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Posted by: Andy Bond, Grayson Swingle, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Wednesday, June 22, 2022 - 10:18 pm PT
Greetings from airy 11,000' Camp where the mountaineers flock like the salmon of Capistrano. Would you indulge us in settling this morning’s debate: is there a more superior cereal than Cinnamon Toast Crunch (CTC to those in the know). This writer thinks not and attributes todays stellar team performance to this fortifying breakfast enjoyed over laughter and the spirit of camaraderie that only six days of shared tents, suffering and toilet buckets can conjure.
Today’s adventure began with the famed Motorcycle Hill. We cruised harder than Harry and Floyd en route to Aspen. Squirrel Hill elevated us to new and exciting views as we caught our breath before crossing the polo field. No polo was played. And then of course the much anticipated windy corner, which was hot and windless. Overall a gain of over 3000 feet.
On the descent the heavens darkened and in recognition of the fervor and prowess of this team, released thunder that rolled and echoed off the surrounding ice. We have declared our team name: the thundercats. And like Thor wielding his hammer, the thundercats will brandish their ice axes on the upper mountain if the weather allows.
We have handed off the hula hoop to Hannah’s team at 14,000'. Kiira claims she cannot be beaten in a hula hoop contest. We beg to differ, and look forward to proving it in a couple short days when we return to 14k to claim our camp and our cache and our hula hoop title.
We are enjoying resting at camp tonight and have planned a spa day for tomorrow. The hot springs here are just divine.
RMI Climber Holly
Posted by: Brent Okita, Bryan Mazaika, Josh Geiser, Joey Manship, Erika Birkeland, Sam Marjerison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 10,080'
The Five Day Climb June 18 - 22 led by RMI Guides Brent Okita and Bryan Mazaika enjoyed the sunrise at Ingraham Flats and Muir Peak. Weather this morning was calm and sunny with a few small wind gusts. The teams were unable to climb due to route conditions. All climbers descended from Camp Muir just after 8 am en route to Paradise. They will return to Rainier BaseCamp in the early afternoon.
@Dilip my understanding is it is like early spring conditions and the avy conditions are risky.
Posted by: Ryan on 6/23/2022 at 6:28 am
Definitely a bit upsetting to see so many teams not make summit
Posted by: John on 6/22/2022 at 6:24 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Guide News Guide Grant
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Camp 1.
On The Map
Yo Mark -
Kim and John reporting in from the deck of the Tides Tavern in Gig Harbor! It’s been spectacular here the last couple of days - but we miss hanging out with you; well, maybe except for those two days in Gorek Shep.
Looks like you’ve settled in for the long haul - but hopefully you’re finding time for some golf!
Be safe, we’ll be following the team the next few weeks. Namaste.
J&K
Posted by: John Gilman on 4/23/2012 at 9:43 pm
Conrad and Dave H. you guys rock. if i had never seen the video of you guys climbing the Pacific Ocean wall in Yosemite, i never would have began to climb. Climbing has changed my life and i owe it all to you guys (along with Jimmy) Keep charging on, and be safe.
Posted by: Samuel Short on 4/23/2012 at 12:29 pm
We left Puerto Natales this morning and enjoyed a scenic drive into Torres del Paine National Park. Along the way we saw some guanacos, a wild cousin of the llama & alpaca. Some condors, rhea(emu/ostrich like) and flamingos. The Paine Massif was clouded over but lots of new snow blanketed the lower slopes. Our hike was approximately nine miles through rolling hills and fields. This part of the park is still on private property and is a decommissioned cattle & sheep ranch. There was some nice creek crossings and the views of the Paine river, emerald green from the glacial till meandered in and out. Camp is an old ranch house that now has a kitchen and dining room. The Team did well and enjoyed the sunny and at times windy afternoon to enjoy being out of the boots and telling stories, reading and a few naps. The salmon and rice accompanied by some Chilean wine made for a nice end to the first day of our trek. Tomorrow we’ll head to Lago Dickson.
Thanks for following along.
Glad to see you doing well. Nice way to ease in through ranch house and good wine!
Snow dissipating here in Taos.
Posted by: Lana & Jim on 2/8/2022 at 6:17 pm
Posted by: Eric Frank, Caleb Ladue
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Bolivia
Kim & Co. sorry the weather and conditions didn’t exactly cooperate. Still sounds like an AMAZING trip and I love the impromptu croquet…don’t be too concerned, but Lucky has found a suitor by the name of Hugo the Persian.
Xoxoxo Lora
Posted by: Lora on 5/31/2017 at 6:48 pm
RMI Guide JJ Justman checks in while the team prepares for Orizaba summit.
On The Map
Posted by: Mike King, Alex Halliday, Abby Westling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 20,310'
Update: Friday, June 11, 2021 - 9:47 pm PT
We woke to a clear and "warm" by 17K Camp standards morning and decided to get out in front of the inevitable hoard of climbers that would be attempting the summit today. With cold hands and toes warming up by the time we got to Denali Pass we kept breaking trail in spots and resting on what was the warmest and windless summit day I’ve been a part of. Some of the group had just a base layer and light weight gloves on at 19,500'. Everyone in the group, 9 climbers and 3 guides stood on top of the tallest peak in North America. We got some good views of the surrounding glacier and mountains. We even had 2 returning climbers who got turned around 2 years ago due to bad weather. Your loved ones will have all sorts of stories to share, know that they are safe in camp and taking care of themselves after an arduous 14-hour day. We will plan to descend to 14K Camp tomorrow and perhaps lower if the weather cooperates. While the objective we all set out 2 weeks ago has been accomplished, we still have a lot of terrain to navigate so we can get to the airstrip for flights on Sunday or Monday (weather permitting). Thanks for following along!
Friday, June 11, 2021 - 4:00 pm PT
We received word this afternoon from RMI Guide Mike King that his team was on the summit of Denali with 100% of their team members. We wish them a safe descent and a hearty congratulations for all their hardwork!
Way to go team!
Congratulations to all! Way to go, Huw!
Posted by: Traci Gentry on 6/14/2021 at 11:05 am
Mike King, Alex Halliday, Abby Westling
Thanks for getting your team and our son safely back to sea level, we enjoyed the daily Blog and was excited to hear that all the team members reach the summit safely, Thanks again.
Mom and Dad Fortier
Posted by: Robert Fortier on 6/13/2021 at 6:22 pm
I prefer Bawsman Toast Crunch…BTC in da Berry Please
Posted by: Donnie Rouse on 6/23/2022 at 1:45 pm
As far as cereal is concerned, there used to be a Cinnamon Toast Crunch / Golden Graham cereal that basically was Golden Grahams covered in the CTC dust(?) - sugar coating stuff. I can’t find it in stores any more but now you half to mix about 1/3 CTC to 2/3 Golden Grahams to get close to it. Cheers! Hope all of the feets are doing well!!
Posted by: Beth Heinonen on 6/23/2022 at 10:50 am
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