Entries from Mt. McKinley

Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Moves to 11,000’

June 5, 2014

Posted by: Eric Frank, Geoff Schellens

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

Today we packed up our camp at 7,600' on Mt. McKinley and began climbing at 8:30 AM under perfectly blue skies. Our team was strong and did very well on the move, despite the hot temps once the sun was high. 11,000' Camp is currently the size of a small town with all the climbing teams that flew on the same day that we did. After setting up our new camp folks enjoyed an afternoon nap before dinner and hot drinks. We are all happy to be here at 11 camp. Thanks for following along with us - The Upper West Rib Team

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Team - I feel a bit of wimp here as I armchair mountaineer along with your great adventure. I’m actually kind of envious of you all in that pristine and beautiful setting. Keep up the good work and enjoy!

Posted by: Lisa Stenderup on 6/5/2014 at 9:53 pm

Mom Stenderup here… My Baby Boy is marching up a 20,000+ Foot mountain and I (with other Moms ) am stressing out!!! However, what can I do at this point?.....,except cheer you on, pray for your safety…and send lots and lots of love ..to ALL of you…because you are a TEAM!!! “One for all , and all for one!”!!!

Posted by: Patty Stenderup on 6/5/2014 at 6:51 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Back in Camp

June 5, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Nick Hunt

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

June 5, 2014 - 1:44 am PT We're all safely back in camp, horizontal and happy at 17,200' on Mt. McKinley. And to no small degree exhausted. It was a perfect day: sunny and calm with never more than a 5-10 mph wind. But mostly calm. A lot of other climbers were taking advantage of the good weather too, but traffic was nicely spread out. Tomorrow is another big day as we descend to 11,200' camp to retrieve our cache and get on to a night time schedule. All for now. It's cold and I too am ready to get horizontal. Goodnight from RMI Guide Brent Okita

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Hey Rick Popp!
Fantastic my friend!! I buy the beer and you tell me all about the summit. I talked to Dan on Wednesday and he was watching you to. Looks like you have many others watching this adventure of yours as well. Safe travels till you get home. Scott

Posted by: Scott DeWaard on 6/6/2014 at 6:49 am

Yay Steve!!! and team - congrats - Now come home and climb!!

Posted by: Team Fairway on 6/6/2014 at 5:55 am

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Mt. Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir Reaches Summit

June 5, 2014

Posted by: Casey Grom, Chase Nelson, Mark Falender, Katrina Bloemsma

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,410'

The Expedition Skill Seminar - Muir reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning at 7:25 am PT. RMI Guide Casey Grom reported a beautiful day with clear skies, light winds and cool temperatures. The team will descend to Camp Muir (10,060') where they will spend their final night on the mountain and conclude their training tomorrow with a final descent to Paradise. Congratulations to today's Seminar team!

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¡Felicitaciones!

Posted by: Margaret Amalfitano on 6/6/2014 at 6:11 am

Way to go Mike McBride and Seminar-Muir team!!!! Congradulations !!!

Posted by: Pat Noe on 6/5/2014 at 12:19 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Summit!

June 4, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Nick Hunt

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 20,320'

June 4, 2014 - 7:43 pm PT Hi, this is Brent from the RMI Okita McKinley Expedition. I am super psyched to report that we just summitted Denali about an hour ago, about 5:30 [Alaska time] this evening under perfect conditions. Minimal wind, hardly anything, and clear, blue skies. Everyone did a great job getting up to the summit. Was a fantastic effort by everybody. Right now, I'm calling down from the Football Field. We wanted to get off the summit, because there are a bunch of other climbers coming up and we wanted to get out of the crowds, as they say. Now we're back on the Football Field, taking a little break before heading back to camp. And everyone's doing super well. I'll give an update on our progress when we get back down to Camp 17 in a little while. All you friends and family who are listening, you guys should be awfully proud of these folks. They did a great job today. Alright, talk to you later. Bye Bye. RMI Guide Brent Okita

RMI Guide Brent Okita calls in from the descent of Mt. McKinley's summit.

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Leah, thank you for taking our picture on the summit.

Brent, as one of your former clients on a skills seminar I just wanted to say thank you for teaching me the skills to allow me to summit Denali. It was an honor and privilege to meet your team on the football field and share the summit with you all.

Great job team RMI!

Posted by: Dan Crouch on 6/10/2014 at 5:25 am

Congratulations to the entire team. JOB WELL DONE. Continued safe travels in your entire journey home. Godspeed to you all.

Posted by: Mark DiLucca on 6/6/2014 at 8:45 am

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Mt. McKinley: Jones and Team Smooth Move to 11,000’ Camp

June 4, 2014

Posted by: Tyler Jones

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 4:53 PDT The morning came with no wind and optimal cool temps for our travels. After an oatmeal breakfast, the team packed for our quickest departure from camp yet. Our crew is strong and made great time during our climb, stopping at our cache to retrieve a handful of items from the surface, adding just a microscopic load for the final push into our new home for the next few days. We plan to continue to fortify our camp by adding wind walls to our million dollar Posh house! The Posh house will serve as our kitchen,living, and dining room, bringing some comfort from the chill of the evening and protection from the blasting solar energy of the sun. Currently, we are hiding from the sun's torture and looking forward to a big dinner of tortellini with bacon and sun dried tomatoes. Tonight we will get a long night's rest, and a leisurely breakfast tomorrow will lead us into a short back carry to retrieve the rest of our equipment! We're keeping our fingers crossed for RMI Guide Brent Okita and his team above us - as of last night's radio check-in, they were planning to go for the top today. If the weather up high is anything like it is at our new camp, they stand a good shot. But for us, the name of the game is rest, recover, and prepare for the work ahead. Cheers for now, RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Garrett Stevens, Bryan Hendrick, and team

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We are following your progress. Good Weather & Good Luck! Going to Raleigh to see & hear Oz.

Posted by: Fred & Donna on 6/5/2014 at 5:46 pm

Hi Paul! We didn’t want you to be the only “camper” (haha) not getting “mail” from home this trip. So enjoy your adventure and safe travels! Love Ronda, Alex, Meeka and Max (the toad catcher!!!)

Posted by: Ronda Kinneberg on 6/5/2014 at 4:07 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Going for the Summit

June 4, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Nick Hunt

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

June 4, 2014 - 9:30 am PT Just spoke with RMI Guide Brent Okita and they are leaving high camp for their summit bid. His words on the weather this morning: “Massively glorious day on Mt. McKinley!” Good luck to the team as they ascend to the highest point in North America!

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Miss you Daddy Love you, cant wait to see you again

Posted by: Kaylee on 6/4/2014 at 10:20 pm

Fantastic!! What a thrilling accomplishment for the team! Your sisters send y’all a salute from a view of the ‘teeners’ in Co

Posted by: Deb on 6/4/2014 at 7:22 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Reach 17,200’ Camp

June 4, 2014

Posted by: Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Nick Hunt

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

June 4, 2014 - 12:53 am PT The winds have finally abated now that we're in our tents here at 17,200 ft Camp. For much of the day we we're climbing head on into the breeze, making for an uncomfortable climb to camp. But we're psyched now. Tomorrow promises to be a great day, and given the fact that we had to ascend less than 1000' we should be in good shape. It was unfortunate the Buttress was so windy because it was such a beautiful climb and day. Wish us luck with the weather and perhaps our next chat will be from the summit. Good night from chilly 17,200' camp. RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick

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God Speed and Good Luck to Brady O’Mara and his fellow adventurers. The Cheltenham Farrell’s

Posted by: Farrell Family on 6/4/2014 at 10:03 am

Good stuff! Hoping you awoke to a beautiful, windless, snowless day and are making your way (carefully)to the summit right now. Lots of prayers and good karma are with each and every one of you. I want you all safely delivered to Talkeetna and several icy cold pitchers of beer…after you shower. Good luck! We love you, Brady…and your tent pal, Bruce.

Posted by: Jane O'Mara on 6/4/2014 at 7:51 am

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Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Cache Gear at 9,900’

June 3, 2014

Posted by: Eric Frank, Geoff Schellens

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,600'

June 3, 2014 - 7:55 pm PT Wow, it's nearly dinnertime and the team finally has a few minutes to check in. We have had a busy day. Despite a slightly ominous forecast, we awoke this morning to clear skies and no wind. Things looked favorable for us to move some group food up to a higher site. We ate a leisurely breakfast of bagels with bacon and cream cheese before loading up on a four-hour walk up to the cache site. This cycle of carrying gear up high, then returning back to a lower camp to sleep is crucial for our acclimatization. It exposes the body to a new altitude, but gives it time during the night to rest and recoup. We will be repeating this process with each of our higher camps. RMI Guides Eric Frank, Geoff Schellens and the Upper West Rib team

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Awesome!
Keep up your great skills . Keep your warmth and continue strong. Hope the weather continue being nice to you guys. The Rosales Family sends love and good vibes to you guys.

Posted by: L. Rosales on 6/4/2014 at 1:55 pm

We send greetings from the mountains of Western North Carolina and good vibes that your quest goes smoothly and the weather continues to cooperate.
John- All of the family send their love!!

Posted by: Rita and BruceWightman on 6/4/2014 at 2:28 am

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Mt. McKinley: Jones & Team Carried the Cache and Commenced the Chill

June 3, 2014

Posted by: Tyler Jones

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,500'

June 3, 2014 - 5:36 pm PT Yesterday's icy winds gave way to calm, clear skies overnight. The temperature, however, was quite chilly when we woke for breakfast. The hot coffee and tea started warming folks up, and a couple of bagels with cream cheese topped by delicious smoked salmon rounded out this morning's feast. We packed up the kits for the carry and were walking shortly after the sun broke in camp. Temperatures climbed quickly and soon we were sweating under the loads, but within three hours we had buried our cache at 10,000 ft. We passed a ton of teams as we returned to camp - let's just say that we were happy to be heading down while the rest of them were baking on the way up. So now we're poised for a move to the next camp at 11,200 ft and looking forward to making more progress on the mountain. That's all for now, stay tuned for tomorrow's tales of wonder from the frozen north land! RMI Guides Garrett, TJ, Bryan and the team

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Rick
Great climb. How hard can it be ?
Dan

Posted by: Dan Duncan on 6/4/2014 at 3:49 pm

Hey, Paul and team! Love the updates. What an adventure. Thinking of you all.
Anita

Posted by: Anita on 6/4/2014 at 4:12 am

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Mt. McKinley Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Have Decision Day

June 3, 2014

Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

June 2, 2014 - 11:16 pm PT With things looking up for us, we got up early and packed camp this morning. With full packs and a lot of excitement to be moving again, we headed once more up towards the head wall and the fixed lines. We were not by any means the only group with this idea though and a train formed pretty quickly. As we worked our way up the lines in traffic the wind started to pick up, at first just occasional gusts that swirled through the basin, then becoming steadier, stronger, and carrying snow with them. By the time we reached the col at 16,200' conditions had deteriorated significantly. It was a frustrating decision, but this was the type of weather that was too much for us to continue on in, and we decided quickly to turn back down the fixed lines to 14,000' camp, out of the winds. Once camp was reset, we had a tough team meeting over dinner. We've invested a lot of time, energy, and sacrifice into this endeavor, both on the mountain and all of the preparation and training, but we've been here for a long time, and it's time to think about heading down. Everyone agreed that tomorrow, we will pack camp again, but this time will turn our boots downhill and head for the airstrip, home, and families. The team has worked so hard, and come together so well, and it's a disappointment for all, but with any luck we'll be at the airstrip tomorrow, and fly in the evening or next morning. Thanks for reading, and we'll see everybody soon. Best, RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team

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Our hearts ache for you. We are so sorry that your trip is ending this way knowing how much you wanted to summit. Lowrys you will survive!

Posted by: Frank Haasbeek on 6/4/2014 at 5:00 am

Have a safe trip home. Just remember:
The Journey is for the Soul, The Summit is for the Ego.

We love you,
Lisa, Joe and Gabe

Posted by: Lisa, Joe and Gabe on 6/3/2014 at 7:27 pm

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Entries from Mt. McKinley

Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Moves to 11,000’

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Back in Camp

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir Reaches Summit

Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Summit!

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Mt. McKinley: Jones and Team Smooth Move to 11,000’ Camp

Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Going for the Summit

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Mt. McKinley: Okita & Team Reach 17,200’ Camp

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Mt. McKinley: Upper West Rib Team Cache Gear at 9,900’

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Mt. McKinley: Jones & Team Carried the Cache and Commenced the Chill

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Mt. McKinley Expedition: Van Deventer & Team Have Decision Day

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