Entries from Denali
June 28, 2021
Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Monday, June 28, 2021 - 9:02 am PT
With clear skies and light winds we retraced our steps from a few days ago up to Genet Basin. This time, though, we had our whole kit with us and now we've a established a comfortable camp at 14,200'. Today will be a rest day for us, and we will review the skills necessary to travel on the fixed rope above us on the head wall.
June 28, 2021
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 17,200'
Hello from 17,000' Camp!
We finally left 14,000' Camp. As fun as it was, we were all ready to leave. We woke up this morning with calm winds and no spin drifts off the ridge. It was a morning we couldn't pass up. The team packed up in record time and we hit the trail with big smiles. Since the team had already been on the fix lines, they crushed them. A well oil machine. One of the best views on the mountain is on the West Buttress. A rocky, snowy sidewalk with exposure on both sides. You can see all the vertical you have alreayd done. Its a great reward for a patient stay at 14k camp. The winds did show their presence towards the end of the day but this team is tough and pushed through. A hard day of walking was greeted by more hard work setting up camp. Ice walls were built to protect the tents from winds. Fingers crossed they subside a gove us the weather window we have been hoping for. Tomorrow looks like a good day to try for the summit. So as long as the wind doesn't pick up tomorrow is the day. The day we have been waiting for. Send all the good vibes and luck our way folks because we need it.
Please let the stars align,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Best of luck Steven and team
Posted by: Larisa Pivnik on 6/28/2021 at 3:15 pm
Fair winds Hannah and team, looks like a go for Tuesday or Wednesday, be safe and take a moment on the summit to reflect all the hard work to get there. Good Luck.
Mom and Dad Fortier
Posted by: Robert Fortier on 6/28/2021 at 2:38 pm
June 27, 2021
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 9:51 pm PT
Hello all,
Our waiting game is coming to an end. If we wake tomorrow and the winds look good we will head to 17K Camp to get in position for the summit. Camp has been very busy with teams carrying to 17K, moving into 14K Camp, and others getting ready for their move to 17K Camp. Lots of excitment and chatter roaming through the camp. We will see what happens. I know we are all ready to tackle the remaining six thousand feet of this mountain. We have been staring at it for over a week. Since tomorrow may be an early day, its early to bed for the team. We may have a big day ahead of us.
Goodnight,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
It’s all about the timing and you earned your window! May the stars align & let you enjoy the experience!
Anxious to hear and see what the view is like.
Beanie will not be letting you out the door!
Posted by: Judy collins on 6/27/2021 at 2:57 pm
Praying for great weather and your successful summit!!! Onwards and upwards you all go…
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.”
— T.S. Eliot
So crazy proud of my daughter Julia and the entire team!
DJ aka DeeDee
Posted by: Daysi Johansson on 6/27/2021 at 2:17 pm
June 27, 2021
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Matt McEttrick
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 10:40 pm PT
The bad weather hadn't finished, but we made our break for 11K Camp just the same. What is Denali without some wandering in whiteouts?
It took about four hours and that put us into 11K at 3PM. So nice to see our friends in Mike Walter's group. We dug in right next door to them. Still light snow falling and a lot of cloud, but we are delighted to have different scenery when we can see it. Tomorrow we'll go back down to retrieve loads.
Hello Dave Hahn. Matt McEttrick & company:
While you are at 11K with deep snow & cold on Denali;
The weather conditions are quite different in the Lower Forty Eight!
In the west including CA, WA and OR temperatures are flirting with
100 degrees F. For the next few days in Boston Ma temperatures
will be in the 90 to 100 degree range! Much of the US has similar
conditions,
Our best to all! Joe & Marion McEttrick
Posted by: Joseph P McEttrick on 6/27/2021 at 8:11 pm
June 26, 2021
Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Saturday, June 26, 2021 - 3:45 pm PT
When we got in our tents last night it was clear and calm, but the clouds, wind, and snow returned overnight, although with much less vengeance than before. We fired up the stoves early with hopeful anticipation that the cloud deck would drop below us and winds would abate, but that was not the case. We decided to stick around 11k another day, with an improving weather forecast ahead of us.
The hope is that tomorrow is our day to bump camp up to 14k. We're rested, acclimatizing, and our team has already tackled the climb to 14k on our carry day; while it will still be strenuous, the team is well prepared for the move to 14k. And we're looking forward to it.
I'll check in again tomorrow, hopefully from a higher vantage point.
We miss you. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. Stay safe and healthy.
Your fan club,
The Arnolds
Posted by: Jeannette Arnold on 6/29/2021 at 4:19 pm
GO AARON!!!!
Posted by: Emilee on 6/27/2021 at 6:11 pm
June 26, 2021
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 14,200'
Friday, June 25, 2021 - 9:51 pm PT
Good evening,
Winds continued today with the first half being rather cloudy. Camp remained quiet with very little climbers out and about. As the clouds faded and the wind lessened, camp came alive. With a bit of nicer weather for the second half of the day, everyone was excited to get out of their tents and enjoy the sunshine but most of all not to be horizontal. All our tent platforms are no longer flat and smooth but now have troughs, bumps, and tilts from the warmth of our bodies melting away at the snow. This is a sign we need to move to a new camp. We are still monitoring the weather for our moment to move to 17K Camp. Once the winds calm down we will take our chance at the summit. We are getting antsy and ready for a change of scenery but we are also committed to being patient. Our patience will pay off.
Patiently waiting,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Do Well Hannah + team, Waltero
Posted by: Walter Glover on 6/28/2021 at 9:13 am
Happy birthday to Mike!!! I hope you get at least a bit of a celebration with your group, but I hope even more that mother nature will give you the best gift possible with clear weather so you guys can summit soon! I miss you and can’t wait to hear all about your trip! The pups and I send our love!
Posted by: Alex Ament on 6/26/2021 at 12:26 pm
June 25, 2021
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dominic Cifelli, Matt McEttrick
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 9,500'
Friday, June 25, 2021 - 6:35 pm PT
This will be our third night hunkered down at 9,500' on the Kahiltna Glacier. It got snowing around midnight last night and just kept going. We checked the weather every hour or so to see if we could get a lull for climbing, but no. Thankfully the winds never got to more than about 20 mph, but they blew steadily throughout the day. We’d taken the precaution of pulling down the dining/cook tent at 1 AM so it was an easy enough thing to build it again at 8 AM to have a dry and calm space for breakfast. Bagels and salmon and a few laughs together before we climbed back in the tents to ride out the storm. By dinner time the snow was falling thick and fast and we were happy to be high enough to be avoiding rain. With dinner complete we did a round or two of chores to strengthen our camp and then crawled in for the night. According to the forecast, tomorrow should be partly sunny. Until then it will be anybody’s guess as to how many hours of noise we’ll endure as the wind and snow pummel the tent fabric.
Cheers,
Good luck guys, wish you all the best! Hope the weather breaks for you. Rest well and may peace be with you
Posted by: Gregory Hatt on 6/30/2021 at 9:44 pm
My son hectoris there with you. I would love to know about his knees and health, how is he doing please
Posted by: Laura fernandez on 6/27/2021 at 7:53 am
June 25, 2021
Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Friday, June 25, 2021 - 12:41 pm PT
The snow and wind from yesterday persisted through the night and into the morning, and now, at midday it continues. The weather is forecast to improve as we move into the weekend, and we are poised to move to 14,000' when that moment arises. In the meantime we're lounging, reading, snoozing, and also digging out our tents. Spirits are high as we continue to weather our first Denali storm. We're all all looking forward to seeing the sun again and getting back to our upward progression. Hard days of climbing and long days waiting out storms are hallmarks of a Denali expedition.
"...snow falls and it passes..."
We'll touch base again tomorrow to let you know the latest.
Hi Daryl and all,
Looks like you’ve been playing the waiting game. I hope you are safe and having a great time. You ROCK!
Posted by: Will on 6/29/2021 at 8:52 pm
Told everyone today Daryl on the Mtn and everyone so impressed! Wishing everyone a good days rest! No such thing as bad weather.. just gotta be prepared for it! Which you all are!
Posted by: Katie on 6/25/2021 at 4:14 pm
June 25, 2021
Posted by: Hannah Smith, Dustin Wittmier, Devin Guffey
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Denali
Elevation: 14,000'
Hold onto your hats it's windy,
The wind started last night and persisted through the day. The frost in the tents showered down onto our sleeping bags as the tent made a crinkle noise. The snow that had fallen got picked up and tossed into the air creating a snow tornado. It looked magical in a way but our sleeping bags looked better. Its easy to hunker in the tents when outside isn't too pleasant. You can hear the wind up high. It sounds like a waterfall. Luckily at our camp it's only blowing in the 20mph range. As dinner wrapped up the wind and snow caused quite a scene. A scene not too fun to go to the bathroom in. All around the snow whips around. We all waited for a lull in the wind to hustle to our tents and the bathroom. The discomfort is comical and creates some good laughs. If you can't find the funny in the misery than you are in the wrong place out here. Tomorrow is also suppose to be windy so we will hunker in again. We are optimistic that this weekend will be our move date to High Camp. For now, we lay in our tents listening to the snow pitter patter and the tent crinkle in the wind.
Mother nature calm yourself,
RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team
Hey Hannah and Dustin! I’m sending prayers that Mother Nature gets over her crabbiness so you all can move higher!!! :)
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 6/26/2021 at 3:21 am
Wishing everyone health and strength
Hopefully weather will become better
Best of luck Steven and group
Love and miss you
L
Posted by: Larisa Pivnik on 6/25/2021 at 9:17 pm
June 24, 2021
Posted by: Mike Walter, Nikki Champion, Ben Luedtke
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Alaska Denali
Elevation: 11,200'
Thursday, June 24, 2021 - 12:48 pm PT
It's been windy and snowy today at the 11,200' Denali Camp, although we caught glimpses of blue sky above us occasionally this morning. We're all cozied up in our tents after a big breakfast. We're content to rest and relax, enjoying some reading and some napping. We're at a great altitude for acclimatization, so we're (hopefully) getting stronger for our next mission, which will be to move up to Genet Basin at 14,200'. That will happen on the next good weather day, perhaps tomorrow but more likely Saturday or Sunday. We'll keep you apprised of our status. But for now we're happy, hydrated, and comfortable in our current camp.
Beautiful team, magestic scenery…keep up the great work Daryl.
Posted by: Pat on 6/24/2021 at 10:39 pm
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Happy Birthday, Jim!
Posted by: Laura ODonnell on 6/30/2021 at 1:50 am
Keep up the good work guys! #teamAaron
Posted by: Emilee on 6/29/2021 at 10:22 am
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