Entries By walter hailes
June 4, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Another beautiful day on
Denali for the team. I think most folks woke up around 7 or 8 this morning, but we all rolled around in our sleeping bags for a while until the sun hit us at almost exactly 9:30. No sense in being cold if we don't have to. After the sun warmed our tents, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, and some more limitless views. As we walked downhill to dig up our cache, Mounts Foraker and Hunter dominated the skyline while valley glaciers spilled farther than we could see. The team wasted no time retrieving their stashed goodies, and we were back in camp within an hour and a half. With the remainder of the day we snacked, napped, practiced using ascenders, and snacked some more. We will try to cache some gear above the fixed lines tomorrow if the weather is favorable. Talk to you all then.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
June 2, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Saturday, June 2, 2018 - 7:25 pm PT
All is well on
Denali at 14,000 ft camp. We climbed for approximately five hours today after quickly breaking down camp at 11,200 feet. The air was crisp all day but we had full sunshine keeping us comfortable. This day on Denali is always tough and today was no exception. Thankfully we are all in camp now relaxing with our boots off resting up for a big tortellini dinner. I am sure it will be an early night to bed and we will enjoy a well earned late wake up in the morning
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
June 2, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Friday, June 1, 2018 - 9:30 PM PT
We had our first
rest day of the trip today, and the team certainly earned it. The weather was perfect, with blue skies, and a cool breeze that kept us from baking in the tents. The day went pretty quickly, which is not always the case. We passed most of the time trading stories about our most embarrassing moments, and listening to Finnish heavy metal courtesy of our friendly neighbors. Not much else to report from the mountain today. We'll check in tomorrow, hopefully from our new home at 14,000'.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
May 31, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
May 31, 2018 - 7:26 pm PT
Another beautiful day on
Denali, which we started by singing happy birthday to Chip and we finished by making a no bake birthday cheesecake (we can only do so much at 11,200ft). Along with the birthday festivities, we are really enjoying this stretch of nice days as we move higher on the mountain. Today as we carried a big load of supplies to our cache spot at 13,500ft, we all felt the previous four days of hard work. Everyone climbed in good style but it was clear that it is time for a rest day, tomorrow we sleep in, hang out at camp and catch up on our reading and movies.
Best wishes from Denali,
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
May 31, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 - 10:19 PM PT
We awoke to falling snow and a whiteout this morning. Luckily, the temperatures were cold enough that everything stayed dry, and we were able to pack up camp and move uphill to
11,000' Camp. We walked through the clouds with near zero visibility until we got above the weather, and pulled into camp around 1 PM. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and snacking. We're enjoying our new home, and the sunshine that has come with it. The team is feeling great. Everyone sends their best.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
May 29, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 9,800'
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 9:08 pm PT
We had our first overcast day today and it was a nice break from the intense sunshine. Temperatures were much cooler under the cloud cover and that made the climbing more pleasant for us all. After an early dinner we all kicked back in the cook tent and enjoyed movie night. Tonight's feature was "The brothers grimsby". Back to climbing in the morning when we head to Camp at 11,200 ft.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
May 29, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,200'
Monday, May 28, 2018 - 11:49 PM PT
Hello all, and happy Memorial Day! Everyone is doing quite well adjusting to life on the
Kahiltna Glacier. There is a bit of basketball withdrawal going on, but besides that everyone seems happy. This morning we enjoyed a leisurely bagel and cream cheese breakfast, and packed up a bunch of our things to cache up higher on the mountain. The weather was perfect for us today. If anything it was a bit warm, but we'll take all the warmth we can get at this point. Skies were mostly clear, and the views looking back down the Kahiltna went on for miles. The team made quick work of the carry, and we made it back to camp at 7,200 well before dinner time. With a lot of our gear stashed above us, we are in great shape to move camp higher tomorrow. We'll let you know how it goes. Everyone sends their best!
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
May 28, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 7,800'
Monday, May 28th - 12:20 am PST
Perfect is not common in the mountains, but we had it today. The skies were clear and calm for the flight into the Alaska range. The snow was firm which makes the climbing easier and we had warm sunshine with a cool breeze to keep us all just right, not too hot-not too cold. Everyone moved well with their heavy pack and full sleds into our first camp around 7800 ft and enjoyed our first mountain dinner before sliding into our sleeping bags. All in all a great first day on
Denali.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
May 26, 2018
Posted by: Walter Hailes, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 348'
Our first day in Talkeetna was packed with mountain prep fun. After breakfast we listened to Pat, a
Denali climbing ranger, introduce climbing safely and keeping Denali clean during our climb. Then we hustled to the airplane hangar to sort and pack gear. The hardest part of the day was trying to decide what food to bring and what items to leave behind. Twenty pounds of food is a lot but it seems to pile up quickly. We are ready to fly into the glacier tomorrow at 9am, so now we are working hard on relaxing and enjoying the beautiful Alaska weather.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
On The Map
The
Denali expedition, with Walter Hailes, starts on May 25th. Please sign up for the expedition email alerts below.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Big Daddy says “Go Big or Go Home!” and don’t come home until you go big. Keep up the good work, we look forward to the untold stories upon your return.
Posted by: Chris Ewers on 6/6/2018 at 3:56 pm
Tyler, luck be with you- I told Syd where you were- he’s coming to catch up with you!!!! You better climb bigger, faster harder!!! Haha! Love Ya, D and Lo
Posted by: Dee DEe Miller on 6/4/2018 at 7:16 pm
View All Comments