Entries from Alaska

May 16, 2021 - 5:32 pm PT

We woke lazily to light snow this morning and had a leisurely breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and smoked Alaska salmon. At 11am we set off downhill to retrieve our cache from 10,000'. We were back at camp by 2pm, with plenty of time for a nap and to gorge on lunch food. We also had some camp chores to attend to and some gear sorting in order to be ready for the next stage of the game: establishing a cache around Windy Corner at ~13,800'. We hope to make that happen tomorrow or the next day. We'll keep you posted either way.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

May 16, 2021 - 12:41 am PT

We hit the ground running today. At 8 am the weather looked good to fly, so we hustled to the hanger, changed into mountain clothes, and loaded gear on the two K2 otters that would ferry us to Basecamp. The flight in is always a highlight, as the tundra gives way to foothills, and then to the craggy peaks and ridges of the Alaska range, with cracked up glaciers carving channels between.

We took an hour or two to get our gear sorted, sleds loaded, and ropes setup, and then struck out from Basecamp to make our way up the lower Kahiltna to the base of ski hill. Often the first hour of moving with sleds has some hiccups, but not for us today. The group moved well, enjoying firm enough trail conditions that we could eschew the snowshoes.

We're settled into camp, feed, and tucking into sleeping bags for our first night in the mountain. We'll be in touch tomorrow!

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer & Team

Friday May 14, 2021 - 6:44 pm PT

The team spent a good day packing and prepping everything to be ready to fly into the Alaska Range tomorrow. Coffee and crepes to start the morning, orientation with the National Park Service, then digging into gear and packing for the planes: all went smoothly. All our bags are weighed and sorted, waiting to be loaded in the morning weather willing, and we'll trust the awesome pilots at K2 to tell us if and when it's time to fly.

With a bit of luck, we'll be checking in from tents on the Kahiltna Glacier tomorrow! 

RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer & Team

Friday May 14, 2021 6:36 pm PT

Our team had a great day today, waking up to cloudless skies after a good night's rest. We hauled our backpacks and sleds laden with supplies up to 10,000', just shy of "The Corner" below Kahiltna Pass. After digging a deep hole in which to cache our gear, we returned back to our camp at the base of Ski Hill, 7,800'.

We returned to camp in the afternoon after the six hour round trip with time to lounge before firing up the stoves for dinner. The plan for tomorrow is to pack up camp and move up to the 11,200' camp. We'll keep you posted.

RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team

Wednesday, May, 12, 2021 - 10:04 pm PT

We got a break in the weather this afternoon and were able to fly in to Basecamp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Camp is all set up and we have starting sorting out equipment for (hopefully) moving up glacier to the base of Ski Hill tomorrow. It was warm and sunny here today, although a cloud has settled in now and it's snowing lightly. We'll touch base again tomorrow as we start our long adventure of living on a glacier.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Friday, May 31, 2019 - 9:41 PM PT What a great day it’s been! We were optimistic when our alarms went off at 4 am that very little snow slid off the top of our tent. The snowfall forecasts under produced and we were up and attem and out of Camp by 6:30 am getting a carry and cache in at the 10,000’ corner. Light snow and clouds kept us cool and happy all day, and despite the lack of views, we were treated to some amazing light on the surrounding glaciers off and on all day. We made it back to camp in time for some afternoon naps and finished our day with a Nick Scott Quesadilla Fiesta for the ages. Gourmet salsas, perfectly hydrated beans, and chicken pepper combos were the rage. Seconds were in high demand. Good conversations were had and then it was time to hit the hay for what looks to be a good day to move camp to 11,000’ tomorrow. Until then, have a great night and we’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow. RMI Guides Robby, Nick, Joe and Team Quesadilla Fiesta

On The Map

Thursday, May 30, 2019 9:51 PM PT Luck was on our side! We woke to clear skies and sunshine. And you know what sunshine means, we went and played in some crevasses. Psyched that the weather hadn't arrived yet, we hit the snowy trail and walked to a beautiful section of the glacier. Tall rocky peaks stood all around us. Their sides full of hanging glaciers. We were safe out of harm's way but could see their ominous appearance. We spent the day ice climbing out of the crevasse and practicing our rope ascending skills. Everyone did a fantastic job in both activities. By the end of the day the forecasted weather started to creep in on us. A light breeze pushed at our backs almost assisting us back to camp. The clouds have begun to lower and small flurries float around camp. It is one of our team members birthdays tomorrow, and he is wishing for good weather. Let's hope his birthday wish is granted and this forecasted snow storm stays away another day. Goodnight all, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and Team

Tuesday, May 28, 2019 - 8:50 PM PT What a day! We woke to great weather, so we saddled up and hit the glacier towards Radio Tower. Felt great to stretch the legs and walk up hill. We zigged and zagged around crevasses, booted up some steeper terrain, and walked a narrow ridge. At the end of it all was great views of the surrounding peaks. Such a fun day to use the skills we have learned and be rewarded by jaw dropping beauty. After walking down in what felt like a microwave of heat, we all took a well-deserved nap before dinner. Nothing like laying down in a warm tent full of down to make you doze off into a dreamy state. Tomorrow we plan on packing up and moving camp up glacier to go explore more of the area. We will see what we get to play on or in in the next coming days. Talk to you all later, RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Friday, May 24, 2019, 7:58 PM PT Hello from the Great Ruth Gorge! The magnitude of this place soon relieved the delay of not being able to fly yesterday. Cruising over a 35-mile long glacier to then land and camp under the massive 5,000ft East Face of Mount Dickey is indescribable. After a couple of hours crafting a classy camp, kitchen included, we treated ourselves to a nice diner of halibut burger with a side of fresh asparagus; definitely not your standard meal on the mountains. Heading to bed now as we're trying our first climbing objective early tomorrow. Regards, Lucy, Corell and RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos

Monday, May 20, 2019 10:59 pm PT I was up this morning early to keep a close eye on the weather in anticipation of a potential move to 14k Camp. Puffy cumulus clouds clung to the surrounding terrain features and were lapping in and out of camp like the tides at about 6AM. Our forecast was calling for an 80% chance of snow showers and increasing south winds into the evening. I opted to give the weather an extra hour to show it's true intentions. I could hear the noises of other teams rustling around, presumably preparing for their own move to 14k Camp. I've seen plenty of deceiving mornings here in the Alaska Range luring you to trust that the forecast was wrong, as if so often can be. I ultimately didn't like the look of it. The team has worked hard for five days now and a full rest day seemed appropriate before committing ourselves to the higher altitudes of the mountain. So we slept in until about 9am and made a wonderful breakfast of eggs and hashbrown burritos that lasted nearly until midday. By then the clouds had overtaken camp and it began to snow lightly. By 1pm the snow intensified and the forecasted south winds showed up early and turned camp into a whirlwind of snow that made it hard to see across camp. Wrapped snugly in our warm bags we all felt good about our decision to take an extra day. It's not always you get such confirmation of a decision well made but today we did and it felt good all the while snuggled up in our warm bags reading and snacking the afternoon away. Tomorrow's forecast looks much more promising and we'll repeat the process of waking up early, sticking our heads out the tent and making another decision. Hopefully this time we'll like what we see and we'll get to move on up! Thanks for following along everyone! RMI Guide Steve Gately

On The Map