Entries from Mt. McKinley
June 2, 2014 - 9:56 pm PT
We woke up early this morning, broke camp and set off down the southeast fork of the
Kahiltna Glacier. By 7:00 AM we turned to the north and began making our way up the main flow of the Kahiltna, snowshoeing through some of the towering mountains of the great Alaska range. We arrived to the 7,600' camp at the base of Ski Hill at 11:30 AM with a light wind helping to keep us cool during the heat of the day. The afternoon was spent snacking, drinking water, and napping. We just finished a delicious burrito dinner and are enjoying the views over a cup of hot cocoa.
Good night everyone and thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Eric Frank
On The Map
June 2, 2014 - 9:30 pm PT
Comfortably nestled in our sleeping bags we've been listening to the winds flapping the fabric of our tents since we put them up.
Our morning started well with clear skies all around us, except for the cloud cap over the summit. But the entire
camp at 14,200' was stirring since this was one of the nicest days we've seen for a while.
The team did great breaking camp and we were the first guided group out of camp, a nice position to be in given the madding crowds that were right behind us. Everyone did well going up the fixed lines, though we could certainly feel the loads we were carrying. Unfortunately, the winds came up at the top of the ridge and didn't relent further up the Buttress, so we decided to dig in for the night here at 16,400' instead retreating all the way back to 14,200', or pushing in a head wind up to 17,200' camp. With a well secured camp here and dinner in our bellies we're looking forward to some rest and an easy day up to 17,200' camp tomorrow.
As I finish this post it seems like the winds might even be abating some. We'll touch bases again tomorrow from 17,200', hoping for some nice settled weather for a change.
Good night,
RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick
June 2, 2014 - 8:41 pm
Today we made our first and heaviest move of the entire trip. We mounted our packs with big sleds dragging behind! Traveling down the Southeast fork of the
Kahiltna Glacier, we departed base camp in cool conditions early this morning. We then met a brisk wind as we rounded the corner on to the main fork of the glacier. As we ascended the wind continued to increase, biting with cold that gave a taste of the temperatures we'll encounter higher on Denali, the Great One. Our crew did very well for our first real day of travel making great time to our camp at 7,800'.
We built camp in short order and napped a few hours of the afternoon away hiding from the breeze and the intense sun rays! The dinner of soup, mac and cheese with bacon and a variety of cookies was welcomed by all, and the team continued bonding over stories from our varied and interesting backgrounds.
Tomorrow, with the weather playing out in our favor, we will carry food, fuel and other supplies up hill and establish a cache near 10,000'. All is well here as we let the evening rest settle in. Stay tuned for more updates...
RMI Guides Tyler, Garrett, Bryan and the team
On The Map
June 1, 2014 11:47 pm PT
It has been a perfect rest day for us. Not perfect climbing weather, but plenty nice at camp to enjoy the day. Although many climbers took advantage of the relatively good weather to go for
17,200' camp, many others were suspicious of the cloud cap over the summit that threatened winds on the Buttress. In fact, no guided groups went to 17,200' today. But we had no such decisions to make. Instead, we slept in until 9:00 then, as we've done before, and feasted on a sumptuous brunch of smoked salmon, bagels and cream cheese. What decadence!
The guides had some chores and logistics to sort out, then we took the short tour east to the Edge of the World to take in the view from 14,000' overlooking the Northeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier, and affording views way down the glacier to where our very first camp of the expedition was.
We've done a lot of climbing since then, and have developed as a strong team caring for the well being of each other as much as ourselves. It's nice seeing the kind of support these guys give each other.
Tomorrow brings us our biggest challenge of the trip, and everyone shares the mixed emotions of excitement and nervousness. We got through the headwall and fixed lines yesterday, but the Buttress itself is another beast. As is ascending the 3000' to 17,200', a new altitude record for many of us.
That this part of the route is the guides' favorite part attests to the aesthetics of the climbing, and I think the team will get excited when they get on it.
We're looking forward to a good, hard day. Because it will be a long day for us, which may even be followed by another even harder day (the summit?), this may be the last post of any length for a while.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guides
Brent Okita,
Leah Fisher, and
Nick Hunt
Sunday, June 1, 2014 11:34 pm PT
The best laid plans are always subject to change. Our first view out of the tent this morning was of blue sky, but when we turned our gaze towards the summit, we found a large lenticular cloud spinning over the mountain, with jets of snow shooting up into the sky. Needless to say, we spent another day in camp. Our prospects look good for tomorrow, with a favorable forecast of high pressure for the next several days. We've said this before, and some are wondering how much longer we can wait; the team made the decision today that Tuesday would be our definitive up/down day. On the plus side, a slew of independent climbers made the
jump to 17,000' today despite the winds, so that should alleviate some of the congestion tomorrow.
We redecorated our posh tent today with a sun painted in Gatorade, a hockey player's face (looking towards the Stanley Cup), and the quote "we're doin' it". Spirits are still high despite the waiting, and we have a lot of hope that tomorrow will deliver for us. For now: off to bed to rest up for the fixed lines and West Buttress tomorrow!
RMI Guides
Pete Van Deventer,
Robby Young,
Josh Maggard, and team
Sunday, June 1, 2014 10:42 pm PT
We went to bed last night with clear blue skies fueling hopes for a good chance of flying onto the Kahiltna glacier today. When we woke this morning, the clouds dampened our hopes, and we slowly made our way to breakfast. After another hearty round of Roadhouse delights, we made our way to the hangar and settled in for a morning of discussion.
Within 2 hours, we had finished chatting and were dispersing around Talkeetna for rest and lunch. Some of us were still at the hangar when the
K2 Aviation staff came out and started packing up our kit - it was on! We called the team in and got our clothes changed, boots on, and stood anxiously waiting for the green light to load and go.
Soon, we were in the Otter plane and flying towards the heart of the Alaska range. We landed amid the giants of snow and rock that characterize this special range, high-fived with RMI Guide
Mike Walter and his crew and waved them goodbye as they headed back to the luxuries we've left behind. The team had a good early dinner and are now in bed, resting for the work to come. Stay with us as we climb towards our goal!
RMI Guides
Tyler Jones,
Garrett Stevens, and
Bryan Hendrick
The clouds parted long enough for our team to fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier today. We have been packed and ready for this day and now we are ready to climb!
Once we are settled in at
Kahiltna Base, we'll check in again.
RMI Guides
Eric Frank and
Geoff Schellens
May 31, 2014 - 11:23 pm PT
The weather slowly cleared over the course of today. We woke to heavy snowfall, but calm winds, and the snow slowly eased through the day, clearing enough by the time we headed to the tents this evening to show blue sky over the
West Buttress. The anticipation and excitement in the cook tent this evening was obvious, as we do plan to try to make the next jump tomorrow, climbing to 17k camp tomorrow. If all goes well, the next few days will be big, and will go by in a whirlwind. We'll keep you all updated on our progress, and wish us luck!
RMI Guides Pete, Robby, Josh, and team
On The Map
May 31, 2014 - 11:21 pm PT
The weather cooperated, sort of, for our big day climbing the infamous fixed lines to 16,200'. These are ropes fixed in place on a steep part of our
route that offer security to our team as we climb it. As seen from camp this headwall is particularly impressive, and intimidating.
The winds had calmed down completely by the time we got up, and the day was looking good. However by the time we actually started walking clouds had rolled in obscuring our views and the route. But the sun could be seen through this layer giving us confidence that we'd climb out of it. And we did.
The headwall itself was challenging, but our training yesterday helped immeasurably. We all made it to 16,200' where we cached the supplies we carried up and took a well-deserved break. Our descent was slow on the icy terrain, but we managed it fairly well.
By the time we got back to camp, the team was deservedly happy to have climbed this much anticipated part of the route.
And now it's bed time. We're all looking forward to sleeping in and being lazy tomorrow.
All for now from 14,200',
RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick
On The Map
May 31, 2014 - 11:02 pm PT
Not a plane was buzzing this morning when we awoke to dark skies and a slight breeze here in Talkeetna. Today was our fly day, but we are waiting out a hefty storm that has hundreds of climbers waiting on both sides of the
Alaska Range. We met at the
K2 hangar to wrap up some last-minute packing with high hopes for hopping on a plane; alas, we stayed stuck on the green-side, in Talkeetna along with swarms of anxious climbers. We are all psyched for tomorrow's potential - crouched and ready to jump on a plane at a moments notice. For now, we will continue to exercise our patience, a vital skill that we will need on the mountain.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens
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Good luck and good blessings!
Posted by: ben laverty on 6/3/2014 at 5:13 pm
Glad to hear that things are underway and that the adventure has begun!
Posted by: Lara Grossman on 6/3/2014 at 11:21 am
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