Entries from Mt. McKinley

Denali Expedition: Walter and Team Carry Supplies to 10,200

May 21, 2018

Posted by: Mike Walter

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Sunday, May 20, 2018 - 11:56 PM PT The weather forecast for today was for 70% chance of snow. And, while I guess they got it right, we only saw light flurries for about an hour. The rest of the day was scattered clouds with great views of the Alaska Range. At times the sun was so strong that the heat was stifling. That didn't stop our team from having a successful carry day, bringing supplies up to ~10,200'. Now we have returned to our camp at the base of Ski Hill (7800') for the night. Tomorrow, if the weather allows we plan to move camp higher, to 11,200. We'll keep you posted. RMI Guide Mike Walter

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Joseph, it has become my morning routine to look at the updates and it’s so exciting to see the pictures and read about the progress you guys are making. I hope you’re having a blast. Be safe!

p.s. Hope you didn’t forget the matches :)

Posted by: Attila Incze on 5/21/2018 at 7:45 pm

Hey Alex and Tom-

Glad to hear you are on the mountain!! I’ve been riding Tom’s new bike every day…. just kidding! On a serious note, I plan to take your recycling out tonight…. so you can sleep well knowing that its taken care of!

Good luck… safe journey!

Neil

Posted by: Neil on 5/21/2018 at 3:50 pm

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Denali: Walter & Team Set Up Camp at the Base of Ski Hill

May 20, 2018

Posted by: Mike Walter, Robby Young, Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Sunday, May 20, 2018 - 1:12 a.m. PDT The squirrely weather persists on Denali. It snowed all night last night, but fortunately we only picked up 4 inches or so. We woke up to more snow, wind, and very limited visibility. After breakfast we slowly started to pack up camp, hoping the weather would improve. Around noon the weather finally improved so we packed up our tents and rigged up our ropes. By the time we were ready to walk, the weather was back its former, stormy self. We decided to give it a try and if conditions worsened we would make camp down on the Kahiltna Glacier and at least make some progress on the mountain. It was a good call because we made it all the way to Camp 2, at the base of Ski Hill (7,800'). We were in a ping pong ball most of the day -- navigating using the wands marking the route, faint traces of other parties' tracks, GPS, and a little Braille (well, maybe not Braille). Our navigation techniques worked and we cruised into camp in 5 hours flat! Tomorrow the plan is to carry and cache supplies higher on the route and then return to our current camp. This will make for lighter loads when we move camp later this week and will help our acclimatization process. RMI Guide Mike Walter and team

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Thinking about you Alex, Tom, and team. So happy to hear you are safe and making progress, thx for the updates!

Posted by: Sarah Flynn on 5/21/2018 at 7:22 am

Nice action photo, Thank you! Glad to learn that Team Water is now underway. My best wishes to the entire team, and a special Hello to Tom M -you’re all in my thoughts.
Stay safe, stay strong & thrive.

Posted by: Jacquie on 5/21/2018 at 12:26 am

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Denali: Walter & Team have landed at Base Camp!

May 19, 2018

Posted by: Mike Walter, Robby Young, Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,300'

The weather cleared up just long enough for K2 Aviation to fly our team to Base Camp in two de Haviland Otter airplanes. The window didn't last long and soon it socked in and began to lightly snow. We set up camp and lounged around for the rest of the afternoon. Tomorrow the plan is to pack up and move camp to the base of Ski Hill. Cheers, RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team

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That is one Helluva “Ski Hill” . My wife JoAnn and I overnighted in Talkeetna with K2 Aviation and took a flight up to Denali over the dramatically crevassed glaciers in 1993. JoAnn then went back as a Cruise ship excursion in 2000 with her three sisters. Looking up is as close to climbing in Ice and snow as I want to be, although I summitted Mt Whitney in 1986 on Father’s Day ant took a photo with a banner I had made saying “Happy Fathers Day” to give to my father. I piloted a Cessna 172 from Torrence, CA with two other “Climbers” for that “Attempt”. We had tried in May, a month before, but were chased off the mountain after one night in a tent by a major snowstorm. Hopefully you get good weather so you can have views up there. We all look forward to more from you.

Posted by: Paul Claeyssens on 5/20/2018 at 6:02 am

Go for it and be safe.

Posted by: Garland Dobson (PAPPY) on 5/19/2018 at 3:44 pm

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Denali: Walter Hailes’ Expedition Beginning Soon

May 8, 2018

Posted by: Walter Hailes

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

The Denali expedition, with Walter Hailes, starts on May 25th. Please sign up for the expedition email alerts below.

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team On Their Way Home

July 6, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah Smith, Hannah McGowan, Avery Parrinello

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Our final day on Denali began just an hour after the second-to-last day ended. We were up at 1 AM and walking South by three. The hoped for full-on freeze didn't quite come through. While the glacier surface was a little crunchy under the snowshoes, one still sank in a bit more than we'd have preferred. But half a freeze is better than none when there are crevasse bridges to be crossed. And we crossed about a thousand of them. We did have a few scares as team members broke through to wiggle their legs in the void before hastily crawling topside again. I think all would agree that the morning commute to the airstrip was stressful, brutally tough with big packs, and magically stupendous in terms of scenery and the feeling of accomplishment when it was completed. We were at basecamp no more than ten minutes before the big red beautiful K2 ski otters swooped in and scooped us up at 9:45 AM. The rest of the day was spent in glorious summer down in Talkeetna. We changed into cotton and sandals and sorted stinky gear. Our celebration dinner at the West Rib was a blast. We laughed and toasted for hours. A nightcap at the Fairview and a walk down to the Susitna to see the mountains at midnight made for a perfect ending to a perfect trip. Thanks for following... we'll do it all again sometime. Best, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Off the Mountain

July 5, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 348'

RMI Guide Dave Hahn has checked in from Talkeetna. The team arrived at the Kahiltna airstrip early this morning and clear skies from Talkeetna allowed the K2 Aviation planes to pick up the crew and return them to Talkeenta. Dave will send a dispatch later today on the conclusion of their expedition. Congratulations to the Denali June 16th Expedition!

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Congrats are definitely in order. Now your loved ones can relax! Mom of Matt Brennan

Posted by: Janet Brennan on 7/6/2017 at 8:53 am

Congrats to everyone on the team!! Proud of you Ruben!!!

Posted by: Christina Perez on 7/5/2017 at 2:59 pm

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Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Descend to 8,000’

July 5, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah McGowan, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 8,000'

July 4, 2017 It was the calm and sunny morning we'd been hoping for at 14,000 ft today. Which certainly made it easier to get up and get sorted for going downhill. Independence Day at 14,000' Camp was so nice that we lingered in camp until just after noon. Then it was walking down, hauling sleds around Windy (but not actually windy) Corner, across the Polo Field, down Squirrel and Motorcycle hills and into 11,000 ft. We dug up our long lost cache there and shifted gears. We swapped out crampons for snowshoes and ice axes for ski poles and the got trudging down toward the Kahiltna Glacier. It was stunning to come around the corner and to have the entire glacier laid out below us. We dodged s few crevasses on ski hill and reached our old camp at 8,000' by 7:30. Just in time to throw up tents, enjoy a picnic dinner, watch nature's best fireworks show and to hit the hay for a few hours. We'll likely be up at 1 AM and walking by 3 in our quest for travel in cold conditions. We want the glacier well-frozen for the last bit to the airstrip. I read the blog comments to the team at breakfast this morning (we don't surf the web up here, the comments were cut and pasted into a simple text email to us) and the crew was very happy to hear from so many great friends and loved ones. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Descend to 14,000’ Camp

July 4, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah McGowan, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

July 3, 2017 In a perfect world, it would have been sunny and calm at high camp the morning after our summit. Then we could have packed at our leisure and enjoyed morning coffee. Instead, it was a surprise storm with annoying gusts of cold air and the sun caught up in a ragged and ugly cloud cap. We packed and ate anyway and eventually got walking down the West Buttress at noon. The weather was actually worse at high camp than along our descent route. We had a smooth trip down the fixed ropes into an unexpected snowstorm in Genet Basin where we pitched our 14,000 ft camp again. We'll recover here for a night and give the storm a chance to quit before our journey to 8,000 ft tomorrow. The forecasts still suggest that the weather will improve... some day. RMI Guide Dave Hahn and team

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JW: Seems like the weather making you know you are earning it. Blue ice spectacular. By the time you read this you’ll be safely at 8K with some smooth groomers to the bottom. Enjoy everyone and be safe! Congrats again and God Bless America!!

Posted by: Kevin on 7/5/2017 at 10:19 am

It’s never over ‘til it’s over…stay focused..

Posted by: don brennan on 7/5/2017 at 6:54 am

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Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Return to 17,000’ Camp after Summit

July 3, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah McGowan, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,000'

July 2, 2017 This was THE day after all. There wasn't any question that we'd be able to make it work once we saw conditions on the South Peak at 6:30 this morning. Yes, it was plain that the storm was still with us, with much cloud in every direction out in Alaska, but it was all below us and the winds were light. We ate, geared up and got moving out of camp by 8:45. As anticipated, we went from a sunny camp to a shady "autobahn" (the long steep traverse to Denali Pass) but the climbing was just hard enough to keep us warm. At the pass, we caught a little wind -which we tended to walk in and out of all day- but it was never more than about 10 mph. We climbed the steep rolls to the "Zebra Rocks" and then the broad upper bowl of the Harper Glacier. We went past the Archdeacon's Tower and crossed the football field at 19,500 ft. Then it was up Pig Hill to the spectacular summit ridge. There wasn't much question that we'd make the final 30 min cruise along the spine to the tippy top. It took us eight hours to get to the highest point in North America. And then we liked it so much we stayed an hour. Our descent was free of any complications -all had saved enough energy to make it down safe, with no slips or stumbles. We were back in camp by 9:30 PM and ate dinner in the late evening sunshine... amazed at what we'd accomplished together. Now it is after midnight and the sun is around the bend, so good night to all from 17,000 feet in Alaska from a lucky crew of climbers. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Jim - what an awesome once-in-a-lifetimeachievement! All your hard training has paid off! We are all extremely proud of you!

Safe way down the mountain. We look forward to seeing you at sea level soon.

Tha Hanigs.

Posted by: Marco Hanig on 7/4/2017 at 4:20 pm

Jim, Awesome does not do your feat justice. It is- as you are- in a class by itself. We much look forward to celebrating your triumph around Kraken rum drinks at the Martin Box. Meanwhile, hurry home! Your bowled over pals at sea level. Peter and Carol

Posted by: Peter Krogh on 7/4/2017 at 7:26 am

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Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Summit!

July 2, 2017

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah McGowan, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,310'

July 2, 2017 6:32 pm PST Hey, this is Dave Hahn, guiding the last RMI Denali trip for 2017. We're on the summit. We are up top on a beautiful day. Everybody's climbing strong. There are ten out of our original twelve, and we're quite proud of ourselves and feeling very lucky. It's a beautiful day, and we're going to climb safe and strong back down to High Camp and then give you a dispatch to let you know we got there safe. Thanks for following. RMI Guide Dave Hahn

RMI Guide Dave Hahn calls from the Denali summit!

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Beautiful! Congratulations! Comedown safely

Posted by: Bettie S on 7/3/2017 at 9:15 pm

Absolutely amazing!! So so proud and excited for you all!! Thinking of you on your way down and have a safe climb! Cheers to you all!

Posted by: Emily Murphy on 7/3/2017 at 6:26 am

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Entries from Mt. McKinley

Denali Expedition: Walter and Team Carry Supplies to 10,200

Denali: Walter & Team Set Up Camp at the Base of Ski Hill

On The Map

Denali: Walter & Team have landed at Base Camp!

Denali: Walter Hailes’ Expedition Beginning Soon

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team On Their Way Home

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Off the Mountain

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Descend to 8,000’

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Descend to 14,000’ Camp

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Return to 17,000’ Camp after Summit

On The Map

Denali Expedition: Hahn & Team Summit!

On The Map

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