Denali Team 5: June 13-July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called at 4:00pm Pacific Time with the following dispatch:
Andrew did not sound like his spunky self on the call. They left camp at 9pm last night and arrived at the airstrip at 7:30am. They are still waiting for a flight to break through the clouds and to take them out.
Andrew sounded tired...
"Yesterday we got to 14 and ate everything we could find," he said. "We had two breakfasts, a big lunch of quesidallas and cheese bagels. And then we got out of there."
The team moved relatively well down to the lower glacier and then things really slowed down. The glacier was a soupy mess and a number of people found hidden crevasses. Many climbers had a foot blow through, but a couple of people went in to their waists. Nobody went in over their head.
When the team got to the airstrip, everybody was so excited that nobody really wanted to relax. It was clear that there wouldn't be a flight for awhile, so they played a very competitive game of "Throw-the-Snowball-at-the-Shovel."
But then it got tiring...and it became clear that no planes would be in for a long while as the weather wasn't perfect...
"It's nice here at the airstrip," Andrew sighed. "But I guess it's raining in Talkeetna and nobody's flying. Basecamp Lisa (the base camp flight manager) says that their hoping to get some flights in later this afternoon, but we'll see."
I asked Andrew how everyone was doing and he said, "it looks like a war zone here. Everybody is passed out in their sleds or on top of their duffles. It'll be good to get out of here and eat some real food."
The phone started to break up at this point, but I caught one more sentence. "Denali wanted to remind us that weather is everything. I hope we get out of here pretty soon--"
And then the phone was cut off...
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership - Dispatch #2
Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership Part 1
Dates: June 21st - July 2 2010
Guides: Kurt Hicks and Kevin Hogan
Climbers: Chelsea Hermann, Gavin Hermann, Shashiraj Shanbhag, Brian Koehn, Paul Berggren, Mikko Salovarra, Daniel Arnold
Kevin called today with the following dispatch:
"Hello, this is Kevin. We’re currently eating breakfast in Winthop right now. Yesterday Kurt and Kevin were guided by the other climbers up Silver Star. The top of this peak is a rocky ridge, and we found snow up there. We will be at Fun Rock for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we’ll still be over on this side of the mountains. We’re not decided on what we will do but we have some ideas. - maybe Liberty Bell or Cutthroat Peak. We’ll be back Friday afternoon. "
-Kevin
Dates: June 21st - July 2 2010
Guides: Kurt Hicks and Kevin Hogan
Climbers: Chelsea Hermann, Gavin Hermann, Shashiraj Shanbhag, Brian Koehn, Paul Berggren, Mikko Salovarra, Daniel Arnold
Kevin called today with the following dispatch:
"Hello, this is Kevin. We’re currently eating breakfast in Winthop right now. Yesterday Kurt and Kevin were guided by the other climbers up Silver Star. The top of this peak is a rocky ridge, and we found snow up there. We will be at Fun Rock for the rest of the day. Tomorrow we’ll still be over on this side of the mountains. We’re not decided on what we will do but we have some ideas. - maybe Liberty Bell or Cutthroat Peak. We’ll be back Friday afternoon. "
-Kevin
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership Part 1 - Dispatch #1
Alpine Mountaineering and Technical Leadership Part 1
Dates: June 21st - July 2 2010
Guides: Kurt Hicks and Kevin Hogan
Climbers: Chelsea Hermann, Gavin Hermann, Shashiraj Shanbhag, Brian Koehn, Paul Berggren, Mikko Salovarra, Daniel Arnold
Kurt called this afternoon with the following dispatch:
"Hi! This is Kurt calling from the town of Winthrop. Today, we climbed Prime Rib which gave us great views of the Methow Valley. Tomorrow, we plan to hike into climb Silver Star on Wednesday. The weather over here is great. Sunny and beautiful. Everyone says hello to their friends and family."
-Kurt
Dates: June 21st - July 2 2010
Guides: Kurt Hicks and Kevin Hogan
Climbers: Chelsea Hermann, Gavin Hermann, Shashiraj Shanbhag, Brian Koehn, Paul Berggren, Mikko Salovarra, Daniel Arnold
Kurt called this afternoon with the following dispatch:
"Hi! This is Kurt calling from the town of Winthrop. Today, we climbed Prime Rib which gave us great views of the Methow Valley. Tomorrow, we plan to hike into climb Silver Star on Wednesday. The weather over here is great. Sunny and beautiful. Everyone says hello to their friends and family."
-Kurt
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #16
Denali Team 5: June 13-July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called at 1:45 Pacific Time with the following dispatch:
Hello! This is Paul calling from 14,000 feet! We came down from high camp yesterday. We’re going to hand out here for the rest of the day, however, we plan to leave here around 11 o’clock tonight. We’re going to head down to base camp. The forecast predicts partly cloudy and some snow starting tomorrow. Hopefully we can sneak out by then!
A few messages for the world:
From Steve to Katie: Can’t wait to see you soon. I’ve lost lots of weight (but not because of the cooking!).
From Colin: To my family, can’t wait to see you guys! Thanks to all the CCFA donors!
From Skye to Q (?) and Bridie – Thought of you both on the summit, and I can’t wait to see you and talk of the next trip.
From Ann to Jeff – When things got tough, I summoned you.
From Walt and Anne to Maria – Thanks for the message, can’t wait to see you.
From Andrew to Mom – Thanks, now everyone calls me snow angel. I am warm and ready to come home. Love you.
From Andrew to Natasha – See you soon.
From Luke to Abby – It was great talking to you. Hopefully I’ll be off in no time. I miss you.
From Ryan to DD – Couldn’t have done it without you, see you soon.
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called at 1:45 Pacific Time with the following dispatch:
Hello! This is Paul calling from 14,000 feet! We came down from high camp yesterday. We’re going to hand out here for the rest of the day, however, we plan to leave here around 11 o’clock tonight. We’re going to head down to base camp. The forecast predicts partly cloudy and some snow starting tomorrow. Hopefully we can sneak out by then!
A few messages for the world:
From Steve to Katie: Can’t wait to see you soon. I’ve lost lots of weight (but not because of the cooking!).
From Colin: To my family, can’t wait to see you guys! Thanks to all the CCFA donors!
From Skye to Q (?) and Bridie – Thought of you both on the summit, and I can’t wait to see you and talk of the next trip.
From Ann to Jeff – When things got tough, I summoned you.
From Walt and Anne to Maria – Thanks for the message, can’t wait to see you.
From Andrew to Mom – Thanks, now everyone calls me snow angel. I am warm and ready to come home. Love you.
From Andrew to Natasha – See you soon.
From Luke to Abby – It was great talking to you. Hopefully I’ll be off in no time. I miss you.
From Ryan to DD – Couldn’t have done it without you, see you soon.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Denali Team 5: Dispatch #15 - Summit Success!!!!
Denali Team 5: June 13-July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called at 12:18 Pacific Time with great news. The team summitted yesterday!
The team woke up yesterday to six inches of new snow on the tent, but other than that it was a beautiful day with not an ounce of wind. The team got moving at 11:00am.
The first part of the route was very difficult. Paul did some exhausting trailbreaking. The team encountered chest deep snow at times!
The difficult snow conditions made for a long and exhausting day. The group summitted at 9pm and then began their descent.
Andrew said that they were above the clouds all day and that the views on the descent were stunning. On one side of the mountain was the full moon and on the other side of the mountain was the setting sun. "It was as if we were on the line between night and day. And it was like we were there for hours. It was beautiful," he said.
When we received the phone call, people were just getting up. They will be tearing down camp and heading down to 14 camp soon. It sounds like they could be off the mountain as soon as Wednesday if the weather holds. If not, it might be Thursday or Friday.
We were able to give Andrew everybody's well wishes. I could hear him moving from tent to tent as he roused people with the comments from their friends and family.
Everybody is very excited!
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called at 12:18 Pacific Time with great news. The team summitted yesterday!
The team woke up yesterday to six inches of new snow on the tent, but other than that it was a beautiful day with not an ounce of wind. The team got moving at 11:00am.
The first part of the route was very difficult. Paul did some exhausting trailbreaking. The team encountered chest deep snow at times!
The difficult snow conditions made for a long and exhausting day. The group summitted at 9pm and then began their descent.
Andrew said that they were above the clouds all day and that the views on the descent were stunning. On one side of the mountain was the full moon and on the other side of the mountain was the setting sun. "It was as if we were on the line between night and day. And it was like we were there for hours. It was beautiful," he said.
When we received the phone call, people were just getting up. They will be tearing down camp and heading down to 14 camp soon. It sounds like they could be off the mountain as soon as Wednesday if the weather holds. If not, it might be Thursday or Friday.
We were able to give Andrew everybody's well wishes. I could hear him moving from tent to tent as he roused people with the comments from their friends and family.
Everybody is very excited!
Mount Whitney Report - June 27
Mount Whitney - East Buttress
June 24-27
Guide: Ian McEleney
Climber: Ilya Koltover
"The East Buttress of Mount Whitney is the best alpine rock climb of it's grade in America. There, I said it. It's long, consistent, has great rock quality, and tops out on the highest peak in the lower 48. Last Friday, Ilya Koltover and I made the hike from Whitney Portal up to Iceberg Lake to climb this route. The weather was typical High Sierra perfection on this day and for our entire climb. Camping at 8000 feet the night before certainly got us a jump start on acclimatizing, which helped us dispatch the steep approach hike in good time.
The next morning we waited until the sun had been warming the rock for a while before starting up. The pitches went smoothly. Though each features great fifth class climbing, we both agreed that the delicate 5.7 face on the third pitch was the most fun. As we got higher the views of surrounding peaks got better, and we took a break on one of the great belay ledges for lunch. A few hundred feet before the summit we switched from long pitches to short ones interspersed with easy scrambling. This took us to the top. One of the coolest aspects of this route is that you can pull fifth class moves right onto the summit, to the surprise of hikers who came up on the trail.
After hanging out on top for a while, we descended the Mountaineers route. This winter was a big one for snow in the Sierra, and the Mountaineers couloir still has a lot of snow in it. We were glad to get to use the ice axes we carried up the route. We got back to camp in time to lounge in the sun barefoot and admire the amazing piece of rock we climbed. If you're a intermediate or advanced rock climber with multipitch experience or a peak bagger who has some technical rock climbing experience and you haven't climbed this route, you're missing out. "
-Ian
June 24-27
Guide: Ian McEleney
Climber: Ilya Koltover
"The East Buttress of Mount Whitney is the best alpine rock climb of it's grade in America. There, I said it. It's long, consistent, has great rock quality, and tops out on the highest peak in the lower 48. Last Friday, Ilya Koltover and I made the hike from Whitney Portal up to Iceberg Lake to climb this route. The weather was typical High Sierra perfection on this day and for our entire climb. Camping at 8000 feet the night before certainly got us a jump start on acclimatizing, which helped us dispatch the steep approach hike in good time.
The next morning we waited until the sun had been warming the rock for a while before starting up. The pitches went smoothly. Though each features great fifth class climbing, we both agreed that the delicate 5.7 face on the third pitch was the most fun. As we got higher the views of surrounding peaks got better, and we took a break on one of the great belay ledges for lunch. A few hundred feet before the summit we switched from long pitches to short ones interspersed with easy scrambling. This took us to the top. One of the coolest aspects of this route is that you can pull fifth class moves right onto the summit, to the surprise of hikers who came up on the trail.
After hanging out on top for a while, we descended the Mountaineers route. This winter was a big one for snow in the Sierra, and the Mountaineers couloir still has a lot of snow in it. We were glad to get to use the ice axes we carried up the route. We got back to camp in time to lounge in the sun barefoot and admire the amazing piece of rock we climbed. If you're a intermediate or advanced rock climber with multipitch experience or a peak bagger who has some technical rock climbing experience and you haven't climbed this route, you're missing out. "
-Ian
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch 14
Denali Team 5: June 13-July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Lead Guide Paul Ivaska called at 2:53 Pacific time with the following update:
"We're still at high camp, 17,200 feet. The plan was to go for the summit today, but when we woke up this morning it was snowing with high winds. The weather's improving now, so our fingers are crossed for tomorrow."
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Lead Guide Paul Ivaska called at 2:53 Pacific time with the following update:
"We're still at high camp, 17,200 feet. The plan was to go for the summit today, but when we woke up this morning it was snowing with high winds. The weather's improving now, so our fingers are crossed for tomorrow."
Friday, June 25, 2010
Denali Team 5: Dispatch #13
Denali Team 5: June 13-July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
AAI lead guide Paul Ivaska called at 1:45pm Pacific Time.
The team climbed up to high camp yesterday. And if the winds die down, the plan is to go for the summit tomorrow.
It was clear at high camp when Paul called, but a bit breezy. The lower Kahiltna was socked in and there were thunderheads off to the west. Paul said that the foul weather in the distance made it extremely pretty at high camp.
Paul had a number of comments from people for their friends and family:
From Andrew: I'm on top of the world.
From Sky : Sky to Karl. I lied about the loads.
From Steve: Love and Hi to Katie. Have a great time in Grastenbury. Say hi to everyone. P.S, I lost lots of weight.
From Luke: To Abby you would be proud. I've been picking up trash along the way. Tomorrow is the day. If we succeed you'll see it on the dispatch. Wish me luck. I miss you.
We were able to get the well-wishes through. But before we were able to get any more detail on tomorrow's plan, the phone cut out...
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitraiona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland). Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland) Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
AAI lead guide Paul Ivaska called at 1:45pm Pacific Time.
The team climbed up to high camp yesterday. And if the winds die down, the plan is to go for the summit tomorrow.
It was clear at high camp when Paul called, but a bit breezy. The lower Kahiltna was socked in and there were thunderheads off to the west. Paul said that the foul weather in the distance made it extremely pretty at high camp.
Paul had a number of comments from people for their friends and family:
From Andrew: I'm on top of the world.
From Sky : Sky to Karl. I lied about the loads.
From Steve: Love and Hi to Katie. Have a great time in Grastenbury. Say hi to everyone. P.S, I lost lots of weight.
From Luke: To Abby you would be proud. I've been picking up trash along the way. Tomorrow is the day. If we succeed you'll see it on the dispatch. Wish me luck. I miss you.
We were able to get the well-wishes through. But before we were able to get any more detail on tomorrow's plan, the phone cut out...
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Denali Team 5: Dispatch #12
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called in a quick dispatch on Wednesday, June 23rd, at 5:30pm Pacific time:
"We're back at 14,000 camp today, after a successful cache up at 16,000 feet. Everyone's doing well, and tomorrow we'll move up to high camp. Talk to you then!"
Here are a few messages from us to you:
From Andrew: Thanks to everyone following the trip! Love to my friends and family.
From Walt and Anne: Say hello to hlo!
From Skye to Karl: Pray to God that the loads are not too heavy!
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called in a quick dispatch on Wednesday, June 23rd, at 5:30pm Pacific time:
"We're back at 14,000 camp today, after a successful cache up at 16,000 feet. Everyone's doing well, and tomorrow we'll move up to high camp. Talk to you then!"
Here are a few messages from us to you:
From Andrew: Thanks to everyone following the trip! Love to my friends and family.
From Walt and Anne: Say hello to hlo!
From Skye to Karl: Pray to God that the loads are not too heavy!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Denali Team 5: Dispatch #11
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Tuesday, June 22nd, at 4:30pm Pacific time with the following update:
"We're at 14,000 camp. We spent the day practicing on fixed lines that we set up in camp. Everyone seems to have a good handle on it (literally!), and we're looking forward to using the skills tomorrow. Today, we were going to go check out the Edge of the World, but the clouds came in and there wasn't great visibility. That's actually a good thing because it has been so hot and we needed a break!
For the most part, we've just been taking a rest day and hanging out in camp. The international participants seem to be enjoying the food on the trip, which is fun. They've really taken a liking to beef jerky, lucky charms, and cliff bars in particular. The brown bread from a can was a surprisingly big hit as well! It is really good when you fry it up.
Tomorrow we will head up to the fixed lines and put in a cache below 17,000. The loads we carry should be pretty light, as Dylan's team left some gear for us up above. This will be really nice for acclimatization purposes.
Here are some messages from us to you:
From Luke to Abby: It was awesome talking to you. Pray for good weather, and we will talk again in a wekk. I miss you! 1434
From Sky to Hugh and Bridie: Thanks for the message. Wish you were both here seeing what I am seeing!
Collin: Thanks for the note Cary, and much love to my family.
Ryan to DD: Thanks for the message you are in my thoughts.
Walt and Ann: Hello to Maria, Joe, Iman, Zak, and Amir.
Steve: Thanks for all the messages. Hugs and high fives to the kids. It is definitely too cold to wash as always. Lots of snowballs like Santa's message.
Richard: Hello to my little monkey, and all my love to my lovely lovely wife!
Andrew: Thanks for the continued support from friends and family, you guys make this all worth it. Natasha, you are beautiful and I love you!
Thats all for now! -- Andrew
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Tuesday, June 22nd, at 4:30pm Pacific time with the following update:
"We're at 14,000 camp. We spent the day practicing on fixed lines that we set up in camp. Everyone seems to have a good handle on it (literally!), and we're looking forward to using the skills tomorrow. Today, we were going to go check out the Edge of the World, but the clouds came in and there wasn't great visibility. That's actually a good thing because it has been so hot and we needed a break!
For the most part, we've just been taking a rest day and hanging out in camp. The international participants seem to be enjoying the food on the trip, which is fun. They've really taken a liking to beef jerky, lucky charms, and cliff bars in particular. The brown bread from a can was a surprisingly big hit as well! It is really good when you fry it up.
Tomorrow we will head up to the fixed lines and put in a cache below 17,000. The loads we carry should be pretty light, as Dylan's team left some gear for us up above. This will be really nice for acclimatization purposes.
Here are some messages from us to you:
From Luke to Abby: It was awesome talking to you. Pray for good weather, and we will talk again in a wekk. I miss you! 1434
From Sky to Hugh and Bridie: Thanks for the message. Wish you were both here seeing what I am seeing!
Collin: Thanks for the note Cary, and much love to my family.
Ryan to DD: Thanks for the message you are in my thoughts.
Walt and Ann: Hello to Maria, Joe, Iman, Zak, and Amir.
Steve: Thanks for all the messages. Hugs and high fives to the kids. It is definitely too cold to wash as always. Lots of snowballs like Santa's message.
Richard: Hello to my little monkey, and all my love to my lovely lovely wife!
Andrew: Thanks for the continued support from friends and family, you guys make this all worth it. Natasha, you are beautiful and I love you!
Thats all for now! -- Andrew
Monday, June 21, 2010
Denali Team 5: Dispatch #10
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Monday, June 21st, at 4:15pm Pacific time with the following update. Posting of this update was delayed because Blogspot made some access and administrative changes to their software that left us without access until now. Sorry for the delay!
“Hello again. This is Paul calling from 14,000 feet. We arrived here yesterday at 5:00pm and had a good evening together. The team did really well. It was calm coming around Windy Corner, and we were grateful for that.
Today we did a back carry, bringing up supplies from our 13,500-foot cache. The itinerary for the rest of today has been a hike out to the "Edge of the World" for the great views. Tomorrow we’ll do fixed line practice, and on Wednesday we hope to climb the face of the Buttress and put in our cache at 16,000 feet.
The weather is very nice and the forecast is looking pretty good, so we’re all very happy about that. It looks like it will be a drier week over the next seven days than this past week which was not good at all. Winds are predicted to be 10-30 miles per hour for the next couple of days. That’s not too bad. How much of a problem the wind is depends on the temperature. Today at the 17,200-foot high camp the high temp was 10 degrees Fahrenheit; the low was –5 last night. The summit has a cloud cap today. The wind isn’t too bad, but visibility is an issue up there.
Here are some messages from us to you. First off, everyone says thanks for sending the messages. It’s a lot of fun to get them.
From Steve: Love to my family and happy belated Father’s Day! Enjoy Glastonbury!
From Luke to Abby: I’m safe. Watch your phone tomorrow. 1434
From Brendan: Happy belated Father’s Day. Lots of love. All is well.
From Colin: Happy Father’s Day!
Ann and Walt: We send greetings to the head jammers and lady head jammers and to our climbing friend Patrick Kral. And Happy Father’s Day!
From Ryan: Happy Father’s Day to Robert and Gary!
That’s it for now. We’ll call again when we can."
We were able to pass on messages posted by Ryan, Rachel, and Trisha on Dispatch #9, and from the Dispatch #8 posted June 18, the comments posted there by rowingmum, Jim, antipodean, Abbey, Laura, Thisha, Katie, Birdie and Hugh, and Cary. Messages for Caitriona were not passed on because she has decided to head down the mountain (in the care of another guided group that was going down; our understanding is that is was a general decision she made and not a health decision).
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Monday, June 21st, at 4:15pm Pacific time with the following update. Posting of this update was delayed because Blogspot made some access and administrative changes to their software that left us without access until now. Sorry for the delay!
“Hello again. This is Paul calling from 14,000 feet. We arrived here yesterday at 5:00pm and had a good evening together. The team did really well. It was calm coming around Windy Corner, and we were grateful for that.
Today we did a back carry, bringing up supplies from our 13,500-foot cache. The itinerary for the rest of today has been a hike out to the "Edge of the World" for the great views. Tomorrow we’ll do fixed line practice, and on Wednesday we hope to climb the face of the Buttress and put in our cache at 16,000 feet.
The weather is very nice and the forecast is looking pretty good, so we’re all very happy about that. It looks like it will be a drier week over the next seven days than this past week which was not good at all. Winds are predicted to be 10-30 miles per hour for the next couple of days. That’s not too bad. How much of a problem the wind is depends on the temperature. Today at the 17,200-foot high camp the high temp was 10 degrees Fahrenheit; the low was –5 last night. The summit has a cloud cap today. The wind isn’t too bad, but visibility is an issue up there.
Here are some messages from us to you. First off, everyone says thanks for sending the messages. It’s a lot of fun to get them.
From Steve: Love to my family and happy belated Father’s Day! Enjoy Glastonbury!
From Luke to Abby: I’m safe. Watch your phone tomorrow. 1434
From Brendan: Happy belated Father’s Day. Lots of love. All is well.
From Colin: Happy Father’s Day!
Ann and Walt: We send greetings to the head jammers and lady head jammers and to our climbing friend Patrick Kral. And Happy Father’s Day!
From Ryan: Happy Father’s Day to Robert and Gary!
That’s it for now. We’ll call again when we can."
We were able to pass on messages posted by Ryan, Rachel, and Trisha on Dispatch #9, and from the Dispatch #8 posted June 18, the comments posted there by rowingmum, Jim, antipodean, Abbey, Laura, Thisha, Katie, Birdie and Hugh, and Cary. Messages for Caitriona were not passed on because she has decided to head down the mountain (in the care of another guided group that was going down; our understanding is that is was a general decision she made and not a health decision).
Denali Team 5: Dispatch #9
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Sunday, June 19th, at 8:15pm Pacific time with the following update:
"Hi all! This is Andrew calling in with a dispatch from Camp at 14,000 feet. Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there! Yesterday we took a cache up around Windy Corner at about 13,000 feet. We had a yummy dinner of Thai food with spicy sauce.
Today was such a beautiful climbing day. We moved up to 14,000, and the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny, and actually a little hot! We had to move quickly around Windy Corner to avoid rockfall that sometimes happens when things warm up. But we all made it safely to 14,000, and are just now putting the final touches on setting up the cook tent.
It is my turn to cook, and I hope everyone will be surprised by the after-dinner mints I've brought! And tomorrow, we'll pick up our cache below, and then have a rest day. This will give us some time to acclimatize. We look forward to passing along some more messages to friends and family tomorrow!"
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Sunday, June 19th, at 8:15pm Pacific time with the following update:
"Hi all! This is Andrew calling in with a dispatch from Camp at 14,000 feet. Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there! Yesterday we took a cache up around Windy Corner at about 13,000 feet. We had a yummy dinner of Thai food with spicy sauce.
Today was such a beautiful climbing day. We moved up to 14,000, and the weather couldn't have been better. It was sunny, and actually a little hot! We had to move quickly around Windy Corner to avoid rockfall that sometimes happens when things warm up. But we all made it safely to 14,000, and are just now putting the final touches on setting up the cook tent.
It is my turn to cook, and I hope everyone will be surprised by the after-dinner mints I've brought! And tomorrow, we'll pick up our cache below, and then have a rest day. This will give us some time to acclimatize. We look forward to passing along some more messages to friends and family tomorrow!"
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Guide to Posting Comments for Denali
It is often hard to read all the comments coming in to the teams on Denali, because at the far north, high latitude where they are, satellite coverage for the phones is intermittent. We frequently speak for a few minutes and then lose the connection. Therefore, so we have the best chance to get all the messages to the team, please limit yourself to one message (comment) per dispatch (unless something really unusual or important comes up for which you need a follow-up second comment for your person or their team.
Thanks!
Thanks!
Bolivia - Dispatch #20
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Alasdair sent in the following a email Sunday afternoon, June 20 at 3:45pm Pacific time.
We had a great time on Illimani, the final 5-day optional part of this 3-part Bolivia program. Diccon and I summited on 21,201-foot Illimani on Friday which was a personal highest point for each of us. Jim and Juan also left high camp to attempt the summit but turned around at about 19,000 feet.
Here are some photos from the trip. I hope these photos do justice to what for me was one of my 10 best days in the mountains. This first one is of an Andean condor that greated us back at camp after our summit climb. He came with in 30 feet of us.
This second shot is of Diccon on our descent with the summit of Illimani in the distance.
This final image is of Diccon on the summit ridge, with the lower north summit of Illimani in the distance.
Sorry folks I did not shoot as many photos as I usually do. It was a long climb that required our full attention.
After the climb, we headed down to the village of Penaya where our local staff rosted a sheep for the group in celebration of our successful summit. Last night in La Paz we had a very fine group dinner and had fun looking back on the many parts of this trip. Diccon and Jim flew home this morning, while Alfred headed back to Lake Titicaca to do some personal travels. Now Danny G., Danny U., and I are the last three left in La Paz.
As I sit here in La Paz and think back on all we have done on this trip, I can say quite honestly that of the many trips AAI does throughout the world, this has to be one of the best that the Institute offers. I can't wait to come back next year. If you have ever thought about doing some high altitude climbing in a foreign country, you have to do this trip! The scenery is amazing. The people are great. And the quality and variety of the climbing is excellent. It's been a great trip.
See you next year in La Paz!
Alasdair and Danny
.
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Alasdair sent in the following a email Sunday afternoon, June 20 at 3:45pm Pacific time.
We had a great time on Illimani, the final 5-day optional part of this 3-part Bolivia program. Diccon and I summited on 21,201-foot Illimani on Friday which was a personal highest point for each of us. Jim and Juan also left high camp to attempt the summit but turned around at about 19,000 feet.
Here are some photos from the trip. I hope these photos do justice to what for me was one of my 10 best days in the mountains. This first one is of an Andean condor that greated us back at camp after our summit climb. He came with in 30 feet of us.
This second shot is of Diccon on our descent with the summit of Illimani in the distance.
This final image is of Diccon on the summit ridge, with the lower north summit of Illimani in the distance.
Sorry folks I did not shoot as many photos as I usually do. It was a long climb that required our full attention.
After the climb, we headed down to the village of Penaya where our local staff rosted a sheep for the group in celebration of our successful summit. Last night in La Paz we had a very fine group dinner and had fun looking back on the many parts of this trip. Diccon and Jim flew home this morning, while Alfred headed back to Lake Titicaca to do some personal travels. Now Danny G., Danny U., and I are the last three left in La Paz.
As I sit here in La Paz and think back on all we have done on this trip, I can say quite honestly that of the many trips AAI does throughout the world, this has to be one of the best that the Institute offers. I can't wait to come back next year. If you have ever thought about doing some high altitude climbing in a foreign country, you have to do this trip! The scenery is amazing. The people are great. And the quality and variety of the climbing is excellent. It's been a great trip.
See you next year in La Paz!
Alasdair and Danny
.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #8
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Friday the 18th at 7:10 Pacific time with the following update:
Hey everyone. This is Paul and the team calling from 11,000 feet. We've had a great day today. We back-carried this morning, going down to 10,500 and bringing up the supplies that we had cached there. The cache was so high it made it a pretty easy day for us, so this has really been more like a rest day.
The weather has been odd. Changing a lot. We're actually above a cloud layer at the moment.
Everyone is doing well. We're all in good health and glad to be here. Tomorrow we are gong to climb to Windy Corner and place a cache just beyond it at 13,500 feet. We'll give a call in the evening and let you know how it goes. That's it for now. Talk to you soon."
While Paul was on the phone, we read the group the comments that Michel and Joseph posted on the blog for Amboura and Andrew! Keep the communications coming and we will pass the messages on.
.
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Friday the 18th at 7:10 Pacific time with the following update:
Hey everyone. This is Paul and the team calling from 11,000 feet. We've had a great day today. We back-carried this morning, going down to 10,500 and bringing up the supplies that we had cached there. The cache was so high it made it a pretty easy day for us, so this has really been more like a rest day.
The weather has been odd. Changing a lot. We're actually above a cloud layer at the moment.
Everyone is doing well. We're all in good health and glad to be here. Tomorrow we are gong to climb to Windy Corner and place a cache just beyond it at 13,500 feet. We'll give a call in the evening and let you know how it goes. That's it for now. Talk to you soon."
While Paul was on the phone, we read the group the comments that Michel and Joseph posted on the blog for Amboura and Andrew! Keep the communications coming and we will pass the messages on.
.
Bolivia - Dispatch #19
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Alasdair called Friday, June 18th at 2:30 Pacific time with the following dispatch:
"Hi everyone. This is Alasdair. Diccon and I summited Illiamni today. Conditions were decent but very windy and very cold. Jim and Juan ended up turning around after about 1,00 feet of elevation gain. Danny is still down with Aflred at base camp. We have been in touch with them throughout the day with our radios.
Tonight we’ll be back in Pinaya, where we will roast a sheep in celebration of our adventures. We’ll camp there tonight and the bus is going to come pick us up tomorrow morning to take us back to La Paz. Talk to you tomorrow. "
-Alasdair
.
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Alasdair called Friday, June 18th at 2:30 Pacific time with the following dispatch:
"Hi everyone. This is Alasdair. Diccon and I summited Illiamni today. Conditions were decent but very windy and very cold. Jim and Juan ended up turning around after about 1,00 feet of elevation gain. Danny is still down with Aflred at base camp. We have been in touch with them throughout the day with our radios.
Tonight we’ll be back in Pinaya, where we will roast a sheep in celebration of our adventures. We’ll camp there tonight and the bus is going to come pick us up tomorrow morning to take us back to La Paz. Talk to you tomorrow. "
-Alasdair
.
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #7
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Thursday the 17th at 8:45pm Pacific time with the following update:
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Thursday the 17th at 8:45pm Pacific time with the following update:
“Hi! This is Andrew calling from 11, 200 feet. We hiked though white out conditions to get here. It was very low visibility and the wind was blowing like crazy. We were basically navigating by GPS; Paul did a great job. Everyone stayed warm and layered properly. We were rewarded with a good view – near the end, we popped out of the clouds to warm, sunny skies!
Tomorrow will be a semi-rest day. We plan to back track to our cache below, pick up the load, and bring it back up to 11,200. Then it’s rest time after that.
Everyone says hello to home. We’re all safe, sound, and STRONG.”
-Andrew
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Denali Team 4: Dispatch #11
Denali Team 4: May 30-June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called at 5:30 pm PT with the following update:
“Hi, this is Dylan. We have made it safely to Base Camp. No one's flown out since Monday because of the weather, but it looks like we'll be able to head out in a few days. Everyone is fine and we're happy to be relaxing and hanging out with the other teams at camp. We will call again tomorrow!"
-Dylan
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called at 5:30 pm PT with the following update:
“Hi, this is Dylan. We have made it safely to Base Camp. No one's flown out since Monday because of the weather, but it looks like we'll be able to head out in a few days. Everyone is fine and we're happy to be relaxing and hanging out with the other teams at camp. We will call again tomorrow!"
-Dylan
Bolivia - Dispatch #18
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called Wednesday, June 17th at 3:05 Pacific time with the following dispatch:
“Hi, this is Danny calling from base camp. It’s a beautiful day here today. We call gained some elevation today but Alfred and I turned around via a new route. Right now some of Juan’s family is here keeping us company. Bolivians are incredible people. People often overlook the fact that these people are living at 13,00 feet everyday.
Alasdair, Juan, and Diccon are planning to summit tomorrow and they are currently poised and ready at high camp, right on schedule. Wish them luck. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
-Danny
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called Wednesday, June 17th at 3:05 Pacific time with the following dispatch:
“Hi, this is Danny calling from base camp. It’s a beautiful day here today. We call gained some elevation today but Alfred and I turned around via a new route. Right now some of Juan’s family is here keeping us company. Bolivians are incredible people. People often overlook the fact that these people are living at 13,00 feet everyday.
Alasdair, Juan, and Diccon are planning to summit tomorrow and they are currently poised and ready at high camp, right on schedule. Wish them luck. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
-Danny
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #10
Denali Team 4: May 30-June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called at 4:30 pm PT with the following update:
“Hi, this is Dylan calling to check in. Our apologies for the delay in updates. We’re still at 14,000 feet right now. However, after a lot of discussion and considerations, the team has made the decision to head down today. The weather is beautiful right here and right now, however, the winds are significant and there is a huge cloud cap over the summit. Furthermore, the forecast calls for 50 mph wind gusts until Saturday. We’re low on days and low on food, and we just don’t have enough time left. We all hoped to move on, but we would likely just get stuck. We’ll be down to base camp by tomorrow. We’re not sure when we will fly out – that will also depend on the weather.
Bottom line is we’re all safe and sound. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
-Dylan
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called at 4:30 pm PT with the following update:
“Hi, this is Dylan calling to check in. Our apologies for the delay in updates. We’re still at 14,000 feet right now. However, after a lot of discussion and considerations, the team has made the decision to head down today. The weather is beautiful right here and right now, however, the winds are significant and there is a huge cloud cap over the summit. Furthermore, the forecast calls for 50 mph wind gusts until Saturday. We’re low on days and low on food, and we just don’t have enough time left. We all hoped to move on, but we would likely just get stuck. We’ll be down to base camp by tomorrow. We’re not sure when we will fly out – that will also depend on the weather.
Bottom line is we’re all safe and sound. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
-Dylan
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #6
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Wenesday the 16th at 4:00 pm with the following update:
“Hi everyone! This is going to be a quick dispatch; our phone keeps cutting out. We put in cache at 10,000 feet today. We started very early this morning and caught a decent weather window; right now it’s snowing. It’s not snowing very hard, but it’s overcast with low visibility. The weather is not the greatest, but it’s not the worst either, so we plan to keep pushing on. We’re listening to the radio and it wounds like the teams above us are dealing with some windy conditions.
I have a few messages from the team:
From Luke: To Abbi, I hope finals went well. Hope you have fun at the pool party while I’m on a glacier. I miss you.
From Caitriona: Thanks for all the messages everyone. We really appreciate it after a hard day up the hill.
From Walt: Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
From Steve: To Duncs. Have awesome stag? (I could not made out this word very well) Sorry I’m not there, get you next time. Sambuca!
From Andrew: Natasha, I love you. To Mom, my beard froze today!!!
That’s all for now. Take care, everyone.”
-Paul
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Wenesday the 16th at 4:00 pm with the following update:
“Hi everyone! This is going to be a quick dispatch; our phone keeps cutting out. We put in cache at 10,000 feet today. We started very early this morning and caught a decent weather window; right now it’s snowing. It’s not snowing very hard, but it’s overcast with low visibility. The weather is not the greatest, but it’s not the worst either, so we plan to keep pushing on. We’re listening to the radio and it wounds like the teams above us are dealing with some windy conditions.
I have a few messages from the team:
From Luke: To Abbi, I hope finals went well. Hope you have fun at the pool party while I’m on a glacier. I miss you.
From Caitriona: Thanks for all the messages everyone. We really appreciate it after a hard day up the hill.
From Walt: Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
From Steve: To Duncs. Have awesome stag? (I could not made out this word very well) Sorry I’m not there, get you next time. Sambuca!
From Andrew: Natasha, I love you. To Mom, my beard froze today!!!
That’s all for now. Take care, everyone.”
-Paul
Bolivia - Dispatch #17
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny wrote Tuesday, June 15th at 10 am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
“Right now we’re at the base camp of Illimani at 15,000 ft. We started out the day early and were dropped off at the village of Tinaya. Tinaya is not like the city – it consists of mostly farmland, where the people grow potatoes and corn. At this elevation, the land here is dusty, rugged, and used, which is quite the opposite of the lush, lower jungles beyond Illimani.
It turns out Juan lives nearby, so we had lunch with him and his family at his house. After that, we started our journey as the massive Illimani loomed over us. We saw a lenticular cloud as well, which came from the stable moist air flowing over the mountain. It took us only two and a half hours to get here, but we have about another 6,000 feet to go. The city lights of La Paz will be visible tonight from where we are. Tomorrow, we head out to a high camp. I’ll call again tomorrow.”
-Danny
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny wrote Tuesday, June 15th at 10 am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
“Right now we’re at the base camp of Illimani at 15,000 ft. We started out the day early and were dropped off at the village of Tinaya. Tinaya is not like the city – it consists of mostly farmland, where the people grow potatoes and corn. At this elevation, the land here is dusty, rugged, and used, which is quite the opposite of the lush, lower jungles beyond Illimani.
It turns out Juan lives nearby, so we had lunch with him and his family at his house. After that, we started our journey as the massive Illimani loomed over us. We saw a lenticular cloud as well, which came from the stable moist air flowing over the mountain. It took us only two and a half hours to get here, but we have about another 6,000 feet to go. The city lights of La Paz will be visible tonight from where we are. Tomorrow, we head out to a high camp. I’ll call again tomorrow.”
-Danny
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #9
Denali Team 4: May 30-June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called with the following update:
The weather has not been very good on the mountain, and the team has been playing a waiting game at 14,000 feet to see if a window of opportunity develops. On Monday the forecast was for a new low pressure system to reach the mountain Monday night or Tuesday morning bringing with it winds to 50 mph and an estimated 5 inches of snow. Because the wind accelerates when it hits the West Buttress and rises up to pass over the ridge that forms the top of the West Buttress, the winds in that location are normally always higher than the estimates in forecasts. High camp is located at 17,200 feet on the top of the West Buttress.
Because of the anticipated storm, they climbed the Buttress on Monday, going all the way to 17,200 to retrieve some food supplies left for them by a previous expedition as well as to empty the cache of gear and food they had previously left for themselves at 16,000 not far from the top of the fixed lines. The plan accomplished several things: 1) it got gear off the mountain that they might not be able to retrieve later, depending on the severity and duration of the storm; 2) it gave the team additional food supplies in case they are delayed on the mountain; and 3) it gave everyone a chance to climb to 17,200 feet (a high point for a number of people on the team) and see the lay of the land high on Denali, in case they don't make it back up there this week.
If the weather remains poor, they will begin their descent either tomorrow or Friday. We will post more news as soon as we hear of their plan.
.
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called with the following update:
The weather has not been very good on the mountain, and the team has been playing a waiting game at 14,000 feet to see if a window of opportunity develops. On Monday the forecast was for a new low pressure system to reach the mountain Monday night or Tuesday morning bringing with it winds to 50 mph and an estimated 5 inches of snow. Because the wind accelerates when it hits the West Buttress and rises up to pass over the ridge that forms the top of the West Buttress, the winds in that location are normally always higher than the estimates in forecasts. High camp is located at 17,200 feet on the top of the West Buttress.
Because of the anticipated storm, they climbed the Buttress on Monday, going all the way to 17,200 to retrieve some food supplies left for them by a previous expedition as well as to empty the cache of gear and food they had previously left for themselves at 16,000 not far from the top of the fixed lines. The plan accomplished several things: 1) it got gear off the mountain that they might not be able to retrieve later, depending on the severity and duration of the storm; 2) it gave the team additional food supplies in case they are delayed on the mountain; and 3) it gave everyone a chance to climb to 17,200 feet (a high point for a number of people on the team) and see the lay of the land high on Denali, in case they don't make it back up there this week.
If the weather remains poor, they will begin their descent either tomorrow or Friday. We will post more news as soon as we hear of their plan.
.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #5
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Richard called on Tuesday the 15th at 2:30pm with the following update:
“Hello! This is Richard calling from Camp One at 7,000 feet. We arrived around 9:45am this morning. Right now everyone is happily taking a nap and resting up. Everyone did really well today and is feeling well. We just finished setting up the sleeping tents and the cook tent - with appropriate shelves and seats for our high standard of chef prepared meals! I’m preparing dinner, which will be built around couscous which will serve as the base.
After dinner we will head for bed for the rest of the day. We’ve decided to move on the graveyard schedule. We'll be climbing at night to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and firmer conditions on the glacier. It’s still snowing, but it’s considerably warmer than it was earlier. We have good visibility despite the snow.
Thank you for all of the good wishes and comments. We’ll call again tomorrow.”
.
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Richard called on Tuesday the 15th at 2:30pm with the following update:
“Hello! This is Richard calling from Camp One at 7,000 feet. We arrived around 9:45am this morning. Right now everyone is happily taking a nap and resting up. Everyone did really well today and is feeling well. We just finished setting up the sleeping tents and the cook tent - with appropriate shelves and seats for our high standard of chef prepared meals! I’m preparing dinner, which will be built around couscous which will serve as the base.
After dinner we will head for bed for the rest of the day. We’ve decided to move on the graveyard schedule. We'll be climbing at night to take advantage of the cooler temperatures and firmer conditions on the glacier. It’s still snowing, but it’s considerably warmer than it was earlier. We have good visibility despite the snow.
Thank you for all of the good wishes and comments. We’ll call again tomorrow.”
.
Bolivia - Dispatch #16
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny wrote Tuesday, June 15th at 10 am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
"Hey Everyone, this is Danny and Alasdair and the rest of the team emailing from La Paz. We had a great great trip in the Condoriri group and then on Huayna Potosi. The weather (as always) was very good, very clear, and allowed for a lot of climbing. Without repeating too much from the previous dispatches, I will say that we all enjoyed great food and adventures. Lots of mediocre humor (read: bad jokes), mainly on my part, but Alasdair contributed as well. We celebrated Jim's birthday for 5 straight days, to his dismay. I think he felt a little bad about having the spotlight, but we had to eat the cake we carried in on the 5th, or else it would have gone bad. Sorry Jim, but thanks for being a good birthday boy.
Huayna Potosi went really well despite incredibly cold conditions. I haven't been that cold in a while. But the sun rose as my rope team arrived at the base of the summit pyramid at 19,300 feet. The sky was absolutely clear and blew up in a spectrum of the usual rainbow colors. Eventually we battled our way through the rock and ice (and other, slower climbing parties) to summit. The ridge we climbed for the final 200 feet dropped off 3000 feet of cold, dark snow and ice to our right, in the expanse of the West Face.
I am tired, and I think most everyone else is. Margen finished her trip with Part 2 and so is already on an airplane halfway to Miami as I write this. Ray is leaving tonight.
Everyone else is going to Illimani tomorrow. Tonight is our last night in town, and a very needed rest day (and work day for Alasdair and me).
We'll check in from Illimani base camp tomorrow."
-Danny
Monday, June 14, 2010
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #4
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Monday the 14th at 3pm with the following update:
"Hi! This is Paul calling from Base camp with a very quick dispatch. We flew in late yesterday, and today we went over glacier travel skills. The plan is to move to 7,800 ft tomorrow. We have a few quick messages for the world:
From Luke: H5Mand1434 To Abby
From Katrina: Hello to my family and David.
From Andrew: To my mom, I’m still warm and dry. And to penguin, HELLO!
From Brandon: Love to Dervla and Erica.
From Steve: Love to KT and all the family.
From Richard: Hello Laura and Sammy. I’m sleeping the whole night through. I love you guys!
From Kristen: Looper love to Idaho and California!
Ok, that's all for now, I will call tomorrow." -Paul
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Paul called on Monday the 14th at 3pm with the following update:
"Hi! This is Paul calling from Base camp with a very quick dispatch. We flew in late yesterday, and today we went over glacier travel skills. The plan is to move to 7,800 ft tomorrow. We have a few quick messages for the world:
From Luke: H5Mand1434 To Abby
From Katrina: Hello to my family and David.
From Andrew: To my mom, I’m still warm and dry. And to penguin, HELLO!
From Brandon: Love to Dervla and Erica.
From Steve: Love to KT and all the family.
From Richard: Hello Laura and Sammy. I’m sleeping the whole night through. I love you guys!
From Kristen: Looper love to Idaho and California!
Ok, that's all for now, I will call tomorrow." -Paul
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #3
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Sunday the 13th at 11pm with the following update:
Hi again, this is Andrew Calling from Base Camp. We caught the absolute last light flight late last night. We flew just beneath the clouds. The runway is pretty mushy. You can tell the temperatures are warming up here as we get into the late season. Everyone is settling into camp, and the cook tent is set up. We’re having hamburgers and salad tonight. We’ll probably go to bed right after that. Tomorrow we’re doing some basic skills review such as rope team travel. Then on Tuesday we’ll move up to 7,800 feet. We’re all excited to get started.
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Sunday the 13th at 11pm with the following update:
Hi again, this is Andrew Calling from Base Camp. We caught the absolute last light flight late last night. We flew just beneath the clouds. The runway is pretty mushy. You can tell the temperatures are warming up here as we get into the late season. Everyone is settling into camp, and the cook tent is set up. We’re having hamburgers and salad tonight. We’ll probably go to bed right after that. Tomorrow we’re doing some basic skills review such as rope team travel. Then on Tuesday we’ll move up to 7,800 feet. We’re all excited to get started.
Bolivia - Dispatch #15
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called Monday, June 14th at 11:10 am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Hello, this is Danny calling from 16,800 ft. We woke up super early to summit Huayna Potosi. Six people summited. It was incredibly windy and cold today. We couldn’t wait for the sun to rise, and when it did, it was gorgeous. We summited via the a different route that I’ve never done before to the climber’s right of the pyramid. You can tell the mountain has lost a great deal of snow. Margen, Alfred, and Juan just got back, so we’re going to cook a quick meal and head back down to La Paz. It was a spectacular performance by everyone on the team today.
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called Monday, June 14th at 11:10 am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Hello, this is Danny calling from 16,800 ft. We woke up super early to summit Huayna Potosi. Six people summited. It was incredibly windy and cold today. We couldn’t wait for the sun to rise, and when it did, it was gorgeous. We summited via the a different route that I’ve never done before to the climber’s right of the pyramid. You can tell the mountain has lost a great deal of snow. Margen, Alfred, and Juan just got back, so we’re going to cook a quick meal and head back down to La Paz. It was a spectacular performance by everyone on the team today.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #2
Denali Team 5: June 13–July 3
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Sunday the 13th at 3:18pm with the following update:
"Hey guys. This is Andrew again 2:20 local time. Since I last called, we just got word we are flying out. We split into two teams for two planes. The first one got loaded up started taxing down the runway but got called back because fog just rolled into basecamp. They can’t see the Kahiltna Icefall which is a key indicator of what pilots are going to see or not see. So we’re going to do a little more waiting. That’s the news."
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom)
Andrew called on Sunday the 13th at 3:18pm with the following update:
"Hey guys. This is Andrew again 2:20 local time. Since I last called, we just got word we are flying out. We split into two teams for two planes. The first one got loaded up started taxing down the runway but got called back because fog just rolled into basecamp. They can’t see the Kahiltna Icefall which is a key indicator of what pilots are going to see or not see. So we’re going to do a little more waiting. That’s the news."
Denali Team 5 - Dispatch #1
Guides: Paul Ivaska, Richard Riquelme, Kristen Looper
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom).
Andrew called on Sunday the 13th at 2:14pm with the team's first dispatch:
“Hey, this is Andrew calling from Talkeetna – we are waiting on the airstrip to fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier. K2 has given us a tentative fly time of 5pm. It could be anytime between now and then – or later We’re really hoping to fly out today. The weather is beautiful in Talkeetna now There are some sucker holes of sun, and we heard that base camp is sunny too, but the mountain passes are still socked in so that’s what’s holding us up at the moment.
Everyone is excited to head to the glacier and get the expedition under way. We just filled our stomachs with pizza and apples – the lasts tastes of town. Well – that’s not exactly true. We have some great fresh food packed to the first days of the climb.
We look forward to keeping you updated and letting you know how the expedition goes. We excited that this team is made up of some people who were on the mountain last year who are ready to give another go and some first timers on Denali. Everyone is excited and ready to give it their best shot.
Have a great day. We will talk to you soon.”
Apprentice: Andrew Yasso
Climbers: Walt, Ann, and Luke Hampton (Canton, Connecticut), Caitriona Strain (Burnfoot, Ireland), Brendan McDyer (Glenties, Ireland), Skye O'Donnell (Sydney, Australia), Colin Stalnecker (Chicago, Illinois), Ryan Derrigan (Rickmansworth, England), and Stephen Williams (Oxon, United Kingdom).
Andrew called on Sunday the 13th at 2:14pm with the team's first dispatch:
“Hey, this is Andrew calling from Talkeetna – we are waiting on the airstrip to fly onto the Kahiltna Glacier. K2 has given us a tentative fly time of 5pm. It could be anytime between now and then – or later We’re really hoping to fly out today. The weather is beautiful in Talkeetna now There are some sucker holes of sun, and we heard that base camp is sunny too, but the mountain passes are still socked in so that’s what’s holding us up at the moment.
Everyone is excited to head to the glacier and get the expedition under way. We just filled our stomachs with pizza and apples – the lasts tastes of town. Well – that’s not exactly true. We have some great fresh food packed to the first days of the climb.
We look forward to keeping you updated and letting you know how the expedition goes. We excited that this team is made up of some people who were on the mountain last year who are ready to give another go and some first timers on Denali. Everyone is excited and ready to give it their best shot.
Have a great day. We will talk to you soon.”
Bolivia - Dispatch #14
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called Sunday the 13th at 11:26am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called Sunday the 13th at 11:26am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
"This is Danny from high camp – the refugio on Huayna Potosi – we just got here safe and sound. Everyone is chilling.
There’s not a cloud in the sky destpite the fact that the weather report was calling for a 30% chance of showers. Imagine that – rain in Bolivia. I’ve never seen it!
Tomorrow we’ll get up around 1am and leave at 2, heading for the summit. After that we’ll head back to La Paz for a big siestra and fiesta and celebrate the end of part 2 and all our climbing and good times together. We’ll probably give you an update then. We’re doing well! Talk to you soon."
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Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #8
Denali Team 4: May 30-June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called on Friday at 1026pm Pacific timeClimbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson, and Siggi Soleyiarson
“Hi there. This is Dylan. We’re still 14,000 feet. We almost went up to high camp today at 17,200 today but had to pull the plug when it got really windy on the top of the West Buttress, and we were sure it would be miserable up there. But we hope to go up Saturday and try for the summit as soon as people are feeling ready for it.
We have two new messages for you today.
From Jay: I dedicate this summit attempt to the memory of Anna, daughter of Bill and Gina. We’re still at 14,000 because of weather. We’re all eager to climb. This is a great team.
From Siggy: Please send a tons of prayerts for sunny skies to Eros and Aphrodite post haste.
So we’ll try to call as soon as we have more news for you. That’s it for now.”
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Friday, June 11, 2010
Bolivia - Dispatch #13
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called at 10:30am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Today Alasdair and Diccon summited Pequeño Alpamayo via the SW Face. This is the most direct route, and consists of four pitches of 60 degree ice.
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called at 10:30am Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Today Alasdair and Diccon summited Pequeño Alpamayo via the SW Face. This is the most direct route, and consists of four pitches of 60 degree ice.
Jim, Alfred, and Juan summited via the Normal Route on a the SW ridge.
Some people didn’t climb today, so we hung around camp. We did do some dry-tooling and bouldering, though. We’re just waiting for the two parties to come back to the fine meal we’re preparing – grilled cheese and Cokes!
It’s been beautiful here. It’s always nice in Bolivia – that’s just the way it is. However, it was cold this morning. The temperatures have been in the twenties at night, and about fifty-five or sixty during the day. Some of us are slightly affected by the attitude and have a slight cold, but it’s nothing serious. And we’re all a little tired from the 3am alpine starts…..
That's all for now. – Danny
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Denali Team 3 - Dispatch #18
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called this morning (June 11) at 9:00am Pacific time.
Angela called to let us know that they are safely back at the landing strip on the Kahiltna Glacier. Everyone did an amazing job descending through the night when the snow conditions were the firmest.
They are now waiting for the K2 flight that is scheduled to arrive in about an hour. All of the climbers are tired and anxious for some hot showers and some good food and drinks back in Talkeetna. To the families of the climbers – get ready for some phone calls!
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called this morning (June 11) at 9:00am Pacific time.
Angela called to let us know that they are safely back at the landing strip on the Kahiltna Glacier. Everyone did an amazing job descending through the night when the snow conditions were the firmest.
They are now waiting for the K2 flight that is scheduled to arrive in about an hour. All of the climbers are tired and anxious for some hot showers and some good food and drinks back in Talkeetna. To the families of the climbers – get ready for some phone calls!
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Thursday, June 10, 2010
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #7
Denali Team 4: May 30-June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called at 3:15pm Pacific time.
Dylan indicated they are buried in deep new snow. Nobody is going anywhere today.
Last night there were a number of avalanches cutting down into the Gene Basin. Dylan counted at least fifteen. As a result, they are going to sit tight until things settle down. They are hoping that the snow will stabilize by morning. But if not, they'll sit it out for another day.
The sat phone broke up at this point and we lost contact.
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, Jay Jackson and Siggi Soleyiarson
Dylan called at 3:15pm Pacific time.
Dylan indicated they are buried in deep new snow. Nobody is going anywhere today.
Last night there were a number of avalanches cutting down into the Gene Basin. Dylan counted at least fifteen. As a result, they are going to sit tight until things settle down. They are hoping that the snow will stabilize by morning. But if not, they'll sit it out for another day.
The sat phone broke up at this point and we lost contact.
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Denali Team 3 - Dispatch #17
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 3:00pm Pacific time.
Angela stated that they are at 14,000 feet right now in deep new snow. Everybody is in their tents resting.
The plan is to leave camp in a few hours to head down. It has been warm during the day, so they want to move at night when it is coolest. They expect to go all night down to the airstrip.
Angela believes they will make it by morning. If they planes are flying -- which it sounds like they were not doing today in the weather – then they will fly out early tomorrow.
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 3:00pm Pacific time.
Angela stated that they are at 14,000 feet right now in deep new snow. Everybody is in their tents resting.
The plan is to leave camp in a few hours to head down. It has been warm during the day, so they want to move at night when it is coolest. They expect to go all night down to the airstrip.
Angela believes they will make it by morning. If they planes are flying -- which it sounds like they were not doing today in the weather – then they will fly out early tomorrow.
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Bolivia - Dispatch #12
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called at 12:15pm Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Today, we all went waterfall ice climbing on a a nice flow near camp with multiple lines of WI 3 and 4.
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Danny called at 12:15pm Pacific time with the following dispatch:
Today, we all went waterfall ice climbing on a a nice flow near camp with multiple lines of WI 3 and 4.
We ate fresh trout from the lake and homemade fries for dinner earlier tonight. Everyone is resting right now for our big day tomorrow where we will attempt Pequeno Alpamayo. It’s typical for us to be curled up in our sleeping bags by 8pm, as the moon is almost completely gone. Because we are so close to the equator, the sun rises at 7 am and sets at 6pm, so there is not much light.
Yesterday, Diccon and I did six 200-foot pitches of alpine ice (up to grade 4). It was long and very sustained. We radioed Alasdair back at camp in the afternoon and they could see us from where they were. We asked the camp if they could see how much longer we had to go. It turns out we did not have enough time to make the climb, so we didn’t end up finishing.
[Unfortunately, the sat phone cut out here.]
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Bolivia - Dispatch #11
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29-June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Alasdair called at 2:00pm Pacific time.
Today was a rest day for almost everyone. Danny and Diccon went off to climb a technical route on the Left Wing of Condoriri. Alasdiar said that they could see them high on the mountain for most of the day.
It was extremely warm in camp today. Alasdair reported that he wore shorts and a t-shirt most of the day. The temperatures were in the sixties.
The group that stayed behind practiced crevasse rescue and a number of other techniques around camp. They had pancakes for breakfast and will have trout for dinner.
Everybody is doing well. A lot of people were taking a pre-dinner nap when Alasdair called.
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
Alasdair called at 2:00pm Pacific time.
Today was a rest day for almost everyone. Danny and Diccon went off to climb a technical route on the Left Wing of Condoriri. Alasdiar said that they could see them high on the mountain for most of the day.
It was extremely warm in camp today. Alasdair reported that he wore shorts and a t-shirt most of the day. The temperatures were in the sixties.
The group that stayed behind practiced crevasse rescue and a number of other techniques around camp. They had pancakes for breakfast and will have trout for dinner.
Everybody is doing well. A lot of people were taking a pre-dinner nap when Alasdair called.
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Denali Team 3 - Dispatch #16
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead guide Angela Seidling called at 1:20 Pacific time with more news from the mountain!
"Hey all, we just got up and are eating breakfast," Angela laughed. "It was a loooongggg day yesterday."
The team awoke yesterday morning to find terrible conditions. It was windy and they were essentially in a cloud. But surprisingly it cleared up at about noon. The team left for the summit at 2:30pm.
When they left it was quite warm. As they ascended the mountain, the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped. They summited in extremely cold temperatures at 9:00pm.
On their way down they had a spectacular view. The sunset -- which is usually a minor affair this time of year -- was absolutely stunning over the Alaska range.
They finally arrived at camp, dog tired, at 2:00am.
The plan for today is to pack up and move down to 14,000 feet. Tomorrow they will try to get all the way out.
The team had a lot of shout outs to everybody back home.
Today was Alaina's birthday. And she said the best birthday present is coming down the mountain. She's excited to eat food in Talkeetna. "Lazy Sunday, here I come. Can't wait for Bubbles, 'The L Word' and bacon!"
From Carol:
"I'm so happy to have made the summit with such fine guides and companions. And I'm honored to have shared the responsibilitis of the climb. Thinking of everybody at home. AAAHHOOO!!!"
From Joan:
"For me yesterday was one of the happioest days of my life. I reached my fifth of the seven summits!"
From Simon:
"I want to give a shout out to Red Point. Summit success equals invisible Fran at 14k one minute 27 seconds."
From Bob:
"The summit was truly spectacular. Definitely one of god's views from heaven. Steph and kids I'll be coming home soon!"
From Angela:
"Happy birthday to my favorite mom. I love you. Your card is going to be late."
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead guide Angela Seidling called at 1:20 Pacific time with more news from the mountain!
"Hey all, we just got up and are eating breakfast," Angela laughed. "It was a loooongggg day yesterday."
The team awoke yesterday morning to find terrible conditions. It was windy and they were essentially in a cloud. But surprisingly it cleared up at about noon. The team left for the summit at 2:30pm.
When they left it was quite warm. As they ascended the mountain, the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped. They summited in extremely cold temperatures at 9:00pm.
On their way down they had a spectacular view. The sunset -- which is usually a minor affair this time of year -- was absolutely stunning over the Alaska range.
They finally arrived at camp, dog tired, at 2:00am.
The plan for today is to pack up and move down to 14,000 feet. Tomorrow they will try to get all the way out.
The team had a lot of shout outs to everybody back home.
Today was Alaina's birthday. And she said the best birthday present is coming down the mountain. She's excited to eat food in Talkeetna. "Lazy Sunday, here I come. Can't wait for Bubbles, 'The L Word' and bacon!"
From Carol:
"I'm so happy to have made the summit with such fine guides and companions. And I'm honored to have shared the responsibilitis of the climb. Thinking of everybody at home. AAAHHOOO!!!"
From Joan:
"For me yesterday was one of the happioest days of my life. I reached my fifth of the seven summits!"
From Simon:
"I want to give a shout out to Red Point. Summit success equals invisible Fran at 14k one minute 27 seconds."
From Bob:
"The summit was truly spectacular. Definitely one of god's views from heaven. Steph and kids I'll be coming home soon!"
From Angela:
"Happy birthday to my favorite mom. I love you. Your card is going to be late."
.
Denali Team 3 - Dispatch #15
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 3:03 am on Wednesday, June 9th:
This is Angela, calling with a quick message! We're all down safely from the summit. Everyone was successful making it up to the summit and more importantly, we’re all back down to camp safely.
Everyone is cozily tucked away in their sleeping bags right now.
We are all very happy! I’ll call again later today with more details!
That’s all for now.
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 3:03 am on Wednesday, June 9th:
This is Angela, calling with a quick message! We're all down safely from the summit. Everyone was successful making it up to the summit and more importantly, we’re all back down to camp safely.
Everyone is cozily tucked away in their sleeping bags right now.
We are all very happy! I’ll call again later today with more details!
That’s all for now.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #6
Denali Team 4: May 30 - June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Jay Jackson, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, and Siggi Soleyjarson.
Dylan Taylor called and talked to us at 5:41 pm, Pacific time on Tuesday, June 8th, and provided the following update.
Today was a rest day here at Camp 3 at 14,000 feet. Everyone is healthy and ready to move forward And everyone is still very psyched for getting up this mountain! Today gave us a chance to acclimatize a bit better and to rest.
We spent some time improving the snow walls around our tents, and we also did some fixed line practice. Tomorrow we hope to be on the fixed lines going up the face of the West Buttress to put in a cache at 16,200. We will then return here for another night before hopefully re-ascending the buttress and moving up to the 17,200 camp.
It’s been snowing off and on all day today, It would snow for a while, then the sun would come out and it would get pretty hot. Then it would cloud in and snow some more and keep repeating itself. We look forward to a full clearing so we can get some good views of Foraker and all the other peaks that surround us.
Camp 3 is turning in to a small city as we enter the very middle of the climbing season on Denail. We could use an urban planner up here to plan the walkways better that go between the various camps, to the latrine, etc. OK, an urban planner must take one of the slots on next year’s May 30th expedition!
We’ll listen in to Angela’s Team 3 tonight and see what kind of progress they made today. That’s all the news from here. We forgot to thank you yesterday for passing on the comments from Ryana and Rachel to Andy and Jay. Great to get the messages!
.
Bolivia - Dispatch #10
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29 – June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Today was definitely a highlight of the trip! Danny, Jim and Juan summited Pyramide Blanca together, as did Nancy, Morgan, and Alfred. Danny (guide), Ray, and Diccon attempted the direct route. We are all very tired now, and are taking a siesta in our tents. It is about 4:00pm here, and we'll nap for a bit and then have dinner together. Camp is pretty interesting here - there are parties from all around the world!
Tomorrow, Diccon and I may try to climb the Cabeza del Condor. Everyone else will probably take a well-deserved rest day. And then the day after that will be another climbing day! Most of the routes in the area are in great condition right now.
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Today was definitely a highlight of the trip! Danny, Jim and Juan summited Pyramide Blanca together, as did Nancy, Morgan, and Alfred. Danny (guide), Ray, and Diccon attempted the direct route. We are all very tired now, and are taking a siesta in our tents. It is about 4:00pm here, and we'll nap for a bit and then have dinner together. Camp is pretty interesting here - there are parties from all around the world!
Tomorrow, Diccon and I may try to climb the Cabeza del Condor. Everyone else will probably take a well-deserved rest day. And then the day after that will be another climbing day! Most of the routes in the area are in great condition right now.
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #5
Denali Team 4: May 30 - June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Jay Jackson, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, and Siggi Soleyjarson.
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 9:46 pm, Pacific time on Monday, June 7th:
Hello again office, this is Dylan at 14 camp. We are doing pretty good up here. We are planning on inserting another rest day into our stay at 14 camp in order to better acclimatize. We are planning on picking up our cache down low today, resting tomorrow, and then cache at 15,400 feet the next day.
I have some more messages to convey today. We couldn't find a notebook so all these messages have been written on a thai peanut sauce wrapper...it makes it a little difficult to read.
Jay - equipment dialed in, body dialed in, mentality dialed in, we are go for summit attempt.
Siggi - Dear Murphy, you are an elf. Love you mom.
Marty - Krissy, Jack, Billy, Hugo, the weather is fine, track fast, will call in 24 hours. Love and thanks.
Andy - Hi mom. Love you Wendy.
My phone battery is pretty low so I might not be able to get though all these messages...
(At that time that phone died and we were unable to receive the rest of the messages)
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister, Martin Perry, Tim Myall, Andy Sweet, Brian Plaugher, Jay Jackson, Dimitri Nichiporov, Respicius Baitwa, and Siggi Soleyjarson.
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 9:46 pm, Pacific time on Monday, June 7th:
Hello again office, this is Dylan at 14 camp. We are doing pretty good up here. We are planning on inserting another rest day into our stay at 14 camp in order to better acclimatize. We are planning on picking up our cache down low today, resting tomorrow, and then cache at 15,400 feet the next day.
I have some more messages to convey today. We couldn't find a notebook so all these messages have been written on a thai peanut sauce wrapper...it makes it a little difficult to read.
Jay - equipment dialed in, body dialed in, mentality dialed in, we are go for summit attempt.
Siggi - Dear Murphy, you are an elf. Love you mom.
Marty - Krissy, Jack, Billy, Hugo, the weather is fine, track fast, will call in 24 hours. Love and thanks.
Andy - Hi mom. Love you Wendy.
My phone battery is pretty low so I might not be able to get though all these messages...
(At that time that phone died and we were unable to receive the rest of the messages)
Monday, June 7, 2010
Bolivia - Dispatch #9
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Danny called at 3:25 pm PST on Monday, June 7th with the following dispatch:
It’s another fantastic day in Bolivia. We just had our first day of mountaineering skills and touched on crampon and ice axe techniques. Everyone crushed the ice like it was nothing.
It’s super beautiful here. We’re back at camp, getting ready to climb the Pirmida Blanca tomorrow. We have two teams are going up the normal route. However, I am going up a more direct route with Diccon and Raymond. This route goes straight up the face and there’s a huge pillar of waterfall ice that I’ve never encountered here before.
A few messages:
Danny says I love you to Jackie.
Jim says Hello to his family and thanks for the birthday cake. (We had an early birthday party for Jim. We’re going to be out in the mountains on his birthday, which is the 11th. So, when we were in town we got a cake. He was very excited about that!)
Right now there are clouds in the sky but it’s mostly clear. The sky is beautiful, especially at night. We’ve been singing the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song “Southern Cross”. I didn’t bring my mandolin along this year. I think everyone is a little bummed that there’s no music, but then again, maybe they’re happy about me not singing!
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Danny called at 3:25 pm PST on Monday, June 7th with the following dispatch:
It’s another fantastic day in Bolivia. We just had our first day of mountaineering skills and touched on crampon and ice axe techniques. Everyone crushed the ice like it was nothing.
It’s super beautiful here. We’re back at camp, getting ready to climb the Pirmida Blanca tomorrow. We have two teams are going up the normal route. However, I am going up a more direct route with Diccon and Raymond. This route goes straight up the face and there’s a huge pillar of waterfall ice that I’ve never encountered here before.
A few messages:
Danny says I love you to Jackie.
Jim says Hello to his family and thanks for the birthday cake. (We had an early birthday party for Jim. We’re going to be out in the mountains on his birthday, which is the 11th. So, when we were in town we got a cake. He was very excited about that!)
Right now there are clouds in the sky but it’s mostly clear. The sky is beautiful, especially at night. We’ve been singing the Crosby, Stills, and Nash song “Southern Cross”. I didn’t bring my mandolin along this year. I think everyone is a little bummed that there’s no music, but then again, maybe they’re happy about me not singing!
.
Denali Team 3 - Dispatch #14
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 12:16pm on Monday, June 7th:
Hello, world! Yesterday, moved up to 17,000 camp.
There were some major high winds in the morning on the ridge. We waited it out and left at 1:00pm in the afternoon to head for the new camp. By then, the winds had died down. We had a beautiful, calm stroll up to higher camp. However, as we neared the camp, the winds picked up again. The last 15 minutes were blustery. We had to set up camp in the wind and cold temps. As you can imagine, we’re all kind of tired right now. Tomorrow will be a rest day as of right now, but if the weather is nice, we might go for it! It’s feeling very winter-y out there.
One more thing: Our current team name is BOOM!
-Angela
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 12:16pm on Monday, June 7th:
Hello, world! Yesterday, moved up to 17,000 camp.
There were some major high winds in the morning on the ridge. We waited it out and left at 1:00pm in the afternoon to head for the new camp. By then, the winds had died down. We had a beautiful, calm stroll up to higher camp. However, as we neared the camp, the winds picked up again. The last 15 minutes were blustery. We had to set up camp in the wind and cold temps. As you can imagine, we’re all kind of tired right now. Tomorrow will be a rest day as of right now, but if the weather is nice, we might go for it! It’s feeling very winter-y out there.
One more thing: Our current team name is BOOM!
-Angela
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Denali Team 3: Dispatch #13
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Team 3 did not call in today but Team #4 passed on the following excellent news when Dylan Taylor called with a dispatch and noted the following:
"We kept the radio on during dinner and listened to Angela and Alaina and Team #3 as they worked their way up the top of the West buttress to high camp at 17,200. Sounds like it went well for them."
They must be very pleased to have finally gotten off the 14,000-foot plateau to climb the face of the West Buttress and move up to the high camp. They are now in position to try for the summit when they are rested and the weather is favorable. Typically a team will take a full day (in this case Monday) to rest and further acclimatize before making their summit attempt.
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Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #5
Denali Team 4: May 30 - June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 11:38 pm, Pacific time on Sunday, June 6th:
Hello, this is Dylan siiting now at 14,000 feet with my colleagues. We have a couple of messages.
Dimitri sends greetings to his friends and those who are following the progress of the team.
And he sends birthday greetings to Valerie. Congratulations!
Siggi to family: All quiet on the western front.
It was a pretty cruiser hot day today. With a cold morning on the way up to 14,000. We didn’t see the avalanche that came down and dusted camp yesterday, but we saw the debris pile today.
We kept the radio on during dinner and listened to Angela and Alaina and Team #3 as they worked their way up the top of the West buttress to high camp at 17,200. Sounds like it went well for them.
That’s it for now. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 11:38 pm, Pacific time on Sunday, June 6th:
Hello, this is Dylan siiting now at 14,000 feet with my colleagues. We have a couple of messages.
Dimitri sends greetings to his friends and those who are following the progress of the team.
And he sends birthday greetings to Valerie. Congratulations!
Siggi to family: All quiet on the western front.
It was a pretty cruiser hot day today. With a cold morning on the way up to 14,000. We didn’t see the avalanche that came down and dusted camp yesterday, but we saw the debris pile today.
We kept the radio on during dinner and listened to Angela and Alaina and Team #3 as they worked their way up the top of the West buttress to high camp at 17,200. Sounds like it went well for them.
That’s it for now. We’ll talk to you tomorrow.
.
Denali Team 3: Dispatch #12
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 4:30pm on Saturday, June 5th:
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 4:30pm on Saturday, June 5th:
Our first message is from Bob who says, "Happy birthday Mom. Mom, I love you!
Carol says, "I'm having the time of my life and I'm making new friends. I hope my friends and colleagues are having as much fun as I am."
Joan Says, "I love all my family," and wants to say three words in Catalan [Angela tried to spell this out - and we could here Juan spelling it in the background, bit it was extremely difficult to understand. They best we heard it was as follows] eptons a eots
That's the news. We'll call again before too long!
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Bolivia - Dispatch #8
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29 – June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
We left La Paz this morning, drove up onto the Altiplano, and crossed it to Lake Titicaca. We took a nice boat ride out to Siriqui island, and after checking out the reed boats, hiked up one of the high points on the island. From it we got great views of the lake but it was pretty cloudy over the mountains. It made the drive up to the mountains exciting because they were gradually unveiled as we got closer.
We met our transport animals and their arrieros at the trailhead, and made the hike in. We just got established here, it’s dark, and we're getting ready to eat a big dinner.
We will ill climb Pico Austria tomorrow. It's about 16,5000 and not technical. It will be an excellent warm up peak for us. It was a little windy and cold today but it has cleared and there's a good view of the mountains, with a little cloud above Pequeno Alpamayo, but it's super clear right now aside from that.
Global warming continues to have an effect. Glaciers look like they have receded more just in the last year. We’ll see a lot more detail when we start climbing. That's it for now. We'll call again in a day or two.
Global warming continues to have an effect. Glaciers look like they have receded more just in the last year. We’ll see a lot more detail when we start climbing. That's it for now. We'll call again in a day or two.
.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #4
Denali Team 4: May 30 - June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 5:15 pm, Pacific Time on Friday, June 4th:
Hi everyone, this is Dylan again. We just ate some fried sausage and salami. We’re all doing well.
Yesterday we moved to 11,000 feet. So, today we went back and picked up our cache.
Life is good! We ate biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The air is warm – probably the warmest I’ve ever experienced at 11,000. We’ve all been wearing t-shirts most of the day.
Tomorrow, we will try to place a cache at 13,500 feet. The weather looks drab but you never know up here.
One last thing: we’re an all-male expedition, so there is a distinct lack of femininity. Thus, we have named the rope team with the two Aussies “The Sheilas”, the Tim’s (who is British) team “The Dorises”. We asked Siggi (who is Icelandic) what we should name the teams, but we couldn’t pronounce it!
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 5:15 pm, Pacific Time on Friday, June 4th:
Hi everyone, this is Dylan again. We just ate some fried sausage and salami. We’re all doing well.
Yesterday we moved to 11,000 feet. So, today we went back and picked up our cache.
Life is good! We ate biscuits and gravy for breakfast. The air is warm – probably the warmest I’ve ever experienced at 11,000. We’ve all been wearing t-shirts most of the day.
Tomorrow, we will try to place a cache at 13,500 feet. The weather looks drab but you never know up here.
One last thing: we’re an all-male expedition, so there is a distinct lack of femininity. Thus, we have named the rope team with the two Aussies “The Sheilas”, the Tim’s (who is British) team “The Dorises”. We asked Siggi (who is Icelandic) what we should name the teams, but we couldn’t pronounce it!
Denali Team 3: Dispatch #11
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 3:30pm on Friday, June 4th:
"Hi everyone! We are still at 14,000 camp, and just waiting around for good weather. It looks like we might be here for a few more days. We'll let you know if anything changes!"
Here are a few shout outs:
From Joan: I am fine, everybody is fine, and this group is perfect! We are just waiting for a change of weather and then we'll be climbing Denali!
From Bob: Dabbles misses his little man's laugh and his little girrsley's (not sure about spelling) smile, and I am so lucky to be in love with my best friend!
From Simon: To all my friends and family, thanks so much for all the support, I love you so much and will be home soon.
From Alaina: Kelly, I'm going to stay up on the mountain and climb this thing! I will be home soon as I can.
From the whole group to Paul: thanks a lot for your book but no one wants to read it! Simon also says to tell you that no one cares how cold it is in South Dakota :)
Note: there was no shout-out from Carol as she is helping the rangers dig out a new toilet.
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 3:30pm on Friday, June 4th:
"Hi everyone! We are still at 14,000 camp, and just waiting around for good weather. It looks like we might be here for a few more days. We'll let you know if anything changes!"
Here are a few shout outs:
From Joan: I am fine, everybody is fine, and this group is perfect! We are just waiting for a change of weather and then we'll be climbing Denali!
From Bob: Dabbles misses his little man's laugh and his little girrsley's (not sure about spelling) smile, and I am so lucky to be in love with my best friend!
From Simon: To all my friends and family, thanks so much for all the support, I love you so much and will be home soon.
From Alaina: Kelly, I'm going to stay up on the mountain and climb this thing! I will be home soon as I can.
From the whole group to Paul: thanks a lot for your book but no one wants to read it! Simon also says to tell you that no one cares how cold it is in South Dakota :)
Note: there was no shout-out from Carol as she is helping the rangers dig out a new toilet.
Bolivia - Dispatch #7
A quick update...
We just received this picture from AAI Guide Danny Uhlmann.
Panorama including the Condoriri group which is in the distance, right of center. This group is thought to resemble an Andean Condor. The summit of Condoriri is pyramidal and just left of the descending glacier; to its left is the West Wing and to the right the East Wing. AAI established new face routes on all three peaks 1979-1981.
We just received this picture from AAI Guide Danny Uhlmann.
Panorama including the Condoriri group which is in the distance, right of center. This group is thought to resemble an Andean Condor. The summit of Condoriri is pyramidal and just left of the descending glacier; to its left is the West Wing and to the right the East Wing. AAI established new face routes on all three peaks 1979-1981.
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Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #3
Denali Team 4: May 30 - June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 9:19 pm, Pacific time on Wednesday, June 3rd
Hey guys it’s Dylan calling for the dispatch. We’re calling from 8,000 feet on Denali. All is well this evening. We are nestled up in our tents. The guys are eating jelly bellies and watching The Big Lebowski. Here are some messages I’ll pass along:
Bryan says, “Have a spectacular workout on my birthday, thanks for the card Pam.”
Andy says, “ To Maureen, my wife. Waiting to se you. Love you wish you were here.”
Jay (this message was hard to hear because of the sat phone static)
Siggi
Marty says, “Chris Jack Bill and Hugo, miss you guys!”.
Everyone is strong, it’s pretty hot in the afternoon and freezing in the night. Food is good, views are great. Awesome avalanches in the northeast fork. Talk to you guys tomorrow.
-Dylan
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 9:19 pm, Pacific time on Wednesday, June 3rd
Hey guys it’s Dylan calling for the dispatch. We’re calling from 8,000 feet on Denali. All is well this evening. We are nestled up in our tents. The guys are eating jelly bellies and watching The Big Lebowski. Here are some messages I’ll pass along:
Bryan says, “Have a spectacular workout on my birthday, thanks for the card Pam.”
Andy says, “ To Maureen, my wife. Waiting to se you. Love you wish you were here.”
Jay (this message was hard to hear because of the sat phone static)
Siggi
Marty says, “Chris Jack Bill and Hugo, miss you guys!”.
Everyone is strong, it’s pretty hot in the afternoon and freezing in the night. Food is good, views are great. Awesome avalanches in the northeast fork. Talk to you guys tomorrow.
-Dylan
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Bolivia - Dispatch #6
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29 – June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX).
Alasdair sent quick email from La Paz at 3:35pm Pacific time to let us know that the group was back in La Paz and that they had a great trek. he said he would write in the morning with more details. Here are two photos from the trek that he sent.
Pausing for a photo are AAI Bolivian Guide Juan, AAI Guide Danny U., Susan (wife of photographer and Guide Alasdair) Jim, Danny G, Nancy, Margen, and Alfred. In the background is the immense West Face of Huayna Potosi, among the most challenging climbs in the Cordillera Real. AAI guides have climbed it three times over the years on days off and have guided it once.
Trekking toward the Condoriri group and a lake where we can usually catch trout for dinner!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Denali Team 3 - Dispatch #10
Denali Team 3: May 23 - June 12, 2010
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 1:30pm on Wednesday, June 2nd:
"Today we took another rest day at 14 Camp. We’re just waiting for a good weather window to move up to 17,000 ft. Hence, we slept in today, and ate a good, late breakfast.
Guides: Angela Seidling, Alaina Robertson
Climbers: Paul Rose, Joan Clofent, Paul Watkins, Carol Masheter, Simon Boaz, Bob Sullivan
Lead Guide Angela Seidling called at 1:30pm on Wednesday, June 2nd:
"Today we took another rest day at 14 Camp. We’re just waiting for a good weather window to move up to 17,000 ft. Hence, we slept in today, and ate a good, late breakfast.
Everybody was playing a card game called “Golf” which Simon taught us. And, can you believe this? There was also a big game of Frisbee thanks to Bob, who brought a Frisbee!
Here are some Shout Outs to our friends and family:
Carol: To my friends and sister “AAAAAHHHOOOOOOOOO!!!” (That’s a big howl!)
Simon: To Helen Keller, Dual, and Yonkie: Thinking of you!
Alaina: To Kelly, I send my love.
Bob: “I’m missing the sound of the cork popping off of red truck with the Hardys!”
Everyone from the group says….
Thanks so much for all the Shout Backs! We have received them all. It’s all fun and games up here until the summit!
Here are some notes on the comments previously posted on the dispatch:
The people who went up to the cache were Carol, John, Paul Watkins, Bob and me (Angela). All others went on the acclimatization hike yesterday."
Bolivia - Dispatch #5
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29 – June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
"This has been a really amazing trek so far. Today we walked to a camp at a beautiful lake. The surrounding scree covered slopes are marked with natural lines from the wind. This morning, we began by hiking to the top of some steep slopes and crossed a 15,000-foot pass. From the pass, we could see the West Face of Huayna Potosi, which is the biggest mountain face in Bolivia. We then descended a steep scree slope into beautiful valley with a turquoise-blue lake – and had lunch.
After lunch, we kept going to another pass at 15,500 feet. It was a sandy slope that was a bit steep and slippery. We next went down to the Tuni Lake near a village, which is basically at the same place where we will start Part 2 of this program. Right now, we have a 180-degree view of all the mountains that we are going to climb. When we got to camp, the tent was already set up, and we spent some time hanging out with little Bolivian kids – who are the cutest kids on Earth!
It is interesting that the glacier looks different from last year – it has definitely receded a little due to global warming, and there is less snow. But the route looks like it is in good condition. The group is doing well. We are very high – we’ve actually been over 14,000 feet the whole time. Tonight we’ve been looking up at the constellations, and it is really cool. The sky is still a little blue and the views are awesome. We had chicken veggie soup and sausage and have been eating lots of local food and ingredients.
Tomorrow will hike an hour and then will get picked up and go by bus to back to La Paz. We’ll call when we get into town."
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX)
"This has been a really amazing trek so far. Today we walked to a camp at a beautiful lake. The surrounding scree covered slopes are marked with natural lines from the wind. This morning, we began by hiking to the top of some steep slopes and crossed a 15,000-foot pass. From the pass, we could see the West Face of Huayna Potosi, which is the biggest mountain face in Bolivia. We then descended a steep scree slope into beautiful valley with a turquoise-blue lake – and had lunch.
After lunch, we kept going to another pass at 15,500 feet. It was a sandy slope that was a bit steep and slippery. We next went down to the Tuni Lake near a village, which is basically at the same place where we will start Part 2 of this program. Right now, we have a 180-degree view of all the mountains that we are going to climb. When we got to camp, the tent was already set up, and we spent some time hanging out with little Bolivian kids – who are the cutest kids on Earth!
It is interesting that the glacier looks different from last year – it has definitely receded a little due to global warming, and there is less snow. But the route looks like it is in good condition. The group is doing well. We are very high – we’ve actually been over 14,000 feet the whole time. Tonight we’ve been looking up at the constellations, and it is really cool. The sky is still a little blue and the views are awesome. We had chicken veggie soup and sausage and have been eating lots of local food and ingredients.
Tomorrow will hike an hour and then will get picked up and go by bus to back to La Paz. We’ll call when we get into town."
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Denali Team 4 - Dispatch #2
Denali Team 4: May 30 - June 19, 2010
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 5:36 pm, Pacific time on Tuesday, June 1st.
(The sat phone transmission was very uneven, but here is what we’ve gathered:)
"We’re at Camp One right now. It took 5 hours to get here, which is pretty fast! The glacier is in good shape. Our team is doing quite well; everyone seems fast, comfortable, and motivated. Nine healthy people!
Guides: Dylan Taylor, Jeremy Ellison, Tom Kirby
Climbers: Paul Hameister (Black Rock, Australia), Martin Perry (Melbourne, Australia), Tim Myall (Witney, England), Andy Sweet (San Marcos, California), Brian Plaugher (Guerneville, California), Jay Jackson (Reading, Pennsylvania), Dimitri Nichiporov (Bloomington, Indiana), Respicius Baitwa (Moshi, Tanzania), and Siggi Soleyjarson (Gardabae, Iceland).
Lead guide Dylan Taylor called and left the following dispatch at 5:36 pm, Pacific time on Tuesday, June 1st.
(The sat phone transmission was very uneven, but here is what we’ve gathered:)
"We’re at Camp One right now. It took 5 hours to get here, which is pretty fast! The glacier is in good shape. Our team is doing quite well; everyone seems fast, comfortable, and motivated. Nine healthy people!
We’ve been waking up super early to catch cool temperatures. There is so much solar radiation that it is practically t-shirt weather.
That is all for now! We’ll talk tomorrow!"
.
Bolivia - Dispatch #4.5
Bolivia Trek and Climbing Program May 29 – June 19, 2010
Guides: Danny Uhlmann, Alasdair Turner, and Juan Churra
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX),
Climbers: Danny Griffith (Bellingham, WA), Alfred Kwok (Claremont, CA), Diccon Westworth (Sacramento, CA), Jim Bonadonna (Poughkeepsie, NY), Raymond Gregory (Marquette, MI), Nancy Burke (Dallas, TX), and Margen Burke-Karr (Missouri City, TX),
Danny emailed these images from the first few days in La Paz. Pictured below are Jim, Alasadair, Susan (Alasdair's wife), Margen, Nancy, Danny, and Alfred.
This second photo was taken at the Aranjuez rock climbing area outside of La Paz. Alasdair and Susan joined Danny for a day of rock climbing and met these three local craggers. It was a beautiful day and a bit of a work-out at just under 13,900 feet.
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