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Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Make it to High Camp

June 25, 2019

Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 17,200'

Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 5:24 PM PT The early wake up call in the cold was well worth it as our team was able to move efficiently up the fixed ropes and along the ridge to Denali High Camp. We arrives by noon, which gave us ample time to build camp and get some rest. The weather is beautiful, and almost warm in the sun. If this weather persists through tomorrow we will give the summit a shot. We won't know until we wake up, but we're optimistic. RMI Guide Mike Walter

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Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

I’m so excited for you all! You’re getting really close to the summit. This is what you all trained for! Wishing you a continued safe climb.

Posted by: Amanda Day on 6/25/2019 at 7:32 pm

Way to go team! The summit is in sight!

Posted by: Arie Rowaan on 6/25/2019 at 6:55 pm

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Mt. Rainier: Four Day Summit Climb Team on Top!

July 5, 2018

Posted by: Brent Okita, Chase Nelson

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb July 2 - 5, 2018 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning just before 6:30 AM PT led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Chase Nelson. The teams reported steady winds of 25-30 mph throughout their ascent. They were able to spend some time on the summit enjoying the blue skies and sunshine this morning and began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 AM PT. They will continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon and we look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today. Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congrats Reed & Jacob!! Hope you got some great pictures to share!!

Posted by: Laurie L Jackson on 7/5/2018 at 3:08 pm

Congratulations Reed and Jacob! Hope you had a fantastic time. Looking forward to hearing the stories and seeing the pictures. Finish safe! See you soon.

Posted by: Patsy Whited on 7/5/2018 at 2:12 pm

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Mt. Rainier: September 21st Summit

September 21, 2014

Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Pete Van Deventer

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and the Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier shortly after 7 a.m. The team spent about 90 minutes on the summit enjoying light winds and clear skies before beginning their descent to Camp Muir. Once back at Camp Muir, the team will rest and re-fuel before continuing their descent. We look forward to greeting them in Ashford this afternoon. Congratulation's Climbers!

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Congratulations. We’ll done. We are sitting in a bar in Moscow with Putin, he wishes he could be with you guys. Dad

Posted by: Donald Norris on 9/21/2014 at 11:48 am

I’m so proud of you all!! What an accomplishment! I can’t wait to hear all of the details.

Posted by: Rina Norris on 9/21/2014 at 11:07 am

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Aconcagua: Justman & Team Preparing for Move to Camp 1

February 10, 2014

Posted by: JJ Justman, Katrina Bloemsma

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua

Elevation: 13,800'

Ah, the rest day. The team is perfecting the art of chilling. Solar showers, siestas and samba lessons from JJ...just another day at base camp. We're fueling up in anticipation of our move to Aconcagua's Camp 1 tomorrow. Keep the comments coming! And pass along our blogs to friends and family who might want to follow our adventure as well. More to come from 16,400ft! RMI Guide Katrina Bloemsma

On The Map

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Good morning Brenda hope you had a great night under a star filled sky!! The weather gods are really being nice to team 7. We’ll after a day of rest I’m sure you can’ t wait to hit the trail and get to the next spot. Stay strong and have fun and take lots of pictures. Love you , Richie & Sea Jay. Xxxxooox

Posted by: Richie Sea Jay on 2/11/2014 at 5:42 am

Rich - Hey honey so glad you have a day to just chill and enjoy your surroundings…siestas and sambas and solar showers? Doesn’t get any better than that..oh yeah I guess if I were actually there it would be better. :-) Enjoy the break - you earned it for sure. Love you stay safe, Susie

Posted by: Susie on 2/10/2014 at 6:04 pm

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Ecuador Volcanoes: Casey Grom & Team Arrive in Quito

December 11, 2013

Posted by: Casey Grom, Solveig Waterfall

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador

Hello from Quito everyone! After some very long flights the team has arrived safe and sound here in Ecuador. We started our day with a group meeting where we shared a little about each other and discussed the plans for our expedition. We then headed out on a city tour which was mostly spent visiting the colonial old town and it's many churches built in the 17th century. We also visited the Virgin de Quito, which is a statue that overlooks the entire city and is similar in importance to our Statue of Liberty. After our tour we headed back to our hotel to allow the team some time to rest before meeting and discussing the gear needed for our upcoming climbs. After making sure everyone was well equipped with the essentials we took a short walk to a nearby restaurant and patiently waited for all of our food to arrive. The food was delicious and everyone left with smiles on their faces. It looks like a great group of people and everyone is looking forward to stretching their legs tomorrow. RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Brian,

Safe travels my friend and I wish I was with you! Enjoy the views for me!

Klay

Posted by: Klay on 12/16/2013 at 11:43 am

HI Brian

have a safe and fun time! We missed you at the Easterday family Christmas gathering!
Marcia and Dave send their best!
xo

Posted by: Kim on 12/14/2013 at 7:50 pm

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Alaska Expedition Seminar: Marin & Team Train Close to Camp

May 17, 2013

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 7,300'

As in all expeditions weather always play a big part. Today we experienced a pretty big storm that will be on the radar for the next three days. The forecast is calling for 4 feet of total snow fall with winds up to 40 mph. We spent the day learning basic knots and learning to take care of camp during a storm. The weather was a big part of today's lesson. It has snowed about a foot and is still snowing as I'm sending this dispatch. We all are staying busy and dry and doing well. We'll see what happens over night. Will keep you posted. RMI Guide Andres Marin

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team at 14,000’ Camp

June 18, 2011

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 14,200'

Jake, Gilbert & Mike called in from their 14,000' Camp. All is well and they will send another update soon.

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Aaron, congrats, yipeee. mom and dad

Posted by: joanne Anderson on 6/20/2011 at 11:00 am

Is this the team Dave Welles is on? If so, tell him good luck (to the rest of the team, too!). Take good care of him! :)

Posted by: Dottie Martin on 6/19/2011 at 1:06 pm

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Elbrus Climbers visit St. Petersburg

August 4, 2010

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside

One of St. Petersburg's many names is the City of White Nights, recognizing the few hours of darkness that descend on the city during the summer months. Perhaps it was the daylight or perhaps the change in time zones but it was a fitful night's sleep, deep rest intermixed with periods of wakefulness as the body struggled to adjust to a new sleep cycle. Thankfully, a good cup of coffee at breakfast chased the dregs of sleep away and we headed out to visit the city. Just down the canal from our hotel stands St Isaac's Cathedral, one of the largest in Europe. We climbed the 207 steps up it's spiral staircase to the Colonnade, a walkway offering the best panoramic views of the city - to the port to the west, across the maze of roofs and streets to the south, and to the spires of the Admiralty and the Peter and Paul Fortress standing along the Neva to the north. The beautiful morning made for nice walking along some of the city's 80 canals on our way to the Church of Spilled Blood, an ornately decorated onion domed church built upon the very cobblestones upon which Tsar Alexander II, the defeater of Napoleon, was killed. Wandering through the gardens and side streets, we made our way to the Hermitage, a collection of over 3 million pieces of artwork housed in 5 buildings that as former palaces of the Tsar's are works of art in themselves. Thanks to some "creative route-finding" we managed to avoid the throngs of visitors milling outside the entrance and were quickly walking amongst the grand ball rooms featuring an exhibition of dozens and dozens of Picassos. Hours, days, even weeks could be spent visiting the Hermitage (and only 5% of it's collection can be displayed), so we focused on seeing the highlights for us. By late afternoon our days of traveling and site seeing began to catch up with us and we returned to the hotel for some rest. With evening drawing on and feeling a bit rejuvenated, we ended our day on the water, taking a boat through the city's canals and rivers, watching the sun set over the Neva river. Tomorrow we leave St. Petersburg and trade the shores of the North Sea for the hills of the Caucasus, flying to the town of Mineralnye Vody on our way to Elbrus. We will check in tomorrow when we reach the foot of the mountain.

Rest at Camp 1

September 3, 2009

Posted by:

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside

Elevation: 12,300'

Hello from 12,300' We slept in this morning and did not get up until the sun hit the tents - the morning's rays always bringing so much warmth. After breakfast, we dropped back down to our cache, and picked up the last of our remaining gear. We are now completely established at Camp 1! It was a perfectly clear morning to start but the clouds starting rolling in a little early today and the threat of an afternoon snow storm loomed in distance. Fortunately, the storm never came and the clouds merely played over Elbrus' peaks, at times spreading downward in wind shaped whisps only to retreat again a few minutes later. The team spent the rest of the afternoon training on the lower glacier, reviewing our ice axe and cramponing skills. We are headed to dinner to plan out and fuel up for our carry to Camp 2 tomorrrow.

Denali Expedition: Cifelli & Team Carry Gear to 13,500ft

June 17, 2024

Posted by: Dominic Cifelli, Seth Burns, Nicole De Petris

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley

Elevation: 11,000'

Monday, June 17, 2024 - 12:50 am PT

We got to sleep in! At least what we consider… The day started with wake up at 6:30am and leave camp by 8am. The route today was 11,000' Camp up Motorcycle hill, up Squirrel hill, across/up the Polo Field, around Windy Corner and stop at 13,500 to bury food and other items that we won’t need until 14,000' Camp and higher. Then head back to 11k camp We got moving with a little chill in the air and some slight wind. Enough to make us all continue to question what layers of clothing should we wear? It’s a constant struggle in the mountains. I literally wore three different types of gloves today as the temps changed. We’re now wearing crampons and carrying our ice axes, so it feels like the climb has officially started! We started right off with a long steep uphill - Motorcycle Hill, which alone took an hour! It was certainly a good way to warm up! Since it is Father’s Day, I took the time during the climb to think about my dad. He and I came out a week before the climb and took a small tour of Alaska between Seward and Talkeetna. It was a blast to hang with him. I thought a lot about him telling me how proud he is of me for climbing Mt McKinley. After all, we carry the same former name as the mountain! Aside from today, I’ve spent the past few days reflecting on the encouragement from friends and family. The mental game of the mountains can be tough. We know it’s physically tough, but mentally it can take a toll on you as well. Self doubt, anxiety, overthinking can set in bad. What’s helped me the most is encouragement like this: “I am so incredibly proud of you and excited for you to have this opportunity. You are going to be great. Be safe, show ‘em what you got, stay tough like I know you can, and help others.” I’ve reflected a lot on that one piece of encouragement. That’s the kind of stuff that can drown out the doubt and keep me moving forward. If you’re reading this blog you’re probably one of those people, helping to push all of us along and suppress the negative thoughts that can come in this environment. We all can’t thank you enough for your support and love. And letting us leave for a month...

The sun came out and we moved at a gentle pace. We buried food and such and then made our way back down. The best part of the day was right before dropping Squirrel hill and Motorcycle hill when Nicole, the guide on our rope team pulled me aside and asked me to take the lead and guide our team down the two remaining steep hills. I was speechless. I wasn’t sure I could do it. My other two companions on our rope team spoke up and told me that I’d be great, and that they hadn’t seen such raw mountaineering talent since reading about Ed Viesturs in “No Shortcuts To The Top”. I looked at Nicole and asked, “Do you think I can do it?” She pulled down her sunglasses, looked me straight in the eye and said “Think? No… I KNOW you can do it, and that’s the RMI difference!” Of course, none of the is true. However, I did lead our rope team down, but that’s because the guides like to lead from the back when going steep downhills. All three rope teams did this. Our guides, Dominic, Nicole and Seth are fantastic. They do so much to make this experience the best.

All in all, we had a great day and are very excited to enjoy a rest day tomorrow at the 11,000' camp.

RMI Climber Dave McKinley

New Post Alerts:
Denali Expedition June 9, 2024

Leave a Comment For the Team (2)

Way to go David! Your CrossFit OTR Family believes in you! We’ll be waiting for you with lots of ice cream upon your return! Kill it! (fist bump)

Posted by: Christina Roll on 6/19/2024 at 6:38 am

Proud of you for pushing the limits. Keep killin’ it!!!

Posted by: Bren on 6/19/2024 at 4:43 am

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Most Popular Entries

Denali Expedition: Walter & Team Make it to High Camp

On The Map

Mt. Rainier: Four Day Summit Climb Team on Top!

Mt. Rainier: September 21st Summit

Aconcagua: Justman & Team Preparing for Move to Camp 1

On The Map

Ecuador Volcanoes: Casey Grom & Team Arrive in Quito

Alaska Expedition Seminar: Marin & Team Train Close to Camp

On The Map

Mt. McKinley: Beren & Team at 14,000’ Camp

Elbrus Climbers visit St. Petersburg

Rest at Camp 1

Denali Expedition: Cifelli & Team Carry Gear to 13,500ft

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