Wednesday, June 20th - 8:18 pm PT
We woke to clouds and snow at 14K Camp today. We were hoping for clear weather to make a carry to 17K Camp; unfortunately, the winds up high prevented us from getting on the fixed lines. We eventually went for a walk up towards 15,000' to stretch our legs and lungs. The Team got a spectacular view of Genet Basin and the lower Kahiltna Glacier. We are back in camp now and continue to hang out at 14K. The forecast has been accurate for 17K and above but not so for 14K Camp. We'll need to see decreasing winds up high to make our move and if we don't get that in a few days the only option will be to descend.
RMI Guide Mike King
There's not much to report today. The team enjoyed a calm and warm rest day at base camp. Without much to sort or pack everyone occupied their time relaxing, reading, and hanging out in one of the large dome tents. Some laundry was washed and showers were enjoyed but really we are all eager to head up to Camp 1 and get the climb started.
RMI Guide Mike King
This is Chase and team checking in from the Sulphide Glacier! After three days of almost constant snowfall we finally enjoyed a bit of a break in the weather and even had a few hours of sun. About a foot of snow has fallen since our arrival but the training has continued as planned. Tomorrow we're going to venture higher up towards the pyramid and see if conditions are suitable for a summit attempt. We'll check in tomorrow afternoon!
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
We began the day with a "so long" to Cory, who headed off -as planned- to compete in a marathon down in Capetown. Then we set out from the delightful Plantation Lodge for our next Safari destination: Tarangire National Park. Along the way, we toured a traditional Maasai village, watching tribe members dance and build fire and asking a lot of questions along the way about how the Maasai are able to hang on to their traditional ways in a modern world. We entered Tarangire just after noon and within just a few minutes were seeing Impala, Zebra, and Wildebeest in numbers difficult to keep track of. We saw great elephants and giraffes in the immense park and a few lions here and there, but for certain the highlights came close to the end of the day when we saw seven lion cubs playing and napping together while their mom/babysitter lounged nearby. And that prepared us for the final sighting -a leopard napping in a tree with a freshly killed Impala stored in the crook of the same tree. He/she didn't pay much attention to us, but we payed plenty of attention to such a beautiful and formidable animal. A few short minutes later we drove into Balloon Camp, our safari hotel. Tonight we are back in tents, but more correctly they are tent-cabins and quite comfortable ones at that. The staff put on a fine barbecue for our team, out under the stars near the swimming pool. While dining, we could still hear nearby elephants trumpeting. Just one more day to go, hard to imagine though that it will surpass today.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
June 4, 2017
Excitement, nervousness and apprehension are some of the emotions running through the group right now as we try to relax and get some sleep before going for the summit in the morning.
The sky is clear, winds are light and it's warm right now as the sun is still shining at 9:30pm. The morning will be quite different though. Sub zero temps will make getting out of these tents hard at best.
No need for an alpine start here on Denali. We'll rise around 7:00-7:30am since we really don't need to stop get back to camp early like on normal alpine climbs.
The crew is ready, and so are we!
Wish us luck.
RMI Guides Brent, Christina and JT
June 2, 2017
This is Pete Van Deventer calling from Denali. It's been a long day, we have been on the move for a while. We left 17,000' Camp at about 10:50 this morning and have been on the move ever since. We went down through from the thin air up there to 14,000' Camp and saw Brent Okita and Tyler Jones there and then through 11,000' Camp and saw Jake Beren there. Now we are down in the thick, warm air of 9,600 feet the Base of Ski Hill. So we're going to stop here for the evening and eat some dinner and throw the tents up for a little bit and sleep for a few hours. Then we'll get back on the trail and get back to Base Camp for what we hope to be early morning flight 8 or 9 o'clock Saturday morning. With any luck will be back in Talkeetna before we know it. Everybody's been hanging in there really well, it's a lot of walking but the further we go down the better we all feel as they air gets thicker and temps warmer. The cold on the way in feels pretty balmy at this point after sitting what we have sat through and being as high as we have been. We're looking up at the sunshine on the summit of Denali and still lighting up the Orient Express and the Messnar Couloir some of the classic faces of the upper mountain above 14,000' and really couldn't imagine a more perfect setting than where we are right now. So, we will enjoy one more night on the Kahiltna Glacier and look forward to being in town soon.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer checks in from 9,600 ft on their descent.
Pree-vēt!
Things are good here at Garabashi Hut and the team is excited for tonight! We did a little prep for tomorrow by reviewing a few climb techniques and then rested the remainder of the day. Our cook, Dasha, has done a great job of filling our bellies with plenty of good ol' home cooked Russian food.
Everything is set and if the weather continues to hold we'll be up at 2:00 a.m. After a quick breakfast, we'll hop on the snowcat to give us a bump a little further up the mountain. It will shorten our climb a little and increase our chance of reaching the highest point in Europe.
That's all for now. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Greetings from the Pika!
Our trip started yesterday with a true alpine lesson; learning about weather Windows. Heavy rain in Talkeetna meant snow on the Range. Patience and trust in what's beyond our control (that being our K2 Aviation staff) delivered a landing opportunity in the only feasible hour of time frame possible all day. Close to dinner time, we found ourselves digging our campsite for the week. The day today came with plenty of snow, so we have been trying our best to remain dry. The now timid features around us, soon will come into full view, and we'll be able to tell you more. In the meantime, we're not in a bad place to enjoy good food, review some skills, and feel the magic of the Alaska Range.
RMI Guide Elías de Andres Martos and team.
June 2, 2016 - 9:41 p.m. PDT
Rest, relaxation, and ready! We have had a great first day at 14,200ft camp. We all enjoyed the great feeling of not having to be up early. The team rolled out of the sleeping bag only when the suns rays chased us to the cook house. A deluxe meal of breakfast burritos, coffee, and socializing. Full and happy most of us went back to our tent for relaxing. The afternoon was spent training for our travels up the headwall and on to the West Buttress proper. With a strong and healthy team, we are hoping to put a cache of food and fuel in above 16,000ft tomorrow, weather permitting. This will be one of the final stages of preparation before we try our summit push. Things are going well so far and we thank you all for your support, warm thought, and positive vibes. One day at a time!
RMI Guide Tyler Jones
Wow! First day at 14 and you already went up the fixed lines to get this photo from above camp! Go getters! ;)
You’re welcome to some warm air from Ashford—93 today and freezing levels are bumping up to 14k for a few days.
Schlax: Ask Tyler if he’ll let you climb Washburn’s Thumb. Word on the street is that it goes at something like v5.
Posted by: Eric Schafer on 6/3/2016 at 8:38 pm
Here are 3 quotes I found that I liked that relate to mountaineering. I’m hoping to give you some inspiration for the push ahead. Stay focused and safe.
Ongun sending you all my love and hugs :)
“Great things are done when men and mountains meet; ” William Blake
A few hours’ mountain climbing make of a rogue and a saint two fairly equal creatures. Tiredness is the shortest path to equality and fraternity — and sleep finally adds to them liberty.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human
“The world’s big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.”
― John Muir
What a great day on safari! The crew all rallied for an early start to Ngorongoro Crater. The weather started out a little cool but we didn't have any of the rain like yesterday. After stopping at a Masaai Village we dropped down to the crater floor. We hit the jackpot pretty quick when a huge pride of lions popped up out of a creek bed right by us. After that we got really close to some hippos and even caught a glimpse of the elusive black rhinoceros. All in all a really fantastic day.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Robby and Team—
Crossing my fingers for clear skies and a lull in the wind so you can keep moving up that mountain!
Rob, even in remote Alaska at 14,000’ , you made my birthday so special. Thank you <3
xoxoxo
SDV
Posted by: Sharon Del Vecchio on 6/21/2018 at 6:40 pm
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