Entries from Denali
May 26, 2023
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Henry Coppolillo, Tatum Whatford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Thursday 5/25/2023 10:00pm PDT
Another good rest/ weather day for us today. The snow, clouds, and breeze were in and out and it was an obvious day to sit. 14,000’ Camp on Denali is turning into a small city as more and more teams move up and run into the same weather waiting game. When we first moved up there were only a handful of scattered camps. Now 14,000’ Camp is continuous, and you can meander around, walking down alleys between snow walls.The team took on a variety of tacks to stay entertained. One intrepid member measured the perimeter of camp to be a quarter mile and did a 5k, jogging some of it. A few members even joined in at points. Others wandered around and chatted with other RMI Expedition Teams. And one member has now read the ingredient list of all their snack food!
Tomorrow looks to be more of the same and already the team has made plans to build an igloo, and perhaps more - the site plan is still being finalized. The 14,000’ Camp hang continues
RMI Guides Pete, Henry, Tatum & Team
May 26, 2023
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Devin Guffey, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
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Thursday, 5/25/2023 10:21pm PDT
Good evening,
It was up in the air if we would get to move today. The forecast called for isolated showers and some wind and you just do not know what will come of it. Fortunately for us we woke to calm weather. We made fast work of packing up and tearing down camp. Once again, we conquered Motorcycle Hill and Squirrel hill. By the time we got to the Polo Fields a light snow began but not much more. The storm clouds seem to be stuck on another peak. As we walked further and further uphill they stayed at bay, clouds came and went and slow lightly floated down. Windy corner held to its name, but we pushed through. It was a long and grueling day, but we made it to 14,000’ camp. It feels good to be here even with sore and tired bodies.
Tomorrow we will sleep in!
RMI Guides Hannah, Devin, Erika, and Team
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We had a long, but productive, day yesterday. We established our high cache at 17,200'. Wind and snow moved in while we were up on the ridge, making for a challenging day at altitude, and a long, arduous descent on technical terrain. All told, it was a 12 hour day, with a late dinner and late bedtime.
Today we are resting, eating, and rehydrating. We slept in and enjoyed a hearty breakfast burrito brunch that lasted until noon. We will be resting again tomorrow, as there is currently a high wind warning for the upper mountain. Hopefully, things mellow out soon and we can move to high camp for our summit attempt. Until then we are enjoying the relative comfort of 14,000’ camp. We will check in again tomorrow to update you on our status.
RMI Guide Mike Walter & Team
Yayy! Upward progress awesome!! You all are doing great, praying for good weather so you can Summit this weekend.
Happy Birthday to Rich, looking forward to seeing all the pics and stories he has to share. Love you son ❤️
Posted by: Kim on 5/25/2023 at 3:57 pm
May 25, 2023
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Henry Coppolillo, Tatum Whatford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - 11:14 pm PT
It was a good day for us to sit. Yesterday's strong effort meant everyone slept well, and long. We got up late, enjoyed our last bagels and smoked salmon, told stories, and generally enjoyed the rest day. Snow and clouds intermittently invaded camp, with some breaks of brilliantly strong sunshine. For a bit of movement and boredom cure, we built a bunch of walls to deflect the wind that may come tomorrow. Tomorrow, we will rest again, as the forecast calls for winds at 17,000' to elevate significantly tomorrow. We'll see how this weather system plays out, and it's good comfort for us to know that all of our pieces are in place and when the window opens, we'll be ready.
Go get that summit Adam! Can’t wait to hear about the whole adventure when you get home and hope to see you front and center in the picture at summit! Good luck everyone!
Posted by: Matt & Erica Warren on 5/25/2023 at 6:46 pm
Brian,
I’ve been following the daily updates with great interest. Patience appears to be huge part of a climbers’ requirements. Praying for your team safety and clear weather for your summit push.
Best Regards
Bruce
Posted by: Larabee Bruce on 5/25/2023 at 11:31 am
May 25, 2023
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
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Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - 11:03 pm PT
Another big day in the books. After waking up to snow lightly falling at our 11,000ft camp, we had a quick breakfast and began breaking down camp. Around 10:30AM we finally began our way up Motorcycle Hill. At the top of Squirrel Hill we were met by some brutal winds and blowing snow. We worked across the Polo field, adding layers to combat the wind and blowing snow and worked our way through Windy Corner. After Windy Corner, luckily the winds died down and we were able to roll into 14,000' Camp in slightly better conditions. We joined the other RMI teams, and built our camp before making a rewarding dinner of ramen. Weather looks a bit moody tomorrow, good thing we've got a rest day on the docket.
Eric…Checking in with dad and Jill and cheering you on. Looks and sounds amazing!
Posted by: Addie Lyden on 5/27/2023 at 11:30 pm
Eric…Checking in with dad and Jill and cheering you on. Looks and sounds amazing! From Portland, Oregon
Posted by: Addie Lyden on 5/27/2023 at 11:29 pm
May 25, 2023
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Devin Guffey, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
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
Hey Hannah! I am sending all the good weather vibes you and Team Tata need to climb high!!! All the best!!!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 5/26/2023 at 3:04 am
Sending you all the good weather magic ✨ So proud enjoy every minute!
Posted by: Allie Bonnom on 5/25/2023 at 4:23 pm
May 24, 2023
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Henry Coppolillo, Tatum Whatford
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Wednesday, May 24, 2023 - 9:00 am PT
The climbing along the West Buttress is some of the most fun and aesthetic of the whole Denali trip and we got a perfect day for it. We left early, with camp still in the shade and chilly. But we climbed out into the sun within the first hour. The fixed lines, which has been blue blue ice when we first got to 14,000' had pasted in with the last couple days of snow and there were nice steps kicked in for most of the way. We rolled over the top of the line onto the ridge to stunning views that extended forever. We could see trees from our perch (or at least green). We continued along the Buttress, picking our way through the airy terrain will above 14,000' Camp and the Peters Glacier on the other side. By afternoon, we walked into 17,000' Camp. Doing most anything at 17,000' is hard. You have to show down - how fast you walk, shovel, etc. We got a hole dug and left our goodies, then retraced our steps back to 14,000' Camp. The team did an incredible job and got the trip done in 10 hours. We were back in camp for dinner time. Things are set and now we wait for the weather to open a summit window.
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer
May 24, 2023
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Devin Guffey, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
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,
So glad you all are making good time and having good weather! I’m thinking of you!
Onward!
Adam
Posted by: Adam on 5/24/2023 at 1:37 pm
May 24, 2023
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Leif Bergstrom, Lauren Macklin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 9:05 pm PT
Another mellow day in the books. We woke up late to rest after our big carry yesterday. We made a big breakfast of bagels and smoked salmon before returning to our tents to rest, and prepare to move tomorrow. After spending the day reading, sleeping and preparing gear to leave we had another dinner of quesadillas and crawled into our sleeping bags for an early night.
We hope to check in from 14,000 Camp tomorrow!
Hey Kevin! Sending best wishes for Great rest followed up by Strong Climbing!!
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 5/25/2023 at 3:31 am
Reading blogs daily. Glad to know all going well, Matt !!
Posted by: Peter J George on 5/24/2023 at 6:01 pm
May 24, 2023
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 - 8:23 pm PT
We had a wonderfully serene rest day today. It started with a prolonged breakfast scramble brunch, transitioned to hours of lounging, and culminated in a few hours of practicing fixed rope travel and running belays. Now we're fixin' for a burrito dinner. Tomorrow we hope to establish a cache up high so we're ready to make a summit bid if and when we get a good weather window, which could come in as little as a few days. The forecast is promising, but we won't hold our breath at this altitude.
We're taking it day by day.
Rich, Happy Birthday! I hope you can get my wish on this way! Good luck for all of you! Dia
Posted by: Dia on 5/25/2023 at 12:09 pm
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Hoping the weather continues to play nice!
Posted by: Burley on 5/27/2023 at 12:42 am
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