Entries By leon davis
May 8, 2014 10:20 p.m. PST
The team took advantage of bluebird weather today by training on various mountaineering techniques near
Kahiltna Base. We did this in anticipation of an attempt on the Radio Control Tower tomorrow. Now that the group has all of the necessary skills under their belt, we can safely travel up the glacier and, hopefully, climb to our first summit!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
May 8, 2014 1:54 a.m. PST
The team woke this morning to the sounds of birds chirping in the trees, which meant that yesterday's rain had passed. The sky was still overcast, but as we assembled for breakfast at the Talkeetna Roadhouse spirits were high and conversation about our chances of flying onto the glacier carried a positive tone.
By late afternoon, it looked like another night might find us sleeping in Talkeetna and dreaming of
glaciers, but luck fell our way. We were instructed to "suit up" and get loaded on the plane. Our flight service,
K2 Aviation, was going to put us in the air and see if they could punch through.
Six hours later, we were nestled into our camp on the southeast flow of the Kahiltna Glacier. We established a camp and had a phenomenal dinner. Everyone is in awe of the surroundings and the group's cameras are getting quite the workout.
RMI Guides
Eric Frank,
Leon Davis and the Alaska Mountaineering Seminar crew
On The Map
Good morning friends and family!
Well we are still in
Talkeetna after a long day yesterday of rain. The skies this morning, while not raining, remain a canvas of clouds. Today we will continue ground training with mechanical advantage systems, remaining close to the planes if we get a break.
Weather looks good on Thursday and honestly, we are having a great time here!
RMI Guide
Leon Davis & Team
It is often said that to be an expedition climber, you must learn patience. Today was an exercise in just that. Early this morning as we walked empty streets from the roadhouse to the
K2 Hangar, clouds hung in what was once clear skies. On the southeast fork of the Kahiltna, those clouds would prevent pilots from landing at
base camp. Still, we worked hard at packing for an early afternoon flight and as our departure time came and went, we spent the day training on the K2 front lawn. Knots were learned exhaustively, tents set up and tonight we will gather for another night of stories and laughter. Spirits are strong and tomorrow is another day!
RMI Guide Leon Davis
When the team met this afternoon at the Anchorage Airport, it was impossible to ignore the weather here. From soggy Seattle or the still frozen north, here in Alaska it's sandals and shorts weather. Our team is assembled and now in Talkeetna slapping mosquitoes and laughing with new friends and teammates. Tomorrow we will pack, prepare, and hopefully fly onto the southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. Before bedding down we paused to raise a glass to the upcoming
adventure.
RMI Guide Leon Davis
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by
RMI Guides Leon Davis and Geoff Schellens were forced to turn around at 8,000' today en route to Camp Muir. The teams experienced wet and windy weather with low visibility. They made the tough decision to descend and return to Paradise. The teams arrived at Rainier BaseCamp just before 3 pm PT.
The Four Day Summit Climb August 12 - 15 and the Five Day
Summit Climb August 11 - 15 both reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.
RMI Guides Leon Davis and Geoff Schellens reported they were in a cloud cap on the summit with low visibility and light winds from the South/Southwest. The teams began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 am. They will return to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing their descent to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides
Elias de Andres Martos and
Leon Davis were unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams returned to Camp Muir at 7:45 am from their high point of 12,700'. While at Camp Muir the teams will gear up for their descent to Paradise; we look forward to greeting them when they arrive back at Rainier Basecamp later today.
The
Four Day Summit Climbs August 23 - 26 led by
RMI Guides Jake Beren & Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Jake reported light - moderate winds with 50 meters of visibility and some-what cold conditions. The teams began their descent from the crater rim around 8 am PT. The teams will descend to Camp Muir for a short break before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
The
Four Day Summit Climbs led by RMI Guides
Peter Whittaker &
Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 5:00 a.m. Peter reported a beautiful and windless day. The teams began their descent to Camp Muir. They will take a break there before continuing to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
March 29th climbers. 2014. Wishing you a safe and fun trip.!! You are rare birds and we are ALL waiting anxiously to hear your adventures. Be safe, be kind, be happy.
Love you all,
Burdee
Posted by: Rosemary -burdee on 3/31/2014 at 8:01 am
One of the finest groups of people that I have ever met. Great job team, proud of all of you!!
Posted by: Rob on 9/17/2013 at 9:30 am
View All Comments