It wasn't a flawless day. There were plenty of clouds about, and it looked mean and nasty up high on the mountain, but it was certainly nice enough where we were. We left 11 camp at ten minutes past ten, ground on up motorcycle and squirrel hills in low gear and came out into the polo fields below the end of the West Buttress. Another good uphill walk took us past our cache point from the other day and into definitely-not-windy-corner. We went around the corner in perfect conditions, but all agreed it was pretty tough traversing the snowy side hill with a sled threatening to pull one off the track. It began to snow on us a bit, but by this point it was welcome as it kept us from overheating as we wound around, between and over the top of giant crevasses on the final hour into our destination. We pulled into camp at 14,200 ft at a few minutes past five, completing our biggest day yet. Temps were noticeably cooler up so high and there was a light breeze blowing through 14 camp, so we couldn't pause long enough to pat ourselves on the back or to gaze up in wonder at the West Buttress and the South Peak of Denali... we needed to get tents up and anchored down. We simultaneously got that done, a kitchen up and running to melt large quantities of snow (we were all parched), a dining area dug in and covered and a latrine in place. We are getting well practiced at high altitude, cold-camp construction.
Just as we sat down for dinner at 8 PM, it was time to turn on a radio to catch the nightly forecast for mountain weather. It isn't a terribly stable outlook, but we do hope Adam Knoff's RMI team at 17,200 ft can hang in there and get lucky.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi Brian and team - hope everyone is feeling healthy and energized. Sounds like the days are definitely getting tougher and colder. Connor wakes up every morning and wants to look at the pictures on the blog, I think you may have a climbing partner for your next adventure. We love you and miss you.
Posted by: Robin, Tristan & Connor on 7/7/2012 at 5:30 am
Sounds like you had a long day and all did well. Continued patience and success. Inch by inch.
Enjoy and be safe.
And we were getting so lucky with weather to this point... Ah well, we did our best to make use of a break in the snow and wind today. It started, here at 11,000 ft, with a snowy and socked-in morning. Many a team leader came out of his or her tent and then went right back inside, waiting for something better to work with. We were up at 7... but then gave it a pass until 8 and then we took a look at 9 and had breakfast. Things did start looking up by 10 and a few teams went for it. We liked the trend by 11 since we were seeing a lot of blue sky above (the uppermost part of the mountain was still in cloud) and only some indication of wind here and there. We were wearing our spikes and carrying our ice axes out of camp by 12:20. Our intention was to carry food and fuel up and around Windy Corner, cache it and then drop back down to 11 camp. The first hour went great. That was spent on "Motorcycle Hill" which was far steeper than any hill we'd tackled so far on the climb. From the top of Motorcycle, we could see winds starting to whip at the top of "Squirrel Hill" our goal for the next hour. We topped the hill in a fairly vicious and cold breeze and pushed on into the "Polo Fields" below the end of the West Buttress. From there, we had a good view of Windy Corner, which looked... you guessed it, windy. We decided not to push things too far, although the team was handling everything just fine to this point. We chose a cache site at about 12,850 ft and dug in. The only reason for burying it all is that ravens long ago developed a taste for climber food and a talent for ripping a cache to shreds. We couldn't see any ravens, but by this point in the day we were seeing a lot of blowing snow and swirling cloud again. With light packs, we made good time getting down the hills and back into 11k. We were home by 5:30 and dining in the shelter of our posh tent by 7:00 while the storm intensified. It isn't a terrible storm yet, just some wind and snow, but we hope it plays out overnight and leaves us in peace.
Your messages to the web site were passed on to us and were thoroughly enjoyed by all the team. Thanks for the well wishes... keep those fingers crossed.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Daddy (Brian), I miss you and I want to go camping in that orange tent with you when you get home. (Direct quote from Connor)
Hope you and the team had some relaxing down time and that tomorrow brings good climbing weather. Stay safe, we love you!
Posted by: Connor Bulatao on 7/5/2012 at 6:12 am
Hello Brian! I hope that you and the team have a good climb, and I have added you and the team to the chruch prayer list for a safe trip. Love, Mom Bulatao
Another early start and another straightforward move up in perfect conditions. We got up at 3 AM and ate breakfast in the cool shadows blanketing our 7800 ft camp. On our second day of climbing, it was already becoming routine to knock down the tents and get packs and sleds squared away for travel. We were roped up and moving up Ski Hill by 5:45. The hills were big and the loads were as well, but we slowed the pace and worked our way up. Again, we found the surface frozen hard and easy for sledding and walking without sinking in. Distances weren't terribly significant and it only took us three and a half hours to reach the top of the hills at around 9500 ft. We built a camp and dove into the tents just as the sun started heating the giant reflector oven of the upper Kahiltna Glacier. Afternoon was spent in slumber, or in reading, or in watching iPod movies, or in snacking and drinking water. Some did it all. We sat in our "POSH" dining tent chatting for a few hours at dinner. At 8 PM we tuned in our radio to catch the mountain specific weather forecast (which calls for a little bit of snow at our elevation tonight). Far more entertaining was our conversation with the other RMI teams on the mountain. We were excited for Mike Walter's summit and safe return to high camp and to hear that Adam Knoff and his gang are good to go for moving to 17,000 ft tomorrow. If our good luck holds, we'll cruise on up to 11,000 ft tomorrow with our strong and steady team.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Update at 12:12 pm PST: The team is flying into basecamp! The weather cooperated for flights and we expect to hear from the team once they are settled on the glacier.
12:00 am PST:
The plan was for us to get started with our Denali expedition today. We needed good mountain flying weather. We had high hopes, but as it turned out, we also had low clouds. It was on the dark and rainy side if things as we finished breakfast and walked out toward the airstrip in Talkeetna. During the course of the day, the cloud cover would lighten here and there and we monitored alternating reports that it was getting better or worse now and again at our intended basecamp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier... But in the end, the upshot was that conditions never really got good enough for our pilots to risk flights into the range.
The team took the delay without great concern, we passed the time hanging at the hangar, playing ping pong, listening to music and catching up on email and current events. We enjoyed fine Talkeetna meals at various restaurants and we took advantage of the comforts of one more day of civilization. Into the mountains tomorrow. Possibly.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
We've finished one of the more challenging days of any Denali climbing expedition... Packing, sorting gear and generally getting organized for leaving Talkeetna and getting on the mountain. It wasn't all hard work and suffering though, we certainly enjoyed a great breakfast at the Roadhouse. National Park Service personnel at the Talkeetna Ranger Station gave us a warm welcome and Joe Reichert delivered a fine and informative orientation slideshow. Our flight team out at K2 Aviation made us feel right at home in their hangar, which was where we got our food, tents, stoves, ropes, pots, shovels, fuel, snow saws, snow shoes, packs, ice axes, boots, crampons, sleeping bags, etc, etc, and etc. ready.
Finally, we'd earned a break and a relaxing dinner at The West Rib Pub. Folks then drifted home early for a last comfy night in the Talkeetna Motel. The plan is for the team to meet bright and early for breakfast and then to hustle on out to the airstrip... If all goes well and the weather is stable, we could be loading airplanes shortly after 8AM and then winging our way toward the Alaska Range.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
To my son Brian, Have a safe and happy climbing adventure! I am keeping you and the team in my daily prayers. (Inez read the blog to me, and it sounds like an exciting trip!)Love always, Mom
Posted by: Mom Bulatao on 6/30/2012 at 3:20 pm
Good Luck everyone!!
Tell Dr. Kelliher his A-Track students are sending him (and the whole team) love!
We will be tracking the journey
=)
Posted by: Jenni Lentenbrink on 6/28/2012 at 10:50 pm
Our Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by Mark Falender and Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reported light winds, few clouds, and very pleasant weather with the sun peaking through every now and then. The teams are now en route back to RMI Basecamp in Ashford.
Mike Haugen and the Expedition Skills Seminar team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Kautz Route and reported similar conditions. They are headed back to their high camp at 10,800' feet and will finish their week of training on the mountain and return to RMI Basecamp tomorrow afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
I was part of the 4 day summit climb on June 19 with Mark & Solveig. What a magical day it was and I feel extremely privileged to have been part of it. Thank you guys so very much for your guidance, expertise and support. This has truly been one of the greatest challenges of my life and I will cherish it for a long time to come. I have taken so much away from this experience - the challenges that this mountain presents, especially the Cleaver, had me digging deeper than I ever had to attain success. Mark, Solveig, Sean, Geoff and Levi - you guys are all rock stars!! RMI can and should be very proud of you. I was sad to see the program end. Hopefully, I will link up again with Mark for a climb up Grand Teton!
Thank you again very much!
Ben Elliott
Posted by: Ben Elliott on 6/21/2012 at 2:19 am
Hey Hans ....... GREAT JOB. Blue sky’s 365 !!! Gotta love it. xoxo Love and hugs greta
Seth here, checking in from inside my tent. We're currently dug in at 9,200 feet at a spot we call "The Castle." We've had a rough spell of weather on this trip with mostly white out conditions but the group is still having a good time. Yesterday we had good weather for a bit while we climbed up to our camp but over night a big storm came in and now we are just waiting it out in the safety of camp.
Tomorrow we will make our way back to civilization.
Way to Go John, We are sooo proud…hope you didn’t loose your hat in those white outs! It’s 84 and sunny here in MB..you’re next stomping ground..can’t wait to see you and hear all about it. Love you partner. Dr. Missy
Posted by: Melissa Patton on 6/9/2012 at 5:14 am
Hey Mr. Boicourt get tot he top already Rif meeting starts in an hour, plus George misses you!
By the looks of that weather you should have listened to me and done the Robert Trent Jone golf trail. we would be on about Bottle 10 of Goose and Juice…
It's a beautiful day here at Camp Muir! The winds have died down and we're out practicing our rope work. We've been above the clouds all morning an the views of Mt. Adams, Hood and St. Helens are fantastic. Hopefully the weather continues to hold out for the rest of our trip.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi Brian and team - hope everyone is feeling healthy and energized. Sounds like the days are definitely getting tougher and colder. Connor wakes up every morning and wants to look at the pictures on the blog, I think you may have a climbing partner for your next adventure. We love you and miss you.
Posted by: Robin, Tristan & Connor on 7/7/2012 at 5:30 am
Sounds like you had a long day and all did well. Continued patience and success. Inch by inch.
Enjoy and be safe.
Posted by: Carolyn on 7/6/2012 at 8:59 pm
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