Entries from Mt. McKinley
Hello everyone. It’s Jake checking in from Camp 3 at 11,000’ on Mt McKinley. Everyone in our party is strong and doing great, the weather is cooperating and we’re thoroughly enjoying expedition life in the Alaska Range. Our plan is to back-carry tomorrow and pick up our cache at 9,500’, then return to camp at 11,000’ for some R&R. The day after tomorrow we’ll climb ‘Motorcycle Hill’ and place a cache in the vicinity of Windy Corner (13,300’), descend, and once again camp at 11,000’. Camp here will be home for the next two nights, then weather permitting we’ll move up to 14,200’ and establish Camp 4. But we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. So long for now.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
This is Adam calling from Kahiltna Basecamp. We’re back and everyone is safe and sound, but our adventure isn’t over yet. Weather permitting we will fly off today, but at this point of the trip we defer to the expertise of the Alaskan bush pilot. The weather here is cloudy, with fog banks creeping in and out of base camp. The pilots must have perfect visibility in order to safely land here, so all we can do is sit and wait. It’s funny how much the weather dictates all movement on Mt McKinley; airplanes and climbers both! Yesterday was my 36th birthday and what a great place to celebrate life! Though everyone is looking forward to reuniting with family and friends, our climb of the Upper West Rib and reaching the summit of Mt McKinley is something we’ll always remember with pride.
If the planes get in, this will be our final dispatch. Otherwise, I’ll keep you posted on how we’re entertaining ourselves and dreaming of things we all take for granted in civilization!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
After a big day of work getting half our kit to the 14,200ft camp, the team is enjoying a much deserved rest day in our plush camp at 11,000'. Our breakfast of bagels, cream cheese and bacon was a wonderful way to start the day, and the mostly clear skies and lots of sun are making the day quite pleasant for swapping jokes and stories around camp. The agenda for the day is more eating, drinking and resting, with an eye towards packing up and moving higher tomorrow.
Days like today are the reason many of us come to the mountains: to spend quality time with friends old and new, be present in the moment, and have an unforgettable experience in one of the most incredible places on the planet. Even though thoughts tend to trend towards the summit on beautiful days, we're happy to just be here, soaking in all the glory that Alaska has to offer. Thanks for following our progress and cheers for now!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
RMI Guide Adam Knoff called on June 10 at 5:50 pm (PST) to report the team was on the summit of Mt. McKinley!
They made a great push starting at 9:00 am this morning and were celebrating at the top. The weather was warm and beautiful and it was the best day ever for their team. They were going to head down to 17,000' camp to spend the night. On Saturday they plan to head to 14,000' camp and spend another night.
The whole crew made it to the top and were very excited that their second push paid off!
Congratulations to the team!
We flew onto the Kahiltna Glacier this morning! Our packs are rigged and we are ready to walk up hill to their 7,800' camp. Everyone is healthy, happy and ready to go!
We'll check in again when we are settled in at camp.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
We are at the base of Washburn Thumb, heading to high camp. We will rest at high camp this evening and attempt the summit early tomorrow morning. Everyone is feeling great and excited for their summit push! Weather is sunny and warm. It's almost too warm as we were climbing with the sun radiating off of the glacier.
We'll check in again soon.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
On The Map
It's a little soupy here at 11,000' camp this afternoon, but we're sitting pretty after retrieving our cache from 10k earlier today. A frosty morning greeted us when we woke, but a hearty round of hot drinks & breakfast burritos (eggs, cheese, salsa and hot sauce all wrapped in warm tortillas) soon chased the chill away and fueled us up for the quick trip downhill to our gear buried in the snow. Within minutes after arriving at the cache, we were packing all the food and personal luggage into our backpacks and sleds for the short uphill stretch to camp. The team moved smoothly back up and is now settled in for another afternoon of rest. We're hopeful that the weather holds for a carry to 14k tomorrow, which will be the biggest test of strength and stamina so far. But the crew continues to impress with the collective performance so we're confident about what lies ahead.
Last night at dinner, we shared some of your comments with the group. Everyone says thank you very much for keeping the team in your thoughts, and they appreciate your interest in our trip. Keep the positivity flowing as we continue our adventure!
Cheers,
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Erik Endert & Garrett Stevens
We have been busy on the mountain. With our summit attempt thwarted because of weather and the next projected weather window this Sunday the team has decided to head home to our families.
Last night we slept at 14,000 feet and after a leisurely start to the day we have descended to about 9,500 ft. We will sleep here for a few hours tonight, awake around 4 a.m. so that we can take advantage of the frozen snow bridges, and push on to the Kahiltna air strip. Unless we get stuck on the glacier because of bad weather this will be our last message from the mountain. We will talk to you all very soon.
RMI Guide Walter Hailes
What a day is all I can say. We awoke to great weather at 4 a.m. this morning with nice traveling temps. The team packed camp in good style and moved smoothly for just over four hours, arriving at 11,000' camp just after 10 a.m. We went right to work building our best and most deluxe camp yet including an enclosed mountain business station.... and and a posh house kitchen that tops a five star establishment.
The team is climbing well, though a bit pooped this afternoon. All of us are in great spirits. We are hiding in the tents from the intense radiation on this blue bird day while catching up on hydration and rest. Tomorrow will bring us a short back carry to retrive our cache from yesterday which should disperse the lactic acid in our legs by helping us move some blood along with helping the crew further acclimate.
Days like today are some of the best and most memorable in the mountains, and we're all excited to be sharing this experience together. Cheers from 11,000'!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones & Team
Hello,
This is Adam Knoff checking in with the Upper West Rib Team checking in from 14,000' on Mt. McKinley. After making a descent from 17,000' to Genet Basin at 14,200' and regrouping, we are feeling like reaching the summit is a possibility again. We left much of our gear at 17,000' anticipating a return, we’ve just had the most spectacular rest day, and now with the weather improving, we have decided to head back to 17,000' tomorrow on another summit shot.
Although descending to 14 and then ascending again represents a lot of hard work, from an acclimatization standpoint, it’s the bomb and we’re psyched!
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
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Jake,
Good on ya, missed you @ Muir on june 11th ran into Logan and Tim they said you were up working the DC Route. We were up again earning some turns on the Stokes. Climb High , Be safe. talk to ya soon . Chao Randy
Posted by: Randy May on 6/15/2011 at 3:12 pm
Hey Baz,
We are so glad to hear all is going well for you and the team. We are definitely thinking of you here in TOYLAND as ma likes to call it ha :) Keep positive and stay strong!! Lots of Love from Pearse & Kathryn
Posted by: pearse & Kat Mc Kiernan on 6/14/2011 at 8:49 am
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