Entries from Denali
June 4, 2022
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 7,800'
Friday June 3, 2022 - 8:54pm PT
We are on the move! The team woke up at 2AM to break camp, rig sleds, and get walking early in order to finish this first push before the midday heat set in.
The heavy loads couldn’t suppress the bubbling smiles on the faces of the climbers, as the Denali came into view with a glimmering sun behind it.
At the base of ski hill, we made camp and enjoyed a power nap before eating a spicy jambalaya dinner.
The team is feeling strong and stoked to continue upwards!
RMI Guide Liam Weed and Team
June 3, 2022
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 7,300'
Thursday, June 2, 2022 - 9:45 pm PT
We did it! We’re here! The Alaska Range! After a stressful day and half of packing we’ve finally arrived. We took off first thing in the morning to avoid a hot mushy landing strip. The flight was beautiful, cloudless and most importantly smooth. The views were spectacular and plane ride mostly silent as we looked on with awe at the majestic mountains wearing glaciers as hats. Once we landed at base camp we set to unloading our nearly 1,500lbs of gear. Then began the real fun, setting up camp. We dug caches, a kitchen, a dining room and 4 tent platforms. Then we erected our tents and got moved in. After that we did what smart mountaineers do best, lounged in our tents to avoid the heat and intense sun. Eventually it cooled down and we did a delightful burrito dinner. Now we’re laying down for an early (and short) night as we’ll be walking in the wee hours of the day in order to have firm snow and reasonable temps.
Spirits are high! Our elevation is low! And the team is excited to move up the mountain.
RMI Guides Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed and team
Happy Birthday Rebecca! Love that you’re starting off the year in the most epic way! Amazed and impressed and always cheering for you. XOXOXOXOXOXO Kyla
Posted by: Kyla on 6/4/2022 at 8:27 am
Happy Birthday, Becs! Hope you get someone to take a special picture of you “celebrating” on the mountain. Love you! ❤️M&D
Posted by: Peggy and Ed Baack on 6/4/2022 at 8:20 am
June 3, 2022
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Thursday, June 2, 2022 - 8:13 pm PT
Today we yet again woke up to, you guessed it, beautiful weather. We packed up camp and made our way up Motorcycle Hill and towards 14,000' Camp. It was a hot, heavy, and challenging day but everyone rolled into 14,000' Camp in good style and we were able to greet JT and the RMI team descending from 17,000' Camp. We spent the last few hours rehydrating, and recovering before rolling into a late dinner of broccoli cheddar rice. Tomorrow is another rest day, everyone is looking forward to a mellow day to recover and start preparing for the fixed lines. We will check back in tomorrow after coffee!
We have a new found admiration of you all. Hope you are enjoying this! Looking forward to some wonderful stories.
Posted by: Nick & Annette on 6/5/2022 at 8:59 am
You guys are making this look easy! Keep it up!!
Posted by: Katy Shaw on 6/4/2022 at 7:04 am
June 2, 2022
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Wednesday, June 1, 2022 6:08 pm PT
First full rest day in the books! We spent the morning sleeping in, and having a leisurely breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and bacon. The rest of the day was filled with napping, reading, and recovering.
Tomorrow, we plan to make the move to 14,000’ camp. So we've got to tidy up, and cache any trash, extra gear, and dirty socks we don't want to bring higher up the mountain.
RMI Guide Nikki Champion and Team
So glad to hear you all and your special cargo are making your way up that spectacular mountain. Eat well, rest well and climb safely.
For the sports fans of the group, Celtics came back to beat the Warriors in game 1 last night; Nadal made it to the semis of the French Open, and the Avs are up 2-0 over the Oilers.
Posted by: T, B, H and G on 6/3/2022 at 5:36 am
June 2, 2022
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 20,310'
Thursday, June 2, 2022 1:35 am PT
The last two weeks of working hard on Denali payed off today. At 5:30 pm today we stood on top of the highest point in North America!
It was a beautiful sunny day, with a bit of wind but not too much to turn us around. It was a relatively quiet day with only a few other teams trying for the summit. The team performed incredibly well and summited in style! Now we are back at 17 camp, enjoying clear views all the way down to the tundra, where you can see the Alaskan sun shimmering off lakes over 15,000 feet below us.
Tomorrow we start the process of retracing our steps back down the mountain.
RMI Guides JT, Matias, Jackson and the RMI team.
CONGRATS!! It’s absolutely incredible to follow your journey and to see this great news!
Posted by: Ramsay Bader on 6/5/2022 at 9:28 pm
Yay!!! Congratulations!!! I’ve had so much fun following you along your climb. Big congratulations to my brother, Scott - I am SO PROUD of you! Way to go, team!
Love, Julie
Posted by: Julie Joyce on 6/3/2022 at 3:19 am
June 1, 2022
Posted by: Avery Parrinello, Jack Delaney, Liam Weed
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
According to the TV Show Lost - all good looking people sit on the right side of an airplane. Well, that's clearly what our team did because we have a great looking crew! After meeting up at the Anchorage airport we hopped in the shuttle and headed towards Talkeetna! There was no awkward silence as everyone quickly started chatting and getting to know one another. A quick grocery stop and 2 hours later we were in Talkeetna with amazing views of the Alaska Range! Our travel weary team rallied the last of their energy for a group dinner and then we wandered back to the bunkhouse for some well-deserved rest.
RMI Guides Avery, Jack, Liam and Team
Love you Michael!!! So proud of you… keep pushing, we are all rooting for you. Best of luck and love to you and everyone with you!
Posted by: Desiree on 6/5/2022 at 8:12 pm
The amazing Capt Coffey ( also known as the “Everest Gaston”),
Go get that summit! Wishing you and your team amazing weather and safe climbing. Look forward to celebrating 2022 successes, with margs, soon! See ya when I’m lookin’ at ya!
Be sure to put sunscreen up your nose,
Meghan
Posted by: Meghan Buchanan on 6/3/2022 at 11:53 pm
June 1, 2022
Posted by: Pete Van Deventer, Leif Bergstrom, Erika Birkeland
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Wednesday, June 1, 2022 - 12:52 am PT
Quick dispatch: We are homeward bound. We packed up camp at 17,000' and started down the West Buttress. We got to high five the team led by JT Schmitt as they passed us on their ascent. At 14,000, we regrouped, grabbed everything we had left, and considerably heavier, started towards 11,000' Camp. By 6 we had made it to 11,000'. The air is so much thicker! We dig up our cache from what seems like ages ago, and made a quick meal in team Champion's cook tent. We'll sleep for a few hours, then wake for an early push to the air strip. With any luck we'll be in Talkeetna mid morning tomorrow.
RMI Guide Pete, Leif, Erika, and team
Thank you, thank you for taking us on this trip with you and for your commitment and skill in guiding your team safely. We at home are grateful. Barbara
Posted by: Barbara J Corona on 6/1/2022 at 9:47 am
June 1, 2022
Posted by: Nikki Champion, Taylor Bickford, Emma Lyddan
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,000'
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 7:26 pm PT
Today was a tough, but successful day. We woke up before the sun, and had a quick breakfast of granola. After our speedy breakfast, we began loading up our backpacks with the group and personal loads to cache somewhere above Windy Corner. After about an hour packing, and organizing we were roped up and heading up Motorcycle Hill. This was our first day in crampons, and without the sleds. We worked our way up Motorcycle Hill, and Squirrel Hill in the shade finally hitting the sun by the time we made it across the Polo Field. As we made our way up, the team was moving well and the temperatures stayed manageable so we were able to make it all the way to 14,000' Camp to cache all our group and personal gear and food we don't need for the next few days. We took a long deserved break, gave the descending RMI team a hug, and headed back downhill. After a long day, we rolled back into our 11,000' Camp. The stoves are going, and we will soon enjoy a meal of ramen before heading to bed.
Ramen, sounds good in the cold.
Posted by: Tom Chandler on 6/1/2022 at 10:02 pm
Sure do miss your face. Any chance they can send some face shots. Texting while icing at PT. I could get all the ice I want on Denali! All is well back at 500 Ft. Love you.
Posted by: Emigh Litch on 6/1/2022 at 3:23 pm
June 1, 2022
Posted by: Mike Walter, Abby Westling, Henry Coppolillo
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 348'
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 7:31 pm PT
The morning after our summit push saw a speedy descent from 17,000' Camp as winds increased along with our desire to reach warmer, thicker air. We left our home-away-from-home of 14,000' Camp early in the afternoon and were soon making our way around Windy Corner and down towards 11,000'. Every step brought us ever so slightly closer to the airstrip and the end of our expedition. We rolled into 11,000' Camp in time for one last tortellini dinner and a quick cat nap. By midnight the sun had dipped below the tundra and we knew it was time to “rip the band aid off” and get to the airstrip. Despite heavy packs and tired legs, an all-night stroll down the lower Kahiltna provided a beautiful and fitting end to what has been an unforgettable 21 days in one of the greatest ranges on Earth. By 8:30 am the whole team was assembled at Kahiltna International Airport and by 10 am we found ourselves back on the tarmac in Talkeetna. It’s been about 36 hours since I last slept so I need to wrap up this rambling summary and get some sleep, but suffice to say we are all happy to be back in the land of green plants, hot showers and cold beverages, and will be remembering the experiences of the past three weeks for years to come.
Many congratulations Team - well done Abby!! Can’t believe its been a year since our West Buttress climb - its been wonderful re-living the climb through your updates. All the best Huw
Posted by: Huw on 6/2/2022 at 3:04 am
WELL DONE! ALL Around!
Posted by: Donald Meagher on 6/1/2022 at 1:18 pm
June 1, 2022
Posted by: JT Schmitt, Matias Francis, Jackson Breen
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 17,000'
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 - 10:08 pm PT
We woke up to a beautiful morning at 14,000' Camp and decided to move to 17,000'! The team did well and the forecast looks good for tomorrow. Stay tuned to see what we get up to tomorrow!
RMI Guides JT, Jackson, Matias and the RMI team
Exciting news! Thanks as always for the updates - sending lots of high-altitude best wishes!
Posted by: Nestor Davidson on 6/1/2022 at 8:38 am
Fantastico! Hola from Spain and best of luck on the summit push!
Posted by: Caleb on 6/1/2022 at 8:14 am
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Heia Joachim! Håper du har det bra og koser deg på tur. Gøy å følge med på oppdateringene herfra. Stå på - du er helt rå!!
Hope you’re all enjoying the mountain! Looks like a great team. Greetings from Norway!
Posted by: Madeleine on 6/5/2022 at 2:35 am
Nothing like a little spice to start things off- Go team go! Big shoutout to Michael Alexander, you a rockstar! Love you like crazy. Sending positive energy to all! Alicia
Posted by: Alicia Becker on 6/5/2022 at 1:11 am
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