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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
Just got off the radio with Dave calling from the South Col. He reports everybody is down from the summit and in good shape. They are taking a nice break, but will soon begin breaking down the South Col camp, then heading for Camp 2 where they will spend the night.
All in a days work.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
We weathered another stormy night in our tents at Paine Grande. Some people in camp, not our group had poles snap, some unfortunately lost their entire tents. Our eight mile hike to Francis Domes included an optional 5k to the British lookout. The clouds, cold temperature & snow obscured the views from below. A few kept going in hopes of a clear-ish view while some opted to head for shelter.
We continue to enjoy classic Patagonia weather that keeps you guessing on your layer changes. Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a night in beds at the wood stove heated Francis Domes Refugio, a nice break from wind & loud tents. Today's highlight was seeing the Cuernos rock features that make up the middle of the massif.
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Mike King
June 4, 2014 - 9:30 am PT
Just spoke with
RMI Guide Brent Okita and they are leaving high camp for their summit bid. His words on the weather this morning: “Massively glorious day on
Mt. McKinley!”
Good luck to the team as they ascend to the highest point in North America!
On The Map
Jeff and I had a great day yesterday. We climbed from Lake Ann up through the
Fisher Chimneys and established camp at the edge of the Upper Curtis. After a nice long lunch, we packed our light summit packs and headed out. We reached the summit via the Southeast ridge at about 4:50pm, and had it all to ourselves. We arrived back at camp at around 7:25 last night. Today we'll likely do some ice climbing this morning before packing up camp and heading back down through the Chimneys. But first, it's coffee time!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Up, up and away! Team 3 had a spectacular day carrying gear up to
Camp One at 16,500 feet. We brought up all the food for the upper mountain, fuel for our stoves and a little bit of personal clothing and gear.
It is nice in a weird way to throw on heavier packs and get a taste of thin air. The entire team did great and in reality we probably don't need to take another rest day here at base camp. However, we will.
Tomorrow we will rest and it will only provide every team member a stronger foundation for the upper mountain. There is no doubt a good part of high altitude mountaineering is about fighting the boredom. But as I sit here some team members are playing cribbage and others are playing some other game. The betting stakes Re cough drops and single sheets of toilet paper.
It was nice to see the beautiful views up high on
Aconcagua and we will post more exciting events from base camp and who may be out of toilet paper!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
On The Map
Our whole crew is safe and sound back in Talkeetna!
After a successful summit of
Denali on Sunday, our crew descended to the 14,000’ camp on Monday. Then, after an early start Tuesday, we hiked out to Basecamp and arrived at the airstrip in the early evening and were lucky enough to have some clear weather to fly off of the glacier and back to civilization. We had a great team dinner last night at the West Rib Pub, and we are all enjoying the comforts of real beds and running water! After 18 great days on the mountain, our expedition is officially over. Everyone is parting ways today, heading back to loved ones back home. It was a great adventure on Denali; climbing with a great team, great weather, and a great mountain, it was hard to beat!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
We spent the day on the airstrip with high hopes of flying out in the afternoon. While waiting we took advantage of the free time to start practicing technical skills. After brushing up on knots and anchors we learned how to ascend a rope with the anticipation of ascending out of a crevasse on the Ruth Glacier. Unfortunately the weather never broke today. However, with the pilots optimistic about tomorrow morning, we loaded up all our gear on a plane hoping to fly out first thing tomorrow!
RMI Guide Avery Parrinello
Our
Four Day Summit Climb Team led by
Dave Hahn and our Five Day Summit Climb led by
Leon Davis both reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. Dave reported great conditions with winds at about 10 - 12 mph from the southwest and the cloud deck at about 7,200'. The teams are going to spend some time on the top enjoying the view before making their way back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Antarctica didn't let us go easily. It was 1:00 AM when we saw the definitively-Russian Ilyushin lumbering through the Antarctic sky. The temperature was some 20 below, and the 30 knot winds made it feel much, much colder, ripping heat from exposed flesh with efficiency. But, for a huge jet landing on a strip of blue ice, a strong headwind is a nice thing, helping to slow the giant bird down.
With a delicate landing that defied its massive bulk, the Ilyushin touched down to many a camera-shutter click and loud cheer. After days of delay, strikes, broken parts, and other issues, we were all ready to move onward. After unloading many tons of Jet A aviation fuel in 55 gallon drums, the ALE team called us all to board. A few moments later, doors were closed, engines spun up, and the pilots lifted us off the runway as smoothly as they had landed; it was hard to tell we had even gone airborne. While on the flight down we all were wired with excitement and slept but little, this flight was the inverse: tired from days of climbing, we all quickly succumbed to the late hour and fell asleep. In hindsight, the bit of wine and beer we had at Union before leaving might have helped a wee bit, too.
At 7:00 AM, another masterful landing thumped us down on the tarmac in Punta Arenas. As we exited the hulking Ilyushin, we could all smell it and see it: Green things. Trees, plants, animals. Life. After 3 weeks on the ice - in a land of intense beauty, but almost completely devoid of life - it was a welcome sight. The idea of a bed rather than a Thermarest, and walls instead of nylon, wasn't bad either. So, we quickly headed to to the hotel.
It always amazes me how quickly we transition in these modern times. It wasn't that long ago that expeditions wound down slowly, and reintegration into "normal" life took time. The body, and more importantly the mind, was granted simply through logistics the luxury of moving from the stark mental and physical environment of the expedition back to the frenetic pace of life in a slow manner. Today, it's anything but slow. Just hours ago we sat on a glacier on the bottom of the world, climbing mountains and routes which had never seen humans. And, now, just hours later, I'm on the internet in a hotel amidst a bustling city, and the rest of my team is on an airplane, well on their way to home, family, life. Amazing, and hard to digest.
Like the departure, the return home is something of a bittersweet affair. Certainly, in the words of Big Head Todd, "more sweet than bitter", but still a challenge. We who go to the mountains generally do so for a reason. It feeds us. It grounds us. It makes us thrive. The simplicity of the mountain life is wholly engaging, and leaving it is tough. But, to simply remain would be avoidance, escapism. And, perhaps, make the love of the mountains moot, for without black we cannot have white. It is only by leaving home that we realize how fortunate we are, and for some of us it is only by living the mountain life - and then leaving it for a time - that we remember to value it and apply its lessons and teachings to our lives back home.
As I sit here in Punta, backing up gigabytes of images, listening to CNN, and watching ships bob in the nearby harbor, this all rushes through my mind. I am excited beyond words to get home. It's been far too long since I've hugged my children and my wife, and patted my dog's head. I long to answer my daughter's questions, to hear about her day, and listen to my son say her name - a new trick he developed during my absence. But, I also know that, before long, the flood of emails and deadlines and bills and housework and the frenetic pace of modern life will threaten to overwhelm. It is then, I hope, that my mind will harken back to the austere simplicity of Antarctic life. I hope I will be able to conjure up the invigorating lessons of the high peaks, my mountain mind speaking to me through the fog of modern life: "You're but a small part of a big machine. Be humble. Hug your family. Be thankful. Smile.
Relax...Focus on what's important in life, the fundamentals, for soon you'll be back again in the mountains.
-Jake Norton
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Sounds like the summit is in your grasp. Go team and stay safe. Glenna & Bob Scaife
Posted by: Glenna Scaife on 6/10/2011 at 6:40 pm
Sounds like you’re all getting more sunshine than we’ve been getting in Napa, CA! Glad to hear the weather isn’t nasty. I know you’re all enjoying an amazing experience. Here’s smokin’ to you Larry!
Posted by: Brenda Roberts on 6/10/2011 at 12:56 am
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