The weather seems to have changed its tune as of late and is cooperating with us nicely. Today was mostly cloudy with an occasion light snow shower and a light breeze. It was perfect for climbing up Ski Hill and continuing up the Kahiltna to 10,000' where we made a cache of food and fuel and gear. The glacier is in excellent condition and the traveling was smooth. Our team all did well today and we're now in position to move camp to 11,200', hopefully tomorrow.
We'll let you know what shakes out,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Three times is a charm, I guess. On our third flight trying to get to Basecamp over the past few days, we had good clear skies and smooth sailing and finally made it in. After a few hours of repacking our gear, rigging our sleds, and digging a cache hole, we set off for our first camp at the Base of Ski Hill. The Kahiltna Glacier was in great condition and the weather was nearly ideal; mostly cloudy with the occasional snow shower - which kept temperatures from getting too hot. We made it to camp with full packs and sleds in tow in just under six hours. Today we'll carry a cache of supplies up a couple thousand feet and then return to camp. We'll keep you posted.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Well, it was another day of waiting in Talkeetna for the weather to improve enough to fly into Kahiltna Base Camp. The FAA webcams looked socked in all day, but every once in a while some clearings would emerge. Finally, around 3 pm, we decided to round up the troops and don our climbing clothes and boots to be ready to board if a flight was possible. After a recon report from another K2 airplane on a scenic flight confirmed that it looked like we could land at Base Camp, we boarded the two Turbo Prop Otters and launched for the Alaska Range. A beautiful flight with partly cloudy skies took us all the way to Base Camp …but a small but thick cloud hung over the landing strip. We held in a waiting pattern for as long as we could and the conditions did not improve. Finally we regained our elevation and pointed back south for Talkeetna. An awesome flight, and oh-so-close. We’ll try again early tomorrow, with a more promising forecast.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Sunday, May 11, 2019
Today was another day spent on standby in Talkeetna, waiting to fly into Basecamp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier. The weather didn’t seem to notice that we were waiting on it, as it rained in town and snowed in the mountains all day. The team is in great spirits, enjoying some unusual down time from our hectic lives, and busy packing in the calories. We will see what tomorrow brings; the snowy weather looks to continue throughout the day, but lighter than the past two days. Monday will bring high pressure with relief from the precipitation for at least a few days. Today's photos are courtesy of the FAA webcam for the Kahiltna Glacier Air Strip, current conditions and view on a clear day.
We’ll keep you posted with any changes in the status.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mike Walter
We loaded our on two de Haviland Otter turbo prop single engine airplanes this morning and took off for Kahiltna Base Camp. The flight over the tundra was beautiful as we soared beneath a low ceiling of clouds. As we approached the range it became apparent that our normal access points of One Shot and Second Shot Passes were not options due to the low clouds. So the pilots opted to try "the long way", which means accessing the Kahiltna glacier at its toe and following it up toward Base Camp. The problem was that as we gained elevation on the glacier the cloud did not, and eventually we were flying in the cloud, a thick pea soup, with very little visibility. So the team of K2 pilots made the prudent decision to turn around and head back for Talkeetna.
We spent the rest of the day on stand by to see if weather would improve. It did not, and in fact it deteriorated a little. We'll play the same game tomorrow, with a less than ideal forecast. The good news is that high pressure looks to be moving our way soon!
RMI Guide Mike Walter
The 2019 Denali climbing season is getting under way. Our team met this morning for breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse for heaping servings of eggs and sourdough hotcakes. After breakfast we strolled down to the Susitna River where chunks of recently broken up ice flowed out from the direction of the Alaska Range. On a clear day we would be able to see Denali from here, but our view was obscured by clouds.
Next up was a trip the National Park Service office for a pre-trip orientation. We went over specifics of the route as well as safety issues and environmental stewardship responsibilities we climbers have in keeping the mountain clean.
The rest of the day was the meat and potatoes, where we headed to the K2 Aviation hangar to sort our gear and food to be prepared to fly into the range, hopefully tomorrow.
We'll keep you posted with our status...
RMI Guide Mike Walter
RMI Guide Mike Walter and his team reached the summit of Mt. Baker via North Ridge. It was a challenging late-season route with a lot of great ice climbing.
Congratulations Mike and Team!
RMI Guide Mike Walter and team were on the summit of Forbidden Peak at 1:34 PM PT today. Mike reported light snow and not much visibility. The team will return to camp for their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will complete the trek out to the trail head.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
RMI Guide Mike Walter reported in this afternoon that the team made it to the summit of Mt. Baker with 100% success! Mike reported that conditions were smoke free starting at 8,700' and were clear and calm on the summit. The team had a long day on a long route with a late season West Ridge variation. They will spend some time on top and begin their descent back to camp.
Congratulations!
The Four Day Summit Climb Team led by RMI Guide Mike Walter reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Mike reported clear skies and light winds above the smoke haze plaguing the lowlands that is sitting around 10,000'. They have started their descent and are making their way back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
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It’s so exciting following your adventure! Wishing you all safety and success.
Posted by: Mary Beth on 5/15/2019 at 6:15 pm
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