Entries from Mt. McKinley
May 27, 2014 - 10:34 pm PT
Greetings!
The team awoke this morning at
Denali's 14K camp to a brisk dose of winter. A few inches of snow fell overnight and winds were blustery and it was apparent another weather / rest day was in order. The team enjoyed a casual breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and our go-to guilty pleasure, bacon. Regretfully, we said goodbye this morning to our friends Mike Walter and team as they began the journey home after spending the last few days enjoying their company here at 14K camp. We are in great position for a bid for the summit as soon as the weather allows, and we are anxiously awaiting our opportunity. Until then, hope all is well and thanks for following!
RMI Guides Robby, Pete, Josh and Team
On The Map
May 27, 2014 - 7:21 pm PT
Update on
Mike Walter's team from
Brent Okita:
While basking in the warmth and comfort of our tent this afternoon,
Mike Walter and his team pulled in after spending an epic thirteen days at 14,200' camp without getting a break in the weather suitable for a realistic summit bid. That no other guided group has summited the mountain attests to the particularly bad weather they've encountered.
The team joined us for some soup and are now walking down the
Kahiltna Glacier headed for the airstrip and hopefully a plane back to Talkeetna tomorrow morning. We wish them well and praise their tenacity, fortitude and strong work on the upper mountain. They deserve huge kudos for their efforts! Nice job team.
On The Map
May 27, 2014 - 7:08 pm PT
Hearing light snow hitting the fly of our tent this morning prepared us for the possibility that today might finally be the day that stopped our upward progress on the mountain. Very light snowfall coupled with wind and clouds were part of the view from our vestibule. Neither the best nor the worst weather
Denali has to offer, so we decided to get up and at least have breakfast while we waited to see if the day might take a turn for the better.
Over a breakfast that would rival the best your local greasy spoon could offer, the outlook for the day became ever more apparent, we were going to enjoy our first rest/storm day. That no one really voiced any complaint reflected the shared sentiment that we were all ready for a break from the constant pace of the trip so far.
Following our breakfast of scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns, we set to explore and debate many of the world's challenges and recount some of our personal histories. Of course, such heady conversation, fueled as it was by caffeine and unexpectedly unused climbing energy, soon left even the strongest of us deserting our Posh House tent for the cozy comfort of our tents and sleeping bags. And so has passed our day, playings cards, reading, listening to music, and just plain relaxing.
Life is great!
RMI Guide Brent Okita
On The Map
May 26, 2014 - 10:46 pm PT
With just a little anxiousness about our carry up to 13,500', the first real climbing of the trip, the team awoke early this morning to a pretty darned reasonable day. 7:00 AM at 11,200' can certainly be chilly, and today was no exception. We washed down our oatmeal with some hot drinks to fortify ourselves for the big day, reviewing as we usually do some key points of the days.
Our climb of
Motorcycle Hill was made before the sun hit the face, making for a chilly start to the day. But at the top we were rewarded with great views of the Northwest Buttress and Peter's Glacier, not to mention the Alaskan tundra in the distance. Squirrel Hill followed and we found ourselves cramponing on perfect snow.
Conditions, in general, were quite nice all the way to our cache site at 13,500'. But what really struck us was how well the team was climbing. And how well everyone was feeling. Yeah, it was a good push for us, but we all took heart in having done well today. Our dinner of mac and cheese with loads of crumbled bacon stirred in hit the spot. There were no leftovers tonight. Cookies for dessert finished us off before we organized gear for tomorrow.
As for tomorrow ... As good as everybody is feeling, if the weather again cooperates, we might just move up to 14,200' camp. Then, we'll be ready for a couple of well deserved rest days.
We'll see ...
RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick
On The Map
May 26, 2014 - 10:21 pm PT
Today is day 19 of our expedition, with twelve of those days spent at the 14k Camp. The weather forecast is not looking good for a summit attempt, as a significant weather system is supposed to hit
Denali tonight, bringing snow and wind tomorrow. High winds are forecasted to persist for the next ten days. If this forecast verifies we will be headed downhill shortly, as we still have to make it back down the Kahiltna Glacier to Basecamp before waiting for good enough weather to fly back to Talkeetna. We will definitely wake up early tomorrow morning to see if we get lucky with a quick summit window, but none of us are holding our breaths. We will let you know how the weather treats us tomorrow.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
May 26, 2014 - 10:12 pm PT
Now that we are in the holding pattern, waiting for our window, any day could be our chance to move to 17K and take a shot at the summit. This morning wasn't it though, as we woke to a large, gray lenticular cloud hanging on to the upper mountain. We rested, traded books, listened to music, did a little 14K Camp crossfit, and took a walk to the "
Edge of the World," where the Genet Basin looks over the lower Kahiltna. From the vista we could see our first camp of the trip at the base of Ski Hill. The forecasts continue to be mixed, so we're taking it day by day and seeing what opportunities the mountain provides us. We'll send the news of tomorrow when we know what it is. Until then, we're going to bury ourselves in piles of down and get some shut eye.
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, and Josh
On The Map
May 26, 2014 - 5:18 pm PT
Hello everyone!
Saying hello from Talkeetna, Alaska! We made it off this afternoon despite the evil forecast. This morning we left 9,700' and walked down glacier into deep clouds that retreated as we made our way to
Kahiltna Base Camp. All day we heard and saw fleets of airplanes coming in and by mid afternoon we were on one of them. So the team is safe and sound taking showers and indulging in vices.
It's been a fantastic trip with a great group. Thanks for tuning in!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
May 25, 2014 - 11:56 pm PT
We took full advantage of our
rest day today, eating a big brunch of egg, bacon, and veggie quesadillas (there is a recurring theme here involving our meals). The storm that was forecast for last night and today didn't materialize, so it was a great day for chatting in the posh, catching some sun, and catching up on journals and reading. Everyone's legs appreciated the recovery from yesterday's big effort.
The forecasts going forward are pretty scattered, and aren't really painting a clear picture, so at this point we're in standby mode, waiting for our weather window to present itself. We'll see when that happens, but until then, we are living really comfortably at 14 camp. We'll be in touch with more news tomorrow.
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, and Josh
On The Map
May 25, 2015 - 5:33 pm PT
Despite a poor forecast for today, we awoke to calm and only scattered clouds which allowed us to return to our
previous camp and retrieve our cache. The scattered clouds made for some pleasant walking temps and our loads felt lighter than ever before... A nice change for our tired shoulders. We spent the afternoon reviewing climbing techniques for our carry up to 13,500 feet (hopefully tomorrow). Everyone is feeling well rested and we are crossing our fingers that tomorrow will bring another nice day!
RMI Guide Brent Okita
On The Map
May 25, 2014 - 6:27 pm PT
Our team is spending another day at the
14k Camp today, with strong winds apparent up high again. We're hoping to take advantage of a brief window of calmer winds this week in order to take a crack at the summit. We're hoping to move to high camp tomorrow if the weather allows. We've got our fingers crossed, as tomorrow will be day 19 of this expedition and the shot clock is winding down.
We'll let you know how it all plays out.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
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Patience is a virtue but sometimes there is not enough to go around. Enjoy the current rest area, you’ll soon be on your way. How much bacon?
Enjoy the beauty of where you are at!
Posted by: Frank Haasbeek on 5/28/2014 at 11:21 am
You’re almost there guys! Enjoy the bacon and the views! You are all awesome!
Posted by: Cara n' Jay on 5/28/2014 at 8:38 am
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