RMI's May 12th Denali Expedition led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier, Dan May and Lacie Smith have spent the last few days traveling to Talkeetna, Alaska, packing gear and weighing all the gear. They are now at the K2 Aviation hangar and getting ready to fly to the Kahiltna Glacier and get this expedition started.
Hey Dustin! All the best to you and your team!!!
I ll be following you and sending thoughts of blue skies , calm winds and strong legs and lungs!!!
Farmer Dave
After a soggy morning of pushing through wet brush in the forest we emerged into the open slopes of Boston Basin. Our team setup camp in a beautiful location at about 5,600' in Boston Basin. Grand views of the Boston Basin peaks and Johannesburg Mountain made for a beautiful sunset under mostly clear skies. A cloud layer has the valley socked in, but it is an overall perfect night higher up. Tomorrow we will be doing some training for the climb the following day. The team is in good spirits and generally happy to be surrounded by the rugged landscapes of the North Cascades.
RMI Guide Dustin Wittmier
May 10, 2017 - 9:12 pm PT
The forecast threatened an 80% chance of more snow but we woke to clear skies. This morning was busy with packing, digging and more packing for our move to Camp 1. We hauled our sleds out onto the main Kahiltna under a hard sun and played leapfrog with a German team. By 5 pm we were cooking dinner outside in great weather. The team suffered under the hot globe with grace and we are going to do it again tomorrow to Camp 2.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
Today we finally left the comforts of Aconcagua Base Camp for good, well at least for a little over a week. We moved to Camp 1 at 16,400' which is the first of three stops on our way to the summit. The team moved more fluidly today because they have had some time to acclimatize since our carry to the same elevation. We are all moved in now and awaiting RMI Guide Pepper Dee's world famous top ramen dinner!
Our plan is to carry supplies to 18,000' tomorrow, we hope the weather holds!
RMI Guide Ben Liken
Hello from Azau. The team is down to five as two left yesterday evening. The remaining teammates are having our last dinner together as I type this message.
Today the guys went for a horseback ride in the morning and then we all went to a 'catch your own' trout lunch. There may or may not have been beer drinking involved as well.
It has been a total blast of a trip and today was hilarious. We are all catching flights tomorrow and beginning our journeys back home.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
We all slept very well after our successful summit climb yesterday and didn't get up until 8:30 this morning. After casual breakfast and coffee we slowly packed camp all the while looking up at the astounding route we had just climbed. It was impossible to ignore to smiles and feeling of accomplishment throughout the group. Eventually, by about 11:30 we hoisted heavy packs again and began our descent to Base Camp. Late in the afternoon we arrived to popcorn, chips and guacamole, and black corn juice (very tasty). We shuffled gear around a bit and then sat down for dinner and Peruvian wine! Truly a celebration.
Tomorrow we will finish packing duffel bags for the mules and choose our horses for our ride back to Cashapampa and then on to Huaraz. Though our trip here is almost over everyone is already talking about the next adventure.
Thanks for staying with us throughout this incredible trip.
RMI Guide Geoff Schellens and the Alpamayo Team
Everyone, congratulations and enjoy the trip down. Please take pics of the farmboy on the horse. John, I hope your horse is nicer than your dad’s pony Tony. Love Tante
Posted by: Lisa Stenderup on 8/2/2015 at 2:37 pm
Glad to hear you all are safe and enjoyed your expedition. We cant wait to see you home!!! Love Angela, Liana, Avery, Bella and Buster Brown.
First off a big thanks to everybody and their good weather vibes for us down in Mexico. We were able to sneak one in on Orizaba today as the only climbers to stand on top. Beautiful day we were climbing in a very volatile weather situation, but we were able to move around and get to where we needed to be at just the right time, and were able to go stand on top. It was a wonderful day with a great crew. Thanks so much for sharing everybody with us and we look forward to seeing you all in the next day or two when we get home. Thanks so much.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
RMI Guide Jake Beren calls in after the team's successful Orizaba summit.
Congrats everyone!! Excelsior John. So happy for each of you. You were all in my thoughts all weekend. Jake, Christina, Alfredo sounds like you where champs finding a way through the weather.
Just a quick dispatch this morning. Everything is flowing smoothly and we're busy making progress. We pulled heavy loads to the base of ski hill yesterday in beautiful weather. It snowed a couple inches overnight and it's snowing lightly this morning, but the sun is poking through and we're gearing up to carry a load of gear up ski hill today. Gotta run, lots of work to do! I'll check back in upon our return to let you know how our day shakes out. Mike.
RMI Guide Mike Walter and team flew to Kahiltna Basecamp on Tuesday afternoon. They built camp and were taking in the views of their new surroundings. They spent the night at Base camp at 7,300'. Yesterday they started the work of climbing Denali, moving from Base Camp to the Base of Ski Hill, 7,800'. To get to Ski Hill the team descends 400' down Heart Break hill (aptly named) and travels over five miles to establish their next camp.
After morning gear checks, a commute to the trail head, and four and half hours of hiking we are settled into our camp at the toe of the Sulphide Glacier. The rain held off for most of the day, only spitting on us occasionally. Looking forward to a better forecast for tomorrow and a good day of training tomorrow.
RMI Guide Alex Halliday
Hello from Tanzania!
The last two members of our team have arrived in good spirits and with all their luggage. So, it's all systems go. A late dinner after a long flight was eagerly taken after their 24 hour flight from the States. Any residual stress from the day was completely eased out of the system by the exceptional South African wine Darren generously shared with Bill and me.
The rest of the group got here at different times today, with the Craig, Patti, and Joe arriving on the 4:00 AM flight. Mary, Shavran, and Liz arrivied from a nearby hotel just after lunch, having wisely chosen to arrive earlier to adjust to the time zone and relax a bit before the climb. It was great to catch up with my friend Craig, along with Joe and Patti today at breakfast and lunch. The later group joined us at the lunch table when they arrived, allowing us to get to know each other better. I think we have an exceptional group of individuals that will become a fun team in the days to come.
Once again I'm exited to be back in Tanzania. Stepping off the plane and breathing in the wonderful smells of this country bring back good memories. I'm constantly reminded that it's the people, as much as the mountain, that makes this such a special trip.
Tomorrow morning we get busy as we get together to discuss our upcoming climb of Kilimanjaro, including checking and organizing our gear.
Well, I should get some rest too. Good night for now.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Good luck and Godspeed!
Posted by: Matt Milford on 5/15/2024 at 8:06 am
Hey Dustin! All the best to you and your team!!!
I ll be following you and sending thoughts of blue skies , calm winds and strong legs and lungs!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 5/15/2024 at 3:45 am
View All Comments