Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #13 High Camp

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called at 10:19 on June 29^th with this dispatch:

“Good news with this dispatch. Yesterday we packed up and moved to High Camp finally. We’re all sleeping into today because we got into camp late last night, around 8pm or so. We had to wait for a weather window and it was cold. We were all moving slowly.  The forecast is not awesome but its OK. We have a handful of days left on this expedition, and I’m not sure if we’ll get a window but there is still a chance. Right now it feels warm and there’s fresh snow. The low pressure feels like we’re sitting 1,500 feet higher than we actually are. It feels like there’s less oxygen up here. The group wanted to shout out to Denis; we hope you’re well. Talk to you later.”

 

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #12 Still at 14

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Mike Pond called at 5:00 pm on June 27th with this dispatch:

“Hi! This is Mike again, and we are behind schedule if you haven’t heard. The weather has once again decided to keep that trend going. Today looked a little promising but high winds picked up and the team got shut down again. It looks like it’s going to be brutal tomorrow, too. We saw an avalanche on the Autobahn yesterday as well. Right now we’re establishing an official turn around time – maybe it will be later this week but we’re still keeping our fingers crossed. We still might have a chance at the summit. Talk to you later.”

[Khai and Leslie are going down with another guided team today]. 

  

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #11 Quick Message

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called at 10:24 pm on June 25th with this dispatch:

[This message was very broken.]

“Hi, this is Chantel….calling with dispatch…another weather day…Weather is keeping us behind schedule….High pressure, low pressure sticking around. Tomorrow we’ll move to High Camp, and hope the weather is good…We’ll call you again when we’re leaving and let you know what’s happening….”

  

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #10 Weather Day

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called Saturday, June 25th at 5:48pm with the following brief message:

"Hey everyone.  This is Chantel calling to let you know we've been taking a weather day today.  Winds have been 25 to 45 miles per hour, and we’ve gotten six inches to a foot of snow.  So we just need to wait for some improvement.

We had a nice breakfast of cereal and fruit this morning and then went out and improved our snow walls and built an extension onto a couple of them.  All went well, and each of our climbers is doing a great job coping with these challenging conditions.

We don’t have any messages to convey today, but we do have a haiku:

“Snow precedes the winds  .   .   .”

[at this point the quality of the tranmission became very poor, and we could not hear the second and third lines]

.

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #9 Waiting

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called at 2:29 pm on June 24th with this dispatch:

“Hi! It’s Chantel.  Today we’re at 14 Camp and it’s our rest day.  Everyone did pretty well for the most part on the fixed lines and hopefully we can make the full move up to the next camp soon.  We’re on Day 13 of the expedition, and we’re doing pretty well as far as being on time.  However, the outlook for the next seven days is looking less than great.  So begins the waiting game! 


The plan for tomorrow is to move to high camp. We’ll make the call after we hear the forecast tonight. Right now it’s overcast and low clouds.

One quick shout out:

Neill says lots of love to Dianah, Oscar, Tika, and Louis. 

Ok, that’s all. Talk to you later.”

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #8 Rest Day

  Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Mat called at 8:00 pm on June 23rd with this dispatch:

“Hi! This is Mat calling from Team 7, and I think our new name is Team Slowly Behind Schedule. Today we cached at 16,200 feet, right above the fixed lines. Yesterday, we did a back-carry (sorry we didn’t call). That means tomorrow is a rest day! We plan to eat greasy sausages and hashbrowns. The Team is doing really well. So far so good. Talk to you later.”

  

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #7 At 14 Camp

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Mike Pond called at 9:30 pm on June 21st with this dispatch:

“Hi! This is Mike Pond calling from Denali Team 7. We made it to 14-Camp and it was a pretty nice weather day today. We’ve set up a great camp and the team is all pretty psyched to be up here. It feels good to be moving again.”

[The phone cut out but we hope to hear back soon.]

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #16 Final Dispatch

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 1:24 pm on June 21st with this dispatch:

“Hello! This is Andrew calling in with a final dispatch. Everyone on the team except Aidan and I has flown out. We’re just sitting at Base Camp waiting for the next flight. Aidan just spoke to K2 Aviation and it looks like we’ll probably get out of here tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ll be playing Frisbee and soaking up the sun. It’s clear and sunny right now. I’m sure everyone’s relaxing, showing, and eating a delicious dinner back in Talkeetna by now. Tell everyone we’ll see you all tomorrow and we had a great time. Thanks for a great expedition.”

  

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #6 Getting back on track

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Mat, Mike, and Chantel called at 10:30 pm on June 20th with a dispatch:

“Hello! This is Mat, Mike, and Chantel calling for Team 7.  Today was a rest day at 11,000 feet. Conditions were whiteout and snowy. Team Excellence is slightly behind schedule, but we can make up for it, I think, because the weather is going to improve next five to six days. The plan is to move up to 14 and hopefully by that time we’ll be back on track for summiting! Talk to you soon.” 

  

  

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #15 At Base Camp

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #15
At Base Camp

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 2:15 pm on June 20th with this dispatch:

“Hi, this is a very tired Andrew calling. We had a 15-hour day, going all the way from 17,000 feet to Base Camp. Everyone rallied but we’re totally exhausted. It started out as a calm night, but soon turned into a total white out – which is what we’re in right now.  Snow and rain (snain?) are coming down simultaneously.  Everyone is in tents. We hope to fly out Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather.”

 

[The Team did meet up with Team 7 (Chantel’s Team) at 11,000 feet. Denis is now with Team 6.]

 

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #14 Heading down to Camp 3 at 14,200'

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 10:51 am Alaska time on Sunday, June 19th:

“Hi this is Andrew for team 6 at High Camp. The plan we described was for Chok, Richard, and me to head up to the summit today, but we woke to high winds.  And there’s now a worse forecast for tomorrow.  So we’re going to head down.  We’ll leave as soon as we can.

It’s even going to be tricky to go down to 14,000 Camp, so the sooner we head out the better.  We should be able to leave by 1:00pm – our team members are a very organized and efficient group!

We may spend the night at 14,000 or we may keep on going to base camp, we’ll just have to see what conditions are like.

Everyone is strong and healthy; it’s just that the weather is not cooperating.

We’ll call you when we know more.  By for now.”

 

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #5

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Mike Pond called on Saturday at 7:04pm Alaska time with the following update:

“Hi.  This is Mike Pond calling from Team Excellence on Denali.  We’re at 11,200 camp – we got here this morning.  We’re on a night schedule still, and it’s working great. It’s beautiful out, and we’ve had  excellent traveling conditions.  It’s nice and cold at night, so the snowpack is very firm.  In the day, it’s sunny and fairly warm.  The team has been climbing extremely well together, and we’re made really good progress. 

We’re going to cache tomorrow.

I have two shout outs for you.

Dennis says 'Hi' to Job [? – hard to hear in the message]  and Hanna and Jason [? Hard to hear – Ethan?]

Leslie says to Tina, ‘Things are good!’

And I’d like to close with a haiku:

Clear and cloudless skies

Cold at night, but hot in day

Such is the way here

That’s it for today!”

[laughter]

 

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #13 Back at High Camp Safely

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Aidan called at 3:30pm Sun 12:13am Alaska time with the following update:

“Hello again.  This is Aidan calling to let you know that we’re back at High Camp safe and sound.  We left this morning at 10:35am and got back here at 11:35pm, so it was exactly a 13 hour day.  This is a very strong crew.  I don’t think I have ever seen a team feeling so good after getting back here after a summit.  They’re feeling good, and that did a great job coming down!

We’re going to check the weather.  There are some issues with the weather, but we’ll figure out our best options and consider another climb tomorrow.  That’s it for now.  We’ll keep you posted.

.

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #12 Summit Reached!

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Aidan called at 7:05pm Alaska time on Saturday, June 17th with this dispatch:

Hey everyone.  This is Aidan calling from the summit of Mount McKinley / Denali at 705pm.  Erin and I are here with four very happy climbers, Bill, Luke, Alan, and Simon.

Richard and Chok are resting today and will try tomorrow weather permiting.  Everyone is in good shape – all the effort considered – and we are very glad to be here!  We’re going to take our time heading back to camp. 

Conditions are good, but we are going to be super cautious.  Too many people tend to get hurt on the way down.  So we’re going to take it slow and steady and enjoy ther views.  We’ve been in touch with high camp by radio, and we know that Andrew is going to have hot drinks and dinner ready for us when we get back. 

OK, that’s it for now.  Everyone sends an enthusiastic hello to family and friends back home from the top of Denali!”

 

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #11 . High Camp Reached

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 10:15pm Alaska time on June 17th with this dispatch:

"Hi, this is Andrew from team 6 calling from High Camp!  We are glad to be hear.  It took us seven and a half hours to move from 14,200 to 17,200, and went extremely well.

We were lucky to find an established campsite available when we arrived, so we

didn't have to build our own.  Aidan and I went down and got our summit supplies from the cache, so now we are all set for a summit bid.

It looks like the weather may not hold, so tomorrow we’re probably going to give the summit a shot.  People are feeling strong.  So we may have another chance later, but tomorrow looks the most promising so we’re going to give a try.

People are resting and in the lengthy process of melting snow for water and getting dinner ready.  We'll probably have a 10:30am or 11:00am departure tomorrow morning.

Everyone is pretty excited and sends their enthusiastic hellos to family and friends.  We will call you tomorrow."

 

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #4

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Mat called at 2:45 pm on June 17th with this dispatch:

“Hi! This is Mat calling for Team 7. We did a single carry to 9,500 feet today. It went very well and we set up Camp 1 for the night. It’s really beautiful right now. We’re a little behind schedule – maybe that should be our team name. Hopefully we’ll have great weather and won’t have any more hold ups. We’ll call again tomorrow. Everyone says hello.”

 

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18 Final Dispatch

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18

Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

Climbers: David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nichola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia):

 

“Hi. This is Forest. We flew out a couple of days ago and I wanted to let you know the Team is all safe and sound. Everyone gone their separate ways! Thanks to all of you for a great trip. Talk to you later.”

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #3

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called at 8:30 pm on June 16th with this dispatch:

“Hi This is Chantel for Team 7. We’re calling from Camp 1. We left Base Camp at about 4 am this morning and had really good travel conditions on the lower glacier. It got really cold! We’re planning to do a single carry tomorrow. Denis would like to tell his wife and kids ‘Hello and I love you’. Ok, that’s it for now. I hope you’re all doing well and I’ll call later.”

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #10 Frisbee

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #10
Frisbee

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 3:30pm on June 16th with this dispatch:

“Hi, this is Andrew again. Due to the snowfall last night and the increased avalanche danger, we’re not moving up today. It’s a shame because it’s so nice out, but we can’t move with the snow conditions the way they are. But, the warming temperatures from the sun are ‘cleaning’ off the mountain, so I’m sure the danger will subside soon. We all slept in to 11 or so, and Erin and I took the group out to the Edge of the World – for those who don’t know what this is, you’ll see some really epic pictures when we get back (I’m sure moms will disapprove but I swear it’s totally safe!). Aidan stayed behind to prep some food for High Camp and our summit bid. I think we’ll try to get the entire camp to play a game of ultimate frisbee today. We pretty much need everyone to play because you can only take about three steps before you’re totally spent. It should be fun. The forecast has been all over the place recently, but we all think we’ll get a good day on summit day. Ok, I’m heading into the cook tent. Talk to you later.”
  

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #2 Heading to Camp 1

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2

Guides: Chantel Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called at 9:00 pm on June 15th with this dispatch:

“Hey! This is Chantel calling with an update. This is officially day four of Team 7’s West Buttress Expedition, so we’re a little behind, but we flew into base camp today about noon. We plan to do a 1am start and hopefully get out of camp by 3am to head to Camp 1. Most people had a chance to talk on their cell phones today, so there are no messages yet. It’s nice to finally get the expedition underway. Ok, that’s it. Talk to you later.”

 

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #9 Washburn Thumb

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 7:00pm on June 15th with this dispatch:

“Today we got up pretty early and had a good breakfast – fried up some bagels – then headed out. We planned to cache at 17 Camp and everyone dealt with the cold really well. The team practiced fixed lines yesterday and got that dialed in; it really paid off, because it made things very smooth. What’s even better is that we had the fixed lines all to ourselves! But when we were up there, weather tuned on us. Half of the team went down right away, and the second team pushed on and went down a little later. We got most of the cache done and stashed some things near Washburn Thumb. It was still helpful, even though it wasn’t exactly as planned. Everyone’s back down at camp now and it is snowing a lot right now. We’re hearing avalanches all around, and nice to be sitting in a safe place! I believe we’re probably stuck here for a day or two. We’re all trying to be optimistic about the weather! I’ll check in later. That’s all for now.”

  

Denali Team 5 and 6: Dispatch #12 and 8 Both Teams 5 and 6 at 14,00 feet

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18

Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

Climbers: David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nichola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia).

Dustin called at 1:45 pm on June 14th with this dispatch:

“Hi! We came down to 14,00 feet yesterday and everyone's doing well and happy.  We had a great breakfast (which was burritos) and plan on hiking down to Base Camp tonight. We plan to leave at 9pm. That should get us back down to Base Camp soon, and hopefully I’ll be calling you tomorrow as we fly out!”

Andrew Yasso, from Team 6, gets on phone: 

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

“Hi! This is Andrew!  I just walked into Dustin’s tent, so I thought I’d say hello really quick and give you all a short dispatch.  We were going to cache all the way at High Camp, but we had a change of plans.  We saw lenticular clouds over Mt. Foraker that indicated very high winds.  The summit of Foraker is about the same elevation as where we’d cache, and so it's just not a good day to move.  So, today is a rest day, and we’re all sitting around.  Everyone got to sleep in! It's fun being up here with another AAI Team, as well.  We should have a great dinner party tonight.”

Denali Team 7: June 12 to July 2 Dispatch #1 Stuck in Talkeetna

Denali Team 5: June 12 to July 2 

Guides: Chantal Astorga, Mike Pond, and Mat Erpelding

Climbers: Leslie Brown (Washington), Darren Wise (Australia), Shane Pophfer (Australia), Khai Nguyen (California), Denis Levin (Australia), Andrew Sargant (Australia), Erik Akerberg (Sweden), Neill Johanson (Australia), and Dale Wagner (Utah).

Chantel called at 4:04 pm Alaska time with the following dispatch:

“We’re basically hanging out in picturesque Talkeetna waiting for the weather to improve.  It hasn’t been good enough visibility to fly, so everyone is sitting tight waiting.

We were hoping to fly onto the glacier yesterday, but the weather didn’t cooperate.  Even though the rest of the mountain was clear, base camp was socked in, so we couldn’t fly.  And then overnight a stronger low pressure system moved in, and has been snowing with a ceiling of just 4000 feet.

We made good use of the day.  We went over tents – not just putting them up in difficult conditions, but how to secure them well for high winds and snow, and how to build walls to protect them.  We also went over configurations for roping up, rigging for the glacier in general and for the sleds specifically.   And we reviewed crevasse rescue.  Everyone is looking good with these skills.

Weather-wise there hasn’t been much change through the day.  This afternoon the ceiling went up a little, and it’s been getting warmer and drier.  But it’s looking darker towards the mountain, so I’m not very optimistic about flying this evening.

We have a great group.  Our team members are really interesting people, and we are all very much enjoying each other’s company.  We don’t have any messages yet since we are able to use our cell phones from here.

That’s about all the news.  We’re on standby for flying until 8 pm tonight.  We’re all packed and ready to go on short notice.

Last night people stayed at the Swiss Alaska, so lodging worked out well  The kept everyone together, and we may do the same again tonight.

OK.  I’ll call again when there’s news.  By for now.”

Denali Team 6: June 5 - 25, Dispatch #7: An Aiden Loehr Rest Day

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 3:16pm on June 13th with this dispatch:
"Today was an Aiden Loehr rest day; which means we didn't do any resting. We did a short acclimitization hike to the base of the fixed lines.  And then we got back to camp and started to build snow walls around the cook tent which is an excercise in excercise....but of course, if we don't build the walls the wind will come so we have to build them."

On a side note, you should all know that Aiden is a super endurance athlete.  Occasionally he wakes up in the morning and decides that he's going to run from the bottom of Death Valley to the top of Mount Whitney...

Andrew continued, "we're going to do some fixed line practice this afternoon. And then we're going to get ready for tomorrow.  We'd like to put in our cache tomorrow...potentially at high camp."

"Paul and Marion just came back into camp after their successful summit of the Upper West Rib.  We popped up their cooktent as well as Forest's tent in anticipation of them coming back soon."

"We're looking forward to a big AAI reunion tonigh and getting ready for the big day tomorrow."

"The weather outlook isn't great.  It's supposed to be marginal tomorrow and then then next day is supposed to be bad."  Andrew chuckled, "that will be an Andrew rest day, which means that we're not going to do anything until it blows through..." 

Andrew tried to tell me something funny about playing video games on his cell phone, but the connection died.

Denali Team 5: May 29 - June 18 Dispatch #11. Successful Summit Bid!

Denali Team 5:  May 25 - June 18

Guides:  Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne and Kristen Looper

Climbers:  David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nicola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia)

Forest called in at 1:05am this morning (June 13) with the following dispatch:

"Hi everyone, this is Forest calling in from High Camp on Denali.  Dustin, Kristen and I are just hanging out in the tent after finishing a successful summit bid.  Everyone on the team made it to the top and down, is healthy and in very good spirits.  After we got back to camp we got some thing to drink and eat and people promptly went to bed.  We are planning to sleep in tomorrow and relax a bit before starting the journey downward.

It was a wonderful sunny day today with pretty mild temperatures and excellent snow conditions on the upper mountain.  I think everyone had a really good day of it.  Well, that's all I've got. We'll give you a ring tomorrow!"

Denali Team 6: June 5 - 25 Dispatch #8: Feasting at 14 Camp

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called in at 5:40pm on June 12th with the following dispatch:

"Greetings from Camp 3 at 14,000 ft on Denali.  We had a very lazy morning today.  Everyone got to sleep in and we woke up at 9am, which was great!  We made our way over to the cook tent and treated ourselves to a big pancake breakfast with bacon on the side.  We've been eating a lot of bacon on this trip and it's making everyone happy.

We just got back from our cache today and now everyone is having a quick meal of tuna melts.  The plan is to get to bed early tonight, get a good nights rest so that everyone is ready for an acclimatization hike up to the base of the fixed lines tomorrow, just so that people can see what to expect.  We'll come back down to camp afterwards and work on basic fixed line skills so that we can be really efficient when we climb them.  We've got such a strong team that I'm assuming we won't have any problems but it's good to practice anyway.  

Tonight we'll be feasting on thai peanut noodles for dinner.  We've been eating really well so far but we're almost out of bacon, which is unfortunate because bacon seems to make things run up here!  It's snowing light right now.  OK, that's all for now, talk to you again tomorrow!"

Denali Team 6: June 5 - 25, Dispatch #7 At Camp 3, 14,000'

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 9:30pm on June 11th with this dispatch:

"Hi everyone, this is Andrew calling in with a dispatch from 14,200 feet on Denali's West Buttress where we arrived this afternoon.  We had a quick breakfast early in the morning and left Camp 2 (11,000 ft) and made our way to 14 Camp.  It took six hours, and we avoided most of the weather, the warm weather that is.  We enjoyed traveling in the cold so we wouldn't be burning up, which sounds like a funny thing to say on Denali!

We made it around Windy Corner with no problems, and when we arrived at 14 camp, we walked into what we think is Angela Siedling and Team 4's old camp.  We wanted to say thanks to Angela and her team for making the best camp site ever.  It has beautiful wals, very conveniently arranged.  We are very, very thankful.  It's quite nice to have teams on Denali to share sites with. 

Everyone is getting settled in, staying hydrated, and doing really, really well.

Aidan made a delicious burrito dinner today with bacon and the whole works.  We'll be having leftovers from this awesome meal in the morning!  We had a birthday on the mountain today, Luke Richmond turned 27.  What a place to celebrate a birthday!

The weather has now moved in, and it's snowing lightly right now.  Looks like the inside of a ping pong ball up here but that's OK.  We're all looking forward to tucking into our sleeping bags and getting a really good night of sleep, enjoying no wake up call in the morning for the first time in about a week.  Tomorrow is a quasi-rest-day with a back carry.  It should be good.  OK, we'll call again tomorrow."

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Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18 Dispatch #10 . At High Camp

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18

Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

Climbers: David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nichola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia).

Dustin called at 5:10 pm Alaska time on June 11th with this dispatch:

"Hello this is Dustin calling from high camp at 17,000 feet.  We got here yesterday.  It was a long climb and pretty tough, but everyone did great.   Everyone is in good spirits and good health, and we are very ready for our summit bid tomorrow.

The weather has been fantastic up high.  There are some clouds down below us – covering the lower glacier, but they seem to be happy where they are and are statying put.  We’re crossing our fingers that the weather stays good.

I have three messages:

Mark day says, ‘Hi Kris!  I’m having a fantastic time.  Keep you fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow.  The scenery here is magnificent.’

David says,  ‘Hello family, friends, and colleagues at AMEC [?].  Hope you are all well.’

Rishi says, ‘Getting here at 17,000 feet was tough, but I’m felling better now.  I send lots  of love to every one back home.’

Well that’s it for now.  We wish you could see what we are seeing.  OK, wish us luck.  We'll give you a call tomorrow.”
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Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #6 Bacon Grease

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 4:30pm on June 10th with this dispatch:

“Hi! Just calling in to make a dispatch. We woke up at 4:30 am to make our cache, but it was so cold, we really didn’t want to leave our tents. I mean, it was really, really cold. REALLY cold. 

"So, we slept in for an hour and Aidan treated everyone to Denali sandwiches...which is bacon, with bagels fried in bacon grease, then cheese, then more bacon grease. Needless to say, we were warmed up after that and headed out a 8 am." 

"Our cache around Windy Corner went well – actually it wasn’t super windy up there today! It took us 4.5 hours to get up and 47 minutes to get down. When you turn around, you can fly!"

"Everyone’s doing really well. Our Team is really enjoying each others company right now. Tomorrow, we’ll move up to 14,000 camp."

"Here is a message from Bill – I touched rock on the West Buttress today. And, the whole team misses Anna, who went down safely yesterday. Talk to you later.”

  

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #14 Safe in Talkeetna

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11

Guides: Angela Seidling and Erik Johnson 

Climbers: Llew Gartrell (Australia), Nicholas Durack (UK), Peter Grant (UK), Edward Iglesias (Australia), and Paul Watkins (Australia).

Angela called in with a dispatch at 5:30pm on June 9^th:

"Hey Everybody.  We're off the mountain and arrived safely in Talkeetna!" 

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #5 Checking In

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 4:45pm on June 9th with this dispatch:

“Hello! This is Andrew calling to check in. Angela’s Team was coming down from the summit and stayed with us at camp last night, so we made them some hot drinks this morning and they went on their way. We left a little later than we wanted to, probably around 9am, but we made great time. Yesterday when we did our cache it took 6 hours but today it took 4 hours – even in the heat. It was really hot and sunny today but by the time we got up to 11, we were in the clouds a little. We’ve settled into camp and have the cook tent set up. Aidan’s serving burritos tonight. We’ll do a cache around Windy Corner cache tomorrow. The Team would like to get to 14 Camp as soon as possible, so wish us luck for good weather.”

Andrew says hi to his friends and family. 

  

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18 Dispatch #9 Rest Day

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18

Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

Climbers: David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nichola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia).

Kristen called at 1:27 pm on June 9th with this dispatch:

“Hello! It’s Kristen this time to give a dispatch. Yesterday, we took our cache up past the fixed lines and Washburn Thumb. It was a really awesome, clear day on the ridge. It took us about 8 hours but the Team rocked. We decided to take a rest day today and we just got done eating some hash browns Forest cooked up. Tomorrow, depending on the weather, we will move up to High Camp. We’re listening to the forecast every night. It keeps saying we’ll get some big fronts, but so far nothing. The sun is nice for now. Talk to you later.”

  

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #4 Going to Camp 2

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 9:19pm on June 8^th with this dispatch:

“This is Andrew calling from Camp 1. We had a wonderful dinner, which was prepped by Erin. We had some pasta with meat and peppers. It was nice to get some fresh food, but we’re running out of fresh veggies, so we’ll have to move onto more packaged meals! Today we got up early around 5:45 am. We had a big day going all the way to Camp 2, and cached everything right at Camp 2 as we planned. Again, this eliminates the need for a back carry. Tomorrow we’ll head back to the same place and spend the night there. After that we’ll put in another cache above us as we move on to Camp 3. Everyone’s feeling strong and looking forwarded to moving up.” 

  

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #14 Waiting for a Ride

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11

Guides: Angela Seidling and Erik Johnson 

Climbers: Llew Gartrell (Australia), Nicholas Durack (UK), Peter Grant (UK), Edward Iglesias (Australia), and Paul Watkins (Australia).

Angela called in with a dispatch at 10:00am on June 9^th.

“Hi! This is Angela again, quickly checking-in. We’re all the way down from the mountain, sitting at the airstrip waiting to catch our flight. There’s some low fog but otherwise it’s pretty nice. I’m not sure how long it will be until we get back to Talkeetna but we don’t have a long line, so we should be home soon. Call you soon!”

Angela says Happy Birthday to my Mom.

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18 Dispatch #8 Messages

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18

Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

Climbers: David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nichola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia).

Forest called at 10:35am on June 8^th with this dispatch:

“Hi. I have some quick messages from our climbers:

Ty, Jackie, and Sam: Thanks for the message; everything is OK here. Well done with the sail, Sam. Good luck with the regatta. Love, Richard.

Hi Chris, Good luck in the Cuillens, enjoying myself here. Love, Mark.

Yesterday we saw a man a man running around in nothing blue bikini briefs – so it’s pretty much like beach. - Kristen

We’re going to make a cache today above the fixed lines. It’s sunny, and we’re doing well. There are a lot of people coming down from the fixed lines – I’m sure it will die down soon. I’ve have to go – call you tomorrow!” 

  

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18 Dispatch #7 Resting

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18

Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

Climbers: David Flux (UK), Mark Aitken (UK), Steve Olivera (Guam), Rishi Patel (UK), Nichola Tuer (UK), and Richard Paul Brooks (Australia).

Forest called at 1:00 pm on June 7^th with this dispatch:

“Hi everyone. We made a successful and speedy move to Camp 3 at 14,000 feet yesterday. We also enjoyed a thanksgiving-style dinner of mashed potatoes, green beans, turkey and cranberry. Our camp is pretty sturdy and ultra-fortified - it’s looking like some funky weather is coming up and will persist though the next few days.  The Team is taking it easy today and resting up. We had sausage and egg McMuffins (apparently there is a McDonald’s on Denali) this morning. We’ll keep busy doing some fixed line practice and hopefully put in a cache tomorrow. Everyone is doing fine and pretty happy. We’ll call you tomorrow!”
  

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25 Dispatch #3 Moving Up

Denali Team 6: June 5 to June 25

Guides: Aidan Loehr, Andrew Yasso, and Erin Smart

Climbers: Simon Thomas Gower (Australia), Richard Van Der Sprenkel (UK), Alan Laidlaw (UK), Anna Koufos-Slade (Virginia), Chok Lin Lui (Australia), Kevin Fourie (South Africa), Luke Richmond (Thailand), and Bill Strycharz (Oregon).

Andrew called at 1:00 pm on June 7th with this dispatch:

“Hey! Today we woke up at midnight and had leftover cinnamon rolls from the first day. We rigged up the sleds and headed out at exactly 3am – right on time. (Yes, it takes us three hours to get ready!). After 4 hours, we made it to Camp 1. Everyone is feeling strong and they preformed quite well. We carried everything to Camp 1, and plan to do the same thing tonight when we head to Camp 2. If we carry everything to 11,200 feet that would eliminate the need for a back-carry and get us caught up on our daily plan. Right now, we’re eating some ‘breakfast for lunch’ and about to turn in and go to bed. As far as Team names, well, I don’t know yet. We’re still thinking about it. I’ll have one for you by the time we get to 14,000 feet.

Here are some messages:

Anna says Mommy loves and misses you.

Richard to Preetha – feeling good, still fat, and missing you

Bill says Kelly and Jack, love and miss you.

Ok, I think that’s it. Talk to you all soon!”