Entries By hannah smith

Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - 10:2 pm PT

Hello readers,

Today we took a rest day. We watched teams pack up as the clouds rolled in and out and snow trickled down. All day snow has pitter pattered against our tents. For most of the day we were engulfed by all white. Teams rolled in from below and from above bundled up and looking a little weathered. The hope is to move tomorrow but the forecast isn't looking the most promising. It would not make sense to journey through snow, wind, and single digit temps to set up a brand new camp. If the weather improves and holds we will move up, otherwise we will weather this storm here at 11,000' Camp. Send all the good weather vibes our way!

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 9:25 pm PT

Hello again,

It was an early morning today for our carry to 13,500' to cache gear. We were the first to leave 11,000' Camp as we headed up Motorcycle Hill. It's not a casual start as it's quite steep and contains some cracks to step over. Once onto Motorcycle Hill, we preceded to go up Squirrel Hill and then walked across some flatter terrain called the Polo Fields. At the other end of the Polo Fields is Windy Corner and that leads us to our cache. It was a fantastic day with good weather and beautiful views. Words and pictures never do it justice. Once we dug our hole and offloaded our gear it was back to camp. It was a long day and deserves a rest before we break down camp and move to 14,000' Camp. Weather seems to be holding with chances of snow but for us some rest will set us up for success later on. Fingers crossed for good weather Thursday on our move. For now we are going to enjoy some down time in our tents and plenty of opportunity for snack consumption.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Monday, May 23, 2023  - 9:01 pm PT

Hello fellow readers,

Today was our first rest day of the trip and much needed. Our sunburnt lips and face, chaffed hips, and tired bodies needed the well deserved rest. We enjoyed a casual morning with coffee and pancakes at 9:30 am, followed by lots of down time in our tents. The afternoon was spent gathering our group gear piles for our cache tomorrow and reviewing crampon technique for tomorrow's steep ascent up motorcycle hill. The team is ready and psyched to head further up Denali and get closer to being on top. Camp is bustling with more hopeful people. As per usual we have all crawled into our tents to get settled for the night to rest up for tomorrow's cold early start.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guide Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Sunday, May 21, 2023, 9:40pm PDT

Hello, hello!

Today we woke up to clear skies and chill to the air. The cold is a welcoming feeling after so much heat. We whipped up some bagels then headed back downhill to retrieve our cache. We made quick getting to it and steady work getting back up to camp. After another round of bagels we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. The sun warmed our tents and dried wet socks before evening showers drifted in. Camp has filled up with more eager climbers hoping for the chance to stand on top of this beautiful mountain. One RMI teamed moved to 14k Camp where another RMI team sits waiting. We are here at 11k Camp with one more RMI team. We have twelve RMI guides currently on the mountain and eight of them are female. It's pretty cool to have so many strong female guides on the mountain at once. Any who, we are all snuggled up once again in our sleeping bags reading books, listening to music, watching TV or eating snacks. It's a fun feeling knowing we do not have to walk anywhere tomorrow and get to sleep in. 

So goodnight all,
RMI Guides Hannah Smith, Devin Guffey, Erika Birkeland and Team

Saturday, May 21, 2023 - 10:30 pm PT

Good evening readers,

Today we woke to a wet rain falling on our tents. The plan was for an early start but we postponed our departure by a few hours watching the clouds. After yummy breakfast burritos we began breaking down camp and hit the trail. The team made their way back up Ski Hill on our way to our new home at 11,000' Camp. After walking for a few hours of descent weather we hit a hot pocket that made everyone go into a heat panic. But we persevered and made it to some cooler temps. At our last break the snow flakes got bigger and a chill hit the team but this was short lived and we were back to being hot as we rolled into camp. It was a tough long day with heavy packs but it sure feels good to be here. We made camp, ate dinner and it's off to bed to let the bodies recover. Tomorrow we will back carry down to our cache to be reunited with all our gear and then rest for the majority of the day. Snow falls as we get snuggled in. Frequent taps on tent walls make the snow slide down. We will see how much snow falls through the night.

Good night all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Friday, May 19, 2023 7:50pm PDT

Day two complete!

We woke to beautiful weather for our walk uphill to cache our gear. Camp was busy early in the morning with teams packing to move or carry. The team made fast work packing, and we were walking roped up only two hours after waking. Firm snow helped the sleds pull easily. The temperatures warmed fast and before we knew it was toasty out. So far, we have not experienced the Denali cold. I’m sure it is coming but right now we might as well be in the southern states.

Once we dug our hole deep enough that no ravens could get to our food, we headed back to camp.  It got a bit dire for a second with the overwhelming heat, but everyone made it in good style. A well-deserved down time was enjoyed before we rallied for dinner. During our rest we were greeted by a little bird that landed on my food, I think that is a good sign. Burritos filled our bellies, and we discussed tomorrow's plan.

As we lay in our tents resting for tomorrow a light snow makes a pitter patter on our tents. Fingers crossed it stays light and we can move to 11k camp tomorrow.

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Thursday, May 18, 2023 10:55pm PDT

Hello from the Kahiltna Glacier!

What a busy day it was. We loaded planes and were in the air by 9am. It was chilly morning in Talkeetna, warmed by bour last Lattes and Michael but man was it hot on our walk. I thought it was cold in May. We took off downhill on what is called heart break hill. It is not heart breaking yet but it will be on our return. But that is a way away from now. Everything is so big around us you have little idea how far everything is. Is it close or is it miles away? We walked for 5.5 hours to reach our camp at the base of ski hill. It is a tough walk with heavy sleds and heavy packs. You really enter a pain cave to push through. One stretch is your quads, the next your hip flexors, the next your calves, something is always uncomfortable. But hey that is what we signed up for!

After setting up tents and moving in we gathered for dinner. We carried in pizza from Mountain High Pizza, and it was delicious. We topped off the night with a hot drink and the crawled into our sleeping bags. It’s a marvelous feeling to lay down and release the body. Tomorrow we will carry gear to just over 10k feet and then return to our camp for the night. The lighter loads will feel a lot better going up ski hill. Weather is moving in so fingers crossed it stays at bay till we return to camp or even better till the following evening so we can get to 11k camp. The team is looking good, and morale is high.

We are all excited to keep moving uphill.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Hello fellow readers!

Welcome to our journey! We have wrapped up day two of our Denali Expedition. Yesterday the team met at carousel 1 of the Anchorage Airport with heavy duffels in tow. A rainy drive through the woods of Alaska brought us to the launching pad of Denali Expeditions, Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a Native American word meaning where the rivers meet. At the end of town, you can stand where the Susitna, Chulitna, and the Talkeetna meet with views of Hunter, Foraker, and Denali off in the distance. Today the clouds covered up the mountains but the river rushed by with huge chunks of ice floating along down stream, making for a gorgeous view. It was a busy day for the team sorting gear and getting ready for our flight tomorrow. We are separated into two teams with five going on one plane and four on another. As of now, the weather looks good for getting onto the Kahiltna glacier. The team enjoyed their last dinner in civilization before eating a bunch of noodles and burritos on the mountain. You can see and feel the excitement but also the nerves and jitters for what lies ahead. It's going to be an amazing adventure and a memorable one too. Not only because we are climbing the tallest peak in North America but we are doing it as a team of all Ladies! So say hello to your all women's team, The Tatas. 

Stayed tuned for what's next,

RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team

Hello trusty readers,

We woke today in Lukla and gathered for breakfast. It would be our last teahouse breakfast as a team. Today we were flying out of Lukla back to Kathmandu. Flight times are not strict or on time or a for sure thing. After plenty of coffee and patience, we made our way to the heli pad and waited for Dawa to tell us to head for the chopper. We needed two helicopters to get the eight of us out and by 12:30pm we were all safely in Kathmandu. It's feels good to be back and almost like a dream that only a few days ago we were above 17,000'. After showers and shuffling gear we met for one last team dinner to celebrate the three weeks together. It's been an amazing adventure with amazing people. Thank you team from Abby and myself for a great time and to share the mountains with us. We hope to see you again on another mountain with RMI Expeditions!

Thank you for following along,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team

Hello readers,

We woke for our last trekking day. The trail and teahouses have gotten busier as the Everest climbing season is kicking off. While for many they are just starting their adventure, we are ending ours. By 8:30 am we were off headed down trail. We had a lot of stairs ahead of us but also lots of motivation to tackle all of them. As the morning turned into the afternoon it felt like we were going the wrong way on a one way. Hundreds of people were walking in along with train after train of mules. This must be what it feels like to be a salmon swimming up stream. We did what we could to weave through the crowds. Man do we feel lucky to have been trekking during the quiet time of the season. Eight hours later we took our last steps up the stairs leading into Lukla, the town we flew into and our starting point. We left here jetlegged, bright eyed, and clean. Now we look a little weathered and worn down, but our eyes have seen so much beauty and we have had experiences to last at least a few months before the itch to sign up for another adventure takes hold. Tonight is our last night in a teahouse. Tomorrow we fly back to Kathmandu and join the hustle and bustle of a major city. It's been over two weeks in this valley and an amazing time it's been. Now hopefully it's clear skies and smooth flying in the morning. 

Goodnight all,

RMI Guides Hannah, Abby, and Team