Entries from Mt. McKinley
Today we purposely awoke early for our carry to the top of the headwall. Our intentions to provide the team with the flavor of the frigid temperatures of
Denali in anticipation of what a summit day will feel like, were embraced by every team member. Four hours later we dug our cache atop the fixed lines and returned in a speedy mode to our camp at
Genet Basin to enjoy ourselves practicing our favorite sports of "eating and napping". Everybody is excited for our move tomorrow to 17 camp and the upcoming launching. Regards!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
On The Map
The day is coming to a close and things are back the way they were at the start of the trip. Our tents are laying here and our sleeping bags in the thick, moist air. It's tough to imagine that we were at 20,320 feet just the day before yesterday.
Thank you for all of your continued support as we took on
Denali successfully. I realize how much it took both on the mountain and at home. Again, thank you. The amateur summiteer.
Thanks to all who continue to support my crazy adventures!! Your positive vibes and supportive thoughts mean more than you'll ever know! I return from the highest peak in North America simultaneously proud and humbled!! Michael C
Thanks to my family and friends and especially my wonderful wife Megan for supporting me in this adventure. It is difficult to describe the feeling of humbleness inspired by the the grandeur, majesty and (not least of all) weather of the
Alaska Range. The seasoned judgment of TJ, Eric and Logan truly kept us alive and (mostly) comfortable. I cannot thank them enough. MJB
Thanks to all the friends and family for the awesome support! Despite the fact I was unable to make the summit the trip was amazing and will certainly be unforgettable. Much appreciation goes to the best guides anywhere for their judgement. "climbing mountains ain't easy"... The mountain won this time but I'll be back again! CPL
Thanks to all my family, friends, and business associate for supporting my " habit". The summit of North America is an amazing place. Our
RMI guides are the best - Tyler, Eric and Logan !!!!
LWS
Belle expedition. Merci RMI. Merci a tous pour vos blog.
N
Now that the day is coming to a close, things are looking eerily similar to the way they did before we left. Tents and gear have been dried. Gear is slightly dirtier, but once again prepared for air travel. It would seem to the unknowing observer, that nothing has happened other than a few mild sunburns.
As the warm rain arrives in Talkeetna, the group runs for cover indoors. It's nice to be dry when it rains and warm when it's cold outside without to much effort. That said, there was something nice about even the coldest days on the mountain. As guides, we hope out clients feel the same way. Like proud parents, we have enjoyed the time we spent with the team as they grew. We have seen the group grow together and grow as individuals. We hope that this growth will have some relevance even in the dry and warm front country.
Thanks to our clients for their time, energy, patience and passion. The guide team hopes to work together and with members of our 2012 Denali trip soon. Weather this trip was the first big expedition or the last, we hope team members will keep trying new things, keep climbing mountains, or at least stay in touch.
The summit was great, but the team was better. Thanks guys,
RMI Guides Tyler Jones,
Eric Frank and
Logan Randolph
On The Map
The word "team" is what we are; the confidence and style this team has possessed has been outstanding. Team Jones/Frank/Randolph is excited to be in base camp on the Southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier.
We woke up a number of times through last night to gusty winds and white-out conditions at 11k camp. The guides choice was to wait the weather out.
Denali was again giving our group another challenge. The team solved this one with some rest and a long pancake breakfast.
An afternoon clearing provided motivation for an evening walk, our final walk that provided everything from blowing snow to pristine clear skies. The sunset reeled us in toward the north face of Mt. Hunter lit in the soft evening light completing our final push to
Kahiltna Basecamp at 7,800 ft.
While conditions look prime at base camp and it looks like we will fly out tomorrow, we don't want to count our chickens before they hatch. You never know what
Denali, or as we have called her "De-Gnarly," has in store for us.
Laying here in our sleeping bags in the thick, moist air, it's tough to imagine that we were at 20,320 feet just the day before yesterday.
The crew is ready to celebrate our safe and successful summit with the loved ones that allowed us to be in Alaska for this journey. Thank you family and friends for the support. This journey to the top of North America and back has been a long and never to be forgotten experience. We look forward to recalling our time spent in the mountains with a dinner out wearing sandals and shorts along with being back on turf with trees, rivers, and just plain dirt in Talkeetna.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
Happy Father's Day to all the Dads in the lowlands!
After our day of training, we were raring to go carry up the fixed lines. Packed up, alarms set but when we woke the wind was blowing and the snow was swirling. Dragging our feet provided little clarity, with the basin clearing out just enough to show high winds on the
West Buttress. Tough to establish a trend, but we decided to wait another day here at 14 Camp. It ended up being a good call as the clouds regained control of camp and it has snowed heavily since.
Armed with an optimistic forecast, we plan to carry tomorrow and get in position for a move as soon as we can. Wish us luck down there and enjoy the day celebrating all the Fathers.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
We all finally got off the glacier yesterday afternoon as our flight service, K2, did a wonderful job getting everyone out when conditions seemed like they might close in and shut down flights.
After a remarkable twelve days at
17,200', we are all skinny and inhaled large portions of meat, fish, and beer last night. I write this last dispatch as we are riding to the airport to return home to loved ones, and put this remarkable trip behind us.
Huge kudos go out to a very strong and committed team of climbers, and to two incredible guides,
Leon Davis and
Lindsay Mann, who worked so hard to make this trip safe and enjoyable, and who were there at the end when the climbing got really tough and the mountain could not have been harsher.
That's all for this year. I need to see my wife and play with the dog. And I'm sure the lawn needs mowing. Thanks for following us on this unprecedented trip. I'll be back next year for a shorter, and less exciting expedition.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Happy Fathers Day from our
Denali crew! We're just checking in from our new home at 11,200'. We moved up here yesterday in nice weather, but shortly after we arrived the winds picked up and it started to snow lightly. The gusty winds and snow continued thru the night, but it seems to be calming down this morning. We're not too concerned though, because we are planning to take a full rest day today. We deserve it after 3 hard days of carrying heavy packs and pulling sleds up to 11k.
We enjoyed seeing Tyler Jones and the
RMI June 5th Denali crew here at camp as they are descending after a successful summit. They are eager to get back to base camp and fly back to Talkeetna. But unfortunately the current weather is making them drag their feet and hang here in camp.
We'll be in touch again soon...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
We awoke today to subzero temperatures at 17k camp and are now enjoying the thick air at 11k camp. After a quick breakfast, the team packed their belongings and headed downward. Despite some fatigue from our successful summit bid yesterday, the team safely negotiated the descent to 14k camp. There, the team was met by another RMI team.
Jake Beren and team topped off our bottles with water and our stomachs with warm quesadillas. After this hour long break we headed down to 11k camp.
While the air was thick and warm,
Denali was quick to remind us that we aren't out of the woods yet. While snow fell and wind blew around us we consolidated our left over meats and cheeses for a quesadilla smorgasbord. We enjoyed these tasty morsels until we were full, then ate some more. Then we had dessert.
We are now snuggled into our sleeping bags, staying warm and hoping to fly out tomorrow. While we are all set to walk to the runway, the weather is not ripe for a speedy flight to
Talkeetna. We are still at the mercy of the big one, Denali.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
On The Map
Today we enjoyed the luxury of waking to the sun on the tents, avoiding the early morning cold. Once up and fed, we took a fantastic walk to THE EDGE OF THE WORLD. Perfect views of the lower Kahiltna Glacier 7,000 feet below our perch and we all took turns peeking over the edge and snapping a few photos. Don't worry friends and family, we were on belay the whole time.
For the afternoon we rested and welcomed the RMI 4 team after their stylish send on
Denali yesterday. Nice job everyone!
Then it was back to work, setting up a fixed line practice and trying as many variations as possible to prepare for the cache tomorrow. Now it's dinner time, catch y'all tomorrow.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Last night, after the snow firmed up enough for efficient travel, we packed up camp and moved up to our new camp at 9600'; this included tackling
Ski Hill, our first big hill of the trip. Everyone did a great job hauling sleds and heavy packs up to camp. We slept in this morning (8 hours of sleep!) and had a relaxing brunch in our newly constructed cook tent. We are planning to lounge around a bit, rehydrating and resting, in preparation for our next move up to 11,200'. The weather is nice right now, with partly cloudy skies and a moderate wind out of the north. We'll be in touch again soon, hopefully nestled into a cozy camp at 11,200'.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Today was our time to shine; it was our 16th day on the glaciers of Denali and our opportunity to take a shot at the top of North America. Early sun on the tent at high camp, coupled with the solstice less than a week away had the guides up starting the stoves by 7:30am. With the winds moderate and temps near -15F we stalled our departure for the summit bid until 9:45am with the thought of summiting during Alaska's peak heat of late afternoon. The wind and cold had us in full equipment. We wore face masks, goggles, mittens and climbed in our heavy weight parkas a good portion of the climb.
The guides stressed many times of the importance of self care and the critical nature of getting frostnip or frostbite. All of us had cold hands, feet, and faces a number of times throughout the day, but all of us took responsibility for keeping close eyes on each other and managed to keep the cold injuries at bay.
The climb took our team 7 1/2 hours to reach the summit. Our time plan was perfect as the summit provided some the the lightest winds of the day allowing us to spend just over thirty minutes on the summit expressing emotion, embracing our team mates, and snapping photos of an unforgettable 360 degree view of central Alaska. Given the conditions our team made great time, though we all had to dig deep in our reserves to make an uneventful descent back in our high camp- 11 hours after our departure. Hot drinks, a warm meal and memories from our summit push ended the evening with high stoke and excitement to get down and reunite with our friend, families and loved ones. Every member of the team would like to thank all of you for your support, love, and compassion in letting us fulfill a dream.
Tomorrow we plan to disassemble our high camp and move down the picturesque West Buttress. We will be recovering our cache at 14k and, if weather and energy allow, a descent to 11k for a well deserved rest in what now has become the low country. We look forward to the thick air.
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Eric Frank & Logan Randolph
On The Map
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Fingers still crossed, for good weather conditions and an extra bit of good luck for your team. Crispi, Pass auf dich auf, und wenn du ganz oben stehst, dann schau und genieße für uns mit. Küsschen, SF.
Posted by: Susann and Frank on 6/20/2012 at 2:12 pm
Ross and K, Getting closer. An expert guide one time told me that mountain climbing is a lot about chillin so if you need to sit near the top it can be tough but know your about vertical 17000 ft and four thousand miles closer than any of us writing you.
I had one hell of a couple of weeks and have continually thought about the mountains. I wish I was able to make the trip with you guys but as I said I collided with fate here, I needed to be here.
Can’t wait to hear more from you guys and the progress.
Dave
Carla- Kanitta lost her phone a while back and now we only have Ross’ cell number. Call us :0)
Posted by: dave kolar on 6/19/2012 at 9:56 pm
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