Entries By dominic cifelli

Thursday, June 24, 2021

It clouded up a bunch in the night, just as the forecast said it would. By 1 AM when we hoped to get up and climb, it was snowing and socked in, just like they said it would be.  We kept checking it for a few hours and it kept seeming wet and a little ugly -poor conditions for moving camp.  We stayed put and then conditions improved.  But we were already a little past what we’d calculated to be the optimal time of day for traversing the sometimes tricky lower glacier.  Then conditions improved considerably.,. Where we’d been led to believe that we’d have a snow/rain day to wait out, instead we had a “bluebird” beauty of a day -to rest- when we hadn’t really thought we needed a rest.  Oh well.  We slept, we read, we ate, we drank.  We went through our gear and supplies one more time, thinning out and weeding excess weight wherever possible.  We listened to a thousand giant avalanches.  We heard so many rocks fall off nearby Mt. Francis, that it was something of a surprise to come out for dinner and see her still standing.  We bided our time.  That forecast was still calling for cloud and sloppy weather at basecamp tonight… perhaps we’ll see that, but otherwise it looks perfect for moving this time when the cool hours roll around. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

At 2:30 this morning, things looked pretty optimal for moving on up the hill.  There were still clouds coming and going, but the glacier surface had frozen up nicely and there wasn’t much for wind.  We dressed up, ate, packed up and got moving by just after 5 AM.  Ski Hill needed climbing.  Definitely tougher terrain to move on than yesterday’s level stretches, but far fewer crevasses to deal with.  One hour took us halfway up, a second hour brought us to the flat at 9,000 ft and a final pull got the team onto the rolling plateau at 9,500 ft.  We were plotting out a new camp in the snow by 8:35, just before the sun hit the upper reaches of the Kahiltna Glacier.  It was pleasantly colder in our new home… just the way it should be.  We hope that any storms will now be snow rather than rain, but we shall see.  One is forecasted for tomorrow.  We may have to wait it out here, but our hope is to sneak up to 11,000 tomorrow morning before it hits.  We rested away the afternoon as the clouds built up.  Even with them we enjoyed some views far down the glacier.  Not quite to its terminus 44 miles away, but in the neighborhood for sure.  Dinner was devoured in our comfy dining tent on benches cut in the snow.  All are feeling good and pulling strong. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Monday, June 21, 2021 - 6:23 pm PT

This time the weather forecasts were off, but in our favor.  They predicted snow and showers overnight and we didn’t get them.  We were up at 1 AM and although there was a good bit of cloud around, it wasn’t low on the glacier and it wasn’t trapping the heat.  The snow at camp was still mushy, but we had high hopes that things would freeze to make for easier and safer travel conditions.  It takes a bit of work to knock down tents and get packed and moving that first time.  With a little breakfast on board, we were out of camp and walking by 3:40.  Our climb began with a downhill stretch.  We just got used to having snowshoes on and heavy sleds teathered to our packs as we trudged down the SE Fork to the main Kahiltna Glacier.  By then the first sunshine had found Mt Foraker’s northeastern hanging glaciers making for some fabulous color.  Once on the main glacier, the gentle uphill began -although very little of it felt gentle with our heavy loads.  The freeze had taken place, right on schedule, and the walking was as easy as it could be.  We moved around and across a few ugly crevasse bridges in our first hours, taking rest breaks every hour or so.   It was nice to be able to bump fists with JT Schmitt’s successful RMI team as we passed on the glacier. There were great views of Denali and the West Buttress for most of our journey but then the clouds started to roll in for real.  We pulled into our intended camp by about 9 AM and set to building tents, a kitchen/dining area and a latrine.  In other words -we did some digging in the snow.  The first snowflakes fell just as we were putting finishing touches on our new digs.  The real showers didn’t begin until we were well into nap time.  By the time we came out for dinner, the snow had quit but clouds were still obscuring our views.  We sat in our dining tent for a bit, but then turned in early, anticipating another alpine start for tomorrow. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sunday, June 20, 2021

Just like that… we woke up in Talkeetna and the clouds were gone.  We scrambled on over to the airstrip at 8 AM and started putting on the big mountain boots.  By a little after 9, we were up in the air in two glorious DeHaviland Otters… prop driven ski planes built in the 1950’s.  The Alaska Range was visible in full from the moment we cleared the Talkeetna tree tops.  Denali was spectacular and seemed bigger and steeper than in previous years.  We flew straight at the peak and then moved a little West as we crossed into the mountains.  Our K2 Aviation pilots eased the planes down on to the SE Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier at 7100 ft and we slid to a stop at basecamp.  A few minutes of shuffling and shuttling loads in mushy snow ensued.  We built our camp and got settled in before a day of light training and a review of glacier travel techniques.  As the day proceeded, we went from hot sunshine to cool overcast, but the clouds didn’t rob us of the magnificent views of impossibly big and steep mountainsides.  We watched a handful of ginormous avalanches drop off various surrounding mountains.  We capped the day with a burrito dinner and an early bedtime.  Our hope would be to get up in the night and climb in the cool part of the early morning tomorrow. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Saturday, June 19, 2021 - 11:00 pm PT

Today was about prepping and packing.  We got out to the airplane hangar early for a fine safety briefing by a National Park Service climbing ranger.  We then conducted gear checks and set about organizing and sorting personal equipment and group gear.  This took us through mid afternoon and culminated in a weigh-in with the K2 Aviation ramp crew -the folks responsible for loading and unloading the aircraft.  We were happy to be sheltered within the hangar as it rained off and on through much of the day.  The rain mellowed by the time we got into town for dinner at the brewery.  Plenty of tourists in town enjoying the weekend, but we seemed to fit in just fine.  Tomorrow, with a little luck, we’ll get on the mountain. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Friday, June 18, 2021 - 10:18 pm PT

It is usually a good sign when the easy part goes smooth and easy.  Our team of seven climbers and guides flew in and met up in Alaska without a hitch.  It was cloudy and overcast as we drove up from Anchorage, but not so much that we couldn’t get glimpses of the big mountains up mingling with the cloud tops.  We stopped briefly in Wasilla for a few final provisions from the world of supermarkets, and then cruised on up the Parks Highway to the Talkeetna spur road.  After settling our gear at the airplane hangar and ourselves at the hotel, we braved mosquito hoards and labor shortages to find a fine dinner at the West Rib.  A well-fed climbing team then waddled out to the banks of the great Susitna River to see if the mountains had come out.  Not quite, but we judged it all to be good enough for day one. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Christina Dale and Dominic Cifelli turned at the top of Disappointment Cleaver early this morning.  The team had clear skies above, but due to recent winter-like storms, route conditions on the upper mountian are unstable. The team is in route to Camp Muir and will be descending back to Paradise in the early afternoon.

Congratulations to today’s team!

The Four Day Climb June 8 - 11 led by RMI Guides Walter Hailes and Dominic Cifelli were unable to make their summit attempt this morning.  Strong winds and blowing snow made for unsafe climbing conditions and kept the team hunkered down at Camp Muir over night.  The telemetry from Camp Muir shows wind averages ranging from mid 20 to mid 60 mph over night with gusts up to 79 mph.  When the group radioed the office this morning they were experiencing estimated 50 mph winds. The team will be descending from Camp Muir today and return to Rainier BaseCamp.  Unfortunately, today was not their day to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier.

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides JM Gorum and Dominic Cifelli turned at 13,100' on Mt. Rainier this morning. Low visibility, moderate precipitation, and wind prevented the team from climbing above 13,100' feet. JM Gorum radioed the RMI Office to let us know that the team is currently descending and will be back to Camp Muir soon.

Congratulations to Today's team! 

The Four Day Climb May 28 - 31th led by RMI Guides Christina Dale and Joe Hoch led their teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. It's a beautiful day on the mountain and Joe reported the route was in good shape and would likely be improving with the warm temperatures and stable weather expected.  The teams enjoyed about an hour in the crater and began their descent from the crater rim just before 8 am today. The team will return to Camp Muir and then continue down to Paradise later this afternoon.

Congratulations to today's climbers!