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Another sparkling and clear start to the day. Mt. Meru, our 15,000ft neighbor to the west, stood out like an island in the sea of clouds that cover anywhere below 10,000ft. Great views above of the summit as well. Our usual large fresh breakfast then off we went up a nice smooth gentle but steady ascent to the famous Lava Tower outcropping situated at 15,000ft. Snacks and a lot of breathing then down we went. Two thousand feet lower has us tucked into another beautiful camp called Barranco. The team is a bit tired after what ended up being about an eight-hour day. All is well and looking forward to dinner.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah Smith, Chad Gaffigan, Luke Wilhelm
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,000'
Wednesday, July 3, 2019 - 10:22 PM PT
Yet another snowy, cloudy morning at 14,000' Camp. There was less wind today though, so it was easier to be outside. It wasn’t a day for moving up or down the mountain -everybody stayed put. We found diversions, like remodeling the walls of our bathroom and kitchen and generally just digging holes in the snow. There was a brief clearing around noon, but then things clouded up again and the wind appeared to ramp up on the South Peak. We did a mid-afternoon quesadilla session and then logged a little tent time. In the evening we attended a barbecue. The final National Park Service ranger patrol of the season is tasked with packing up the NPS camp at 14K and they decided they had too much meat. Not wanting it to go to waste, they invited all the remaining teams on the mountain to come over to socialize and get a cheeseburger, which we did. There were about fifty of us standing out in the snow, comparing home towns and countries and climbing goals. Up at 17,000 there may be another 25 climbers waiting for a weather break, but they are sadly out of cheeseburger range.
Believe it or not, we STILL like the forecast. We’ll get moving again tomorrow or the next day.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Love you and miss you Tym!! Hang in there.
Posted by: Kristen on 7/4/2019 at 10:07 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Ben Liken, Sean Collon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
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July 9, 2014 - 10:34 pm PT
It wasn't such a bad day to start. There was plenty of blue sky overhead at 6 AM and a little wind to contend with up high, but the day had potential to be just right for moving to 17,000 ft. The team was feeling good and ready. But we held off, talked some on the radio to friends at 17K (teams up there were staying put, not going for the top) and we watched the weather deteriorate. The winds increased, a cloud cap formed on the mountain and the rest of the sky began to cloud up. Before it clogged up completely, we roped up and took a short walk to "The Edge of the World" to look down on the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. We belayed each other out onto the overhanging prow of rock for hero shots. Then we headed back to camp and hunkered down in the tents for an afternoon of light snow and heavy cloud. We'll hope for better weather tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Talk about shifting gears... we went from climbing to cruising, just like that. Today we got on the road shortly after 8 AM and briefly toured the outskirts of Arusha before heading out across the Rift Valley of Tanzania. Our goal for the day was a tour of the the Lake Manyara National Park. To get there we traveled in two modified land rovers, gazing out the windows at Masai tribesmen and their animal herds along the highway. We reached the park at about noon and had a relaxing lunch under the big trees, keeping an eye peeled on the surrounding forest for whichever beasts might also be contemplating lunch. As it turned out, there were just a few monkeys and birds checking us out. After lunch, we toured the park's dirt roads, checking out giraffes, baboons, zebras, wildebeest and warthogs. We spied a couple of elephants and plenty of exotic birds, but we didn't see big cats or hippos. There is always tomorrow... which for us is an expedition to the Ngorongoro Crater. Tonight though, is not to be rushed. An evening at the luxurious and tranquil Plantation Lodge. We'll get in our open topped safari vehicles again at the crack of dawn, hunting for big game.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hello again everyone,
All is well here at Base Camp! Not much new today. The team spent the morning relaxing at breakfast and listening to the BBC, our only current news source. After breakfast most of the members took their weekly showers (thankfully) and did a little laundry too.
Our plan is to rest as much as we can as we wait for the weather window to arrive. Currently looks like it won't be here until next week sometime. That works out perfectly for us as we have plenty of resting to do. A big thanks to Dave Hahn (Expedition Leader) for setting the schedule just right. Now we can just relax for the week. If we had rushed our acclimatization program we would be getting anxious like some teams seem to be. Lucky for us!
Meanwhile we will be hanging out enjoying the nightly dinner surprises that Mark Tucker (Expedition Coordinator) creates for us. Last night we had burritos and an amazing cake. Who knows what tonight might bring!
Hope all is well back home.
Posted by: Mike Haugen, Pepper Dee, Gloria Roe
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
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June 15, 2017
Every once in a while in the mountains, things work out juuust right.
Our team woke up today in Talkeetna to bright blue skies, a view of the high one from town, and a scheduled flight in to the Kahiltna Glacier at 9:00 AM. And just like that, after a full breakfast, we found ourselves waving goodbye to the greenery of the Alaskan low country and saying hello to the towering masses of ice, rock, and snow that make up the Alaska Range.
The team took full advantage of the clear weather on the flight in to snap photos and marvel at the jaw dropping scenery. And then before we knew it, we were digging in camp at 7,300 feet at Kahiltna Base Camp. We passed a relaxing day snacking, sorting out our gear, and brushing up on glacier travel and crevasse rescue skills. After a tasty burrito dinner, we have finally settled in to our tents to get horizontal before an anticipated early morning push up to ski hill camp tomorrow.
Mount Horiskey, here we come!
Love to all,
RMI Guide Mike Haugen
On The Map
Go Glo!
We
Love you
Ma & Pa
Posted by: Mary Ann hickey on 6/18/2017 at 12:34 am
Julian,
Hi Daddy, we are so glad the first couple of days are going well. We hope your sled is behaving itself. we are booked to flightsee Denali on the 4th. We miss you!
Love Karen, Austin ,Lexy & Gavin
Posted by: Karen Sander on 6/17/2017 at 10:06 am
June 22, 2014 - 8:16 pm PT
It seems bizarre to have been in deep winter this morning at 14K Camp, waiting on the snow to stop, and now in summery Talkeetna. But here we are. The snow did let up enough for us to load up some BIG packs and make our way down the mountain. We descended under a beautiful crescent moon until the typical storm conditions at 11K Camp abated and we were able to trade the GPS for some sunscreen. The lower glacier was in fine condition and the team put in another solid effort, putting us at the runway ten minutes before our first plane landed. The journey today was tough, but all were up for the challenge and now are enjoying that first shower in civilization before a meal prepared on something other than a MSR stove. It's good to be back.
Thanks to a fantastic team for an amazing expedition and everyone back home who helped make it happen. We were lucky enough to get to see the view from up top and all the hard work paid off. Nice job everyone.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Congratulations Jared!!!! Such a huge accomplishment. We look forward to hearing all about it when you get back.
The Data Systems Team
Posted by: Trina Roskelley on 6/24/2014 at 10:40 am
Well Done Team!!! Congratulations !~! Rosemary
Posted by: Rosemary on 6/23/2014 at 12:44 pm
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Lindsay Fixmer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:25 am PT. Casey reported winds ranging from 15-20 mph and clear skies. From the summit he could see clouds throughout the Ashford valley but reported clear skies above 6,000'. The team was able to enjoy an hour on top due to the nice weather. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue their descent to Paradise. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb Teams!
Way to go Ken and Jessie! Congrats on reaching the summit. We are proud of you two and can’t wait to hear about your climb.
Love, Jeff, Lee & Lauren
Posted by: Lee and Jeff on 6/15/2014 at 4:19 pm
Way to go Ronnie! So glad you made it to the top! We are proud of you! Love, Mommy & Logan
Posted by: Lindsey & Logan on 6/12/2014 at 5:25 pm
Posted by: Brent Okita, Leah Fisher, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,200'
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May 24, 2014 - 11:21 pm PT
Going to sleep last night we didn't know exactly what morning would bring. The winds last night had picked up and was blowing spin-drift all around. We could hear the winds coming off Kahiltna Pass into the wee hours, but when we finally awoke and peeked out the vestibule of the tent we were happily surprised to find gloriously beautiful weather.
Our move up to our new camp couldn't have gone better. The team crushed it! What a nice change from the loads we had making our single carries. Tomorrow we will head back down to our old camp to pick up the cache we buried there.
Getting in to camp at 1:30 this afternoon was almost like having half a rest day. We even built a 'proper' Posh House. This is a big shelter under which we cook and can all dine together. Tonight's menu: Indian cuisine, served on a bed of rice and preceded by a tasty soup. Of course, this is always followed by an after dinner drink. Coffee, tea, hot cider or everyone's favorite: hot cocoa.
Wish us luck on the weather front. It's been good so far. But regardless of what happens, we're sitting pretty right now and everyone is doing well and in good spirits.
A bientot from 11,200' camp.
RMI Guides Brent, Leah and Nick
On The Map
You guys are doing awesome! We have been following the blog. Hope the weather is beautiful for you Nicky and Bob! <3 Jay and Cara!
Posted by: Cara Marton on 5/25/2014 at 4:43 pm
Hey Steven Hart, glad to hear all is going well! I have been following the blog daily.
Wishing you and the team good weather, be safe and enjoy. Hope the bites are helping with sustained energy as you climb McKinley. So impressive!
Bi
Posted by: Bianca on 5/25/2014 at 12:41 pm
The final team is at Camp Three for the night. Just got off the radio with them and all is well. With great weather, all members... getten er dun!
While the vast majority of the teams here have now finished with their acclimatization runs, RMI is wrapping it up in the next couple of days with great conditions and no crowds on the ropes. Our group has been working to support all waves in a very calculated way. This type of approach has proven itself time and again. In this extreme environment there is not much room for error. Here at Basecamp (17,500 ft) life is no picnic in itself, let alone these guys at 23,000 ft camped on an ice ledge with a couple of thousand feet of steep ice pulling at them from below. It's comforting to know our guys are some of the best in the business.
Some of the other teams are going way down valley where things like trees grow. Man, do I miss the color green. Unless someone is a bit sick we will probably stay at Basecamp and rest here before the summit push. There are many different approaches about what to do at this pivotal point in the expedition, it's tough to second guess what is the right decision for each individual. Many an hour has been spent on this debate. In the end you make the call and hope for the best.
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Sounds like everything is going well so far. Banx is being a good boy but I’m sure he misses you (Charlie and Sara), because we miss you. Keep it up! Love you. Mom and Dad.
Posted by: Deb on 7/19/2019 at 3:52 pm
“Thinking of and talking about you from a hospital room at rehab!” -Uncle Terry
We love you guys!!!! Uncle Terry said he’ll do it again with you next year!
Posted by: Casey Kluttz on 7/19/2019 at 12:47 pm
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