When we woke up early this morning we found clear skies stretching the length of the Kahiltna Glacier but in the distance banks of clouds hung behind the ridges and peaks. Making another early start to take advantage of the frozen surface conditions on the glacier, we were leaving camp by 4am. Whereas yesterday was a mostly flat walk up the Kahiltna Glacier, today we started climbing a few hundred yards out of camp, tackling Ski Hill right away. The trail was straightforward, zigging and zagging up the incline in order to cross the few but large crevasses that stretch across this part of the glacier. The first two hours of climbing were hardwork as it was the first significant climb and we were hauling big loads, our sleds doing their best to pull us back down the hill, but the team did well and took to the terrain and challenge with determination. Soon we crested the steep first pitch of Ski Hill and began ascending the long rolling benches that lead towards Kahiltna Pass - a saddle sitting at the head of the Kahiltna Glacier that spans the watershed divide of the Alaska Range and separates the Kahiltna Glacier running to the south and the Peters Glacier that runs off the other side down to the north slope of Alaska. The upper stretches of Ski Hill can be very frustrating as the glacier's size plays with your perspective, making hills and small features appear close although it takes hours to reach them. So perhaps it was fortunate that the cloud banks which had remained reclusive when we woke ventured out and engulfed the glacier because we couldn't see how far we still had to go. The flip side, however, was that we were soon climbing in a whiteout with snow falling all around us. Climbers liken this to "walking in a ping pong ball" because you are surrounded by white and even your sense of flatness is skewed - everything is a world of white.
We climbed like this for the last two hours, reaching our camp at 9200' with the snow still falling. After probing out camp for hidden crevasses we got to work setting up camp, erecting the tents and building large snow walls to break the wind that is notorious for blowing through Kahiltna Pass. Despite the poor conditions our climbers resisted the urge to climb into the tents and took to the task with energy, building an impressive snow wall around the tents and digging a big kitchen tent for us to eat and cook in.
We spent the afternoon hanging out in the tents, catching up on sleep since we have spent most of the nights walking since arriving on the mountain. The snow let up but the clouds have yet to lift here. We're hoping that they lift by tomorrow so we can catch the amazing views back down the glacier. Tomorrow we are planning to move to 11,200' Camp where we will spend a few nights while we acclimatize and move loads further up the mountain. We will check in tomorrow after we set up camp.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Wow! You guys are sure making progress. All that snow must have been scary. I hope the weather holds for you tomorrow. Keep up the good work. Stay safe.
Posted by: John and Lorraine Lorenc on 6/26/2011 at 6:22 pm
I am in awe of your bravery and strength! What a breathtaking photo. Can’t wait to see more pictures!!! Hugs from Clinton, NY Frank.
Well it was an amazing last day to a great adventure on Elbrus. The group left the hotel early this morning if different directions as there are so many sites to see. Some went to the famous Hermitage Museum that houses more art than any other single exhibit in Europe. Others went to St. Isaac's Cathedral, The fifth largest cathedral in the world, and other palaces that are throughout the city.
Everyone enjoyed the day and we finished the evening off with a city tour on a boat. St. Petersburg was built with Dutch influence and is similar to Amsterdam. There are rivers and canals that tie this beautiful city together and there is no better way to see the city then from the water.
Most of the team heads home tomorrow.
Thanks for following along.
11,200’ is our new home! We weren’t entirely psyched when we woke this morning as there was a thick cloud bank and ripping winds where we needed to go. We did a partial pack and stalled and waited. As the sun climbed and warmed our camp, the clouds began to rise, and the wind began to die. That was enough for us - we pulled the rest of the camp down, loaded up sleds (all have names, goose and Tinkerbell are a few) and started uphill.
We had as smooth and steady of a climb as we could wish for and rolled into 11k this evening after a 7-hour walk. We are happily dug in and working towards dinner. Tomorrow we’ll go back to retrieve our cache which is a short day, and then be set to keep looking uphill.
Our team had a great day today, waking up to cloudless skies after a good night's rest. We hauled our backpacks and sleds laden with supplies up to 10,000', just shy of "The Corner" below Kahiltna Pass. After digging a deep hole in which to cache our gear, we returned back to our camp at the base of Ski Hill, 7,800'.
We returned to camp in the afternoon after the six hour round trip with time to lounge before firing up the stoves for dinner. The plan for tomorrow is to pack up camp and move up to the 11,200' camp. We'll keep you posted.
May 26, 2017
When I awoke at the frigid hour of 5 am (temp -23F), I was greeted by a beautiful blue sky above Denali's summit. I layered up, got out of the tent, and fired up the stoves. By the time the stoves came to life, winds picked up and a cap had formed on the summit. It quickly grew in intensity and size, reaching all the way down to ~16,000'. We had hot drinks and breakfast and them retreated to the tents to stay warm as we monitored the situation. The weather continued to deteriorate and now we find ourselves once again at 14,000' Camp waiting for our shot. The forecast still looks favorable, and we have a few more days left to make it happen. We'll stay in touch...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Good evening from Camp 1. Gnarly day we had today folks, as we're currently waiting out a nasty wind storm. The morning went well, with our Sherpa team plus guides Robby and Elías making it to Camp 2, in the vicinity of 7,000m, breaking trail with more than a one foot of soft snow. Meanwhile the climbing team, under the directions of guide Knoff, made an acclimating stroll around Camp 1. Everyone is doing well, and the effects of the altitude at this elevation are barely noticeable now. We'll keep you posted on our upcoming plan.
Time to go rest now!
RMI Guide Elías de Martos and team.
A big thanks to everyone back home! All your wishes for good climbing weather were answered! We woke up at midnight after a deafening storm of rain and hail to perfectly clear skies and calm winds.
The ascent took us just over eight hours and we spent over 45 minutes on the summit enjoying some of the warmest, calmest, conditions I've experienced at 18,600'! After taking photos and celebrating, we descended in just over three hours. We are all now safely back in town enjoying showers, cervesas, and awaiting a delicious dinner at the Reyes Compound.
Tonight we are looking forward to a well deserved rest and then heading home tomorrow!
Thanks for following along,
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall
RMI Guide Mike Walter checked in. After a successful summit of Sharkfin Tower yesterday afternoon the team headed over to Sahale Mountain and reached the summit at 10:46am PT this morning.
At 2:02pm PT Mike Walter and Team reported that "All is well" and they are back in camp.
Hello, this is Elías and the Machu Picchu trekking team. First of all, we want to apologize for the lack of communication yesterday, but we were in such a narrow valley that our satellite phone wouldn’t pick up the signal. However, we had an awesome day crossing the Continental Divide, from the Pacific side to the Atlantic and dropping to an amazing valley, where we saw herds of llamas moving around. And we had awesome views of Nevado Salkantay, a 6,000+ meter peak, and amazing glaciers. Today we merged with the classic Inca Trail, where we are today. We are just camped here, perched on a terrace right above treeline, and it’s been an amazing day! We went from the dry Andean landscape to the rainforest we have just crossed, and we’re having an awesome time discovering this amazing land of the Inca. We’ll keep you posted tomorrow, as we have our second journey into the classic Inca Trail, and again, we have left behind the three days of incredible hiking up mountain passes in the Andes. That’s all for now! We’ll check in again tomorrow. Bye.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Elias de Andres Martos calls in from Machu Picchu.
It is often said that to be an expedition climber, you must learn patience. Today was an exercise in just that. Early this morning as we walked empty streets from the roadhouse to the K2 Hangar, clouds hung in what was once clear skies. On the southeast fork of the Kahiltna, those clouds would prevent pilots from landing at base camp. Still, we worked hard at packing for an early afternoon flight and as our departure time came and went, we spent the day training on the K2 front lawn. Knots were learned exhaustively, tents set up and tonight we will gather for another night of stories and laughter. Spirits are strong and tomorrow is another day!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
Wow! You guys are sure making progress. All that snow must have been scary. I hope the weather holds for you tomorrow. Keep up the good work. Stay safe.
Posted by: John and Lorraine Lorenc on 6/26/2011 at 6:22 pm
I am in awe of your bravery and strength! What a breathtaking photo. Can’t wait to see more pictures!!! Hugs from Clinton, NY Frank.
Posted by: Terri Erin on 6/26/2011 at 4:05 pm
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