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June 8, 2015, 4:37 pm PT
Firing the Fixed lines!
Today it was a good day. We woke in the bitter cold at 14 camp and slowly rose from our warm down feathers. With coffee and a bowl of granola we clipped in to our ropes. Finding rather pleasant walking conditions, we smoothly flowed up the slopes below the Headwall then gained the fixed lines up to 16,200ft. Our last 20 minutes up the lines provided brisk winds and motivated our super strong team to depart the lines and pass the ridge where the winds became a light breeze. This was a welcome way to spend our break and unload our final cache of food and fuel for our summit push!
The team prepared for the descent back down in the brisk wind. With the confidence of great mountaineers we smoothly cruised down to our camp. Then a session with our grand lunch sacks along with a well deserved afternoon nap.
The evening will be a group dinner with the West Rib crew. Likely to consist of big fried quesadillas laughter and friendships forged!
Till tomorrow, Positive Vibes!
RMI Guides Tyler Jones, Lindsay Mann & Chase Nelson
On The Map
Thank you to everyone who followed the climb. I deeply appreciate all the support I felt from this community!
You can view photos of my trip to Nepal in my
Dropbox gallery. Included are a few from working with the local people after the quake. As for what the immediate future holds for me, today I’m packing for my yearly pilgrimage to guide on Mt. Rainier for RMI. I am psyched to get back up to the Pacific Northwest, share the experience of mountaineering with others, and see my many good friends there. Again, thank you all for your support.
RMI Guide Alex Barber
In climbing, like the rest of life, patience and flexibility will pay off in the long run. And yesterday both our patience and flexibility were tested as the weather toyed with our emotions. We were at the hangar and ready to go by 8 am, and only needed a break in the clouds to get onto the glacier. So we waited... and waited... and waited. By 11:30, hunger had set in and we ordered some pizzas, which of course was the step we needed to take to get our chance to fly. Half the team powered down a couple of slices and changed clothes, and hustled over to the Otter to try our luck. Within minutes 6 of us were airborne,
heading up the Kahiltna under low clouds. Unfortunately, due to low clouds and no visibility on the glacier, we were turned back about 20 minutes out of Talkeetna. So back to the hangar for more group bonding and ping-pong.
By 7pm, we had exhausted our entertainment at the hangar and headed out to the river to enjoy the rest of the evening. That's when the phone rang; the K2 team thought there was a shot and wanted us to mobilize ASAP! So we sprinted back to the hangar and had half the team suited up and ready in even less time than before, and were airborne again for the last try of the day. But the clouds hadn't cleared across the passes or up the Kahiltna glacier, and the plane turned around shortly after takeoff.
Today will be more waiting to fly, but we'll be spending our timeworking on our climbing anchor and crevasse rescue skills. We're hopeful to get on the glacier, but prepared to wait until it's just right. Cheers for now from soggy Talkeetna!
RMI Guide Garrett Stevens
Jambo
We have just arrived at the Dik Dik resort.
A few hours of down climbing this morning has put us right back into hot showers and nice beds. We had a great trip and are so lucky with all the great local support that helped us achieve such great success on our climb. We head off to some of the National Parks tomorrow for a grand safari.
We had a little snow overnight and the winds on the upper mountain have picked up. We were hoping to make our carry today to cache some gear, we still might get it in if things change this afternoon, but for now we are going to sit tight at 14,000'. We might take a walk to the "Edge of the World" this afternoon. We will plan to carry tomorrow if the weather improves. Everyone is doing well. We will check in again soon.
Dave Hahn & Team are Flying onto the Kahiltna Glacier! Follow along with us as they begin their climb of Denali.
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Denali Expedition June 11, 2024
The July 27 - 30 Four Day Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning led by RMI Guide Andy Bond. Andy reported a beautiful day and a great route. The team enjoyed some time in the summit crater before starting their descent around 6:30 AM PT. Once back at Camp Muir the climbers will repack and continue down to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
The
Four Day Climb July 18 - 21 led by
RMI Guides Dave Hahn and
Dustin Wittmier reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning under clear skies and a light breeze. The team spent some time on top before leaving the crater rim on their descent.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Saturday, June 8, 2019 - 3:42 PM PT
We had our first active rest day today. The weather forecast called for a calm night with increasing clouds and possible precipitation through the day. The air was still when I woke at 5 am to check the weather. After a salmon and cream cheese bagel breakfast we set off down hill with our sleds strapped to our backpacks. The goal was to carry all of our cache from 9300’ to 11,200’. The Team did exceptionally well and we managed to beat the heat of the morning for all but the last hour. The afternoon clouds are coming into camp and creating a greenhouse effect where the UV comes through the clouds and reflects off the snow then gets bounced back by the clouds making for a hot day in camp. People have their sleeping bags clipped on the outside of the tent for a more ideal napping environment. So long as the weather continues this pattern we will wake early and carry food and fuel around Windy Corner in preparation for our camp move to 14,200’ in
Genet Basin. Even though we have been moving lots of weight up the glacier for four days, the Team is happy and enjoying the beautiful scenery here on Denali. Thanks for following along.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Good evening from Lhungde.
The team made it to the last human settlement of the
Thame Valley before the Tibetan border. We also broke the 4,000 meter mark, and we're currently sleeping a few feet shy of the elevation of Mt. Rainier.
The journey was pleasant and beautiful, as everything was more authentic the higher we went. Yaks substituted the cow hybrid "Chapke", the lodges turned into real Sherpa homes, and the landscape became more rugged.
We're the only westerners here right now, and we sure hope that we don't get invaded tomorrow during our rest day.
Stay tuned as soon we'll start our hike up Renjo Pass, the high point of our trip
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Ken,
We’re all pulling for you and the team. Enjoy your last few days on the mountain.Looking forward to all the stories.
Jim
Posted by: Jim Rowe on 6/9/2015 at 4:55 pm
Ken, you and the team are getting closer every day. I am excited for you. Hang in there, enjoy the journey as you pursue that dream. Thoughts, prayers, and positive vibes all headed your way.
Dennis
Posted by: Dennis on 6/9/2015 at 7:57 am
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