Entries from Mt. McKinley

Alaska Seminar: Davis & Team Prepare to Fly

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Leon Davis, Mike King, Katrina Bloemsma

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

May 18, 3:27 pm PT Greetings friends and family! The second Alaska Mountaineering Seminar - Expedition team is here in Alaska and almost ready to fly! Most of our gear is packed and weighed and now we are waiting for departure time. We have a few hours to go so we are setting up tents and prepping for our first night onto the glacier. Fingers crossed for an on time flight! RMI Guide Leon Davis and Team

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Hi Katha,
you look great!!
Enjoy this fantastic experience. Looking forward to catching up with you afterwards.
Big hug
Katharina

Posted by: Katharina on 5/19/2014 at 10:18 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter and Team Rest at 14,000’ Camp

May 18, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

May 17, 10:31 pm PT The team spent today resting and acclimating at 14k Camp. Winds up high were strong today and about a half a foot of snow is forecast for tomorrow. We're all healthy and happy in our well-built camp. Hopefully the weather will break soon and we can put a cache in up high. During the day, RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and I teamed up with some other guides and climbed up above camp to establish the fixed lines on the headwall that go from about 15,500' to 16,200'. The previously existing lines were buried in ice and damaged to the point of being unsafe and unusable. Now that we have good fixed ropes up there we all feel better about the prospects of safely climbing higher with our team. With the weather forecast as it is, we plan to take another rest/acclimatization day tomorrow. We'll be in touch and keep you up to date with our progress. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Steve and Team,

Sorry to hear about the uncooperative weather. Hope things clear soon and you can get moving upward.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/19/2014 at 4:27 am

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer and Team Settle in at 11k Camp

May 18, 2014

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

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

May 17, 11:50 pm PT Despite the forecasts that we have been getting the last few days, we woke to sunny skies and calm conditions. Everybody was excited to get the move to 11k done. Now that we are here, the first part of the challenge of McKinley is wrapped up. From here on out, we'll be done with the sleds and snowshoes until we head back for the airstrip. The move only took a few hours, but we spent several more hours building snow walls and digging in. Right around dinner time the clouds moved in and it started to snow, about an inch in the last two hours. It looks like we'll wake to several more in the morning. The weather dovetails well with our overall plan however; we've had three hard days with big loads and tomorrow is the perfect time for our first full rest day. Our plan is to eat a fat breakfast, read some books, practice cramponing, prepare for a carry to 13k, and then eat a big dinner. Everybody is psyched with our progress even more so with the prospect of a mellow day. We'll let you know how it goes! RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, and Josh Maggard

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So glad to hear you’re having some sunny skies! Happy trails!!

Posted by: Courtney Winston on 5/19/2014 at 8:05 am

Great to hear that the team is making such great progress every day, and congrats on completing this first arm of your journey. For Marko, a big warm hug. XOXO
Gina

Posted by: gina badescu on 5/18/2014 at 9:50 am

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Move to 9,700’

May 17, 2014

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

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 9,700'

Another beautiful and successful day. We woke this morning to sunny skies and a cool, fresh breeze blowing. We put away breakfast and coffee, and then packed camp. The first stretch up ski hill is a steady, consistent grind, and in many ways we were happy for the breeze. Several other teams were moving around us as well, so we were trading leads with a handful of them. One of the great parts of climbing McKinley is meeting other climbers from all over the world. The camaraderie of the mountains is pretty special. Once we reached our camp, we spent several hours setting up tents and building some burly snow walls. We aren't sure if the winds will ramp up as forecast, but we'll be ready if they do. We are going to play tomorrow by ear, but for now everyone is settled into tents with full bellies. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard

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Looks amazing - good luck to the whole team (from Marko’s coolest sister)!

Posted by: Tatiana on 5/19/2014 at 6:01 am

Glad to hear everything is going well. Good luck to the team. Robert take care.
Love, Lisa, Joe, and Gabe

Posted by: Lisa Hohn on 5/17/2014 at 11:47 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Settle into 14,000’ Camp

May 17, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

We woke this morning to pretty robust winds at our 14,000' camp. After breakfast and hot drinks we headed back down to retrieve the cache we left a few days ago at Windy Corner (13,700'). The winds subsided and we had a busy day between the back-carry, building stout walls for our camp, and digging out a kitchen tent. Everyone worked hard today and is doing well with the altitude. The weather forecast is calling for some pretty strong winds for tomorrow, so we're just planning on resting until conditions improve and we can put a cache in up high. Hopefully the winds will subside sooner rather than later. That's it for now. We'll check in again tomorrow. RMI Guide Mike Walter and Team

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Hope those winds give you a break soon. Every message is coming through, but I don’t think you’re getting any of my replies. Wondering about future weather forecast sharing…

Stay safe, mind the blue stuff, and keep having fun!!

xoxo K2

Posted by: K2 on 5/18/2014 at 5:48 am

Steve and Team,

Glad to hear you were as to move despite the winds. Hope things settle soon so you can keep moving. Waiting is never fun at any elevation.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/18/2014 at 5:03 am

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Charging to 7,800’

May 16, 2014

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

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,800'

Hi all, Today started on the early side and ended late, but we got so much accomplished today. We started with a last hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, potatoes, and toast with plenty of coffee, before heading to the H2 hangar to catch the first flight off the runway. The flight into Kahiltna Base Camp is always stunning, and today was no exception. The turn over the West Ridge of Mt. Hunter brought Base Camp into view, and we banked for the runway. With all of our team on the glacier, we started preparing everything to walk. We weren't sure the surface conditions would be firm enough by midday, but we prepared nonetheless. We rigged sleds, packed duffels and packs, sorted group gear, and at last decided it was time. Some thin, high clouds had moved in, helping to keep the heat from making things too sloppy, so we decided to go for it. We descended Heartbreak Hill, and made the turn up the main Kahiltna, walking to 7,800 feet, at the base of Ski Hill. Here we spent the evening setting our first camp. Tomorrow the plan is to move with all of our gear to 9600'. There is word of some weather coming in, so we'll see how that impacts our plan, but we are psyched to have made our first moves towards the mountain. All for now, we'll be in touch tomorrow. RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer

On The Map

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Ooh Rah Ski Hill! Good luck to the whole team especially Nicky and Bob!

Posted by: Bill Rosche on 5/16/2014 at 5:10 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Movin’ On Up

May 16, 2014

Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Mike Walter, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,000'

It's a bit colder up here at 14,000' than it was at 11K Camp this morning, but we are all excited to be moving uphill again and enjoying new surroundings. We left a an hour earlier than our usual time in anticipation of the extensive work of building a solid camp once we arrived at our destination. It took us just over five hours to get here, and as is normal this time of the season, there were no established camps that had been vacated and available for us to move into. Everyone fueled up and we spent the next four and a half hours building tent platforms and cutting and stacking blocks of snow to build walls and protect us from the wind. It's been breezy and snowing on and off throughout the day, and after a quick dinner of potatoes, gravy, and Hormel Retorts, we have all jumped into the warmth and shelter of our nylon chateaus. Tomorrow we plan to return to our cache at Windy Corner and retrieve our additional food, gas, and personal snacks. Everyone is excited about this! All the best from RMI Guides Solveig, Mike, Steve and the team here at 14K!

On The Map

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Steve and Team,

Glad to hear all is well.

Sounds like lots if work to build each camp. Too bad you have to leave them behind!

Meghan had a great graduation yesterday. We all missed you.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/17/2014 at 3:25 am

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Getting Ready for Takeoff!

May 15, 2014

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

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Hi all! The skies are clear, winds calm, and it's a great day to fly to Kahiltna Base Camp. Our team is heading in first thing this morning to start moving towards our objective! We'll check in this evening from the glacier with more news of the day. All the best, and we'll keep you updated on our progress over the upcoming weeks. RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Robby Young, Josh Maggard and team

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Go Pete go…Godspeed to you + team…Will be foloing along…Best…Waltero

Posted by: waltero glover on 5/16/2014 at 5:55 am

A special message for the Lowry’s ...wishing you success in your quest for the summit on your first climb as a married couple in Alaska.

Posted by: Nick Spanakis on 5/15/2014 at 1:06 pm

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Stay in 11K Camp as Winds Pick Up

May 14, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Our team is still at the 11k Camp, as winds picked up around midnight last night and continued through this morning. We decided that the winds were too high for our liking, and we took another rest day here at 11k. The winds abated this afternoon and we're optimistic we'll be able to move to the 14k Camp tomorrow. In the mean time, we enjoyed a relaxing day around camp. Extra rest days like these are beneficial for acclimatization and getting strong for the hard work ahead of us. Everyone is doing well, and we're all looking forward to moving camp up higher. We'll keep you posted as always. RMI Guide Mike Walter

On The Map

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Steve and team,

I’m sure the wind chills must make for some challenges. Hope the wind abates as expected as waiting around is never fun, especially on a long climb.

Unfortunately the Bruins were eliminated in game 7 against the Habs last night (3-1) so you won’t be missing any Bruins playoff action.

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/15/2014 at 4:15 am

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team’s Rest Day at 11K Camp

May 13, 2014

Posted by: Mike Walter, Solveig Waterfall, Steve Gately

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,200'

Today we saw the first real clouds of the trip, accompanied by a dusting of snow. The clouds cleared out in the afternoon and it turned into a beautiful, but breezy evening. We weren't terribly concerned with what the weather did today, as we took a complete rest day in order to have more time to acclimate to the altitude and recover from the past five days of hard work in the mountains. Everyone is doing well and, if the weather lets us, we'll move up to the 14,200' Camp in Genet Basin tomorrow. The weather forecast for tomorrow is calling for clear skies and moderate winds, so we'll just have to see how things play out. We'll keep you posted with our progress. Caio for now, RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Steve and team,

Glad to hear that your still on the good side of the weather gods. Hope it holds!

Hike well and be safe.

Dad

Posted by: Bill Gately on 5/14/2014 at 10:10 am

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Entries from Mt. McKinley

Alaska Seminar: Davis & Team Prepare to Fly

Mt. McKinley: Walter and Team Rest at 14,000’ Camp

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer and Team Settle in at 11k Camp

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Move to 9,700’

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Settle into 14,000’ Camp

Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Charging to 7,800’

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Movin’ On Up

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Mt. McKinley: Van Deventer & Team Getting Ready for Takeoff!

Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team Stay in 11K Camp as Winds Pick Up

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Mt. McKinley: Walter & Team’s Rest Day at 11K Camp

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