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Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Paul Rachele
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Ben Luedtke, Mike Bennett
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 14,000'
Saturday, June 21, 2025 - 8:30 pm PT
Hello!
And welcome back for another installment of Doing Really Hard Things for Fun-Denali Edition.
I'm Aspen, and today I will be your host.
Previously, the team has gone up, up and down, up, down and up, up and down, up, down and up, and finally up and down again on their quest to climb The Tall One, the highest peak in North America, Denali.
After the most technical day yet, climbing up and down the fixed lines to cache gear and food for their summit attempt, the eclectic team looks forward to a day of rest.
Today, on the longest day of the year, we sleep in, tired not only from a physically taxing day at altitude, but also from staying up late watching. movies, like Deadpool, in our tents or playing the most riveting game of Texas Dice yet. Shout out to Etienne for stealing the win from not one, but two other players with his final roll of nearly 3,000 points.
The day started out with delicious blueberry pancakes, made by Dom, after which the group split to relax in various ways. Some of us went on a walk or two to warm our toes, while others snuggled back into sleeping bags where good books and knitting await. We chat, we nap, we do some self care. The cook tent serves as a gathering place. People come in and out throughout the day. Sometimes to share snacks; other times to play games or read in the company of others. Without any defined tasks for the day, we are forced to slow down and take in the views. The mountains around us look different today, like they seem to every day. I am filled with a sense of adventure and awe. This is what I love about climbing. The amazing views, the good company, and the incredible sense of pride I get from doing really hard things.
After having such perfect weather thus far, the winds have blown in clouds. They pass over and through camp throughout the day leading to constantly changing temperatures and visibility. Snow falls and taps on the tent walls, and so the waiting game begins.
Do we have enough toilet paper? Does anyone die of boredom? Do I get so sick of my hair that I shave it off? Tune in next time to find out.
A special thank you to Jake and Nomad for all their love and support of this Happy Cappy.
Until next time,
RMI Climber Aspen Hansen out.
New Post Alerts:
Mt. McKinley Expedition June 9, 2025
Heureuse de lire ,que ça se passe bien On ne lâche pas Je suis avec vous
Posted by: Claudette on 6/23/2025 at 7:38 pm
Hello Aspen & Team! No, no one has ever died of boredom. Fact. ;-) You’ll have plenty of excitement with the challenges coming up, I bet. I’m trying to guess which activities Mikayla chose to pass the time but she has always surprised me (ask her about when I took her to Paris when she was 10!). Cheering all of you awesome folks on and praying that Denali and the weather cooperate.
Tante Mary
Posted by: Mary McKinley on 6/23/2025 at 9:43 am
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Nick Sinapius, Ben Thorneycroft
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska
Elevation: 11,200'
Wednesday, May 14, 2025 - 7:34 pm PT
It’s been a quiet, calm day here at 11,000 ft Camp. We slept in as sun doesn’t reach camp until 9:20 AM, though it never gets dark either, and then cooked up some blueberry pancakes. That started the conversation of Canadian or Vermont maple syrup of which there is only one correct answer. But all agreed New York maple syrup loses to both. We set out just after noon for a quick and light mission to retrieve our cache from below. The rest of the day has been spent relaxing and resting after a big couple of days on the lower Kahiltna. We are now done for the time being with sleds and snowshoes - and there was much rejoicing. It’s snowing lightly in camp and there are snow showers in the forecast for the next several days, so we’ll look for the right moment to get our cache put in at 13,500'.
RMI Guides Pete, Ben, Nick, and team.
New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition May 8, 2025
More photos of your adventure please.
Posted by: Nancy on 5/15/2025 at 10:55 am
Posted by: Eric Frank, Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Posted by: Tyler Jones, Paul Rachele
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
Congratulations to Vivian Roach (and your team!)!!!! Your posse is so proud of you!!!!
Posted by: Karen on 7/5/2016 at 4:33 am
Congrats to Paul Baker!!!! Love and Support You Always!!!!
Love, Jane
Posted by: Jane Decker on 7/5/2016 at 3:49 am
Posted by: Billy Nugent
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Good luck on your climb and training looking forward to climbing and training with RMI in the next year or two. Currently working on physical conditioning now.
Posted by: Kevin Stone on 8/26/2015 at 2:12 pm
Congratulations Paul and Susan. So amazed by you two!
Juli
Posted by: Julianne Echols on 6/30/2016 at 1:26 pm
Congratulations on summiting!! From the picture it looks absolutely beautiful up there. Safe travels.
Barbie
Posted by: Barbie Matthews on 6/30/2016 at 12:27 pm
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