Entries from Denali

Thursday, June 24, 2021

It clouded up a bunch in the night, just as the forecast said it would. By 1 AM when we hoped to get up and climb, it was snowing and socked in, just like they said it would be.  We kept checking it for a few hours and it kept seeming wet and a little ugly -poor conditions for moving camp.  We stayed put and then conditions improved.  But we were already a little past what we’d calculated to be the optimal time of day for traversing the sometimes tricky lower glacier.  Then conditions improved considerably.,. Where we’d been led to believe that we’d have a snow/rain day to wait out, instead we had a “bluebird” beauty of a day -to rest- when we hadn’t really thought we needed a rest.  Oh well.  We slept, we read, we ate, we drank.  We went through our gear and supplies one more time, thinning out and weeding excess weight wherever possible.  We listened to a thousand giant avalanches.  We heard so many rocks fall off nearby Mt. Francis, that it was something of a surprise to come out for dinner and see her still standing.  We bided our time.  That forecast was still calling for cloud and sloppy weather at basecamp tonight… perhaps we’ll see that, but otherwise it looks perfect for moving this time when the cool hours roll around. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 9:54 pm PT

Hello hello,

There isnt a lot to report today. It was another chill day, hanging around our camp. We watched other teams do their carries or move into camp. More teams have arrived at 14,000' Camp. Everyone is trying to get in a good position for the next snow storm. During dinner the winds picked up and snow began to fall. The sound of the snow on the tents is a nice lull to fall asleep too. More snow is expected for tomorrow, so we will be hanging around camp again. Still patient. Still waiting. But our time will come. For now we are all snuggled into our sleeping bags, warming up our sleeping space.

Goodnight all,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Wednesday, June 23, 2021 - 5:55 pm PT

The alpenglow was serene early this morning as we fired up the stoves to make hot water for breakfast. We got off to an early start and loaded up our packs with food and fuel to cache up high. Armed with crampons and ice axes we ventured onto the upper mountain. We climbed Motorcycle Hill and then Squirrel Hill in the shade, encountering a chilly breeze on the latter. Next came the Polo Field and then we finally hit the sun at Windy Corner. Our team made good progress and the weather was perfect, so we continued higher to Genet Basin to make our cache. We were afforded beautiful views of the upper mountain, as well as Mounts Hunter & Foraker and the rest of the Alaska Range to our south, and the expansive tundra to our north.

We buried our supplies in the snow and then descended back to camp, arriving before 3pm with enough time for a siesta before dinner.

We're sitting pretty now, with a cache up high. We'll take a rest day tomorrow, which coincides well with an approaching storm. Once that storm passes we plan to move camp up to 14k on the next good weather day. In the meantime we're tasked with resting, eating, reading, and some well earned sloth time. We acclimate very well at this altitude (11,200'), and we're very satisfied with our progress. We'll check in again tomorrow in between the chapters of our books.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Yesterday we got to the air strip nice and early. We arrived at the Kahiltna Glacier air strip at 7 am after a long trip down from 17,000' Camp. Unfortunately the weather was not conducive to flying until 6:30 pm, but we made it off! The team was excited to get back to Talkeetna and enjoy hot showers and food. Now everyone is working their way back home. It’s been a successful Denali expedition and thanks so much for following along!

RMI Guide JT Schmitt and the Denali team 

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

At 2:30 this morning, things looked pretty optimal for moving on up the hill.  There were still clouds coming and going, but the glacier surface had frozen up nicely and there wasn’t much for wind.  We dressed up, ate, packed up and got moving by just after 5 AM.  Ski Hill needed climbing.  Definitely tougher terrain to move on than yesterday’s level stretches, but far fewer crevasses to deal with.  One hour took us halfway up, a second hour brought us to the flat at 9,000 ft and a final pull got the team onto the rolling plateau at 9,500 ft.  We were plotting out a new camp in the snow by 8:35, just before the sun hit the upper reaches of the Kahiltna Glacier.  It was pleasantly colder in our new home… just the way it should be.  We hope that any storms will now be snow rather than rain, but we shall see.  One is forecasted for tomorrow.  We may have to wait it out here, but our hope is to sneak up to 11,000 tomorrow morning before it hits.  We rested away the afternoon as the clouds built up.  Even with them we enjoyed some views far down the glacier.  Not quite to its terminus 44 miles away, but in the neighborhood for sure.  Dinner was devoured in our comfy dining tent on benches cut in the snow.  All are feeling good and pulling strong. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Tuesday, June 22, 2021 - 11:22 pm PT

Hi,

Patience and more patience. Every day we look at the forecast and wonder how accurate will it be. Is the weather system going to happen or will it be nice out. Its a part of expedition life that is difficult. When do we move? Is this our time? Does it get better or worse? But no one truly knows. Its all in retrospect that we deliberate the decision and know the answer. So we wait. We wait for a forecast that is better than marginal. We have plenty of food and fuel to see if the winds will get better in the next handful of days. Patience is key. In due time it will be our moment, so we wait.

Good night,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Tuesday, June 22, 2021 - 4:45 pm PT

We "slept in" to a normal hour today; being up at 11,200' we no longer have to be on an alpine start schedule, traveling at night when the glaciers are frozen. The sky was clear above us as I fired the stoves at 6am, and clouds filled the glacial valleys below. After coffee and a Pop Tart, we headed back downhill to retrieve the cache of supplies we buried a couple of days ago. A quick jaunt downhill and forty minutes of climbing back up hill, and we were back at camp with all of ours supplies. We enjoyed a big leisurely brunch of eggs, hash browns, bacon, and, of course, more coffee. Meanwhile the clouds that had been below us earlier had risen up to our level and it began to lightly snow. That was fine by us, as the rest of the day we lounged in our tents, resting, napping, and reading.

If the weather cooperates, we plan to put in a cache up above Windy Corner tomorrow, somewhere above ~13,600'.

We'll be in touch tomorrow and let you you know how it goes.

RMI Guide Mike Walter

Howdy all,

One of the most important traits to have in expedition style climbing is patience. Patience to wait for a window that will give you the best odds to reach your goal: to safely summit the mountain. We are currently testing our patience waiting for the best opportunity for the team to move to 17,000' Camp and go for the summit. Rest days or waiting days can get long and can be quite boring but they are necessary. The down time can be hard and your mind can drift to family and friends and your life back home, but its important to keep your head here and in the game. Lots of tent time, snacking, reading, and Netflix occupy our time. We did get to greet a RMI team who came down from 17,000' Camp after a successful summit. It was fun seeing friendly faces and hearing about the route. It makes us that more excited to get up there. In due time it will be our turn. Till then we wait.

Till tomorrow,

RMI Guide Hannah Smith and team

Monday, June 21, 2021 - 6:11 pm PT

We made the move to 11 camp!

After waking up to some light snow and rain in the middle of the night, we thought we might get stuck at the base of Ski Hill for another day. Hoping for the best, we went back to sleep for an extra hour and woke to the clouds dropping and clear skies above us. We blasted the stoves, had a quick breakfast of cold cereal and coffee, tore down camp, and began our first stretch of the day. By the time we moved, weather was close to perfect and the snow made for easy walking without snow shoes. Making our way up Ski Hill, past our cache from yesterday, we pulled into 11,000' Camp a bit before noon. With warm temps, and sunny skies, we set up our camp for the next few days and crawled into our tents and out of the sun.

Thanks to our hard work yesterday - belated happy Father's Day to all the dads out there - tomorrow should be an easy day, with a quick back carry in the morning before some well deserved rest in the afternoon. We will let you know how it goes!

RMI Guide Nikki Champion

Monday, June 21, 2021 - 6:23 pm PT

This time the weather forecasts were off, but in our favor.  They predicted snow and showers overnight and we didn’t get them.  We were up at 1 AM and although there was a good bit of cloud around, it wasn’t low on the glacier and it wasn’t trapping the heat.  The snow at camp was still mushy, but we had high hopes that things would freeze to make for easier and safer travel conditions.  It takes a bit of work to knock down tents and get packed and moving that first time.  With a little breakfast on board, we were out of camp and walking by 3:40.  Our climb began with a downhill stretch.  We just got used to having snowshoes on and heavy sleds teathered to our packs as we trudged down the SE Fork to the main Kahiltna Glacier.  By then the first sunshine had found Mt Foraker’s northeastern hanging glaciers making for some fabulous color.  Once on the main glacier, the gentle uphill began -although very little of it felt gentle with our heavy loads.  The freeze had taken place, right on schedule, and the walking was as easy as it could be.  We moved around and across a few ugly crevasse bridges in our first hours, taking rest breaks every hour or so.   It was nice to be able to bump fists with JT Schmitt’s successful RMI team as we passed on the glacier. There were great views of Denali and the West Buttress for most of our journey but then the clouds started to roll in for real.  We pulled into our intended camp by about 9 AM and set to building tents, a kitchen/dining area and a latrine.  In other words -we did some digging in the snow.  The first snowflakes fell just as we were putting finishing touches on our new digs.  The real showers didn’t begin until we were well into nap time.  By the time we came out for dinner, the snow had quit but clouds were still obscuring our views.  We sat in our dining tent for a bit, but then turned in early, anticipating another alpine start for tomorrow. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn