Entries By steve gately

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Training and Enjoying Time

May 19, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

May 18, 2014 10:50 pm PT Shortly after finishing dinner last night some light clouds sauntered into camp and began lightly snowing on us. Soon thereafter the winds kicked up and we had a moderately noisy nights rest with the wind sending our forecasted 6" of snow into outer space. This morning we awoke to clear cold skies and virtually no wind. Foraker stood to the Southwest with a few stacked lenticular clouds and the normal sprawl of Alaskan tundra was replaced by a sea of clouds. Today was another scheduled rest day for our team and we spent it reviewing fixed line and running belay techniques which we'll utilize on the upper mountain. We also took a short stroll across the glacier to check out a feature known as "The Edge of the World". This is the point at which the glacial plateau at which 14 camp resides on abruptly drops 6,000-7,000 ft to the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The team enjoyed the exposure and enormous views of Denali's "West Rib" and Mount Hunter. We also enjoyed our first sense of scale as we had a clear view down to our first camp at 7,800 ft and could finally get a sense of how far we've come. The weather stayed great for us today despite a forecasted low pressure system said to be moving through. Tomorrow we plan to tackle the fixed lines and move a cache of gear to just over 16,000 ft which puts us in great shape to wait for a weather window and ultimately our summit bid. All in all the team is doing fantastic, moral is high and folks are excited! Best regards from Denali RMI Guide Steve Gately

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Steve and Team,

Great news on the weather front. The views must be spectacular!

Hope all proceeds as planned from here.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/20/2014 at 3:12 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter and Team Rest at 14,000’ Camp

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

May 17, 10:31 pm PT The team spent today resting and acclimating at 14k Camp. Winds up high were strong today and about a half a foot of snow is forecast for tomorrow. We're all healthy and happy in our well-built camp. Hopefully the weather will break soon and we can put a cache in up high. During the day, RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and I teamed up with some other guides and climbed up above camp to establish the fixed lines on the headwall that go from about 15,500' to 16,200'. The previously existing lines were buried in ice and damaged to the point of being unsafe and unusable. Now that we have good fixed ropes up there we all feel better about the prospects of safely climbing higher with our team. With the weather forecast as it is, we plan to take another rest/acclimatization day tomorrow. We'll be in touch and keep you up to date with our progress. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Steve and Team,

Sorry to hear about the uncooperative weather. Hope things clear soon and you can get moving upward.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/19/2014 at 4:27 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Settle into 14,000’ Camp

May 17, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

We woke this morning to pretty robust winds at our 14,000' camp. After breakfast and hot drinks we headed back down to retrieve the cache we left a few days ago at Windy Corner (13,700'). The winds subsided and we had a busy day between the back-carry, building stout walls for our camp, and digging out a kitchen tent. Everyone worked hard today and is doing well with the altitude. The weather forecast is calling for some pretty strong winds for tomorrow, so we're just planning on resting until conditions improve and we can put a cache in up high. Hopefully the winds will subside sooner rather than later. That's it for now. We'll check in again tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

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Hope those winds give you a break soon. Every message is coming through, but I don’t think you’re getting any of my replies. Wondering about future weather forecast sharing…

Stay safe, mind the blue stuff, and keep having fun!!

xoxo K2

Posted by: K2 on 5/18/2014 at 5:48 am

Steve and Team,

Glad to hear you were as to move despite the winds. Hope things settle soon so you can keep moving. Waiting is never fun at any elevation.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/18/2014 at 5:03 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Movin’ On Up

May 16, 2014

Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Mike Walter, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

It's a bit colder up here at 14,000' than it was at 11K Camp this morning, but we are all excited to be moving uphill again and enjoying new surroundings. We left a an hour earlier than our usual time in anticipation of the extensive work of building a solid camp once we arrived at our destination. It took us just over five hours to get here, and as is normal this time of the season, there were no established camps that had been vacated and available for us to move into. Everyone fueled up and we spent the next four and a half hours building tent platforms and cutting and stacking blocks of snow to build walls and protect us from the wind. It's been breezy and snowing on and off throughout the day, and after a quick dinner of potatoes, gravy, and Hormel Retorts, we have all jumped into the warmth and shelter of our nylon chateaus. Tomorrow we plan to return to our cache at Windy Corner and retrieve our additional food, gas, and personal snacks. Everyone is excited about this! All the best from RMI Guides Solveig, Mike, Steve and the team here at 14K!

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Steve and Team,

Glad to hear all is well.

Sounds like lots if work to build each camp. Too bad you have to leave them behind!

Meghan had a great graduation yesterday. We all missed you.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/17/2014 at 3:25 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Stay in 11K Camp as Winds Pick Up

May 14, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Our team is still at the 11k Camp, as winds picked up around midnight last night and continued through this morning. We decided that the winds were too high for our liking, and we took another rest day here at 11k. The winds abated this afternoon and we're optimistic we'll be able to move to the 14k Camp tomorrow. In the mean time, we enjoyed a relaxing day around camp. Extra rest days like these are beneficial for acclimatization and getting strong for the hard work ahead of us. Everyone is doing well, and we're all looking forward to moving camp up higher. We'll keep you posted as always. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Steve and team,

I’m sure the wind chills must make for some challenges. Hope the wind abates as expected as waiting around is never fun, especially on a long climb.

Unfortunately the Bruins were eliminated in game 7 against the Habs last night (3-1) so you won’t be missing any Bruins playoff action.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/15/2014 at 4:15 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team’s Rest Day at 11K Camp

May 13, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Today we saw the first real clouds of the trip, accompanied by a dusting of snow. The clouds cleared out in the afternoon and it turned into a beautiful, but breezy evening. We weren't terribly concerned with what the weather did today, as we took a complete rest day in order to have more time to acclimate to the altitude and recover from the past five days of hard work in the mountains. Everyone is doing well and, if the weather lets us, we'll move up to the 14,200' Camp in Genet Basin tomorrow. The weather forecast for tomorrow is calling for clear skies and moderate winds, so we'll just have to see how things play out. We'll keep you posted with our progress. Caio for now, RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Steve and team,

Glad to hear that your still on the good side of the weather gods. Hope it holds!

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/14/2014 at 10:10 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Take Advantage of the Good Weather to Cache Gear

May 13, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Today we awoke yet again to a beautiful morning, but tomorrow that changes. With a brief disturbance blowing in from the Bering Sea tomorrow we took advantage of the good weather to make a carry to 13,500ft. There we cached gear and food that we will later retrieve and haul to 14,000ft Camp. Everyone was excited to finally strap the spikes on and go climbing and the team did fantastic navigating the new terrain and altitude. With the sun out and clear skies we enjoyed warm temperatures and fantastic views of the West Buttress proper and major features such as the Messner and Japanese couloirs. Tomorrow the team will enjoy their first rest day of the trip as we wait out the weather. All the best from Denali! RMI Guide Steve Gately

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Right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot…

Check that device of yours for responses from me. I’ve sent ‘em.

XOXO K2

Posted by: K2 on 5/13/2014 at 10:17 pm

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Mt. McKinley Expedition: Walter & Team Back Carry and Plan for Tomorrow

May 11, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Once again the weather has been nothing less than spectacular for us up here on Denali. After a breakfast of smoked salmon, cream cheese, and bagels to start the day, we headed back downhill to retrieve our cache of gear at 9,500'. We arrived back at the 11k camp a few minutes after 2pm, with plenty of time to rest in the afternoon. As well as resting, eating, and drinking, we had a couple of chores to accomplish, namely building snow walls to fortify our camp and sorting our gear to cache up higher, which we anticipate doing tomorrow. The weather forecast looks good for tomorrow, so if it verifies we'll take advantage and get a cache in up high, likely at Windy Corner, around 13,500'. All of us on the first RMI Denali expedition would like to wish a very happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers in our lives. Thanks for keeping track of our progress. We'll keep you posted with updates as we continue this awesome adventure. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Hi Deepak and team,

I’m glad to hear that the weather has been good. Sounds like you’ve been eating well, too.

Have fun, and make some music on the mountain!

Laura

Posted by: Laura on 5/12/2014 at 10:25 pm

Steve and team,

Glad to hear that all is going as planned. When the weather is great on the mountain life is great!

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/12/2014 at 5:00 am

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McKinley Expedition: Walter and Team Move to 11,200’

May 11, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

May 10, 10:50 pm PT Well, the weather continues to treat us well up here on the Kahiltna Glacier. We moved from Camp 2 to Camp 3 (11,200') in beautiful, sunny weather; a light breeze kept us from over heating as we climbed up towards Kahiltna Pass. Once at camp we spent a few hours digging in and establishing a comfortable living situation. A well-earned dinner of quesadillas with fresh vegetables filled our stomachs before we crawled into our sleeping bags for the evening. The weather forecast remains good, and tomorrow we will go down to 9500' to make a "back carry" and retrieve the extra equipment we left there in order to make our loads more manageable for the journey to camp 3. We'll be in touch again tomorrow. Cheers, RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Climb Strong! We are all behind you from Tampa. I am reading the blog to the girls for a bed time story so please through some princess stories in there.

Love,

Lennox

Posted by: Ken Lennox on 5/12/2014 at 5:15 am

Dad (Bob Strode),

Coming home from dinner to a mother’s day message from Camp 3 on Denali made my night. And may have almost made me cry, but we’ll blame pregnancy hormones for that.

Hope the weather stays so fabulous! Keep on staying strong! We all are sending good vibes and love from Ohio!

Love,
Mandy

Posted by: MandyS on 5/11/2014 at 4:39 pm

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Mt. McKinley Expedition: Walter and Team Climb Ski Hill

May 10, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,400'

It's another splitter evening on the Kahiltna Glacier. Our team worked hard this afternoon and it all paid off when we rolled into camp here at 9400' and enjoyed a few hours basking in the sunshine and casually building camp. Our group is becoming skilled in campsite construction, and we are sitting quite comfortably here in our massive snow fort. With Ski Hill out of the way and in the past, we are all looking forward to our move to 11,000' tomorrow. The team is doing well, spirits are high, the weather forecast looks promising, and we are all excited about the progress we've made and the climbing still ahead! RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team

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Steve and team,

Glad to hear all is going well and the weather gods are smiling. Must be quite the view up there.

Steve: Bruins won 4-2 over Montreal and take a 3-2 series lead.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/11/2014 at 4:23 am

Great job team! It looks beautiful! Keep up the good work!

We’re thinking about you Dad!

Love,
Mandy

Posted by: MandyS on 5/10/2014 at 6:50 pm

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Entries By steve gately

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Training and Enjoying Time

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Walter and Team Rest at 14,000’ Camp

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Settle into 14,000’ Camp

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Movin’ On Up

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Stay in 11K Camp as Winds Pick Up

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team’s Rest Day at 11K Camp

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Take Advantage of the Good Weather to Cache Gear

On The Map

Mt. McKinley Expedition: Walter & Team Back Carry and Plan for Tomorrow

On The Map

McKinley Expedition: Walter and Team Move to 11,200’

On The Map

Mt. McKinley Expedition: Walter and Team Climb Ski Hill

On The Map

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