McKinley Archived Dispatches - Click Here

July 14, 2008 :
Dave's team flew off of the mountain today and are celebrating in Talkeetna.

July 13, 2008 (1:15 p.m. PT):
We left 11,000' at 2:00a.m. and arrived at basecamp at 9:30 a.m. We set up tents once again due to bad weather. We have plenty of food and supplies and are waiting patiently until the weather permits us to fly off the mountain.

July 12, 2008 (1:12 p.m. PT):
We descended to 11,000' yesterday evening. Once it is cold tonight, we will continue our descent to the airstrip to be flown off tomorrow. The weather continues to be great with calm, blue skies. There are a few clouds on the glacier here at 11,000' but still very nice. Will check in tomorrow from Talkeetna if the weather cooperates.

July 11, 2008 SUMMIT! (11:35 a.m. PT):
Hi this is Dave calling from high camp on Mount McKinley. We made our summit attempt yesterday and had a very nice day. We reached the summit at 4:30 p.m. Alaska time and spent an hour on the top with nice weather and calm winds. We returned to our 17,000' around 9:00 p.m. Today we are planning to break camp and begin our descent. Depending on how everyone is feeling we will stay at the 14,000' or 11,000' camp tonight. We plan to continue our descent on Saturday and hope to be flown off the Kahiltna Glacier and back to Talkeetna on Sunday morning if all goes well and the weather cooperates.  See you soon!

July 9, 2008 (4:52 p.m. PT):
Hello, this is Dave on Mount McKinley. We moved from 14,000' to the 17,200' camp. We arrived here in good time at around 3 p.m. Everyone is doing well and we are hoping to make our summit attempt tomorrow. The weather up high looks nice with bright sunshine. There are clouds below us and it looks a little wet. We will check in again tomorrow, hopefully after our summit climb.

July 8, 2008 (1:44 p.m. PT):
Team is at 14,000' resting; all are well and healthy. Will move tomorrow up to 17,000'. Three inches of snow overnight. Today there are clear skies, no winds aloft, and good weather.

July 7, 2008 (3:26 p.m. PT):
We carried from 14,000' to 16,200' and returned to the 14,000' camp on a beautiful day. There are clouds below us but no wind and all blue skies above on the West Buttress. Everyone is doing well and we will check in tomorrow.

July 6, 2008 :
This is Dave [Hahn] sending greetings to everyone who’s following the progress of our party. Its 3:45 p.m. Alaska Time (24 hours daylight at this elevation) and we’re back in camp at 14,200’. Earlier today we made a back-carry to our cache at 13,700’ (on the uphill side of Windy Corner) and carried full loads up to here. We’re reunited with all of our food and supplies and preparing for a move up the West Buttress and onto the upper mountain. Tomorrow we will carry food and fuel to the top of the fixed rope at 16,200’, the crest of the Buttress. There, we’ll dig a cache, bury our supplies and descend to camp. Everyone is in high spirits and we’re enjoying blue sky, sunshine, and puffy (fair weather) clouds.

July 4, 2008 (4:33 p.m. PT):
Dave Hahn called on a sat phone from camp at 11,000’ on Mt McKinley Friday, July 4. The group is taking a rest day, having cached a load yesterday at 13,700’. Dave’s group plans to move camp to 14,000’ tomorrow. The climbers are all doing well and hope everyone has a great 4th of July.

July 3, 2008 (4:40 p.m. PT):
Dave's team carried to Windy Corner and cached some gear. They are hoping to move to 14,000' Camp on July 4th, weather permitting. Everyone in the group is doing well.

July 2, 2008 (voicemail 3:36 p.m. PT):
Hey Rainier Mountaineering this is Dave Hahn on Mt. McKinley. We are at 11,000' as is Peter Anderson's group. Safely at 11,000' today. Both teams moved up from 9,500'. Dave Conlan came by us last night. Should have made it to the airstrip this morning for pick up. Weather is continued good here. We expect to see John Race and Linden Mallory with their groups possibly tonight or tomorrow. We hope to do a carry up around Windy Corner tomorrow. That is all.

July 1, 2008 (4:40 p.m. PT):
We are now at 9,500'. The team is doing well and the weather is good. All for now.

June 30, 2008 :
We are at 8,000’ Camp I. We were able to (finally) move out of Base Camp and up-glacier. There is a remarkable amount of snow on the lower Kahiltna Glacier (which bodes well for airplane landing to pick up climbers at the end of the trip). The weather looked favorable toward the summit, so hopefully more RMI groups will be making their bid soon. We plan to carry loads to 9,500’ tomorrow and establish a cache.

June 29, 2008 (2:00 p.m. PT):
We are at basecamp. It has been snowing the past 3 days keeping us from moving up. We hope it might improve tomorrow and will keep you updated.

June 27, 2008 (2:30 p.m. PT):
The weather today is foggy and snowing lightly, so we're reviewing climbing techniques and just taking it easy around basecamp. Because of the 24-hour daylight we will move across the lower Kahiltna Glacier when temperatures are coolest; leaving camp sometime after midnight. We may choose to remain on this ‘reverse-schedule’ throughout the entire climb!

June 26, 2008 :
Dave Hahn's team flew on the mountain at 2:00 today.

June 25, 2008 :
The team will meet with the Park Service this morning.

Peter Anderson, June 25th Mount McKinley Expedition

July 12, 2008 (1:27 p.m.):
We woke up this morning at 2:00 a.m. and left our camp at the base of Ski Hill. We arrived at the airstrip just in time for the planes to pick us up. We are now back in Talkeetna. Tonight we shower and have dinner in celebration of our successful McKinley expedition!

July 10, 2008 (11:50 a.m.) SUMMIT!:
Hi this is Peter Anderson calling from 17,200'. We made our summit attempt yesterday and were 100% successful to the top.  The weather was nice with 15-20 mph winds and high clouds.  The climb took us 11 hours round trip. We are now back at 17,200' where we spent the night.  We will be leaving shortly to start our descent and plan to camp at 14,000' tonight.  We will check in again soon.

July 8, 2008 (11:50 a.m.):
We are at 17,200'. Weather was balmy and windy on way up, and it started to snow. Today is beautiful out, we are going to take a rest day and hope to summit tomorrow.

July 7, 2008 :
We moved to 17,000' today. The team did fantastic on the way up. We decided to carry all of our supplies up to the 17,000' camp instead of caching between 14,000' and 17,000'. We'll be in touch to let you know our summit bid plans.

July 6, 2008 (4:30 p.m. PT):
Peter Anderson here, telephoning from Advance Base Camp at 14,200’. Our group enjoyed an acclimatization day today, and took advantage of the terrific weather. We roped-up and hiked to the fabled ‘Edge of the World’ viewpoint, on the southern rim of Genet Basin. It was a great opportunity for photographs. Tomorrow it’s back to business, and we plan to load up and move to high camp at 17,300’. All is well and if the weather continues to cooperate we may be making our summit bid soon.

July 4, 2008 (4:32 p.m. PT):
Dave Hahn called to let us know that Peter Anderson’s expedition, who made a carry yesterday to Windy Corner (13,500’) and moved camp to 14,200’ today.

July 3, 2008 (4:40 p.m. PT):
Peter's and the team carried gear to Windy Corner today where they left their cache.  If weather permits they will move camp tomorrow to the 14,000' level.  Everyone in the group is doing well.

July 2, 2008 (voicemail 9:51 p.m.):
Hey RMI, family, friends, coworkers. It's Peter Anderson, Jason, Pete, Christian, Al, Lou, Jeff and Mike calling from 11,200' on good ol' Mount McKinley. Great day moving up from 9,500'. Team did awesome- a single carry. That means we brought all of our stuff all the way up to 11,200'. Lots of high clouds and winds. It's about 9:00 p.m. here and we are about to hit the sack for a good night's sleep. Temperatures are dropping fast and we are hoping to make a carry. Move some of our gear up to somewhere around Windy Corner tomorrow. We'll touch base later. Hope all of you are well. Thanks, bye.

Hi RMI, it's Peter Anderson checking in from McKinley at 7,800' at the base of Ski Hill. Pleasant surprise this morning to wake up to no new snow overnight. We were able to escape our prison at basecamp and start up the mountain. So Day 5 we're finally headed uphill and made it to the base of Ski Hill. Spectacular morning with alpenglow on the surrounding peaks and we just settled into our camp here. And now preparing for bedtime. We are on the night schedule so it is nice and cold while we're walking. All of the crevasse bridges have been nice and solid as a result. We are going to keep that up hopefully tomorrow and head up to 9,500'. Group is doing great and we are looking forward to more walking and dragging those heavy sleds uphill. Hope you guys are doing well too. I hear it is hot down there. We'll talk soon. Bye.

June 30, 2008 (relay from Dave Hahn):
We are at 8,000’ Camp I. We were able to (finally) move out of Base Camp and up-glacier. We plan to carry loads to 9,500’ tomorrow and establish a cache.

June 29, 2008 (relay from Dave Hahn):
We are at basecamp. It has been snowing the past 3 days keeping us from moving up. We hope it might improve tomorrow and will keep you updated.

June 27, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
They are staying in camp and training today.

June 26, 2008 :
Peter Anderson's team flew on the mountain at 1:00 today.

June 25, 2008 :
The team will meet with the Park Service this morning.

July 3, 2008:
Linden's group is continuing their descent today. They left their 11,000' camp this morning heading for base camp. They are hoping to fly off the mountain and back to Talkeetna tomorrow.

July 1, 2008 SUMMIT (relay from John Race's expedition at 11:15 p.m.):
Hey guys, this is Olivia. Just a quick message to let you know that we summitted. John Race's crew and Linden's crew both summitted 100%...(satellite call lost)

June 29, 2008 (2:17 p.m. PT):
Hello from 14,000'. We are taking a rest day today in order to fuel up for our climb to 17,000' tomorrow. The clouds and light snow that have been around us the past few days have subsided and we can see Mt. Hunter and Foraker poke up through the clouds in the distance. The team is strong and looking forward to climbing up to 17,000'.

June 28, 2008 (voicemail 6:09 p.m. PT):
This is Linden at 14,000'. We are resting today. We went out on a walk to the Edge of the World. Hope to move to 17,000' tomorrow given good conditions. All is well. The team is looking strong and we are enjoying ourselves up here.

June 27, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
Linden is carrying to 16,200' today.

June 26, 2008 :
We are at 14,000'. It has been a great trip so far. Our team is strong, which showed as we moved from 11,000' yesterday through new snow. We will back carry today to 13,500' and probably take a rest day tomorrow.

June 25, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
We are moving up from 11,000' to 14,000' tonight.

June 22, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
We ascended to 11,000’ today. Everyone on the team is doing well.

June 21, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
Linden and his team are at 7,800' and had a great full moon to walk in.

June 19, 2008 (12:30 p.m. PT)
Linden's team will be flying to the Kahiltna Base shortly. They are waiting for the fog to lift.

June 18, 2008 :
The team will meet with the Park Service this morning.

John Race, June 18th Mount McKinley Private Expedition

Hey guys, this is Olivia. Just a quick message to let you know that we summitted. John Race's crew and Linden's crew both summitted 100%...(satellite call lost)

June 29, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
John Race's team is at 14,000'.

June 28, 2008 (voicemail from Linden Mallory):
John Race's team did a carry today.

June 27, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
John Race moved to 14,000' yesterday, they don’t need to carry at this point. Will take a rest day today and tomorrow carry to 16,200'.

June 25, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
We took a cache to 14,000' today and are now back at 11,000’. We will move camp to 14,000' tomorrow.

June 22, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
We ascended to 11,000’ today. Everyone on the team is doing well.

June 21, 2008 (relay from Dave Conlan):
John's team reached 7,800' this morning. Everyone is fine.

June 19, 2008 (12:30 p.m. PT):
John's team will fly on the mountain after Linden's team.

July 3, 2008 :
We flew off of Mt. McKinley yesterday. Everyone is safe and headed to Anchorage.

July 2, 2008 (relay from Dave Hahn):
Dave Conlan came by us last night. Should have made it to the airstrip this morning for pick up.

Hey everyone it's Dave up at 14,000' on McKinley. We summitted yesterday. It was an 11-hour roundtrip. These guys were awesome. It was pretty good weather. A little cloudy but some good views. Anyway we are headed down. Hopefully we will be flying off the mountain tomorrow morning, which is Wednesday, the 2nd of July. Hope all is well.

Hey this is Dave. We are on the top of North America. Me, Pete and Miles and six climbers. There are six climbers on the team right now. Pretty calm, partly cloudy out to the north and the west with clouds and light snow to the south but a really, really nice day. It's cool and crisp and cold. It's 6 p.m. in the evening Alaska time. We're ready to go back down and hopefully see you guys in a few days. Talk to you soon. Take care. Bye.

June 29, 2008 (12:39 p.m. PT):
We are at 17,000' taking a rest day. There is a low pressure system and some blue skies. The weather up towards the summit looks nasty but we hope tomorrow brings an improvement as we will try for the summit then.

June 28, 2008 (voicemail from Linden Mallory):
Dave's team moved to 17,000' today.

June 27, 2008 (4:20 p.m. PT):
The weather is not cooperating yet, so we are spending another rest/acclimatization day at Advanced Base Camp in Genet Basin. We tried two days ago to reach high camp, but were turned around by high winds. This morning we packed up, preparing to move, but the weather closed in before we were out of camp. It’s currently snowing, but the low pressure system affecting us is weak and will hopefully be gone by tomorrow. The plan will be to once again pack up and prepare to move. Everyone in the party is well and keeping up their spirits. Waiting out weather seems to be the theme for the 2008 Denali season.

June 26, 2008 :
We took a rest day at 14,000'. It was still a little windy so we will try to move up to 17,000' tomorrow.

June 25, 2008 :
We tried to move to 17,000' today but it was too windy. We are back at 14,000' now and the team is in good spirits. We will try again tomorrow and through the weekend if weather permits.

June 24, 2008 (3:03 p.m. PST):
We took a weather day today. We received a foot of new snow overnight. Right now we are in a pocket of clear skies with a cloud layer above and below us. A new weather system is expected from the east and we are going to try to move to 17,000' tomorrow before the weather moves in. Everyone is doing well and we will check in soon.

June 22, 2008 :
We carried to 16,200’ today, the crest of the West Buttress, and everyone in the crew is strong. We plan to take a rest day on Monday, and then see if the weather will allow us to move camp to 17,000’.

June 21, 2008 (2:00 p.m. PT):
We are at 14,000’, taking a rest day. Yesterday we back-carried to our cache at 13,000' and tomorrow we plan to place a cache on top of the fixed rope at 16,200’. Everyone is doing well and enjoying our time in Alaska.

June 20, 2008 (4:46 p.m. PT):
Today we made a back carry to 13,500' to pick up our cache. There was a cloud layer around 12,000' and high winds on the summit. We will take a rest day Saturday and everyone is doing well.

June 19, 2008 (4:10 p.m. PT):
We reached our 14,000' camp today. The group is doing well and feeling strong.

June 17, 2008 (12:40 p.m. PT relay from Jon Shea):
Dave and his team are at 11,000'.

June 15, 2008 (12:40 p.m. PT):
RMI Guide Jon Shea reports that Dave Conlan's team is making a carry today up to approximately, 10,000' to cache some extra food and gear. They will return to their camp at 9,500' tonight. Tomorrow they plan to move camp to 11,000' if the team is ready.  The weather reports look clear for the next few days.

June 12, 2008 (12:45 p.m. PT):
Dave Conlan’s McKinley expedition team is flying into Kahiltna Base Camp today, on schedule.

June 11, 2008:
The team is in Talkeetna. After they meet with the National Park Service, they will begin packing for the expedition.

June 19, 2008 (4:10 p.m. PT):
We are passing through the 14,000' camp to 11,000'. Our goal is to stay there tonight and descend to basecamp tomorrow.

Hey RMI this is Jon Shea standing on top of Mount McKinley with 100% (of our team). Beautiful day walking up today, totally cloudless sky, very little wind and warm temps. Everybody is super psyched to be here.. (call dropped/end of message).

June 17, 2008 (3:00 p.m. PT):
We arrived at 17,000' yesterday and had a rest day today. It was windy last night but now clear and the wind has died down. Tomorrow we will make a summit attempt if the weather is nice. Stay tuned.

June 15, 2008 (12:40 p.m. PT) :
We are at 14,000' resting and acclimatizing before we make the push to our High Camp at 17,000'. Our plan is to move to 17,000' tomorrow. The weather forecast looks good for the next few days. Once we move camp we will access the weather and our team but our hope is to make a summit attempt a few days after establishing High Camp.

June 13, 2008 (4:15 p.m. PT) :
We took a rest day today at 14,000' and reviewed fixed lines, setting anchors and belays and rope travel. Tomorrow we plan to carry to 16,200' where we will leave a cache. Sunday will be a rest day and then we are planning to move to the 17,000' camp on Monday. The group is doing great and we will check in again soon.

June 11, 2008 (5:01 p.m. PT) :
Hey, Jon Shea calling from 14,000.  Just wanted to give you a heads up we moved up to 14,000'  today. Beautiful weather very low wind, almost no wind around Windy Corner.  Almost too hot up hear at 14,000, beautiful blue sky.   We plan to make a back carry tomorrow to 13,500' to pick up our cache. We will check in again soon.

Hey this is Jon calling from 11,000'; just wanted to give you guys an update. We carried up around Windy Corner today and cached at 13,500'. Back at camp feeling strong. Everything went great today; we had beautiful weather. Everyone looked and felt super strong so that was really encouraging. We are going to take a look at the weather tonight and talk to the crew. We will potentially move our camp to 14,000' tomorrow; weather depending and see how things shake down this evening. Just got word from Ben Mitchell that he summitted yesterday and not sure if he has been able to contact you guys or not. I did catch him on the radio last night. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Hope you guys are doing well and we will check in again soon. Alrighty. Bye-bye.

June 8, 2008 (4:25 p.m. PT) :
We moved up to 11,000' and the weather was beautiful. All is well. We plan on heading down to 10,200' on Monday to pick up our cache.

June 7, 2008 (relay from Brent Okita) :
Jon's team is carrying to 10,000' today and going back to the 7,800' camp.

Hey, it's Jon. Giving you guys a heads up. We are flying on right now. It's about 3:45 (p.m.) here in Talkeetna. We just got a window so we are going to sneak on tonight and stay at Basecamp to prep and maybe move on that schedule tomorrow. Will try to get an update via radio to the other teams on the mountain and we'll talk to you soon. Bye-bye.

June 5, 2008:
Hello this is Jon checking in from Talkeetna. Everything is going well. The weather looks good enough for us to fly onto the glacier this afternoon.

June 3, 2008:
Team to meet in Anchorage and drive to Talkeetna.

June 10, 2008 (11:00 a.m. PT):
Ben called at 11:00 a.m. this morning, from 17,000’ on McKinley and reported the entire party was able to reach the summit yesterday. The climb required 13 hours roundtrip from high camp. Everyone is doing well, after a good night’s sleep, and the group’s plan today is to have a big meal, re-hydrate, break camp and descend the West Buttress back to the 14,000’ level. They will check back after additional plans are firmed up.

June 9, 2008 (10:45 a.m. PT) SUMMIT DAY:
Hello from 17,000'. We had a good walk to the 17,000' camp yesterday. We are finishing breakfast and getting ready to go to the summit. The weather is perfect- blue skies and no wind. We should be walking by 11:00 a.m. (AKST). Will try to check in if we have the opportunity.

June 7, 2008 (1:27 p.m. PT):
We are resting at 14,000' today. Right now the team is working on building their igloo. The weather is clear and beautiful so we are going to take a hike to the "Edge of the World." If the weather is good tomorrow, we will move camp to 17,000'.

June 6, 2008 (3:11 p.m. PT):
We carried to the top of the fixed lines today. Not a breath of wind. We are back at 14,000' in and out of the clouds. We hope to move to the 17,000' camp tomorrow. The group is doing well. Message from team member Hugh, "Happy Birthday dad!"

June 5, 2008 (2:00 p.m. PT):
This is Ben checking in from 14,000’ on Denali. We are enjoying a well deserved rest day. It is snowing lightly with moderate temperatures. Yesterday, after we returned from our carry we established our camp a little more and starting building an igloo which has carried over to today. We are also planning to do some fixed rope training this afternoon. Yesterday evening we enjoyed a beautiful view of Mount Hunter from our camp. We will plan to carry tomorrow and cache some gear for our move to high camp.

June 4, 2008 (10:40 a.m. PT):
This is Ben checking in from 14,000’ on Denali. Two days ago we left a cache at 13,000’ and returned to spend the night in camp at 11,000’. Yesterday we climbed and established Camp IV at 14,000’; a long, tough, day. Our team is really strong, and everyone did a great job. Temperatures were in the single-digits overnight, but today it’s sunny and we are planning to back-carry and retrieve the cache at 13,000’. Tomorrow we may take a full rest-day, or, carry to 16,000’ and rest the next day. A lot will depend on the weather forecast. For now everyone is doing well and sends best wishes to everyone at home. We’ll call again soon.

June 1, 2008 (3:45 p.m. PT):
This is Ben checking in from our new campsite at 11,000’. After making a carry from Camp at 9,500’ yesterday and burying a cache, this morning we packed up and moved everything to here, Camp III. Everyone in the party is doing great, and we’re continuing to take advantage of the decent weather. The route from here climbs ‘Motorcycle Hill’ and traverses beneath the West Buttress toward Windy Corner (13,000’). We’ll see what the weather’s doing tomorrow, and may decide to carry a load up to the Corner. RMI groups led by Mike Walter, Olivia Cussen, and John Race came through our camp at 4:00 a.m. today, descending toward Base Camp in the 24-hour daylight. That’s all the news for now. We’ll be back in touch.

May 28, 2008 :
The group has gathered in Talkeetna, they will have a Team breakfast this a.m. and their NPS meeting this afternoon along with equipment checks, packing, etc.

June 9, 2008 :
Brent's expedition flew off the mountain yesterday and are on their way to Anchorage.

June 7, 2008 (10:30 a.m. PT) :
We are packing up and heading down to 11,000' today. Bluebird weather so it will be a nice descent. Group is doing well. The plan is to fly out tomorrow and we will check in from Talkeetna.

Hey, this is a message from the RMI Okita May 20th Expedition up here in Mt. McKinley. We are right now on the summit ridge heading to the summit. Unfortunately we've had about six days of pretty marginal weather and today we got up to Denali Pass in high winds. A number of folks decided that was about enough for them. Four of us continued on and things got a little better after that, thank goodness and hey we met with success. We plan on heading down to 11,000' tomorrow on Saturday and in fact if the weather gods cooperate for a change with us, we might be flying out on Sunday back to Talkeetna. Everyone is doing real well and again we are headed up to the summit here from the summit ridge in the next couple of minutes. I just thought I would give you an update on the good news after all this bad weather we've been having. We will try to give an update a little bit later on. Bye-bye.

June 5, 2008 (voicemail 8:52 p.m. PT) :
We attempted to summit today. Had a late start waiting for the weather to cooperate and the wind to die down. Everything was going great until around Denali Pass. We just couldn't keep our fingers and toes warm so we turned back. Will try again tomorrow with the weather forecast looking good. Hopefully tomorrow will be our lucky day. The team is all doing fine.

June 4, 2008 (3:30 p.m. PT) :
Brent checked in from the 17,000' camp. The group did make a summit attempt today but they turned back at Denali Pass in wind and snow. The weather forecast isn’t looking that great, but they have three days of food left and they’ll wait it out as long as possible. They’ll try for the summit again if/when the weather cooperates.

June 1, 2008 (8:30 p.m. PT) :
This is Brent Okita at 9:30 p.m. checking in on a gorgeous night from high camp at 17,300’ on Mount McKinley. We had a great day of climbing – 7 ½ hours from 14,000’ – and everyone in the group is doing really well. The weather forecast is good, and we might decide to go for the summit tomorrow (June 2). We will be checking back and let you know, one way or the other.

May 31, 2008 (6:37 p.m. voicemail) :

Hi this is Brent Okita from the May 20th Expedition, we are here at 14,000. We rested yesterday. We went up to the fixed ropes and put another cache up there today. So everyone is doing really well and we plan on moving up to 17,200 tomorrow. We just rendezvoused with the other teams, the three other teams, Mike Walter, John Race and Olivia (Cussen) Race. They are presently just about ready to leave 14,000' camp down to the 11,000' camp today to spend the night there and then hopefully walk out to base camp and get flown out to Talkeetna tomorrow. So that is the update from Mount McKinley here. And there you have it. Talk to you later. Bye

May 29, 2008 (11:58 a.m. PT relay from John Race) :
Brent's group moved to 14,000' yesterday and will do a back carry to 13,500' today. Group is doing well.

May 25, 2008 (voicemail 10:12 p.m. PT) :

Hi this is Brent Okita with the Denali Expedition here, May 20th Expedition and here's your update.   We just pulled in to 11,000' camp and everyone is doing really well. This is day four of our trip so we are right on schedule. The weather has been just a little squirrelly but good enough to climb in. So, everyone is looking forward to a nice day off tomorrow here before we make our cache up at 13,500 the next day. So again, update from the RMI/Okita Denali expedition. All is doing great. Everyone is doing super, fantastic. My best group I have ever had and we are in prime position. Ok, bye-bye.

May 22, 2008 :
Brent phoned from Talkeetna this morning to report his team is flying into Kahiltna Base on schedule. The group will stay at Base Camp tomorrow, brushing up on various climbing techniques and readying their backpacks and sleds. They will rope-up and leave BC Saturday, 5/24, to begin the long slog to Camp l at 8,300’. Brent reports decent weather (nice enough to fly, at any rate) and a great crew.

June 2, 2008 (10:45 a.m. PT) :
Olivia's group was picked up at the Kahiltna Base and flown to Talkeetna on Sunday evening. The group is in Talkeetna sorting gear and repacking for their trip to Anchorage and flights home.

May 31, 2008 (6:37 p.m. voicemail from Brent Okita) :
Hi this is Brent Okita from the May 20th Expedition, we are here at 14,000. We just rendezvoused with the other teams, the three other teams, Mike Walter, John Race and Olivia (Cussen) Race. They are presently just about ready to leave 14,000' camp down to the 11,000' camp today to spend the night there and then hopefully walk out to base camp and get flown out to Talkeetna tomorrow. So that is the update from Mount McKinley here. And there you have it. Talk to you later. Bye

May 31, 2008 (11:00 a.m.):
Hi, this is Olivia calling from 17,000’ on Denali. We’re back at high camp after a successful summit bid yesterday. In all, three RMI parties reached the top, braving occasional high wind and low temperatures. Guides Mike Walter and John Race also want to report successful summits. Everyone returned safely to high camp, and after rounds of hot drinks retired to the sleeping bags for much needed rest. Everyone is feeling well today, and the plan is for all three teams to descend the West Buttress and fixed line to ABC ( Advanced Base Camp) at 14,000’. After spending time at high camp and above, ABC will feel like the Tropics! Temperatures will be considerably warmer and the air much thicker. After retrieving our caches from 14,000’ each party will make their own decision concerning the descent to Kahiltna Base Camp, many miles away. It normally takes between 1 – 2 days to reach base, but (as on the ascent) it depends on the weather cooperating and the parties remaining strong and alert. That’s all to report for now, so until next time…

May 30, 2008 (11:41 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
All groups have descended from the summit back to 17,000' for the night. They will check in on Saturday.

May 30, 2008 (6:10 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
John Race reported at 5:10 p.m. Alaska Time, Olivia's Group was 200 feet below the summit. They had a very, very difficult day. It was very cold and windy. The groups will still have a big day ahead of them after leaving the summit. The weather was still holding but the winds were strong.

May 30, 2008 (12:00 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
Here's a quick update on our summit bid: My (Race) group and Olivia's group are at Denali Pass (18,200'). Mike's group is just below us. The weather is a little windy and sunny.

May 30, 2008 (9:05 a.m. PT relay from John Race):
All three groups (Walter, Cussen & Race) are going to the summit. The weather is sunny and no clouds. The snow is (finally) not blowing on the upper mountain. The 17,000' camp is emptying out with all groups headed up. Will try to check in throughout the day.

May 29, 2008 (9:34 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
Hey this is John Race it's about 9 p.m. (AKST) on May 29th. We just got the latest forecast and it sounds like Friday, May 30th is going to be our best opportunity and so Mike Walter's group, John Race's group and Olivia Cussen's group are all kind of planning to get up tomorrow and make a summit bid. If so we would be off about 9 or 10 a.m. Alaska time. And it should take about us about 12 hours round trip. We'll be sure to check in somewhere a long the road tomorrow. OK, bye.

May 29, 2008 (11:58 a.m. PT relay from John Race):
More of the same weather today- winds and lenticular clouds. All the groups have nice camps, which have been helpful waiting out these windy days. Some independent groups tried to summit yesterday but all are getting turned around at Denali Pass. The winds are knocking them off their feet. Forecast looks more promising for Friday and Saturday. We will keep in touch.

May 28, 2008 (11:50 a.m. PT relay from John Race):
We are now at 17,000'. We arrived last night, dug in and set up our camp. Late to bed (11:30 p.m.) so we slept in this morning. It was a frosty night. We are sitting in the tent, cooking some food and warming our feet right now.

May 26, 2008 (11:00 a.m. PT relay from John Race):
Olivia's group made a carry yesterday to 15,400' before turning around due to high winds.  Today the group will go to "the edge of the world" for an acclimatization hike.  It is a beautiful day with no wind, but high winds are back in the forecast the next several days.  The team is planning to stay at the 14,000' camp for the next few days to rest and acclimatize.  They are hoping for good weather after that to make their move to high camp.

Hi everybody. This is Manoj with Olivia's team on Denali. Calling in the update from the 14,000' camp for Saturday, May 24th. John Race's team and Mike Walter's team are also currently at the same level. We enjoyed a rest day today. We did some fixed rope training. We are looking forward to going up to the 16,200' level tomorrow to cache our gear if the weather permits. We are all in high spirits and in good health. Everybody in the group says hello to their loved ones back home who are sorely missed. A special hello for me is to my principal Mr. Bevins, Mrs. McKenna and to Ms. de la Fuentes 4th grade class. And my love to Sherry and Shabbah. Bye-bye.

May 24, 2008 (4:00 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
We are still at 14,200' waiting out the storm. The group is doing well and enjoying a rest day.

May 23, 2008 (7:01 p.m. PT voice mail from John Race):
Our group is at 14,200'. We did a back carry today from 13,500' after moving to 14,200' yesterday from 11,200'. All team members are doing well. Right now we are experiencing a bit of a windstorm that's forecasted to last well into Sunday. We got all of our food and fuel so we are just going to hang tight and rest. We have been on the move for eight days and so a rest day will be real nice. That's it. We'll be sure to check in over the weekend. We're planning on taking a rest day on Saturday and possibly carry to 16,200' on Sunday. OK, take care. Bye.

May 20, 2008 (7:10 p.m. PT voice mail from John Race):
Olivia's group is at 11,200, they moved there yesterday. Today they did a back carry to pick up a cache left at 10,200' Tomorrow they plan to make a carry to 13,500' and move the next day to 14,000' if all goes well.

May 18, 2008 (9:16 p.m. PT voice mail from Mike Walter):
Olivia's group is at 7,800'. Today they carried a cache up to 10,200' and tomorrow they plan to move to the 10,200 camp.

May 16, 2008 (12:44 p.m. PT):
Our team will fly on the mountain after John Race's team. The weather is clear up high and we look forward to fly on the mountain.

May 14, 2008:
Hi from Talkeetna. Everyone arrived safely and are excited to start the expedition. We are at the hangar packing in anticipation of flying on the mountain tomorrow.

May 13, 2008:
Team to meet in Anchorage and drive to Talkeetna.

June 2, 2008 (10:45 a.m. PT)
John's group was picked up at the Kahiltna Base and flown to Talkeetna on Sunday evening. The group is in Talkeetna sorting gear and repacking for their trip to Anchorage and flights home.

May 31, 2008 (6:37 p.m. voicemail from Brent Okita) :
Hi this is Brent Okita from the May 20th Expedition, we are here at 14,000. We just rendezvoused with the other teams, the three other teams, Mike Walter, John Race and Olivia (Cussen) Race. They are presently just about ready to leave 14,000' camp down to the 11,000' camp today to spend the night there and then hopefully walk out to base camp and get flown out to Talkeetna tomorrow. So that is the update from Mount McKinley here. And there you have it. Talk to you later. Bye

May 31, 2008 (10:00 a.m. relay from Olivia Cussen):
We’re back at high camp after a successful summit bid yesterday. In all, three RMI parties reached the top, braving occasional high wind and low temperatures. Guides Mike Walter and John Race also want to report successful summits. Everyone returned safely to high camp, and after rounds of hot drinks retired to the sleeping bags for much needed rest. Everyone is feeling well today, and the plan is for all three teams to descend the West Buttress and fixed line to ABC ( Advanced Base Camp) at 14,000’. After spending time at high camp and above, ABC will feel like the Tropics! Temperatures will be considerably warmer and the air much thicker. After retrieving our caches from 14,000’ each party will make their own decision concerning the descent to Kahiltna Base Camp, many miles away. It normally takes between 1 – 2 days to reach base, but (as on the ascent) it depends on the weather cooperating and the parties remaining strong and alert. That’s all to report for now, so until next time…

May 30, 2008 (11:41 p.m. PT):
All three groups are back at 17,000' for the night. We will check in on Saturday.

May 30, 2008 (6:10 p.m. PT):
Hey guys, this is John Race.  It is 5:10 (AKST) Curtis and I summited around 4:30.  Olivia's Group is 200 feet below the summit right now. It has been a very, very difficult day. It was very cold and windy. The groups still have a big day ahead of them after leaving the summit. The weather seems to be holding but the winds are strong.

May 30, 2008 (12:00 p.m. PT):
Here's a quick update on our summit bid: My group and Olivia's group are at Denali Pass (18,200'). Mike's group is just below us. The weather is a little windy and sunny.

May 30, 2008 (9:05 a.m. PT):
All three groups (Walter, Cussen & Race) are going to the summit. The weather is sunny and no clouds. The snow is (finally) not blowing on the upper mountain. The 17,000' camp is emptying out with all groups headed up. Will try to check in throughout the day.

May 29, 2008 (9:44 p.m. PT):

Click arrow to listen to John's Voicemail:

Hey this is John Race it's about 9 p.m. (AKST) on May 29th. We just got the latest forecast and it sounds like Friday, May 30th is going to be our best opportunity and so Mike Walter's group, John Race's group and Olivia Cussen's group are all kind of planning to get up tomorrow and make a summit bid. If so we would be off about 9 or 10 a.m. Alaska time. And it should take about us about 12 hours round trip. We'll be sure to check in somewhere a long the road tomorrow. OK, bye.

May 29, 2008 (11:58 a.m. PT):
More of the same weather today- winds and lenticular clouds. All the groups have nice camps, which have been helpful waiting out these windy days. Some independent groups tried to summit yesterday but all are getting turned around at Denali Pass. The winds are knocking them off their feet. Forecast looks more promising for Friday and Saturday. We will keep in touch.

May 28, 2008 (11:50 a.m. PT):
We are now at 17,000'. We arrived last night, dug in and set up our camp. Late to bed (11:30 p.m.) so we slept in this morning. It was a frosty night. We are sitting in the tent, cooking some food and warming our feet right now.

May 26, 2008 (11:00 a.m. PT):
Hi, this is John Race checking in from 14,000' on Mount McKinley. Our group made a carry yesterday to 15,400' before turning around due to high winds.  Today the group will go to "the edge of the world" for an acclimatization hike.  It is a beautiful day with no wind, but high winds are back in the forecast the next several days.  Our team is planning to stay at the 14,000' camp for the next few days to rest and acclimatize.  We are hoping for good weather after that to make our move to high camp.

May 24, 2008 (9:02 p.m. PT relay from Olivia Cussen's team member):
We enjoyed a rest day today. We did some fixed rope training. We are looking forward to going up to the 16,200' level tomorrow to cache our gear if the weather permits. We are all in high spirits and in good health. Everybody in the group says hello to their loved ones back home or are sorely missed.

May 24, 2008 (4:00 p.m. PT):
We are still at 14,200' waiting out the storm. The group is doing well and enjoying a rest day.

May 23, 2008 (7:01 p.m. PT voice mail):

Click arrow to listen to John's Voicemail:

Hello, this is John Race from RMI. It is Friday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m. (AKDT). Our group is at 14,200'. We did a back carry today from 13,500' after moving to 14,200' yesterday from 11,200'. Olivia Cussen's group is on the same schedule. All members of both groups are doing well. Right now we are experiencing a bit of a windstorm that's forecasted to last well into Sunday. We got all of our food and fuel so we are just going to hang tight and rest. We have been on the move for eight days and so a rest day will be real nice. That's it. We'll be sure to check in over the weekend. We're planning on taking a rest day on Saturday and possibly carry to 16,200' on Sunday. OK, take care. Bye.

May 20, 2008 (voice mail 7:10 p.m. PT voice mail):

Click arrow to listen to John's Voicemail:

Hello this is John Race, it's Tuesday May 20th at about 6:10 p.m. Alaska time, just calling to check in. Our group is at 11,200', we moved here yesterday from 7,800' and then today we did a back carry and picked up a cache we had at 10,200. Our plan tomorrow is to carry to 13,500'  then if all goes well move to 14,00 the next day. And, right now it's snowing lightly and in general we have had really, really nice weather. Olivia Cussen's group is on almost the identical schedule, they are here as well. And both groups are getting ready to have a nice dinner and we are hoping to play some cards after dinner. But all is well, talk to you soon.

May 18, 2008 (9:16 p.m. PT voice mail from Mike Walter):
John's group is at 7,800'. Today they carried a cache up to 10,200' and tomorrow they plan to move to the 10,200 camp.

May 16, 2008 (12:44 p.m. PT relay from Olivia Cussen):
Our team will fly on the mountain starting in about 15 minutes.

May 14, 2008: (Relay from Olivia Cussen)
Everyone arrived safely and are excited to start the expedition. We are at the hangar packing in anticipation of flying on the mountain tomorrow.

May 13, 2008:
Team to meet in Anchorage and drive to Talkeetna.

---

Mike Walter, May 7th Mount McKinley Expedition

June 2, 2008 (10:45 a.m. PT)
Mike's group was picked up at the Kahiltna Base and flown to Talkeetna on Sunday evening. The group is in Talkeetna sorting gear and repacking for their trip to Anchorage and flights home.

May 31, 2008 (6:37 p.m. voicemail from Brent Okita) :
Hi this is Brent Okita from the May 20th Expedition, we are here at 14,000. We just rendezvoused with the other teams, the three other teams, Mike Walter, John Race and Olivia (Cussen) Race. They are presently just about ready to leave 14,000' camp down to the 11,000' camp today to spend the night there and then hopefully walk out to base camp and get flown out to Talkeetna tomorrow. So that is the update from Mount McKinley here. And there you have it. Talk to you later. Bye

May 31, 2008 (10:00 a.m. relay from Olivia Cussen):
We’re back at high camp after a successful summit bid yesterday. In all, three RMI parties reached the top, braving occasional high wind and low temperatures. Guides Mike Walter and John Race also want to report successful summits. Everyone returned safely to high camp, and after rounds of hot drinks retired to the sleeping bags for much needed rest. Everyone is feeling well today, and the plan is for all three teams to descend the West Buttress and fixed line to ABC ( Advanced Base Camp) at 14,000’. After spending time at high camp and above, ABC will feel like the Tropics! Temperatures will be considerably warmer and the air much thicker. After retrieving our caches from 14,000’ each party will make their own decision concerning the descent to Kahiltna Base Camp, many miles away. It normally takes between 1 – 2 days to reach base, but (as on the ascent) it depends on the weather cooperating and the parties remaining strong and alert. That’s all to report for now, so until next time…

May 30, 2008 (11:41 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
All groups have descended from the summit back to 17,000' for the night. They will check in on Saturday.

May 30, 2008 (6:10 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
John Race reported at 5:10 p.m. Alaska Time, Mike's Group was 200 feet below the summit. They had a very, very difficult day. It was very cold and windy. The groups will still have a big day ahead of them after leaving the summit. The weather was still holding but the winds were strong.

May 30, 2008 (12:00 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
Here's a quick update on our summit bid: My (Race) group and Olivia's group are at Denali Pass (18,200'). Mike's group is just below us. The weather is a little windy and sunny.

May 30, 2008 (9:05 a.m. PT relay from John Race):
All three groups (Walter, Cussen & Race) are going to the summit. The weather is sunny and no clouds. The snow is (finally) not blowing on the upper mountain. The 17,000' camp is emptying out with all groups headed up. Will try to check in throughout the day.

May 29, 2008 (9:34 p.m. PT relay from John Race):
Hey this is John Race it's about 9 p.m. (AKST) on May 29th. We just got the latest forecast and it sounds like Friday, May 30th is going to be our best opportunity and so Mike Walter's group, John Race's group and Olivia Cussen's group are all kind of planning to get up tomorrow and make a summit bid. If so we would be off about 9 or 10 a.m. Alaska time. And it should take about us about 12 hours round trip. We'll be sure to check in somewhere a long the road tomorrow. OK, bye.

May 29, 2008 (11:58 a.m. PT relay from John Race):
More of the same weather today- winds and lenticular clouds. All the groups have nice camps, which have been helpful waiting out these windy days. Some independent groups tried to summit yesterday but all are getting turned around at Denali Pass. The winds are knocking them off their feet. Forecast looks more promising for Friday and Saturday. We will keep in touch.

May 28, 2008 (8:00 p.m. PT voicemail) :

Click arrow to listen to Mike's Voicemail:

Hi guys, it's Mike Walter calling in on Wednesday, May 28th, from 17000-foot camp on Denali. We're taking a rest/weather day again. Winds are blowing 60+ mph through Denali Pass and we're hanging tight ready for the winds to subside to give the summit a go. So we will give you guys a shout tomorrow and see how the winds treat us.

May 28, 2008 (11:50 a.m. PT relay from John Race) :
We  arrived at 17,000' feet yesterday. The group is strong and awaiting our summit bid. We are watching the weather and will check in soon.

May 26, 2008 (11:00 a.m. PT update from John Race) :
Mike's team is moving to 17,000' today. The winds have dissipated and it's a beautiful day.

May 24, 2008 (7:26 p.m. voicemail)

Click arrow to listen to Mike's Voicemail:

Hi guys. This is Mike Walter calling from 14,000' on Denali, Saturday, May 24th. We are all doing well. We are hunkered down in a big windstorm going on here. Up at 17,000' and above the winds are 70 - 100 mph. Down here they are 30 - 40 mph with gusts at 60. But we are all doing well hunkered down. Hoping to see if this wind will blow out and we'll get a shot to go up but we'll see how that works out with our trip supplies. JR and Olivia came up here on the 22nd and they back carried from 13,500' yesterday, the 23rd. Both JR and Olivia's groups and my group are doing well up here at 14,000' hunkered down in the wind! Hope all's well in Washington and talk to you guys soon. See ya.

May 22, 2008 :
Mike checked in from 14,000’ in mid-morning: Everyone is doing well, although the weather is a bit unsettled and the group will remain in camp today. There are high winds aloft, blowing an estimated 70 mph at 17,000’ (site of the final camp). It’s prudent to wait out weather at the 14,000’ level, as opposed to pushing up into the storm. Everyone will reap the benefits of increased acclimatization living at 14,000’, which will pay off dividends when conditions improve up high. Yesterday the party carried to 16,200’ and cached a supply of food and fuel. The plan is to ride out the forecasted wind storm at 14,000’ and hopefully move camp in 2 – 3 days to 17,000’. All is well and Mike will follow up with additional progress reports.

May 20, 2008: (2:33 p.m. PT)
Mike reports that his team is doing great.  They are resting today (Day 13) at 14,000' and preparing to move camp.  They made a carry yesterday to the top of the fixed line at 16,200'.  They are planning to move to High Camp (17,000') tomorrow.  The weather forecast shows high winds on Friday, so they will see how things go tomorrow with their move and then form a plan for their summit attempt.  Everyone is doing well.  They are hoping for good weather and will check in again soon.

May 18, 2008: (9:17 p.m. PT)

Click arrow to listen to Mike's Voicemail:

Hey guys it's Mike Walter Sunday evening 8 o'clock Alaska time just updating you guys with what's going on up here. Don't know if you got last nights dispatch from John but we, my team moved from 11,000' to the 14,000' camp yesterday. Everyone is doing great. Today we back carried from windy corner and are at 14,000' still, hoping to carry a cache up to the top of the fixed ropes tomorrow.
John Lucia's group attempted the summit again yesterday and got to 19,200' before they had to turn around. And, they're currently at 11,000' heading for the airstrip so they are on their way out and doing well.
And, talked to JR and Olivia they are at 7,800'. And today they carried a cache up to 10,200' an tomorrow they plan to move to 10,200'. And, that's about it. Everything is perfect up here, beautiful weather a little bit of low pressure moving in this week. But all is well on Denali. I hope all is well in Ashford. Talk to you guys soon. See ya.

May 16, 2008: (2:45 p.m. PT from John Lucia)
Mike and his team are hoping to make a carry today to 14,000' and return to 11,000'. The weather at their elevation doesn't appear to be very clear. So it's possibly they are taking a rest day and may carry tomorrow. We will talk with them via radio this evening and keep you posted.

May 15, 2008: (12:58 p.m. PT from John Lucia)
Mike and his team made it to 11,000' yesterday. The team is doing well and glad to be moving up the mountain.

May 14, 2008: (1:12 a.m. PT voicemail from John Lucia)
I talked to Mike Walter tonight. He has been stuck at 9,600' for the last three days. Will try to move to 11,000' tomorrow.

May 10, 2008: (9:57 p.m. PT voicemail from John Lucia)
I talked to Mike Walter and have an update. He moved to 9,800' and is plugging along strong. Plans to move to 11,000' tomorrow.

May 9, 2008: (9:23 p.m. PT voicemail from John Lucia)
Hey guys. This is John. I just talked to Mike Walter and have an update on him. With all of the squirrelly weather on Thursday, they ended up getting into Basecamp late. They stayed there last night and today moved up to the base of Ski Hill (about 8,000'). They will spend the night and move up to around 9,000' tomorrow if all goes well. They are all doing well.

May 7, 2008:
We have all arrived safe and sound and are spending a busy day in Talkeetna. After our breakfast get-together we attended the National Park Service ‘climber orientation’ then wandered to the airplane hangar at Hudson Air Service where our equipment is stored. We’re readying our personal climbing gear, pitching tents, running stoves, and flagging wands (route markers). Tonight we’ll have a dinner meeting. The group looks fit and everyone is anxious to begin the ascent, hopefully tomorrow. The weather is beautiful today and we hope to fly on as scheduled Thursday.

May 6, 2008:
Team to meet in Anchorage and drive to Talkeetna.

---

John Lucia, April 30th Mount McKinley Expedition

May 20, 2008 (11:15 a.m. PT voicemail):
John Lucia phoned from Talkeetna today. The party was flown off the mountain yesterday evening and spent the night in Talkeetna. What to do first is always a pleasant dilemma upon the sudden return to the comforts of civilization: grab a shower, eat some real food, enjoy a beverage of choice, or use the facilities of a real bathroom?! (A shower usually wins). Although the climb came up a bit short of the summit (19,200’) the group was successful in terms of everyone coming back safe and sound. Today they’re drying the tents and ropes and will soon be heading toward the airport in Anchorage and flying home.

May 18, 2008 (9:18 p.m. PT voicemail from Mike Walter):
John Lucia's group attempted the summit again yesterday (Saturday) and got to 19,200' before they had to turn around. And, they're currently at 11,000' heading for the airstrip so they are on their way out and doing well.

May 18, 2008:
John's team made a second summit attempt yesterday. The group reached approximately 19,200' before turning around. They spent last night at their 17,000' camp. Today the group plans to descend to 14,000' or lower.

May 16, 2008 (2:45 p.m. PT):
Hello, this is John checking in from Mount McKinley. We started our summit attempt today but turned back just below Denali Pass due to cold temperatures and high winds. We are now back our 17,000' camp and we will stay here tonight and see if the weather changes. If it looks good tomorrow we may make another attempt. We will check in again tomorrow.

May 15, 2008 (12:58 p.m. PT):
The weather permitted today... just a little bit late. We are enjoying the sun today and if the weather stays good, we'll go for the summit in the morning. The team is feeling strong and looking forward to a summit bid tomorrow.

May 14, 2008 :
Our team is at 17,000’ high camp. The weather is still unsettled, but hopefully we’ll get a break. It was a long, hard, 9 hour push from 14,000’ up to here. We are digging snow blocks and building walls around our tent camp today (to block the wind). Our plan is to go for the summit as soon as weather permits. Stay tuned…

May 12, 2008 (voicemail 5:51 p.m. PT):
Hi this is John, checking in from Mt. McKinley. We’ve spent the day at 14,000’ watching it snow. If the weather forecast is correct we may be watching it for a while longer. Everyone is doing great and we will check in again soon.

May 11, 2008 (12:05 p.m. PT):
We have decided to stay at 14,000'. We have nice weather right now but the weather forecast is for a possible storm starting this afternoon. We'll check in as soon as we can to let you know if we will be here at 14,000' for a while waiting out the storm.

May 10, 2008 (9:59 p.m. PT voicemail):
Hey guys. This is John. It is Saturday and what we did today was we carried a load of food and fuel that could last us a good six days up high. We carried that to about 16,200'. The group is pretty excited about that so we are looking at maybe moving to 17,000' tomorrow if the weather goes well. The forecast is a little squirrelly but from what we can see here it sure looks nice so if things stay nice, we'll probably move up. Hopefully tomorrow we'll call you from 17,000'. We'll see how that goes. All right, bye.

May 9, 2008 (12:36 p.m.):
Hey, this is John. Today we had a rest day at camp and went over some skills- running belays, axe arrest and fixed line travel. Everyone is strong and enjoying the nice weather. Will check in tomorrow after we do a carry to 16,200'. Bye for now.

May 8, 2008 (voicemail 9:39 p.m.):

Click arrow to listen to John's Voicemail:

Hey guys this is John just giving you an update it's Thursday night. Today we ran down from 14,000 and grabbed the cache we had down at 13,500' and then we just came back and hung around camp. I think we are going to rest everybody tomorrow and then maybe Saturday make another push to carry things to 16,200' or better. Weather has been pretty good, it's been really nice and relatively warm for this time of year, so that is good. Everybody is hanging in there. We will give you a call tomorrow on our rest day and tell you our plans. All right, bye.

May 7, 2008 (voicemail 9:53 p.m.): Team member Jeff Karpel transmitted this dispatch report:

Click arrow to listen to Jeff's Voicemail:

Hello this is Jeff Karpel from Mount McKinley calling in just to report that we made it 14,000' camp today. It's very cold up here. And, we have with us Mark, Geir and Kurt which is the four of us that are still hoofing it. Tomorrow we anticipate going back down to 13,000' to pick up the cache that we left down there yesterday. And then come back up here, and then we'll probably rest for a day and then move up to 17,000'. We'll move a cache up to between 16 and 17,000'. This is much more difficult than I had imagined. So, I want to say hello to certainly Liz and the kids and I look very forward to being back home and in Missouri hiking in the Ozarks. And, I want to say hello to all my friends who supported me in doing this as well. And I can't wait to be partying with you again soon. Thank you very much, take care see, you guys later. Bye.

May 5, 2008 (voicemail 9:57 p.m.): Team member Kurt Hunter transmitted this dispatch report:

This is Kurt Hunter at 8:50P Alaska Daylight Time reporting from our 11,000’ camp on Mt McKinley.  Today we retrieved our cache which was buried at 9,000’ and returned to camp at 11,000’.  The weather was not cooperative, but we managed.  It was generally stormy, with blowing snow and wind.  It was also quite cold, but movement helped remedy the chill.  No matter - we wouldn’t want to use up the good weather while we’re low on the mountain; we’ll save the nice weather for high camp and summit day!  Tomorrow’s plan is to carry a load of supplies through Windy Corner (13,200’) and cache near the 14,000’ level.  We’ll evaluate the weather and report our progress at a later time.  We’re all doing well and enjoying our time on Denali.  Finally, I want to send my love to Leslie, Stuart, Seth, and all family and friends.

May 4, 2008: (voicemail 5:34 p.m. PT)

Click arrow to listen to John's Voicemail:

Hey guys this is John just calling with an update it is Sunday afternoon. Today we just rested here at 11,000' pretty good, warm, high overcast weather. Yesterday we moved from 9 up here to 11 and it was snowy and windy and kind of white. But everybody did well. Tomorrow our plan is to run down and grab a cache that we left behind at 9,000' and hopefully the weather holds so we can do that. So, yeah, all is well here and I guess we'll check in again tomorrow after our carry. All right, talk to you later.

May 2, 2008: (voicemail 9:57 p.m.)
Our group moved to 9,000' today. We are currently sitting and watching it snow but we had a good day for travel with good weather and warm temperatures. Tomorrow we will either move up to the 11,000' camp or make a carry to 11,000'. We will see how everyone is feeling and how the weather is. We will check in again soon.

May 2, 2008:
RMI Senior Guide John Lucia checked in at 10:00A this morning. The group was able to fly onto the mountain yesterday, as scheduled. After establishing Base Camp they decided to head out onto the route and begin their ascent. The rope teams moved down-glacier from the 7,300’ landing site on the SE Fork Kahiltna Glacier to approximately 6,400’ on the main Kahiltna, where the route turns north. They ascended to approximately 7,400’ where Camp I was established, and spent the night. This morning they reported cloudy skies and great climbing conditions, typical for May. The plan for today is to move everything up and establish Camp ll somewhere around the 8,700’ level. Everyone in the group is doing well.

April 30, 2008:
The team has all arrived in Talkeetna. They met with the Park Service today and are busy packing in anticipation of flying on the mountain, which could be as early as tomorrow.

April 29, 2008 :
Team to meet in Anchorage and drive to Talkeetna.

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