June 20, 2014 - 7:14 am PT
Three O Clock PM Talkeetna time. The kids in orange vests that load and unload the planes we were to fly in asked if it was okay to unload the 2,700 pounds of gear weighing down the aircrafts still grounded by ugly mountain weather near Mt. McKinley. Sure we all said. By this time the thought of messing around with gear just to pass the time seemed like a safe plan. The flying conditions were reported to be bad all day so the perceived notion that we would fly at all was dwindling. The forecast for the next few days looked worse so I knew unloading those planes was the best move we could have made. Not more than 20 minutes after our climbing outfits came off and we were literally heading into town for a beer, base camp called, said conditions looked good and if anyone was ready, load 'em up ASAP and get them in! So, off with the jeans and tennies, on with boots and a mild-hurried panic and onto the plane. Forty-five minutes later we were on the glacier! Yeeee haaaa.
Everyone is buzzing with good energy and the days to come. Wish us luck on our move to Camp One.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
June 19, 2014 - 8:43 pm PT
Hello, this is Leon, Katie and Jake up at 17K Camp. We moved today up the Buttress. We dealt with a little wind and a little bit of snow, but the team did super well. We're all buttoned up tight hoping to go for it tomorrow if the weather allows. That's all from 17K, we will be checking in tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Jake Beren calling in from Mt. McKinley's 17K Camp.
June 19, 2014 - 10:41 pm PT
We have arrived at 14,200'! The weather today was marginal with moderate winds, occasionally heavy snow, and sometimes even hot sunbreaks. A little bit of everything made for an interesting move. McKinley's 14K camp is uncharacteristically empty; lots of snowed in abandoned camps to choose from but they were all pretty crummy. We ended up digging out some old platforms and quarrying new blocks to rebuild some delapidated walls to protect our tents from the wind. We did find a great pre-dug posh that must have been abandoned by Jake or Tyler's crew as they moved up to 17K today. Thanks guys! Our team is racked out already after our big day and eating a hot meal. Tomorrow's plans call for an easy back carry and hopefully some rest in the afternoon.
Talk soon...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
June 20, 2014 - 8:29 pm PT
We woke up to snowing and blowing again this morning. We pushed our wake up/ departure time back a couple of hours and the weather cleared up nicely for us. Although leaving early is a bit colder, it keeps us off the glacier when it heats up and it gets us into camp early. We arrived at 14,200' camp around 11:45 this morning and got the pick of the litter for already dug out camps. Since many of the other teams that were stacked up because of the weather headed up to 17k today, camps with big snow walls were in abundance. With a little bit of prep we got a great camp set up. We just finished some tortellini with salmon...roughing it. Thanks RMI, the food has been great on this trip!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Team "The Ocho"
June 19, 2014 - 6:43 pm PT
Today on our next to last day for up hill travel we got the window we needed! The no troubles crew had no trouble with our move, reaching our high camp at 17,200ft! An early departure from our 14K camp meant cold hands and feet as we approached the fixed lines, but by the time we reached our first break the sun had crested the ridge to our south. We basked in the most welcome UV, and continued up to the base of the fixed lines without feeling the bite of the -5F temperatures.
We dispatched the fixed lines without incident, and were soon taking a break in a crisp little nook on the buttress proper. High, wispy clouds took the heat right out of the sun, and the constant winds reminded us of our arctic location. The last little bit of steep fixed line at Washburn's Thumb posed no issues, and we climbed into some of the most spectacular terrain of the West Buttress.
Steep walls fell away on both sides as we climbed the last stretch into camp, and soon we had reclaimed a couple of tent platforms, set up our shelter and had stoves running for water. The constant burn is a reminder of our high location and is helping to drown out the stiff northeast breeze currently moving through camp.
Tomorrow looks like it'll be our window for a summit attempt, provided the winds die down and the temperatures stay reasonable. We're psyched for the camaraderie of sharing camp with Jake Beren's team, and look forward to being on the route with them tomorrow. Wish us luck!!
Cheers,
RMI Guide Tyler Jones and The No Troubles Team
Hi Dad! I really miss you. I have been having trouble sleeping, thinking of you on that cold mountain in an igloo, when I am here in my warm dogloo. I am very proud of you. Hope you are having an amazing adventure. Abby,Lulu and Goldie all say “ruff ruff ” to you !
Love, Boone
Posted by: Boone Stenderup on 6/20/2014 at 9:18 pm
Hi David J. and the great No Troubles Team! I was so excited today when I saw that you got to 17,000 ft.!!!!! I can’t wait to hear of your summit and see those awesome pictures! I doubt that you will be on the plane on Sunday. I will wait to hear from you when you get down. Love you and enjoy the rest of your adventure!! Pam
June 19, 2014 - 11:24 am PT
The team spent yesterday packing, chatting and organizing food. Today we arrived at the hangar and we're told to stand by...a few hours later we are still standing by but are loading are bags onto planes and got the go ahead to change into climbing clothes. Hopefully, we will be loading the planes shortly and our next correspondence will be sent from the Kahiltna Glacier!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Glad to hear you are all having such a great trip so far, lets hope it stays that way! I hope you are ever ready for the summit attempt later down the road!
(world cup spoiler below!)
By the way, you missed a nail biting end to the USA-Portugal game—Portugal came back in the last 10 seconds with a header to tie it at 2-2!
June 19, 2014 - 9:34 am PT
As the wheels of our bush plane touched down in Talkeetna last night, my mind breathed a bittersweet sigh of relief. On one hand, we were back in civilization with amazing conveniences, such as flush toilets and food with expiration dates, but the trip had not turned out the way I hoped in previous months of dreaming about it. After taxiing through the airfield, we unpacked the plane and I cataloged the 36 hours of frenzied activity leading up to that point.
The weather throughout this trip was challenging. Aside from the first few days traveling up the lower Kahiltna Glacier, we battled ominous and unpredictable forecasts, and lots of marginal weather. The team did a great job of staying positive, always assuming that after the snow ended we would get our break. Day followed day, but the snow didn’t stop. It wasn’t a blizzard by any means, but just bad enough to not be able to move up high and make a summit attempt. Every morning we would get up and either watch snow fall, or see wind howling across the summit plateau.
After nine nights at 14,200’ camp we were in a difficult position. We had managed to get a food cache up on the route, just below 16,000’, but the snow was presenting avalanche danger, the forecast hadn’t improved and the days were counting down. The group had a long discussion about schedules and desires, eventually coming to the conclusion that we would split ways. Part of the team would stay, join another RMI team for support and wait for better weather. The other half of us would pack up most of the gear and move downhill toward the runway. Family, friends and work obligations were calling our names. After a 15-hour, 14-mile walk through the night, we made it to the landing strip, caught a plane and found ourselves on terra firma Tuesday night around dinner time.
As a guide, these trips are some of the most difficult to manage. The puzzle was one piece from coming together, but it wasn’t meant to be. The frustration was not solely ours. This has been a rough year in the Alaska Range weather-wise. When we flew onto the glacier, the summit success percentage was a depressingly low 16%. It has hardly risen since then. It would seem as though this season has been one of failure, but I prefer to view it differently. As a team, we did everything we could to be ready, the mountain simply said “no.” That doesn’t mean that we didn’t have an enjoyable trip with lots of good memories. Quite the contrary, we had several good weeks together filled with learning and bonding. I am reminded of the very applicable mountain phrase, “The summit is for the ego, but the journey is for the soul.”
Final thoughts-
To our three climbers- Andy, Jesse, and John. Thanks for arriving fit, ready to climb and with great senses of humor. You guys were a riot to hang out with in the cook tent, and on the rope. I have every confidence that given a decent weather window, you guys could tag the top. Unfortunately, not getting a chance to summit is sometimes part of big mountain climbing. You guys handled it with class and smiles. I hope our paths in the mountains cross many times in the future.
To my fellow RMI guide, Geoff Schellens, it is always a pleasure to work with you. Good times, buddy. You are smart, patient and ridiculously strong at altitude. I felt lucky to be up there with you.
To all the family, friends, armchair mountaineers and acquaintances who followed along in the last few weeks; thank you for the support. Your comments on the blog and daily positive vibes were the fuel that pushed us along up there. We thought of you in every decision, and with each picture we took.
Until next time, keep warm and enjoy every moment of life.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
Eric, Thank you for taking such good care of ‘Patty’s little boy’. The RMI blog posts that you provided were beneficial to both excited and worried family members. We even had the reassurance of your Mom, now that is special! Also, thank you for allowing John to continue with Team Jones, No Troubles. I realize that restructuring teams in mid-expedition is not usual protocol and wanted to thank both you and Geoff for facilitating this. You allowed John to fulfill a dream! Best Regards, Kent Stenderup
Posted by: Kent Stenderup on 6/23/2014 at 11:19 am
Eric—— Thank you for the beautifully written “final thoughts”. It provided positive closure on the “Upper West Rib” expedition. I have great respect for your focus on safety and appreciate the decisions that you made. I am happy for my son , John, that he was able to transition over to Tyler’s group and continue his quest and eventual summit. I spoke with him last night after the team arrived in Talkeetna. He had nothing but praise and appreciation for your great leadership. I would like you to thank your Mom , again for me, for her words of encouragement. It really helped me! Thank you so very much!!!
Patty Stenderup
(PS—- I am still wondering where in Ohio you are from??? I am also a Buckeye.
Posted by: Patty Stenderup on 6/23/2014 at 10:44 am
June 18, 2014 - 9:00 pm PT
We went around Windy Corner! We dug a hole (or chipped one out of extremely hard snow)! We buried some stuff (food, fuel, overboots, etc.)! And then we came back down to our camp at 11k'. All in all, we had a great day; the team is moving well and getting more and more psyched as we make our way up the mountain. The weather is gradually improving and we enjoyed blue skies and beautiful views of the Messner Couloir and the Orient Express on the upper mountain from the cache site. We filled up with an early dinner tonight and are racked out in anticipation of a big day tomorrow on our move to 14k' camp.
Check in again tomorrow...
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
June 18, 2014 - 8:20 pm PT
We woke up around three to clear skies and no wind. We couldn't resist this opening to cache gear up higher. We were traveling so well this morning that we decided to carry all the way up to McKinley's 14,000' camp. It was such a nice day up there that we spent around an hour and a half catching up with the Tyler Jones' and Jake Beren's teams. It looks like there should be good weather for a couple of days?? Cross your fingers for all of us!
The plan for tomorrow is to move our camp up to 14,000'. We are hoping for more of the same weather we had today.
RMI Guide Mike Haugen and Team "The Ocho"
June 18, 2014 - 4:51pm PT
Well, it's time to light this candle. We're getting ready to vacate the premises at 14K and head up for the thin air of 17K camp, after our extended stay here in advanced base camp.
Yesterday we put the final pieces in place, as a group of guides took on an afternoon mission to move some group gear from a cache at 16,700 up to our future high camp. The afternoon was a perfect day for fast movement and by 6pm we were comfortably situated with the food, fuel, hardware and kit that we'll need to launch for the top. Team No Troubles gets to reap the benefit of yesterday's work, as the normally heavy group load is now up high, and folks will get to move with their bad selves and a little bit of personal gear. Woot!
It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster these last few days, wishing for good weather and then having forecasts dash our hopes. But this latest round of prognostication seems to give us the glimmer of goodness we need, opening the window just enough for us to make a tactical strike. Stoke and energy is at an all time high, and we'll channel that energy into upward movement as soon as we can in the morning.
We really appreciate the love and support - keep it coming the next few days!
Until tomorrow,
RMI Guides Tyler, Garrett, Geoff and Team No Troubles
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Sounds like you are moving up the mountain. Great start!! Love you Jay and Mary. Mom
Posted by: Susan Lampas on 6/21/2014 at 10:56 am
This is exciting news! We are thrilled to be able to follow this adventure. Good luck to everyone on the team and love to Mary and Jay. Dan and Diane
Posted by: diane roketenetz on 6/21/2014 at 7:41 am
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