Entries from Mt. McKinley
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,600'
.jpg)
"Pigs" is the term of endearment climbers use to describe any heavy load on a climb. On Denali our "pigs" are our sleds, and today we took them for their first walk. The team woke to a bluebird day--welcome after the days of gray--learned about packing, strapping, and roping up our sleds, and then took them out on the trail from Basecamp to 7,600'. Day one of "walking the pigs" can often be a porcine rodeo with lots of grappling and twisting going on, but this crew made it look more like walking poodles at the Westchester Dog Show. We're now at the base of Ski Hill, firing the skillet with fajitas, enjoying the stunning scenery up the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna, and getting ready for tomorrow's push into steeper terrain--this crew is ready for it.
RMI Guide Kel Rossiter
On The Map
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
Hey everybody, checking in from the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier where we are settled into Basecamp after a day of exciting weather. We woke this morning in Talkeetna to a couple inches of new snow on the ground and thought it was going to be another day of waiting around for flyable weather. But when I checked in with K2 at 8:00 they said it was actually clear at Basecamp and that as soon as the snow showers in town stopped we'd potentially be on our way.
Well, the clouds broke around noon and our intrepid crew loaded up onto a pair of otters and headed for the Alaska Range. Clouds enroute nearly forced us to turn around but our pilots were able to make it happen and delivered us safely to the Southeast Fork. Some unfortunate planes were forced to turn around after the runway shutdown because of a bank of clouds that rolled in soon after our arrival. These folks eventually made it in later on in the evening when everything cleared up. The views here are breathtaking, if a little humbling.
Wish us luck as we head out on the route first thing tomorrow!
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
.jpg)
Today we woke up with clear skies! After breakfast we shouldered our packs and went for a hike to the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The Fork offers spectacular views of the North Buttress of Mt. Hunter, South Face of Radio Tower, and the West Face of Kahiltna Queen. We also learned about snow anchors and glacier travel. It was really nice to be able to stretch our legs and hike around. It certainly was a fantastic day.
We also had the opportunity to eat dinner outside enjoying the incredible views. The weather is looking nice for the rest of the week, so we will be getting around.
Everyone is doing great!
RMI Guide Andres Marin
Lis and Pete,
We are very proud of your endurance and stamina.
Wishing you and the team sunny skies for the remaining part of the trip.
Nicole
Posted by: Nicole areson on 5/20/2013 at 10:32 am
So glad the weather has cleared! The photo is awesome, I can’t wait to see the final pics of this spectacular region. Godspeed and I hope that the weather cooperates the rest of the week. JIm Vaughan
Posted by: jim vaughan on 5/19/2013 at 7:26 pm
Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
The weather has definitely been improving for us. The winds have calmed, and only light snow has fallen today. The storm produced a little over two feet of snow, with deeper drifts. Hopefully the improving trend continues and we can move camp tomorrow. We're all ready and rested for some more climbing.
That's all the news from up high today.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 346'
Woke up this morning to snow on the ground and sleet falling from the sky. It turns out that this doesn't make for the safest bush flights or glacier landings so we spent another day hanging out in Talkeetna. We ate a lot of food, hung out some, practiced crevasse rescue, hung out some more, and some of us even drank a couple beers. Tomorrow is calling for more of the same but with a chance of partial clearing later in the day. We have our fingers crossed...
More to come as our expedition gets off the ground,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
It is fascinating how much the weather can test us. One more day of a strong storm kept us in camp, but we find things to do to keep ourselves busy.
Here is how the day went for us:
Woke up with about a foot of new snow, had to do some maintenance in camp before any items got buried. Then time to eat breakfast. Lisa, Kahiltna Basecamp Manager, rallied everybody in basecamp to stomp the runway, then we did a class in avalanche decision making and transceiver and probing work. After dinner, Akira finished snow blocks to make an arch that marks the entrance of our bathroom. Impressive work!!! Now it is time for us to go sleep.
The strong front that is passing should start weakening tomorrow. High hopes for that.
We all are staying happy and learning from the mountain.
Living the dream!!!!
RMI Guide Andres Marin
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
Another day goes by and we are still here at the 11k Camp. The winds have died down for the most part, but it is snowing and visibility is nearly zero. We're still doing well, tent bound mostly. Hopefully the storm passes soon and we can move camp up higher.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Kel Rossiter
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 346'
Update 10:34 am PST
Billy called from Talkeetna to give us an update: It is snowing in Talkeetna and the team will not be flying today.
Update from 5/16/13 at 11:00 pm PST
Checking in from a rainy Talkeetna... We woke up early this morning and headed over to the hangar after a quick breakfast at the Roadhouse hoping to finish up our last odds and ends and fly on to the glacier. While we were weighing the last of our luggage for the flight, the K2 staff told us the bad news: snowing at basecamp, flat light, and a low cloud ceiling. Translation: no go for us. So we hung out most of the day today eating food and worrying about what we forgot to pack while the rain gradually built up all day. Unfortunately, it's not looking good for tomorrow either so we may have to organize a pingpong tournament in the hangar. Despite the crummy weather the team is in good spirits and looking forward to our big adventure. We'll check in tomorrow, hopefully from Kahiltna Basecamp.
All for now,
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
On The Map
Pete will kill you all in Ping Pong! ;)
Posted by: Bennie on 5/17/2013 at 11:16 am
As in all expeditions weather always play a big part. Today we experienced a pretty big storm that will be on the radar for the next three days. The forecast is calling for 4 feet of total snow fall with winds up to 40 mph.
We spent the day learning basic knots and learning to take care of camp during a storm. The weather was a big part of today's lesson. It has snowed about a foot and is still snowing as I'm sending this dispatch.
We all are staying busy and dry and doing well. We'll see what happens over night. Will keep you posted.
RMI Guide Andres Marin
On The Map
Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Ben Liken
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
Our team is hunkered down at the 11,000' camp still, as the weather has progressed to become a pretty significant storm. Snow is falling and winds are howling as we sit tent bound for the majority of the day. Save for breakfast and dinner, and some quick forays to the bathroom, there is really no reason to leave the relative comfort of our tents today.
We're all doing well, albeit a bit eager to go climbing. Hopefully the weather breaks soon so we can get up the the 14k camp.
That's all the news from this end...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Previous Page
Next Page
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
-640x480.jpg)
It looks amazing. Good luck. Go!
Posted by: Mike Hagan on 5/20/2013 at 4:54 pm
I have walked several pigs in my life but never thru snow. Hope it is as fun as expected. Looks very beautiful. Work hard and have fun!
Posted by: Kristen on 5/20/2013 at 7:57 am
View All Comments