Entries from Mt. McKinley
The team woke early to the most incredible weather, no wind, blue skies, and sun on the tents. Although the over night temps dipped to -15F, the sun quickly warmed our group and fired up our motivation for a long day of hard work. By 9:30 we were headed back into the shade of the Autobahn and climbing up to Denali Pass, kicking steps into the soft, steep snow. Our crew set the track for the day being the first out. Two hours of cold shady trail breaking led us back to the sun and our first windless break at 18,300ft where spirits were rejuvenated. We continued to press higher and higher, until we arrived onto the flat plateau of the Football Field where the solar radiation had it feeling more like a day at the beach than 19,500' on Denali. One final grind up Pig Hill and we were on the summit ridge, with only one stretch between our team and the top of the continent. The clear weather gave us hundreds of miles of views in every direction, with only a few scattered clouds way below us to add texture to the breathtaking scenery. A few tears were shed as we climbed the final few feet to the summit, and then it was all smiles, hugs, and mugging for the obligatory summit photos. We stood on top for a half hour or so, and then began the descent back to thicker air and our cozy camp. What an incredible day in the mountains for our team!
We're settled in now and planning for a fairly early launch back down the mountain. Our goal is 14k camp and the rest of our gear, then a quick trip downhill to 11k.
We're all tired, sore, hungry, thirsty...but ultimately incredibly happy and proud of today's accomplishment. Kudos to everyone on the team, and thanks to everyone out there pulling for us!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
Jake, Gilbert & Mike called in from their 14,000' Camp. All is well and they will send another update soon.
Tyler called from the summit of Denali at 5:35 pm PST. He said it was a perfect and beautiful day for their summit climb. It was chilly at the top so they spent a little bit of time taking pictures and will be heading back down soon. Everyone on the trip is doing great and he will send a full dispatch when he gets back to 17,000' camp.
Congratulations Team!
On The Map
A crisp early morning wake up in basecamp meant great traveling conditions for us as we eased our way up the glacier. It froze solid last night making our travel through crevassed terrain much safer. We carried our full loads of climbing and camping supplies as well as 21 days of food and fuel. Even with each of our sled and backpack combos nearing 100 lbs., we made the move to our new camp in exactly five hours. We are all feeling very fortunate to be sharing this extraordinary place with such a strong team.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
We went to bed last evening to a blue bird sky after nearly 8 inches of new snow during the day. Today we woke to the same, blue bird weather and light wind. The crew broke camp at 14K fairly early, in good fashion, and headed on our way to the fixed lines. The clear sky made for a bone chilling morning until the major work up the lines started and we were greeted by the welcome rays of the sun, which warmed our souls. The West Buttress was windless and by far provided us with the best views and exposure the team has faced. The clear day gave us views over 10,000' below to the lower Kahiltna Glacier, while Denali stood proud and urged us higher. It was as good as it gets; in fact several folks said it was their best day climbing ever. We climbed for more than six hours so the the team is definitely enjoying some down time while trapping some evening heat in the tents.
With a bit of luck from the weather and wind we will shoot for a summit in the AM on the 17th. Thank you all for the warm wishes - the team has greatly enjoyed all the comments. Keep the positive vibes. We will report back soon.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones and team!
On The Map
After waiting at the airstrip in Talkeetna all morning due to socked in conditions at basecamp, the sky cleared and off to the mountain we flew. We arrived to beautiful weather at our basecamp on the Kahiltna Glacier.
We set up camp, did some crevasse rescue practice, ate dinner, and prepared our sleds. Currently, we are tucked away in our tents trying to sleep through the midnight sun before our very early departure up the frozen glacier to 7,800 ft.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Hello, this is Jake Beren with the RMI Mt. McKinley Expedition calling from 14,000’ camp. We arrived here yesterday and are happy in our brand new home and happy place. Before moving camp we made a carry the day before with our gear.
The team is looking great, very strong as we climbed yesterday. We arrived late afternoon and set up shop.
Today we are going to do a little bit of training and potentially make a back carry to pick up our cache. So all's well here, it’s a beautiful sunny day here in the Genae Basin. We are looking up at the fixed lines.
The RMI Team lead by Tyler Jones made their move to 17,000’ camp this morning and are just doing great and heading up the West Buttress as we speak.
So, that's all from 14,000’ on Mt. McKinley. It's great to be here with a good crew. We'll be checking in the future.
This is Jake, Mike, Gilbert and team standing by at 14,000’.
Hello from Talkeetna, Alaska,
Our McKinley Expedition June 14th team met in Anchorage on Tuesday, June 14th, since then we have spent time shopping, packing food, gear, and other necessities, and meeting with the National Park Service. Our gear is organized and packed and we are all set to fly tomorrow (Thursday, June 16th). The weather has not been clear for several days so there are many teams waiting to fly to/from the Kahiltna Glacier. The weather has not begun to clear and planes are flying.
Our chances look good to fly onto the mountain tomorrow. Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
Climbing a mountain like Denali is different than smaller peaks. On shorter trips to lower altitudes, climbers can push to their physical and mental limits, with slightly less potential consequences. Here, though, it's imperative that climbers be at their peak strength, and that they are mentally prepared for the challenges of the cold, the altitude, and the difficulty of the route. With those considerations as well as a less than ideal weather forecast, we decided to take a rest day at 14,200' today. While the team performed well on yesterday's carry, we all could benefit from some more chilling and sport eating.
So we started our day late, with a bodacious breakfast of egg, bacon, and cheese burritos with salsa and hot sauce. Hot coffee rounded out our top-flight mountain café experience. The team is currently resting in the tents and working through excess lunch food, playing cards and reading. So we sit and wait in a state of relaxed anticipation, ready to spring into action as soon as we have ideal weather. Send us your vibes for more sunny, calm days!
Until tomorrow,
Tyler Jones, Garett Stevens, Erik Endert & the crew
Armed with last night's forecast, we woke early this morning for our planned carry from camp here at 14,200' to the top of the fixed lines. By 7:15, we were underway, and within 2 hours we were climbing the most technical terrain so far. Using our ascenders and solid climbing techniques, we gained ground quickly and without incident to 16,200ft, where we stashed some of our luggage for the upcoming push to high camp.
Even though the weather today hasn't been as nice as previous days, it was still a good day for moving on the mountain. Light winds, light snow, and high clouds kept the temps fairly low, but everyone's hands and feet stayed warm and toasty as we made our way up and back to camp.
The crew continues to impress with the strength and motivation they display, and we're all fully stoked to be in position to launch for the upper mountain as soon as we have the ideal weather window. For the remainder of the day today, though, it's resting and recovery after the morning's climb.
Thinking warm thoughts from 14,000ft...
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Erik Endert, Garrett Stevens and the team
Previous Page
Next Page
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
DEAREST BEN, CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR THE STORIES OF THIS
ONCE IN A LIFETIME TRIP. SO VERY HAPPY YOU ALL MADE IT
TO THE SUMMIT SAFELY, CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE FEELING YOU MUST HAVE HAD. CONGRATULATONS ONCE MORE. A VERY SAFE RETURN TO ALL OF YOU. GOD BLESS YOU ALL. TE QUIERO MUCHO Y MUY ORGULLOSA DE TI. MA
Posted by: carmen keegan on 6/19/2011 at 4:52 am
Incredible experience you all are having! Congratulations on the safe summit! Reading the updates have been quite enjoyable.
Hope the rest of the trek goes well, Justin and Dad, us here in Columbia are cheering for you.
Posted by: Jacob Halls on 6/18/2011 at 8:03 pm
View All Comments