled. We decided it was go time and, given the hour we estimated it would take the team to gear up, we put our chips on an improving trend. Clear it did, as we donned our backpacks and set up the rocky, first section of the route.  It takes us about an hour plus to get to the base of the glacier on Cayambe due to the varied, and sometimes involved terrain you navigate to get there.  Our nerves quickly gave way to the necessity of focus on the tricky terrain and that’s when it gets fun! 

After a quick break at the glacier to eat, put our crampons on, and rope up, we were climbing. That warm night gave way to a clear, chilly, moonlit night with views of the surrounding peaks and towns. With perfect conditions and beautiful weather, the team climbed in style for the 4000ft and 7 hours of ascent. 

100% of the team stood on top of Cayambe today. An accolade not often achieved by teams attempting these tall peaks.

Proud of the grit, dedication, and attitude this team has. While it’s a shame the trip is ending, I know I’ll see these climbers back in the mountains soon enough. 

This is the Cayambe Express trip.

Signing out. 

RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns and Team