Entries By avery parrinello
June 26, 2017
Well we didn't go for our carry after all. Even though we were up early and the day was beautiful. Over breakfast the decision was made to take a rest day instead. All are well, but we've been climbing hard and we are still relatively new to
14,000 ft... we'll bide our time. We did rope up and go for an enjoyable stroll to the "Edge of The World" to look straight down to the NE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and across to the West Rib of Denali. We posed for pictures and enjoyed the sunshine. The afternoon in camp was pretty peaceful -as we'd hoped would be the case. We chatted with teams descending the mountain and read our books and took our naps. At dinner, it was story night with each team member recounting some adventure, or misadventure for the group. Tomorrow we'll get back to climbing.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 26, 2017
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Hannah McGowan, Hannah Smith, Avery Parrinello
Categories:
Elevation: 14,000'
June 25, 2017
Our weather was just plain old "good" today. No winds, some high cloud and some low cloud, but no clouds that mattered. We were up at a leisurely 7:30. The sun came around about 9:30 (from behind the mountain) and we set out to retrieve our 13,500 ft cache at 10AM. It only took twenty easy minutes of downhill walking to reach it, but it was a full hour of climbing to get back up with loaded packs. So our workout was done by noon -the approach to the mountain is now complete with the team and the precious (and heavy) fuel and food all in place for the climb. In the afternoon, we reviewed techniques for climbing the "fixed rope" section between 15,000 and 16,000 ft. as well as working through methods for climbing along the exciting ridge to 17,200... our high camp. Dinner was relaxed and relatively comfortable in our dining facility. The team stood outside enjoying views and conversation right until the last warm rays quit as the sun ducked behind the
West Buttress. We'll look at carrying up onto the buttress tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 24, 2017 10:07 pm PST
We continue to enjoy better weather than we have a right to expect. The forecasts keep calling for snow, and I'm sure it was snowing somewhere -we got about .5 inches overnight at 11,000 ft, but when we peered outside this morning it just looked like good climbing weather. We were out of there by 8 and up our now familiar hills, Motorcycle and Squirrel, we had no trouble getting to Windy Corner by noon and then we passed our cache (yesterday's high point) and made for 14,200 ft. We pulled in at 2:30 for a respectable 6.5-hour journey. There was a fine place for tents right alongside our pals on
Mike Haugen's RMI trip. The afternoon was spent as a lot of ours seem to be, building camp and melting snow for water. Except now we are doing it in the legendary Genet Basin with the West Buttress and
Denali's gigantic South Peak looming over us. We built a fine dining area (a giant pit in the snow with snow benches and snow tables and our dining tent capping it) and then tested it out with a team dinner. Tomorrow should be a relatively easy day, just dropping down the short distance to our cache and bringing it all home to 14.2.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 23, 2017 10:00 pm PST
It didn't seem terribly cold this morning at 5:30, Around 17 F or so, which made it a little easier to get up and rally for "the carry". We got out on the trail by a quarter to eight. Finally we were wearing crampons and holding ice axes like mountain climbers (to this point it has been snowshoes and ski poles). The track was in great condition -well packed snow- due to the large number of teams that have passed through since the last storm. We cruised up the steep Motorcycle Hill, and navigated the squirrely Squirrel Hill and found ourselves in the Polo Field below the end of the
West Buttress before the sun caught us. Another hour brought us to a decidedly calm Windy Corner. We slipped around the corner, getting great views of Foraker, Hunter and finally Denali, in the process. We cached food and fuel at 13,500 ft -our target for the day- and had an easy walk back down to camp at 11K with relatively empty packs. It was exhilarating to be out of the deep valley at last and to be crossing ridges and turning corners with all the big views. But it was also nice to get back to our camp and to have a calm afternoon to rest after our labors. We ate dinner and made preparations for our big move up to 14K tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
June 22, 2017
Rope teams came and went in the early morning today, and we stayed comfy in bed. The guides were desperate for coffee by 8:30, but the sun and full breakfast didn't show up until after 9. Our rest day consisted of long, leisurely meals in the dining tent separated by naps and reading sessions. It was a fine and sunny day at 11K. We sorted loads for the carry tomorrow and
discussed climbing techniques. Each climber and guide prepared for the after-dinner poetry slam suggested by Anja. There were haikus and limericks, remembered verses and spontaneous rhymes... There was much laughter, some genuine applause and plenty of food for thought. And then there was the swirling cloud endless evening light show of Alaska. We're all excited to go climbing tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 21, 2017
It snowed a couple of inches overnight at 9500 ft but skies were clear by morning. A cool breeze kept us in bed for a little while, but we were on the trail by 9:30 and making slow and steady progress toward the head of the
Kahiltna Glacier. We could almost see all of its forty-seven mile length stretched out below us as we turned East at Kahiltna Pass. The cool breeze was nowhere to be found as we worked up steeper hills at midday. We made it into 11,000 ft Camp at 1 PM and were happy to see our friends on Mike Haugen's team. They kindly helped to shovel tent sites for us and gave us some "starter water" to make us feel at home. The day had turned out to be stunningly nice... Which is always a good thing on the solstice. We gazed in wonder at the bright clean angular chunks of glacier hanging all around us and at the formidable rock of the NW and West Buttresses. Camp went up smoothly and quickly and we crawled in the tents to beat the heat for a few hours. Evening was a social whirl as guides and climbers from all over the world had reunions and wished each other well as they went in opposite directions. We will take a much deserved rest day tomorrow and look forward to catching up on sleep, reading, and hydration.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 20, 2017
The alarm went off at 3 AM but we didn't leave camp until close to noon. Winds built as we ate breakfast and the thought of walking straight up into a cold and snowy down glacier breeze was unappealing. We did what we often do in such circumstances... We dragged our feet and waited to see which way the weather might trend. We got out our already packed sleeping bags and waited in the early morning shadows. When the sun came out, we were still waiting. By 11 things were not so different, but it wasn't nearly as cold. And so we packed up and made our move. As is normal, the glacier was in far better condition as we worked up
Ski Hill. We had just a handful of easy crevasses to cross before we reached the stable ice up at 9500 ft. We pulled into our unbuilt new home just before 4PM and got busy building. Clouds had built up below us, overtaking our last camp and by evening we were in light snow from the clouds just up glacier, but we still had great views of Mts Foraker and Hunter to our South. The team turned in at 8 PM. Higher and happier with each passing day.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 19, 2017 9:06 pm PST
Conditions were perfect at 1 AM for beginning an early morning transit of the
Kahiltna Glacier. Skies were clear and the snow surface was beginning to freeze good and hard -just the way we like it for traveling crevassed terrain with heavy packs and sleds. We got stoves going and began to dress for success. The team set out at precisely 4AM and marched down the SE Fork of the Kahiltna to its junction with the main glacier -we banged a right turn and started our climb. The glacier didn't have much good snow from the winter, so plenty of crevasses were exposed and needed crossing, but with the good freeze, the crossings were easy and uneventful. We saw ample evidence of climbers having come through in soggy, hot and heavy conditions, poking legs and bodies into the dark cold depths of the glacier. We took hourly rest breaks and accomplished our move in just under five hours total, pulling into 7800 ft just before 9. Then in calm sunshine, we set to work building camp. T
Tents went up and once all work was finished, we dove in for naps, escaping the ridiculously intense midday sun. By early evening it was tolerable outside once again and we met for dinner under the shelter of our dining tent. Forecasts for the day had called pretty definitively for new falling snow, but our reality was a pleasant summer day. We'll gladly take another day of this "storm".
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
June 18, 2017
It was overcast and gray in Talkeetna this morning when the team got in for a 7AM breakfast, but we were optimistic in any case. Things had brightened just a bit by the time we assembled in the K2 hangar, but the word was passed that fog on the glacier surface would keep planes out of
Basecamp initially. We drank coffee and fidgeted with our gear for a bit. Then we loaded the planes. Then we fidgeted a bit more. Then it was time to fly and we got our boots on. We hastily texted friends and loved ones as our two big beautiful De Havilland Otters taxied out to the runway. We were off! But then the fog came back over Basecamp and we did a u turn and landed in Talkeetna. We texted, we drank more coffee and then we loaded up for real. The flight in got markedly more dramatic and spectacular as we entered the Alaska Range. Before we knew it, we were setting down perfectly on skis on the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. There were about a hundred climbers assembled, ready to fly home and so it was a busy scene. We were very pleased to shake hands and give hugs to the two RMI teams finishing their adventures with Jake Beren and Tyler Jones. Then we set to building camp and reviewing safety procedures for travel on the lower glaciers. We'd stop every now and then to stare in wide eyed wonder at massive Mt Foraker and vertical Mt Hunter, towering over us. Dinner, some story telling and some packing completed our big day. We turned in at 8 PM with the sun nowhere remotely even close to the horizon. We'll get up early -weather permitting- and make our move in the cool of morning when the glacier surface is firmer and safer.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Yesterday we converged at baggage carousel #1 in the Anchorage airport... having come from far and wide to form our
Denali climbing team. A commute with Denali Overland and our driver Bill brought us into Talkeetna, Alaska by 9 PM. Today we got down to brass tacks and started preparing seriously to go on the mountain. It wasn't all drudgery as our first official team meeting was conducted over a fine Roadhouse breakfast with plenty of good hot coffee. Introductions were completed in time for our mandatory National Park Service Orientation Slideshow at the Talkeetna Ranger Station. We were reminded that it had been a tough season for weather on Denali, with only 30% of climbers making the summit so far. Indeed, we'd begun the day walking the streets in steady rain. By midday when we headed for the K2 Aviation hangar, things were beginning to look up. We conducted a thorough check of each climbers gear and clothing as big stretches of blue sky too over. We kept looking toward the Range as we went through sorting tents and ropes and food for the group, but the big peaks stayed well-disguised in the murk and cloud. By early evening the loads were in order and weighed for hefting into airplanes. The work done, we headed back into downtown Talkeetna for dinner at the bustling Twister Creek. It is high season for tourism in Alaska. We all relaxed a little and made final preparations for "getting on" in the morning. Getting on a plane, getting on a glacier, and getting on a climb.
With a little more improvement in the weather, we'll be on our way.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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Jim, You be the MAN! Onward and upward indeed. I’ll be toasting you- and missing you- at the Casino cocktail party this weekend. Meanwhile, a stiff Kraken rum drink awaits at the Martin Box. Your pal at sea level, Peter
Posted by: Peter Krogh on 6/28/2017 at 6:49 am
My jaw hit the ground when I looked up where you are my friend! Incredible to see the pictures and progress you and your team are making. Be safe and I’ll see ya back in Ohio!!!
Posted by: Gary O'Donnell on 6/27/2017 at 8:13 pm
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