Entries from Alaska

Saturday, June 18, 2022

Well there’s been a blog takeover, a special thanks to RMI Guide Andy Bond allowing us to take turns writing it for the team. First a huge shout out to our guides Andy, Grayson and Ben who have already proven themselves to be super human.

We have settled into camp at the base of Ski Hill after a long day of hauling heavy things uphill. Tomorrow we are hoping to cache at 11,000’. We are learning all new kinds of new skills like how not to face plant on snowshoes and fall into crevasses, which we avoided due to stellar guidesmanship. Also, how to keep a tidy camp and perhaps most importantly, how to keep Ben telling awful guide jokes when he isn’t Macgyvering a fix for a snowshoe.

Also here at camp, we have been graced by the presence of RMI Guide Jack Delaney, the illustrious writer, and will do a group dinner with Avery Parrinello’s team here at camp as they are on their way down. Fun fact: it has been three days since a clean mountain can (CMC) disaster, which means there has been no CMC disasters. Another fun fact: we are having quesadillas for dinner! We leave you with a trivia question: which team member authored this blog post?

-- A mystery member of the Denali Expedition led by RMI Guides Andy Bond, Grayson Swingle, and Ben Luedtke

Saturday June 18th - 11:52pm PT

The Denali team formed up in Anchorage this afternoon.  We flew from Seattle and Frankfurt and Johannesburg and a few other places.   Not every single piece of luggage made it through, but we have high hopes for getting it all together soon.   

It was cloudy in central Alaska today, but we could see hints of mountains as we drove up toward Talkeetna.  We made the traditional stop in Wasilla to round out our expedition food supplies, and then got on board the Denali Overland van once again for the final 90 minutes into Talkeetna.  A brief stop at K2 Aviation around 6 PM allowed us to offload gear, and then we checked into our rooms at the Swiss Alaska Inn.  The team made the short walk into town to relax with outside beers and pizzas.  Town was busy and bustling on this endless summer evening.  We went to the banks of the mighty Susitna River to see if Denali was visible, but the clouds stayed put and made us guess at what we were missing.  

Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet over breakfast and dive into the details of packing and prepping for our Denali West Buttress Expedition. 

Best Regards,

Dave Hahn and Team

Saturday, June 18 - 8:57pm PT

Today was bitter sweet. On one hand, we made our move to 14k camp. On the other,we said goodbye to one team member as she headed down hill having tested positive for COVID. You can't escape COVID, even in the mountains. Our climber is doing well and will be enjoying a margarita, clean clothes, and a flushing toilet soon. 

For the rest of us, it was a big day moving to 14k camp. Gaining 3,000 feet with heavy packs and a sled is no small feat. We started in a cloud and only in our base layer but quickly walked into a breezy snowfall. The snow fell on us walking to our camp for half the day. By the time we got to our cache site, we had lost the snow and gained some heat. The sun's solar intensity was immense the last hour. You could feel your right side burning up. Our sunglasses felt hot. Heat panic was a thing. The team preserved and we rolled into 14k with a feeling of air conditioning as the clouds rolled back in and we lost the solar intensity. Moving in was quick since our tents were already set up and left by Avery's team. Some Ramen for the tummies and hot cocoa bring us to bedtime. 

Everyone's bodies are excited to lay down and relax after our day and it is well deserved. We will see what the weather brings tomorrow for our agenda.

Rest well everyone,

Hannah and Team

Friday, June 17, 2022 10:41pm PT

Today we fled the thin air of 17 camp for the more tolerable altitude of a mere 14,000 feet. It might seem easy but descending was anything but that. The team was definitely still in a energy and hydration deficit from summit day. So on weak, sore and wobbly legs we made our way down the West Ridge, slithered our way down the fix lines and groaned, moaned and hobble down the final hill into camp. Everyone quickly scurried into their tents for some much deserved rest. A hearty meal of bacon mac & cheese was swallowed with gusto and then off to early bed. We still have thousands of feet and many miles before we make it to the airstrip.

Talkeetna here we come!

RMI Guides Avery, Jack, Liam and the Team

Evening everyone,

Who knew climbing Denali had so much resting involved in it. We all train for the heavy packs, long days, thousands of feet of elevation gained. What we don't train for is all the tent time. Time in the tent is important for our bodies to adjust to the altitude but it can be a challenge for the mind. Boredom can sink in very quickly. One must be good at self entertainment and comfortable with you, yourself, and I. It's a crucial skill of the mountain life and the team is currently learning it. Even with all the down time, today went fast. Per usual for our trip so far we had sun, we had clouds and we had snow flurries. A mixture of weather keeps it interesting. Now that we are rested we are ready to move  onward and upward. Hopefully tomorrow the weather holds and we are able to move to 14k camp. It will be a welcomed move with new views, a new camp, and likely new neighbors.

Send all your good weather vibes,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

After an early breakfast In Talkeetna we loaded our gear in the single otter airplanes and changed into our mountain attire before taking a scenic flight into the Alaska Range, with the final destination being Kahiltna Base Camp. After another round of shuttling gear, setting up a quick camp and enjoying a quick dinner, it was an early bedtime as we will be getting up in a couple of hours to start our journey up the mountain to Camp 1.

We will check in soon!

RMI Guides Andy, Grayson, and Ben

Friday, June 17, 2022 1:47 AM

June 17th 2022 - THE TEAM SUCCESSFULLY SUMMITS!

Well hot diggity dog we did it! We went to bed with several inconclusive weather forecasts stressing us out and a weather check at 4:30 confirmed cloudy skies. Alas our actual wake up of 6:30 gave us the surprise “nowcast” we had been waiting for, clear skies and no sign of winds! Huzzah! We quickly set about rallying the troops and making hot water for breakfast. When it was all said and done we were walking by 8:30 headed up, up, up! We first scaled the imposing and cold “Autobahn”. A large steep traverse that gains us about a 1,000 feet. Next we zig and zagged through “Zebra Rocks” gaining more elevation rapidly. Next we meandered slowly and steadily uphill crossing the Denali summit plateau until we got to the “Football Field” a large flat zone that led to our final two obstacles. “Pig Hill” and the summit ridge proper! Pig Hill is a daunting final push up several switch backs to gain elevation before traversing the true summit ridge. The Summit Ridge gave us incredible views and big exposure before finally giving way to the true summit itself! The highest point in North America! There was much congratulating and picture taking and before you know it, it was time to head down. We retraced our steps safely and efficiently all the way back to camp. The crew was tired, thirsty and hungry but by jove they’d done it! All told 13 hours round trip. After being fed and watered, it was quickly lights out for everyone.

Talk to you tomorrow friends, family and loved ones!

RMI Guides Avery, Jack, Liam and the Team

It is a beautiful, sunny day in Talkeetna. The team is hard at work organizing and packing in preparation to fly into Basecamp tomorrow. Everyone is excited and making last minute decisions on oreos vs. famous amos and apple cider vs. hot chocolate. Decisions, decisions...

RMI Guides Andy, Grayson, Ben and Team

Friday June 17, 2022 1:47 am PT

Hello everybody!

Sorry for the late post, here’s what happened yesterday! The short story, we moved to 17 camp and it was exhausting. Oh wait, huh? You want the long story. Alright fine….

So we pre-packed as best we could the night before because we were looking to get a early start. Nothing is more annoying than be stuck behind folks on the fixed lines. Lucky for us our plan worked out. We were the first ones out of 14 camp… actually we were one of only two teams moving that day. The weather forecast has been rather wishy washy so I think spooked some teams from moving. Thankfully we had the inside connection to several forecasts and forecasters so we were optimistic that this was the right move. Anyhoo the team styled the fixed lines again, though this time was a little less joyous due to heavy packs crunching down on our hips. At the top of lines we began to climb some of the best terrain of the trip, the West Ridge! It was an exciting mix of snow, rocks, big exposure, beautiful views, running belays and a little more ascending. The weather was perfect and the team had a blast. When we arrived at 17 camp the real work began, building camp! At 17,000 feet you gotta work slow otherwise you’ll exhaust yourself. The team put in a Herculean effort erecting tents, snow block walls and a bathroom. Then it was freeze dried food for dinner and time to get some well deserved sleep. Depending on the “nowcast” if we wake up to good weather we’ll make our summit push tomorrow!

Wish us luck and send sunshine and low winds our way!

RMI Guides Avery, Jack, Liam and the Team

Saturday June 11, 2022 – 9:13pm PT

Greetings from the Kahiltna,

Snow pitter pattering on the tents lulled us to sleep before disappearing as our alarms rang out. Midnight came far too fast, but the snow had stopped and the clouds lifted.

The first mornings are a little hectic trying to find our groove, our routine in packing up. But with some yummy bagels topped with cream cheese and lox to fuel us, we were ready to take on the day. Our cache buried, sleds loaded, and legs ready, we hit the trail.

Luckily, the first part is downhill, a nice ease into the heavy loads. We will have to climb this hill at the end but that's for another day. The Kahiltna glacier is impressively large with giant crevasses. This glacier goes for 36 miles, and we are going to walk the beginning of it. Several hours of walking brought us to our camp. We made swift work of flattening some spots and setting up.

The afternoon was filled with warm naps, music, and reading. Everyone is enjoying all the naps and snacks. The snow danced its way back in and has been the sound of the evening. We are hoping it quits once again in time for us to begin our walk tomorrow. This trip is all about flexibility so we shall see what tomorrow brings. For now, it's off to bed to stay dry and warm.

Goodnight all,

Hannah and Team