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Posted by: Jake Beren, Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
After our rest day yesterday, we were certainly ready to bust a move this morning. Clear and cold conditions soon gave way to snow flurries and minimal visibility. We made ready, grabbed another cup of coffee and caught enough of a lull to try to carry loads higher on the mountain. Our plan was entirely dependent on conditions encountered on each stretch and despite being the first trailbreakers since the storm, we were able to kick a proud track through several feet of new snow up to Windy Corner and make our cache. Our team opened the route up in good style and if favored by workable weather will try to push it up to 14 Camp tomorrow. Everyone is doing great and will surely enjoy a good night's sleep after a solid day in the mountains. Thanks also for the messages to the team! Keep 'em coming!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leon Davis, Lindsay Mann
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Breakfast was early this morning as the night was fairly warm and if we were to make a carry we wanted to not be caught up in the sometimes crowded scene that happens on the fixed ropes later in the day. But a quick survey of how everyone was doing at breakfast confirmed our suspicion that the day would be better spent resting and fortifying our camp from windy, nasty weather that can happen at any time. After all, we'd been going strong for six days straight. So, we enjoyed a leisurely meal of western omelette, bacon and bagels, followed by some warm pop tarts. And the best part of the morning was when Roberto Pellegrino took over and started turning out some killer pancakes leftover from another days breakfast. The morning amounted to a relaxed time just enjoying each others company. But of course my mind is always spinning and after my third hot drink I thought it might be worthwhile to at least get some food up to our high camp, and perhaps even see our friends Billy, Geoff and Gilbert. So, off Lindsay and I went. It was her first time actually on the Buttress itself, and it made for a fun trip. And visiting with our other team at 17,200' was great too.
Tomorrow we plan on all climbing up the fixed ropes and on to the Buttress. How far we just don't know. But, we'll be sporting nice light packs, a very welcome change for us all.
We'll be in touch tomorrow night as long as we get back early enough.
Brent, Leon and Lindsay
On The Map
Way to go Elizabeth, Brandi, and the rest of your team. The photos are absolutely stunning. We miss you here but are glad you’re having a wonderful adventure!
Love, Victoria
Posted by: Victoria Bailey on 6/1/2012 at 1:20 pm
Doug and Audrey, we’ve enjoyed following your journey and wish you well. I hope you’re having a blast and enjoying a look at life “from the top”. Much love.
Mom/Sue
Posted by: Sue Rusch on 6/1/2012 at 10:02 am
Hello everyone,
This is RMI Guide JJ Justman checking in. We want to let everyone following our Mexico's Volcanoes Expedition know that we are at high camp on Ixta (14,750ft). The Team is doing fantastic. We are preparing for our summit bid tomorrow, so we are getting our water ready. We are planning on waking up around midnight and getting hot drinks going for our crew.
It is pretty unusual right now, there is a ton of snow that you don’t normally see here on Ixta, but it is actually making for some pretty nice climbing. Weather is calm there is no wind, so we will keep our fingers crossed. It’s looking like it is going to be a great day tomorrow, so stay tuned. We will check in again tomorrow and will hopefully have some great news. We are looking at a nice safe climb of Ixta.
Ciao from Mexico!
On The Map
Jambo to all.
Well we did it, all the “Tucklings” to the top. We tried to give a call from the summit but I’ll tell you, it was cold and breezy, and a half battery wasn’t enough, the charge wasn’t there. But I’m back down here as well as the rest of the team at our high camp, Barafu at 15,000’.
We are going to toute suite out of here. I’m going to have to start poking a few of them with my ski pole, to keep them moving. But we’ll get another 5,000’ to descend to the Mweka Camp. Pretty easy to crawl into the bag and here and take a nap. But, the old machine may seize up so I'm going keep pushing them along.
Everybody did just fantastic. Of course there were a few issues here and there and people were challenged. Half of them said it was probably the hardest thing they’ve ever done in their life physically. And the other half, you know they were lying. So, all is well. I'll try and get this iPAQ thing working again and do a dispatch once we get down to Mweka Camp. I appreciate you guys all checking in. Cheers from Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker reports on the team's summit day
Way to go Steve!!! We are so proud of you! Holly & Marko
Posted by: Holly & Marko Smith on 2/20/2011 at 1:23 pm
Conrats everyone, we are so proud of you Bob, talk to you in a few.
Posted by: Jeff Colston on 2/20/2011 at 12:58 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Well, it's our last night up high here in Ecuador. Today we awoke to relatively clear skies and enjoyed a great breakfast with views of Cotopaxi. After a short hike up to the refugio we've settled in and dined on a great meal of chicken breast burritos with sauteed vegetables. Tomorrow calls for another rugged alpine start (midnight or so), and a long day of climbing. There's lots of new snow so the mountain is especially beautuful. Hopefully conditions and the weather will cooperate and the beast will let us up to the top! Other teams have been summiting so that is good news. I'll check in again from Quito tomorrow evening and let everyone know how it went!
Thanks to Dawn Kim for the photos in this post!
Posted by: Tyler Jones, Geoff Schellens
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 20,320'
June 20, 2014 - 8:56 pm PT
Hi there, it's Tyler and team. We are standing on the summit of North America currently with our team. A little bit in the evening around 8 o'clock [Alaska time]. We are out of the wind on our side and it's sunny, beautiful, and everything is going well. We'll give you a shout and a little dispatch when we get back to safe and sound to our high camp. Hope everyone's well. We're doing great. Thanks for all of the support. Take care you guys. Talk to you soon.
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
RMI Guide Tyler Jones call from the Mt. McKinley summit.
On The Map
Wow! Wow! Wow! How exciting and what an amazing accomplishment! I cannot imagine the thrill you must have felt at the summit! I will keep all in my prayers for the decent and Jen….I think you should write a book! Love…Karen
Posted by: Karen Pratte on 6/21/2014 at 9:11 am
Wow! Wow! Wow! I can’t imagine the thrill that you experienced reaching the summit! I am so very proud of you…I think you should write a book!!! Be safe on the way down and I will keep all in my prayers! Much love….Karen
Posted by: Karen Pratte on 6/21/2014 at 9:00 am
We enjoyed tea in our tents just before 7 am and had another enjoyable breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs and toast. We then hit the trail shortly after 8 and made good time up the Barranco wall. This wall is about 1,000' high and is the steepest part of the entire climb requiring hands in a few places to assist us up a few steep steps. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and change of the new terrain. It was amazing to watch the porters easily navigate this terrain with their loads carefully balanced on their heads. We made good time and arrived in a little over 4 hours to our new home sitting at just over 13,000'.
We are incredibly thankfully to all of our porters and crew who have been working so hard to keep us well feed and comfortable thus far.
Looking forward to moving to our high camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew.
On The Map
Looking fabulous - can’t wait to hear about the summit tomorrow - very soon!
Leslita
Posted by: Leslie on 2/16/2013 at 8:11 am
Barbara,
What a fabulous adventure! We can’t wait to hear all about it. Take in the sunrise for us. We will be thinking about you and the team.
Nancy & Tal
Posted by: Nancy on 2/16/2013 at 7:11 am
Posted by: Jake Beren, Elias de Andres Martos
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
When we woke early this morning we weren't sure what the day had in store for us. The cloud deck dropped during breakfast and no one could really tell if it was raining or snowing. We returned to the tents to wait for a trend to emerge and in about an hour made the call to try to leave basecamp for higher pastures. We had perfect conditions to make our way to the base of Ski Hill and set up camp at the confluence of the Main and Northeast Forks of the Kahiltna Glaciers. As soon as camp was buffed out, it started to snow and we are enjoying a little siesta before dinner.
If the weather is cooperative we will move higher tomorrow to get within striking distance of 11 Camp and the upper mountain.
Hope all is well down South!
RMI Guide Jake Beren
On The Map
Great to have the opportunity to virtually follow your tour. To Christel: Aunt ever I am so proud you are doing this, one day we might tackle the Matterhorn together ;)
Posted by: Wenke Stalling on 6/10/2012 at 2:07 am
Bob~Kristi made it to Rwanda, after 27 hours!! Now you have to make it to the top!
Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Spinks on 6/9/2012 at 1:37 pm
The last push is always the worst. We woke up at midnight to see the sun almost set. The alpenglow on Denali was spectacular. After a quick breakfast we headed down glacier for a pickup at the airstrip, which had moved even further up the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. We are forced to travel at night on the glacier because we need the natural snow bridges that provide the path over and around the cravasses to be as frozen and firm as possible. We made the trip in a little over five hours with each team member silently cursing their sleds that usually have a mind of their own on what direction to go and how often they tip over.
I have been so impressed by how well this group of guys works together and has meshed as a great team. It is so easy to get overly frustrated with the mountain, your sled, and your rope-mates. Our group managed to take out these frustrations with positive humor, which is a huge reason for our success on the mountain! Within an hour of arriving at the snow airstrip, we heard the growl of the planes coming to pick us up. Thank God for modern communication. We used our satellite phone to make sure that the planes were coming for us. The person from K2 Aviation was concerned that since it was socked in with clouds in Talkeetna, the airstrip would be too socked in to land. She was almost as relieved as we were that there was not a cloud in the sky where we were!
As soon as we landed in Talkeetna, we tossed or packs and duffles in the hanger and went for a monster breakfast to power us up for the task of sorting through the heavily used gear and clothing that we had been carrying for the past 21 days. After our post climb chores were completed and some napping took place we enjoyed our celebration of a truly great accomplishment.
Summitting the mountain aside, we had a highly successful expedition by all the measures of fun, learning, and camaraderie!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
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The summit bid is getting close. This is how I know:
1. Dave, Linden and Tuck (aka Mark Tucker who is called everything but 'Mark') are constantly huddled around the latest weather report, which seem to come out every 2 to 3 hours. The weather forecast is murky (which is better than it being bad). What Dave, Linden and Tuck seem to know is that no big storm is on the horizon, but the jet stream seems to be on the move. The question is "when" the jet stream is going to move, and then how fast its going to move. We do not want any of our team high on the mountain when the jet stream is over us. We know its going to be cold up there, but what we want to work hard to avoid is high winds. Here is the understatement of the year: the level of difficulty in predicting the weather at 29,000 feet is quite high.
2. Lots of other climbing teams are comparing notes on when to start their bid. It seems that other teams have different forecasts and information, but the conclusions seem to be the same: even the people making the forecasts don't have a high degree of confidence in them, and that the forecasts are uncertain.
3. Our entire climbing team of 7 people seem to be fully rested and well (not sick). This means that they have been down long enough to have their full strength and are ready to start climbing when it is determined that its time to go. I keep bugging Sara to "eat more" and "drink more" to build up her strength but she 1) knows what to do, and 2) is tired of listening to me. Everyone on the team has lost their baby fat, some even a touch of their adult fat, on this trip, but we have to keep trying to eat as much as possible to keep our strength.
4. Our Sherpa team has done a phenomenal job of strategically positioning gear on the mountain. We have tents positioned at Camps 1, 2, 3 and 4 (although the Camp 2 tents are the only ones 'up' - the rest are in bags - due to the ever present threats of high winds), and our oxygen bottles and gear are at Camps 3 and 4. We have other gear (food, safety equipment, etc.) at different camps throughout the mountain. It really has been a herculean task to get things positioned.
5. Today we are taking showers. We always take showers close to the day of departure.
6. Sara is trying to get a massive amount of history homework done. Sara always tries to get a lot of work done prior to a week long climb. It is like cramming before a test I guess. She is massively reading (and highlighting) a text book on the Byzantine Empire (Sara occasionally reads something to our group about the era at dinner, and we all pretend that we know what she is talking about).
7. Our entire climbing team is charging all their cell phones an Ipods/Itouches. We always make sure we are a fully charged team as we start off. The Sherpa's focus is on charging their cell phones, which work at the higher camps for some reason, (the non-Sherpa's cell phone coverage doesn't work above base camp). Westerners have to use a service called Ncell, but locals are allowed to use a different cell phone provider that has better coverage up high. Its one of the mysteries of Everest in 2011.
8. Sara, Dave and Linden have all picked out food to eat at Camp 4 (at the South Col). While the team only hopes to stay one night at Camp 4 (at 26,000 feet), they are bringing enough food for up to 3 days (just in case). This food consists of a lot of freeze dried dinners (Mountain House Lasagna), candy bars, cup-o-soups, cheese sticks, etc. The group hopes to climb to Camp 4 one day and then leave for the summit in the middle of that same night, but if a storm pops up (or even high winds), they may stay at Camp 4 for longer.
9. I have picked out a "get fired up" movie for Sara to watch tonight: The Fighter. The movie (starring Mark Walhberg) is based upon a true story, and has several messages, one of which is what incredible sacrifice and determination it takes to be a champion.
10. The Calendar. It is May 16th. I know we are getting close for a try at the summit because we are getting close to the Monsoon showing up. And when the monsoons start, the mountain is closed for the season.
11. All of Everest BC is abuzz with groups getting ready for their summit bids, monitoring their teams on the mountain, or just leaving. Several camps are already gone, having accomplished (or not accomplished) whatever they set out to do.
12. The physicians here are incredibly busy. The HRA (The Himalayan Rescue Association) doctors are a group of physicians whose costs are covered by the various climbing groups to treat clients, guides, porters and Sherpas, They do an incredible job. Many patients are treated face to face, but other times the HRA docs are called upon to help treat climbers who are high on the mountain. They are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and are currently working (as I write this) at an incredible pace under tremendous pressure.
13. We are almost out of Coca Colas. When we started this trip Sara and I ordered 24 twelve ounce Coca Colas (for about $40) to have at Base Camp. We have been enjoying them, but self rationing them, since we arrived at base camp on April 6th. We are down to one Coca Cola. I think we are going to split it.
14. Our camp is melting. We live on the Khumbu glacier and our camp is noticeably melting every day. Our tent sites, which were originally flat, are now not, but we are living with it because, hey, the glacier may melt them flat again. Pools of water form in our camp daily and then freeze at night. The base to our Stupa is rapidly melting. We may have to do some construction work in the days ahead.
15. Avalanches are now so common we don't pay much attention to them. When we originally got to Basecamp we would rush out of our tents to see an avalanche coming off one of the many surrounding mountains. Avalanches are now so common (due to the warmer weather) that we no longer rush to view them, or even pay much attention to them, unless they are in the Khumbu Ice fall. Needless to say, the ice fall is an extremely scary place.
So, in summary, this is how I know that our summit bid is getting close: food picking, charging, showers, homework, doctors busy, dwindling Coca Colas, etc..
I am both nervous and excited for Sara. I know how hard she has trained and worked for an attempt at the summit, but I also know how much luck is involved in actually summitting. I know she is very determined and "wants it" very badly, but I also how easily things could change to prevent a summit bid. Three years ago Sara and I tried to summit Mt. Elbrus and bad weather stopped our entire group. Then last year Sara and I went back to Elbrus and had a perfect weather day and made it to the top in about 6 hours of easy walking. Mountain climbing is a fickle business, and it can be
extremely rewarding, and also extremely disappointing. I know that Sara is strong enough to climb this mountain, but one never knows if things will work out.
So, that's it from Base Camp for today.
Bill M.
Sara, Bill! No matter what ends up happening, you two are top of the world from my perspective. The decisions you are making and have made are awesome. Im so impressed. Love, Anita
Posted by: Anita on 5/17/2011 at 9:18 am
Dave Hahn, do you know BILL? Thanks for writing Bill, and thanks for the clinic mention. Give our docs a hug for me? HOpe Sara, Dave, Lindon and Sherps get up quickly and down safely. xox
Posted by: Dr Lulu on 5/17/2011 at 7:52 am
Jake, congrats to you and the team. Sounds like you are all doing well, with a great leader. Big Hug, Hello and best wishes to Karwande!!! Keep those fingers warm and battle on!!!! :) cs
Posted by: courtney on 6/14/2012 at 8:07 pm
¡Hola, equipo! Glad to hear things are going well and moving upwards.
Today I completed a successful mission to deliver homemade cookie to the folks at Muir (and got to try out the new skis!)
Stay strong and keep thinking happy thoughts…
Posted by: Bridget on 6/14/2012 at 7:31 pm
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