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Posted by: Mike Walter, Taylor Bickford, Nikki Champion
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
Sunday, June 16, 2019 - 10:13 AM PT
We let the snow surface freeze up a bit after dinner and left camp at 9pm, headed up the Kahiltna Glacier with our backpacks and sleds loaded with food and supplies we'll need a we move higher. The traveling was efficient and the views were stunning as out team enjoyed beautiful pink alpenglow on Kahiltna Dome and Foraker, two neighboring giants that are dwarfed by Denali.
In three hours time we made it up to around 10,000' where we cache our gear in a hole dug deep into the snow. By 2 am, five hours after we started, we were back at our camp at the Base of Ski Hill and ready for bed.
This morning we slept in and will enjoy an extended egg and bacon brunch. Then we'll have some more resting in store as we will wait for the glacier to freeze up again in order move our camp to 11,200'.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
On The Map
Posted by: Steve Gately, Ben Ammon, James Bealer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,800'
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Wednesday, May 15, 2019 11:00 PM PST
After a good night's rest the team had early start and a quick breakfast before meeting at K2 Aviation to finalize our departure. Weather was looking great and by 8AM we started loading up the planes. Before we knew it we were airborne and on our way. A couple hours spent reorganizing gear at KIA (Kahiltna International Airport) and we donned the weight of a 22 day trip and took off down the Southeast Fork.
It's such a pleasure to be able to travel through this stretch of terrain with good visibility and weather. The Alaskan giants of Hunter and Foraker are staring you down and making the turn North up the Kahiltna glacier Denali slowly reveals itself.
The team did great handling the heavy weight and readjustment to life on the glacier. We are now camped at the base of a major feature known simply as "Ski Hill" at a popular interim camp at 7,800ft. Tomorrow we will bring a cache of gear to 9,600ft, bury it and return to 7,800ft. This will help get all of our food and equipment further up the hill without having to carry it all up at once. I didn't have to do much convincing! Thanks to everyone whose following along!
RMI Guide Steve Gately
On The Map
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
We all felt like this was a long approach to the trail head, what with the flying for two days and a bus ride the next, but well worth it. We finally hit the trail at noon today and were instantly swept into the beauty of the Patagonian landscape. Happily walking and talking we passed through forests of lenga trees, in the beach family, and through the golden grass lands. All the lakes and streams here are a different shade of turquoise based on which glaciers feed them.
After pulling into Seron Camp we had wine and cheese for appetizers, a stroll by the river, and an amazing dinner of salmon. All a little travel weary, we'll get good sleep tonight and be ready for more tomorrow. Everyone is doing really well and send their best to those following!
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Great Photos - lovely camp site- Keep trekking
Posted by: peter von Mertens on 2/7/2019 at 1:47 pm
I’m so glad to be able to
read about your adventure. Love seeing the photos !
(Hayley’s mom)
Posted by: Rita Christodoulou on 2/6/2019 at 5:27 am
Posted by: Mike King, JT Schmitt, Ben Ammon
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 9,700'
Friday, June 8, 2018 - 3:15 PM PT
The clouds cleared after dinner last night with expansive views of the lower Kahiltna Glacier. We were able to see the descending RMI Group after their successful summit and glean some route info. With the surrounding peaks providing the backdrop, we set off at 5:30 AM for 9700' on the glacier. The route ascends Ski Hill, think fun blue run at a resort. Our goal was to cache food and fuel to make the move to Camp 2 lighter. We took a lot of breaks to take pictures and not over do it after yesterday's heavy day.
We are all back in camp at 7800' drying our boots and enjoying the heat on the tents. The plan is to eat, sleep then move to 11,200' tomorrow. We'll take advantage of the cooler temps and leave before 5 AM. The route is in incredible shape with lots of snow and a well traveled route. The climb doesn't get easier but these first 5 days of getting in position to climb above 11,200' are tough on the hips, feet and shoulders. Still keeping our fingers crossed while we listen to bush planes fly overhead.
RMI Guide Mike King
On The Map
Following your climb as Scott’s mom is a life long friend. Scott I hear my son tell her baseball players “you have the best equipment money can by, you have the talent and are physically fit, s just .....hit the f——-g ball. I think you have all those things and more so jus climb the mountain. May your God be with each of you and keep you safe.
Glenda Bemis
,
Posted by: Glenda Bemis on 6/10/2018 at 4:38 pm
Climb on Scott!
Posted by: Chris Beaudette on 6/9/2018 at 10:56 am
We thought we were moving up to High Camp today. No dice. It was too windy up high. Although it was sunny and calm where we stood at Low Camp, we could see big streamers of snow jetting out from the ridge we wanted to be on. We packed up about halfway anyway and ate breakfast watching to see if things eased. Radio communications with the teams already at High Camp confirmed that it was miserable and cold up there and that they were just in hunker-down-and-wait mode. We did the same, without the misery. If anything, the wind got a little worse in the early afternoon, chasing snowy dust devils all the way to the base of the fixed ropes. We thought for a time that the wind might work on over to Low Camp, but we were spared. The afternoon did get a bit cold though when the sun ran into a high stationary cloud sitting west of the mountains. My team took it all in stride, retreating to books and sleeping bags for a second rest day. In other places, such winds wouldn’t be a big deal and you could push on through, but with the colder temperatures we deal with down here, there’d be too much chance of frostbite and hypothermia. We’ll wait for a better day.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello Mark Tucker checking in from the Ngorongoro Crater event. A little IT problem, but we're going to get that worked on in the morning. Just wanted to let you know that everybody's doing great. Had a wonderful day down in the crater. Saw thousands and thousands of animals up close and in person. It was a wonderful day; everybody had a gas and we're heading to Tarangire in the morning. We'll get you back in the loop on the dispatches. All is well here in Tanzania.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
RMI Guide Mark Tucker from the Ngorongoro Crater.
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Steve Gately, JM Gorum
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 14,200'
Saturday July 4th 11:00 pm PT
Our first morning at 14K camp was calm and easy. We slept in until the sun peaked over Denali's West Rib at 9:15 AM. We had a leisurely breakfast in our new POSH dining tent (stolen from Billy Nugent's RMI Team) and then we geared up for retrieving our cached food, fuel and equipment from 13,500 ft. That just took us about two hours, round trip, and then the team took it easy for the afternoon. Billy Nugent's team made the top yesterday and we were happy to share camp with them for a couple of hours as they passed through on their descent to 11,000 ft. After dinner, we had a short refresher training session on climbing fixed ropes as of course that is our next goal, to climb the fixed ropes to 16,200 ft. As usual, we'll need to see what the weather does... it started snowing again this afternoon.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Gary Ross/Team Hahn: USA Women win the World Cup 5-2….now its time for Team Hahn to go on strong and scale Denali in championship fashion!!!!!!!
Keep Charging…Score the big Goal!!!!!!!
Sherpa Executive Director
Posted by: Chip Sniffin on 7/5/2015 at 6:15 pm
Posted by: Solveig Waterfall, Chase Nelson
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 12,000'
Good evening everyone!
We are all nestled in here at the Altzomoni Hut, which is subsequently nestled between the summits of Popo and Ixta, just above the Paso de Cortez.
We started off the day with a buffet breakfast at the Mission Tlaxaca, the last in-town meal before the climb. After meeting our local guide Cato and going for an acclimatization hike up the first few hundred feet of the route to high camp, we returned to the hut for rewarding hot drinks and a chips and salsa fiesta!
The rest of the evening has been spent organizing gear, practicing with our crampons, harnesses, and learning to set up expedition tents. We are all excited to get up to camp tomorrow and get our eyes on the upper mountain!
Thanks for following along and we'll check in tomorrow night!
RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall and the Team
On The Map
congrats Will W. and team on a great climb, keep safe and enjoy!
Posted by: sherril jarosch on 2/18/2015 at 12:12 pm
Posted by: Billy Nugent, Katrina Bloemsma, Billy Haas
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Aconcagua
Hi all. Billy here with the last installment from our riveting series of blog posts documenting one of this year's RMI Aconcagua expeditions. We officially wrapped up our program last evening with an amazing dinner at Francesco Barbera complete with all of the pageantry you'd expect from a fine dining experience in Argentina: cocktails, wine, delicious handmade pastas, dessert, coffee. We deserved a little luxury after so much hard work in such a harsh environment and indeed there was much rejoicing. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the team for their patience, dedication, and hard work all along the way and to thank Katrina and Billy Haas for being exceptional guides and teammates the whole trip too.
I've had tons of fun and can't wait to come back next year...
Til then.
RMI Guide Billy Nugent
congrat’s to Billy, Katrina, and Billy Haas ! super job to all !
Posted by: Bill Nugent on 1/31/2015 at 2:58 pm
Posted by: Adam Knoff, Nick Hunt
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Ecuador
Greetings from the beautiful Eco Lodge of Tambopaxi, located inside of Cotopaxi National Park. We are all resting nicely despite our elevation being well above 12,000 feet. In the ten days we have been in Ecuador, eight of them have been spent living or climbing above 14,000 feet so despite this lodge being higher than any staffed tourist joint in the US, we are all feeling dandy. It is amazing how after three days away from civilization the internet can trump even a shower. But now that we all got our fix, 19,400-foot Cotopaxi is taking center stage in our heads and out the window.
It is quite a quick transition from mountain to mountain but the team's successful summit of Antisana, the first by any RMI team, is proving a strong motivator to push our tired legs upward one more time. Our legs won't be the only tired things because with the famous Cotopaxi hut closed for the time being, Tambopaxi sits a short 45 minutes away from the trail head, which in turn sits a short 45-minute hike from the mountain's normal starting point so our wake up call will casually be at 9:30pm. We expect a long night and day so resting now is crucial. We will be taking dinner in an hour then getting ready for our final mountain climb. We will report tomorrow with the outcome.
Wishing all of our families and friends the best. We miss you all and look forward to coming home soon.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
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Happy (belated) Father’s Day to all the Dads on the climb! Hope everyone is staying warm and having a blast—views sound amazing! Since you’re having all the brunch without the mimosas, we’ll be sure to have some ready for when you return. Wishing everyone a wonderful time! :) - Savannah
Posted by: Savannah on 6/17/2019 at 2:42 pm
Glad to hear the weather cooperated for you last night. Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads up there especially Eric. We love and miss you and are having fun watching your progress. Stay safe and have fun. Love, Jack Jack, Maya, Luke, and Jill
Posted by: Jill on 6/16/2019 at 3:47 pm
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