Start the descent. Today we woke up to our old friend the wind. We realized that we were lucky with the weather the day before. The wind had picked up again and for a while we thought that we would be stuck at 17,000 for the day. At three o’clock we decided to make a break for it and packed up camp. Four hours later we pulled into 14,000’ Camp. It felt good to be lower on the mountain and after a solid dinner we all passed out.
This is Christina with the Torres del Paine Trek. We had another perfect day in Patagonia with winds, light rain, showers, hot sun and beautiful views around every corner. We walked up the Paine River today to the Dickson Hut where we got our first views of the towers and some tremendous views of the Dickson Glacier as it flows from the Patagonian ice cap to the river that we walk along. The group is enjoying the photo opportunities, great lunches and stimulating trail conversations about which political figure or popstar we would go backpacking with. This trip is truly about the landscape that we travel through. Even the best photographers could not capture the 360-degree panoramas with the crisp air and smell of lupine in the breeze. Truly a place to have the "see for yourself" to understand. Now we're off for hot showers, fresh bread, and a nice dinner.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
RMI Guide Christina Dale calls in from the Torres del Paine Trek.
Hello all,
Thankfully everyone easily survived our celebration dinner and made it home at a decent hour. Today was a rest day for us in Cheget and most of us took it easy. We mostly relaxed, packed up gear, and did a little exploring around the valley. We also went out to a nearby restaurant that has a trout pond where we watched locals fish and enjoyed a nice lunch.
Tomorrow is our travel day from the mountain to St. Petersburg, so we are off to bed as we have a very early departure.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
May 27, 2017 11:51 pm PST
Denali loves to tease. We poked our heads out early this morning to frigid temps and a big, dark cap above us. It was enough to quickly convince us to bury our heads back in our sleeping bags for a bit. At our next check though, the cap was thin, the sky clear, and things looking decidedly in our favor. We jumped out, endured the -30 temps' effects on our toes, and fired stoves for breakfast. The sun broke across camp and we were making moves to get ready to carry. We watched instead however as the cap built, winds started to blow along the West Buttress, and we weren't so sure. All across camp, folks had taken down tents, were packed and ready to walk, and leaned on snow walls staring uphill, exchanging doubts with their neighbors. In short order, we pulled the plug on our carry, other teams' tents went back up, and everyone settled in for another rest day. Such is the rhythm of Denali.
After a few rest days in a row, the tents aren't quite as inviting, the novelty having worn off. So we spent a few hours this afternoon looking at crevasse haul systems, and comparing, exchanging ideas and broadening our skills.
We're in the waiting game. We've got plenty of food and tonne, so we aren't in a rush. We're enjoying the beauty of where we are right now, sure that our chance will come soon.
RMI Guides Pete, Jess, Jenny, and Team
Hello, Amazing Mountaineers! So sorry that the only thing you have exercised the last few days is your patience. Hoping and praying for good weather. Pete, Jess and Jenny, we can’t thank you enough for keeping the team’s safety as your top priority. We are impressed with your creative efforts to keep boredom and impatience at bay. It seems you are all using this break to get to know one another and build comradery. I doubt you had much time for this the first part of the trip as you practically sprinted up to the 14 camp! Your meals sound good. Hope Mark didn’t whine too much about the lentil, kale and quinoa stew!
Rachel, is that you in the snow hole in the picture posted on May 20th?
Will the team ahead of you have to complete their summit and return to 14 or 17 before your team can start?
Sunday June 28th 10:22 pm PT
Once again, the weather was a little sloppy in the early hours, so we didn't get out of the tents until the civilized hour of 7AM. It was still pretty well socked in at 9,500 ft as we ate breakfast, but things seemed workable for moving up. We were on the go by 10:00 and in our new camp at 11,000 ft by 1PM. The clouds cleared from time to time, giving us some great views of the end of the West Buttress. Luckily, clouds hung in there enough to keep the sun off the final steeper hills into camp. We dug in and got settled in our new home. It is a relief, after building four camps in four days, to know that we'll get to stay in this one for a few days. The afternoon and evening were spent resting and sorting food and gear. If possible, we'll do a carry to 13,500 ft tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
It sure is refreshing to think of snow in the heat and humidity of DC. If you get chilly along the way just think of us to warm up. What do you folks do for fun while chilling at 11,000 after the day’s work is done? Peter, if you forget to plant that Swiss flag at the top and take a picture of it, plant it in an olive in a martini when you’re down safe. Cheers to all, Charlie
Posted by: Charlie Thomas on 6/30/2015 at 7:14 am
Kenny Cornett- good luck! Get to the top and be safe! Love ya- Rhonda, John, Meriden, and Morgan
First day on the Mountain! This morning we all met at the Roadhouse again for our “half- standard” breakfasts. The weather was looking good as we walked to Hudson Air to check in with Jay and the other pilots. We had separated and weighed our gear the day before, so when the pilots decided that it was time to fly, we loaded up the planes quickly. Before I knew it we were off and flying. Hudson Air has three full time pilots including Jay and we needed three flights for our group to get in; perfect.
The flight in and out of the Alaska Range is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. Once you clear the green taiga and forested foothills there is nothing but rock, ice and snow. I often describe the Alaska Range as a “mountain range with cake frosting”, because of the way the snow and ice blankets the entire range. Seeing the mountains from inside a Cessna is to be truly in awe of their grandeur.
Landing a Cessna on a glacier is always an adventure. There is something about an airplane with skis that is on one hand very cool, but also a little strange. After unloading the planes and waving good-bye to the pilots, we began to prep our packs and the sleds for the first leg of our journey.
One of the nicest things about climbing in Alaska is the amount of daylight that you get. So even after having a nice breakfast in town and flying into the range, we are able to start on our climb. It was great to get started as everyone in our group is very motivated and anxious to get going.
After a five and a half hour trek up the lower Kahiltna Glacier, we stopped in a camp site just below ‘Ski Hill’. We then made dinner and jumped into our tents before the cold Alaskan night took over.
We know you all must be disappointed about not getting to the Summit. But Denali’s conditions are notoriously unpredictable, and you met every challenge with immense courage, skill, and endurance. You should absolutely be proud of your resilience in the face of such harsh conditions. What’s clear from the daily blogs is that you will all return with incredible memories, lasting friendships, and valuable new skills for your next mountain challenges.
Posted by: Chris & Theresa Mizer on 6/5/2025 at 8:24 am
Monday, June 25, 2018 - 10:31 PM PT
We woke up early to clear, cold skies. Our mission was to carry a load of gear up to our next camp at 17,200 feet. We chose to leave early to avoid the heat wave that can occur on the fixes lines when the sun is hitting them. It seems weird that we are avoiding heat while climbing a giant mountain in Alaska, but the solar radiation bouncing off of all the white snow and other light color surfaces can heat you up something fierce!
Although the conditions were sometimes less than ideal with some deep snow and some blowing wind on the ridge, the Super Crew did fantastically! We are all pretty worn out after such a big day and deserve the rest day we are taking tomorrow. Send us some sunshine vibes so we can rest in warmth!
RMI Guide Mike Haugen & the Super Crew
Glo and team! Your lofty goal is now within reach. Hope weather cooperates and you reach summit soon. What an extreme adventure….so proud to know you!
-Mary Ann
Posted by: Mary Ann on 6/27/2018 at 9:39 am
Go Glo and Team! After you rest your weary bones for the next tackle. An arduous journey for sure and so strengthening. Congratulations on all of it. Love and good vibes for the summit.
The Four Day Summit Climb June 1 - 4, 2018 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. RMI Guides Mike Haugen and Zeb Blais led the teams and reported high winds at Camp Muir overnight that decreased enough for them to make their attempt. They reported good weather with increasing winds as they reached the upper mountain. The teams will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Today was a lot like yesterday. We were up at the crack of 10:30, and despite fine conditions where we were it was windy where we wanted to go. Again, we ate breakfast and watched for some sign of calming. We talked via radio to the three teams holding on at High Camp who confirmed that they were holding on. We bided our time, buffed out our snow camp and chatted with the guides and climbers of the only other group at Low Camp. We read, drank water, watched TV, napped, cut snow blocks and watched the sun collide with the stationary lenticular cloud in the western sky. Just like yesterday, it made for a chilly afternoon and evening. But a pretty one. Each time we came out of the cook tent or one of the sleeping tents, there was the temptation to just stare, slack-jawed, at Vinson’s immense rock wall, or Shinn’s delicate summit, or Epperly’s rarely traveled vertical gullies.
We’ll get our chance to go upstairs soon enough and we’ll be ready to make the most of it.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Following along! This is fascinating! Hi to Lindsay Z! You’re amazing, Woman! What an adventure!
Posted by: Jeanne Vrabel on 12/8/2017 at 6:26 am
Hang in there team! Your day is coming. As the old man said to his little girl, we didn’t come this far and work this hard to not climb the mountain. Rock on!
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Hello, Amazing Mountaineers! So sorry that the only thing you have exercised the last few days is your patience. Hoping and praying for good weather. Pete, Jess and Jenny, we can’t thank you enough for keeping the team’s safety as your top priority. We are impressed with your creative efforts to keep boredom and impatience at bay. It seems you are all using this break to get to know one another and build comradery. I doubt you had much time for this the first part of the trip as you practically sprinted up to the 14 camp! Your meals sound good. Hope Mark didn’t whine too much about the lentil, kale and quinoa stew!
Rachel, is that you in the snow hole in the picture posted on May 20th?
Will the team ahead of you have to complete their summit and return to 14 or 17 before your team can start?
Posted by: Sue Shoemaker on 5/28/2017 at 10:29 pm
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