Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Denali Team 5: May 29 - June 18 Dispatch #2

Denali Team 5: May 29 – June 18
Guides: Forest McBrian, Dustin Byrne, and Kristen Looper

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

Lead guide Forest McBrian called in today (May 31) at 12:15pm with the following dispatch:

"Hello everyone, this is Forest calling in with a dispatch for Team 5.  We are currently at Camp 1 enjoying a beautiful sunny day.  We got here at midnight last night since we are currently on the night travel schedule in order to move during colder temperatures.  It was a pleasant 5 hour journey with all the gear and food from the air strip.  Right now people are enjoying a late breakfast and hot drinks in the cook tent.  The plan is to hang out and enjoy the wonderful views during the day.  We're going to have a delicious mid-afternoon dinner, at least we're hoping its delicious, and then do a cache carry at 7pm.  We had good conditions on the glacier although some holes are starting to appear on the track.  A couple of the bigger members of the team punched through in a couple of spots, nothing serious but a little exciting.  Everybody is very happy to be up here and so far we are all blister free!  OK, that's all for now, have a great day!" 

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #7 . . at Camp 3 - 14,000'

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11

Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson 

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

Angela called in with a dispatch at 11:45 am on May 31st:

"Hello! This is Angela calling you. I tried to call on Sunday, but phone died or got cut off at some point, so I wasn’t sure if you got my message or not."

"In any case, on Saturday, we moved to Camp Three (14,000 feet). On Sunday, we did a back carry down to 13,500 feet.  Then on Monday, we had a rest day and built some walls around camp. We also got in some fixed line practice."

"Today we plan on placing a cache at the top of the fixed lines. So, yes, we’ve been very productive!"

"The weather seems to be holding out for us, too. We keep getting gloomy weather reports, but so far, it’s been decent. Right now, the summit looks pretty ugly. It has a huge black cloud over it. I guess that doesn’t matter because we’re not quite there yet." 

"Here are some messages:"

Peter says: My tent works until 13,000 ft!

Llew says: Love to Mom and Dad.

Jon says: Tell my friends and family thanks for the messages.

From the whole group: We like the messages, keep ‘em coming!

Ok, that’s it. Call you tomorrow and we can get some messages read to us.”

[Jon Cook and Martin Halion are both heading down with Ben this evening.]

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #13 . . Summit Reached


Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Mat called at 9:30am on May 31st with this dispatch: 

"Hello! Good news! We summited yesterday! It was a long, 16 hour day. Sorry we didn’t call yesterday – the summit proper was very crowded and by the time we got up to the top, we really needed to turn around because of the time."

"Eight of us made it (that includes Tom and me – Helle, Brandon, and Jon went down earlier)." 

"Right now, we're at high camp and the crew is still in their tents napping and resting up. My tongue is totally sunburned! We’re really looking forward to getting back to civilization, especially hot cinnamon rolls. Our goal is to get back to 14,000 feet today." 

"My next call will be from base camp, so I’ll talk to you soon!"
.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Team 5: May 29 - June 18: Dispatch #1 . . Arrival at Basecamp

Team 5: May 29 - June 18 
Guides:  Forest McBrian, 
Kristen Looper, and Dustin Byrne 
Climbers:  Jeff Bergstedt (Virginia), David Flux (United Kingdom), Mark Aitken (United Kingdom), Rishi Patel (United Kingdom), Nicola Tuer (United Kingdom), Steve Olivera (Santa Rita, Guam), Richard Paul Brooks (Sydney, Australia) 


Forest called at 11:15 Alaska time with the following report:


"Hello this is Team 5 reporting that we are on the mountain.  We flew onto the Kahiltna Sunday evening to beautiful views of Denali and the surrounding mountains and settled into base camp.  We're spending the daylight hours arranging our gear and getting ready for our first carry to Camp 1.  For the first part of this expedition we'll be avoiding activity in the daylight hours because it is quite warm her eon the lower glacier.  We'll move in the evening in order to get cooler temperatures and firmer conditions in the snowpack.

We have fine weather now and beautiful views.  Last night we enjoyed nice fresh sandwhiches and potato salad last night, and this morning we are having  hot drinks and cinnamon rolls in the sunshire.

Everyone is doing well, adjusting to glacier life, resting, and getting over their jet lag.

Looks like a strong team and we're looking forward to a great three weeks together.  I'll give you an update tomorrow.  That's the news for now."
.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #12

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4

Guides: Tom Kirby and Matt Erpelding
Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Mat called at 10:30am on May 29th with this dispatch:

"Hi everyone! Team 'Changes in Latitude' moved up to High Camp yesterday after a long day. The weather looked awful down below, but yesterday it was amazing and totally clear for us as we moved up. We were thinking about going for the summit today, but decided the winds weren't in our favor. We will try our luck tomorrow and hopefully I'll be giving you a call from the top! Brandon and Helle went down and should be flying back tonight. Wish the rest of us luck!"

Friday, May 27, 2011

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #6


Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11

Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson 

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

Angela called in with a dispatch at 5:30pm on May 27th:

"Hi! This is Angela again. We did a cache today around Windy Corner. It was another extremely beautiful day and we've really lucked out on the weather. The guys are beginning to doubt cold weather even exists up here. Tomorrow we plan to move up to Camp 3. We'll have a lot of time this evening to relax, hydrate, eat, and go to bed early. We'll call this weekend!"



Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #11

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Tom Kirby and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Mat called at 1:00pm on May 27th with this dispatch:  


"Hey everyone!  Yesterday we did a carry to 16,000 feet.  The weather was calm at the ridge line and it was very nice out.  Since yesterday was such a long long day, today is a rest day.  We are planning on pushing up to high camp tomorrow to 17,200 feet.  The forecast calls for good weather on Sunday, and if so, we will attempt the summit.  Bad weather is coming in on Monday, so we have a small summit window.  Let's hope for the best!"



Thursday, May 26, 2011

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #5

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11

Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson 

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

Angela called in with a dispatch at 4:40pm on May 26th:
 
“Hi! It’s Angela again, and we’re having a wonderful time up here.  We’re at Camp 2 right now.  Everyone is doing fantastic and in good health.  We made very quick work getting the cache back today – 2 hours, which is good time.  The forecast said it was going to be cloudy, but today we woke up with great weather.  The clouds are just now rolling in. We’re learning all sorts of things with this team. Ben, Erik, and I found out what “winkles” are.  By the way – our team name is Little Winkles. We also discovered the phrase “Bob’s your uncle”, which none of us guides had ever heard before. Additionally, we’re introducing the team to more fine American cuisine.  Today it was good ol’ biscuits and gravy, with bacon.  Our plan for tomorrow is to do a cache up around Windy Corner.  I think it will go very well, so I’ll call you tomorrow.  Also, this weekend, there’s a big World Cup game – so someone needs to report the scores to us!”

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #10

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Tom Kirby and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Mat called at 1:15pm on May 26th with this dispatch:  

"Hello! It’s Mat calling, from another beautiful day on Denali. It’s really nice right now. We switched gears and decided to do a carry today above the fixed lines. ‘14-Camp’ is incredibly crowded right now. We’re standing in line for the fixed lines and there’s about, oh, I’d say, about 30 people going up right now in front of us. We woke up early this morning, stuffed ourselves with hashbrowns, and did some skills practice from about 8:30 to 11:00. We ate a quick lunch and headed out to wait in line! I can’t say today will be a very exciting day but hopefully the traffic will settle down and we can have a productive day, followed by a well-deserved rest day tomorrow. I don’t have time to take messages right now, but I will tomorrow. Bye!"

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #4


Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11

Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson 

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

Angela called in with a dispatch at 11:30pm on May 26th:

"Hey everyone! This is Angela calling on behalf of Team 4 and we had a very excited day today. This morning we found out that about half of the group had never had beef jerky or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Amazing, I know! Well, we had that exact thing for lunch and we received rave reviews of our fine American cuisine. In other news, we had a spectacular day moving from Camp 1 to Camp 2. It was clear blue skies and gorgeous views. It was a fair temperature today, too -- not too hot and not too cold. After getting settled into camp, we had some spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner. We concluded it was good we had all that garlic to ward off the glacier donkies. Tomorrow we plan to do a back-carry. Everything going very well so far! We’ll call back and try to catch you guys for some messages. Talk to you soon!"


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #9

Guides: Tom Kirby and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington), Jon Cook (UK)

Matt Erpelding called in at 12:00pm on May 25th with the following dispatch:

"Hey guys!  The weather today is fantastic at 14,000 feet!  Today we did a back carry to 13,500 feet and we are now back at 14,000 feet.  The rest of today's tasks include eating our delicious Denali Sandwiches, which contain greasy cheese and sausage, and building snow walls at camp.  

The group is strong right now, even after having a long day yesterday.  All climbers are looking good!  The plan is to take a rest day tomorrow and then do a cache on Friday.  Tomorrow's weather forecast shows it will be another beautiful day, and a storm system will start building again on Saturday.  Talk to you tomorrow!"

On a side note, Guide Kevin Hogan hurt his back the other day and made the decision to head down the mountain with Richard and Mary's team.  He arrived safely to Talkeetna yesterday and will hopefully be receiving news of a fast recovery.  Denali and Team 3 will miss you Kevo! 

Denali Team 4: May 22 - June 11 Dispatch #3

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11
Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson

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


Ben Traxler called in at 9:52pm on May 24th with the following dispatch:

"Hello everybody, this is Ben calling in from Camp 1 at 7800ft.  We put in a cache today at 10,000ft.  It was a great day today and once again we had excellent weather.  It's been such nice weather ever since we flew in but it looks like the trend is shifted a bit.  It is started to get a little windy and it looks like we might be getting some snow this evening.

We had a great dinner after returning from the cache.  People are in very high spirits and the day went pretty quick.  The cache wasn't too tough for people and the team was happy to get rid of the heavy sleds that we had to pull on the double carry yesterday.  Nothing weird has happened thus far up here and we're hoping to continue this streak!  Talk to you soon!" 

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Denali Team 2: May 8 - 28 Dispatch #12

Denali Team 2:  May 8 - 28
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard called in with a dispatch at 1:10 pm on May 24th:

"Hey Guys!  We officially made it to the glacier this morning.  Yesterday we started at 2pm from 14,000 feet and arrived at 5:36am this morning to Base Camp.  All the climbers flew out right away.  Mary and I are waiting for the second flight out, which will be soon.  Oh, here's the airplane.  I have to go-  I will call again later!"

 --

We received an update at 1:50pm that everyone has landed safely in Talkeetna!   Hot showers and burgers are on order!

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #8

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Mat called at 10:45 am on May 24th with this dispatch: 

“Hi again!  This is Mat calling with some good news.  We were able to make a cache at a higher elevation yesterday, so today we’re going to move up and establish ourselves at ‘14 Camp’.  The weather looks good for today and tomorrow.  In fact, today is going to be a scorcher on the mountain.  There’s not a cloud in the sky and absolutely no wind. It’s going to be a sunscreen and t-shirt day for sure!  Changes in Latitude (the team name) has very high spirits and we’re all very excited to all be on the move again.  We saw Richard and Mary’s team while they were going down, and they gave us some extra fuel and supplies.  We’ll call you from higher up. Thanks for the messages everyone!”

[Today we were able to relay blog messages to the climbers.]

Denali Team 4: May 22 - June 11 Dispatch #2

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11
Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson

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

Lead Guide Angela Seidling calling in at 11pm on May 23 with the following dispatch:

"Hi this is Angela from Team 4.  We started off the morning at base camp enjoying some delicious cinnamon rolls from The Roadhouse in Talkeetna.  We spent the rest of the morning reviewing skills, including sled packing and rigging, snowshoeing, glacier travel and all sorts of other fun stuff.  

We finally made it out of camp at 12:30pm and began making our way up the Kahiltna towards Camp 1.  It beautiful weather, in fact it was almost too hot!  Luckily there was a steady breeze that made things a little more comfortable temperature wise.  We pulled into Camp 1 at 6pm, set up camp and made dinner.  Now we are all off to bed to get rest for our cache day tomorrow.

I've got a few messages from team members:  Jon says that he is enjoying himself very much.  Peter sends his love to his family.  Eric, Ben and I would also like to send a big thanks to Tony for the additional supplies he flew in!  OK, that's it for now." 

Monday, May 23, 2011

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #7

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)
 
Mat called at 1:00pm on May 23rd with this dispatch:

"Hey guys! This is Mat calling in with another update. It looks like the weather is all right for now, and we’re debating on whether or not to go up and make a cache today. I have a feeling we probably will if the weather holds out. Anyway, we’ve started a new hobby in the last few days. We’ve resorted to digging holes, filling them up again, and then digging another one right next to it. I’m telling you – it’s actually fun. It’s all about the design, you see. And keeping warm. I’ll call you again with more messages from the team shortly."

Messages:

Ryan says: "I love you and miss you, friends and family!"

Brandon says: "Love ya and miss ya -- Buckaroo, I love you!

Jeff says: "All is well, love and miss you. Will call from 14,000!"

Alex and Allen say: "Terra, Cody, et al (?). Be ready to party!!! T minus ?" Themper Phi Gumby, Love Al. [Sorry -- this message was really hard to understand!]

"Love it, loving you! - Helle."

Jonathan was about to leave a message but the phone cut out.



Denali Team 2: May 8 - 28 Dispatch #12

Denali Team 2:  May 8 - 28
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard called in with a dispatch at 10:30am on May 23rd:

"Hello, this is Richard.  I've got to be quick because we've been unable to give our sat phone much of a charge due to this inclement weather and cloudy skies.  We are at 14,000 ft right now and are thinking of heading down today.  There is a small weather window that we are in right now but the nasty weather is supposed to return tomorrow.  35 mph winds are predicted as well as low temperatures.  We've run out of time to make a go for the summit and any attempt would be pushing it.  Johnna may be able to join another team lower on the mountain but we need to make sure it will work.  OK, I'll call again soon with an update."

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #6

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

We received a broken dispatch from Tom at 3: 29 pm on May 22nd:

“Hi, this is Tom calling from the West Buttress... We’re at Camp 2... Woke up to...Somewhat clear weather...A lot of wind hit the camp.”

The phone cut out at this point. We hope to hear back from them soon.

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11 Dispatch #1

Denali Team 4: May 22 to June 11
Guides: Angela Seidling, Ben Traxler, and Erik Johnson

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

Angela called in with a dispatch at 11:30 pm on May 22nd:

"Hi everyone! This is Angela from Team 4, calling to say ‘Hi’ and letting you all know we made it into Base Camp today. We flew out of Talkeeta at about 5:30 pm or so and landed on the glacier yesterday evening. We spent the evening setting up our camp and getting settled in. We had a gourmet dinner of Thai noodles and lots of cookies for dessert! Tomorrow we plan to do some skills in the morning and a single carry to Camp 1. So, we’ll check in tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Bye!"

Denali Team 2: May 8 – 28 Dispatch #11

Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan
Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard Riquelme called in with a dispatch at 10:15 am on May 23th:

“Hello! Good news and bad news -- Today we had the first break in the weather for us after a very long time of sitting around. However, the weather forecast is not looking good for the next couple of days. Yesterday we had 50 to 60 mph winds. We’ve been stuck at 14-camp for so long, we had to have a group meeting. We came to the conclusion that we need to go down. We’ll call back shortly with an update on our progress. For now, that’s the plan.”

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #5

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4

Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Tom calling in at 6:00pm on May 21 with the following dispatch:

"Hey everybody!  This is Tom and it's day 7 already on the mountain.  We are currently at Camp 2 at 11,000', eating a delicious lunch of cream cheese, bagels and salmon. 

Yesterday we did not do anything because the weather was so stormy.  With the high gusty winds and a fair bit of snow, we had to drop the cook tent a few times.  We were getting a little worried that if the storm lasted longer, we would get hungry because we only brought a few days worth of food with us.  We managed with our food supplies and with today's nice weather, we were able to do a back-carry to 10,000' to pick up the rest of our food.  Everything worked out well and everyone is doing great.

Tomorrow we plan on climbing to 13,500' to cache more gear and food, and come back to 11,000' to sleep.  Hopefully the weather will cooperate with us and we can proceed to climb higher on the mountain."

Friday, May 20, 2011

Denali Team 3: May 15 - June 4 Dispatch #4

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4

Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington)

Lead Guide Mat Erpelding calling in at 1:55pm on May 20 with the following dispatch:

"Hey guys, we are currently stuck in our tents at 11,000 feet.  The winds up here are so bad that we actually took down our cook tent and moved all of the cooking stuff into the guides tent.  We got here yesterday and are going to stay here all day due to the wind.  As soon as the weather clears up we are going to dash back down to our cache at around 10,000 feet and pick it up.  That will probably be tomorrow.

After we grab our cache, we will likely remain in a holding pattern until the weather allows us to move up the mountain.  We are all doing well, and hope that we are just getting our Denali weather out of the way early on this trip!  Right now the wind is blowing at least 60 MPH, so there is no lack of white noise as we lay in our tents!  Hope to speak with you guys soon!"

We were able to relay a message to Brandon, but the Sat phone cut out early.  With the weather the way it is, the team is unable to get a proper charge for the batteries and we will have to keep communication brief.  This is normal, and we can assure you all members of the team are well.

Denali Team 2: May 8 – 28 Dispatch #10

Denali Team 2:  May 8 – 28 
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard Riquelme called in with a dispatch at 11:15am on May 20th:

"Hi guys, we’re still sitting at 14,000 feet. It looks like other teams are stuck in place where they are, too. Yesterday some of the walls toppled over and we’ve spent the day rebuilding our camp. Anyway, we’ll talk to you later and hopefully there will be more to report."

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Denali Team 2: May 8 – 28 Dispatch #9

Denali Team 2:  May 8 – 28
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard Riquelme called in with a dispatch at 4:15pm on May 19th:

"Hi everyone! Well, there’s not much to report today. We were stuck here at camp, so we did a bit of housekeeping and home improvement. We did a lot of wall building and sitting around, you know – holding down the fort! We’re still here at 14,000 feet. It was a very high-wind day and so we couldn’t move up. The weather was pretty harsh and it’s looking like that will be the case for the next few days. But, everyone is doing great and just anxious to get to the summit!"

[We were able to relay your comments from the most recent blog.]

Messages for friends and family:

Claire: No news from me!

Mary: Mary loves Mom and Dad and Boo and Jay. Love you all, staying safe up here!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Denali Team 2: May 8 – 28 Dispatch #8

Denali Team 2:  May 8 – 28
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard Riquelme called in with a dispatch at 5:20 am on May 18th:

"Hello! This is Richard again. Sorry we got disconnected earlier, but hey, this is Denali and it happens! We just finished fixed line training and prepping for the next few days. We’re sitting around camp and eating quesadillas. Tomorrow we hope to do another cache at the top of the fixed lines. Steve was not feeling very well this morning but he’s doing much better now. It’s a sunny, hot day today and it’s a challenge to keep hydrated.  I think we are in the eye of the storm right now – I see clouds above, so keep your fingers crossed for good weather."

Here are some messages:

Johnna: I am enjoying sleeping in a tent alone with a private snowblock bathroom. My favorite meal: turkey dinner.

Claire: Everything is well. Hi to Caitlin and Declan (?). Tomorrow is another day. I hope everyone’s well at home. We got an Irish flag flying!

Steve: Mom and Dad, I’m doing fine BUT 14,200 Camp kicked my a**!

Denali Team 3: May 15 - June 4 Dispatch #3

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 

Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington), Jon Cook (UK)

 Lead Guide Mat Erpelding calling in at 1:45pm on May 18 with the following dispatch:

"Hey there!  This is Mat calling in from Camp 1.  It's a lovely day here and everyone is enjoying themselves thus far.  Believe it or not it is actually shorts weather up here, kind of reminds me of a beach scene...just replace the sand with snow and the water with miles of glacier.  We've been killing time talking politics, luckily nothing too explosive has come up.  We're basically just living the dream up here!

Our plan is to move up to Camp 2 at 11,000 ft tomorrow.  We'll call you with an update then!"

Denali Team 2: May 8 – 28 Dispatch #7

Denali Team 2:  May 8 – 28
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard called in with a short dispatch at 12:30pm am on May 18th:

Hello! We’re sitting at 14’ camp right now. It is 10 below - pretty sweet weather! But we have a sunny day today for our rest day and it feels good. Yesterday we retrieved the cache from down below.  Mary and Steve stayed at camp to build walls, while Claire, Johnna, and I went to 13,000 to retrieve the cache. 

[The phone cut out. We hope to hear back soon!]

Denali Team 2: May 8 - 28 Dispatch #4
(Posted out of chrological order)

Denali Team 2:  May 8 - 28, 2011

Guide:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)


We only had time for short messages from the team today…

Johnna: “We’ve had a few brisk headwind days requiring full face masksa and 2-3 jackets. (Like?) cold days on Sugarloaf”. 
Stephen: “Feathered Friends sleeping bag $800. Gregory Backpack $500, my stench – priceless!"
Claire: “Looking at Mt Francis, eating really well, special ‘hi’ to Darrah(?) and Patrick (?) (sorry - we could not make these names out very well), from the mountain. Miss you all lots!
Sat phone communications are on and off this morning. They will try to call back with more information soon. 




Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21 Final Dispatch

 Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21
Guides: Kurt Hicks, Dan Otter, Aili Farquhar

Climbers: Izabela Smolokowska (Warsaw, Poland), James Haydock (Dublin, Ireland), Ardeshir Yaftebbi, Iwan Irawan, Fajri Al Luthfi, Martin Rimbawan, Popo Fajar Sidik, and Nurhuda (all from Indonesia).

Kurt called with a dispatch at 8:05 pm on the 17th:

"Hey everybody! This is Kurt calling for Denali Team 1! We are currently standing at the airstrip in Talkeetna. We flew out this afternoon after a really nice 2-day descent of the West Buttress. We left High Camp yesterday around noon, descending to 14,000 feet for some dinner, then descended to 11,000 feet and camped there until morning. Today we woke up at 6 am and promptly headed down. We continued our decent to Base Camp and again, the weather was cold and windy, which seemed theme for the entire trip right to the end. But of course, we kept going, and persevered through ‘Heartbreak Hill’. The plan right now is to dry out the equipment, lay out the tents, and freshen up a bit. I think we all deserve a good dinner and probably some beverages, too. It was great working with this team; what a great trip! I want to congratulate everyone in their successes and wish them well in the future."
 





Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #2


Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington), Jon Cook (UK)

Mat called at 9:30am on May 17th with this update:  

"Hey! This is Mat calling for Denali Team 3, otherwise known as 'Changes in Latitude and Changes in Attitude' – it’s all about the Jimmy Buffet on this trip. I think that team name will stick! We made it to Camp 1 yesterday after a long day. It was really a long, arduous day to get there – took up about 5 hours and 45 minutes. But the group did great, and the pace was good. We have a couple of folks who pretty tired. Right now, we’re packing up load to do another cache at 10,500 feet. It’s clear on the lower Kalhiltna but it looks terrible up above. I’ll call you with more tomorrow!"

Monday, May 16, 2011

Denali Team 2: May 8 – 28 Dispatch #6


Denali Team 2:  May 8 – 28
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan

Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard Riquelme called in with a dispatch at 2:10 pm on May 16th:
Hello! This is Richard with a quick update! We are doing awesome here, as usual! This team is doing so well. Just to re-cap, yesterday we carried our cache up to 13,700 feet. Right now we are in the middle of moving to 14,000 feet and going strong. We’re currently at 12,000 feet and taking a quick break to refuel and eat some lunch. We expect to show up at ‘14 Camp’ at 5 or 6 o’ clock at the latest today. It sounds like we’ll probably see Kurt’s team near 14,000 feet or so.  I’ll call and leave another message tonight when we arrive.

[Today we were able to relay some messages from the blog, as well. The Team appreciates your comments.]

Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21 Dispatch #18


Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21
Guides: Kurt Hicks, Dan Otter, Aili Farquhar

Climbers: Izabela Smolokowska (Warsaw, Poland), James Haydock (Dublin, Ireland), Ardeshir Yaftebbi, Iwan Irawan, Fajri Al Luthfi, Martin Rimbawan, Popo Fajar Sidik, and Nurhuda (all from Indonesia).

Kurt called with a dispatch at 12:50pm on May 16th:

"Hello! This is Kurt calling again with more of an update about our success. We are back at “17 Camp” if you haven’t heard, and are packing up to head down the mountain. Eight out of eleven climbers summited. Those who did not were Popo, Ardeshir, and the guide Dan Otter. Summit day was generally nice, but cold. It was about 20 mph winds, and a few had minor frost nip, but nothing serious. I think the best part was, as we were descending, we saw a gorgeous sunset and then the full moon rose shortly after that. By the time got back to camp, and we finished making warm drinks and ate some food, the sun was coming back up! It was a very, very long day and I’m proud of the team for all their efforts. We hope to get down to 11,000 feet today, maybe farther if we are feeling good. I think we’ll try to fly out tomorrow! Talk to you soon."
 


Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4 Dispatch #1

 Denali Team 3: May 15 – June 4
Guides: Kevin Hogan, Tom Kirby, and Matt Erpelding

Climbers: Allen Borgardts (Missouri), Robert “Alex” Borgardts (Missouri), Jonathan Fischer (Colorado), David Haimsky (Virginia), Jeffrey Gephart (Michigan), Helle Dam Sorensen (Denmark), Brandon McNalley (Washington), Ryan Canfield (Washington), Jon Cook (UK)

Kevin called at 10:37 pm on May 15th with this update: 

 "Hey everyone! This is Kevo, calling from the Kahiltna glacier. West Buttress Denali Team 3 landed just after 3pm this afternoon. The weather today was mostly cloudy and overcast. It required the pilot to take multiple bearings to get us here — it was some good navigation. The Team spirit is really high and we’re excited to get the climb underway.  The weather looks Ok for tomorrow, which is a great start.  We’re currently sitting around listening to Jimmy Buffet right now. I’ll call you tomorrow with another update on our progress and we head to 78000 feet camp. Wish us luck! "

Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21 Dispatch #17 . . . . . . Summit Reached!

Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21
Guides: Kurt Hicks, Dan Otter, Aili Farquhar

Climbers: Izabela Smolokowska (Warsaw, Poland), James Haydock (Dublin, Ireland), Ardeshir Yaftebbi, Iwan Irawan, Fajri Al Luthfi, Martin Rimbawan, Popo Fajar Sidik, and Nurhuda (all from Indonesia).

Kurt called with a dispatch at 9:00 pm on May 15:

"Hey guys! This is Kurt calling from the summit of Denali! There's light winds, about 10 mph, and currently overcast. Everyone is really happy to be up here. We won't stay long, though. We’ll call you again when we’re back at camp, but all is well!"

Kurt called again with a dispatch at 4:15 am on May 15:

"This is Kurt at about 4am and we are back safely at camp."

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Denali Team 1: May 1 - May 21 Dispatch #16

Denali Team 1: May 1 - 21
Guides: Kurt Hicks, Dan Otter, Aili Farquhar

Climbers: Izabela Smolokowska (Warsaw, Poland), James Haydock (Dublin, Ireland), Ardeshir Yaftebbi, Iwan Irawan, Fajri Al Luthfi, Martin Rimbawan, Popo Fajar Sidik, and Nurhuda (all from Indonesia).

Kurt called with a dispatch at 9:11pm on May 15:


"Hey guys this is Kurt calling from High camp on Denali!  It is Saturday evening and a beautiful sunny 'day'.  We are packed, prepped, and ready - we are going to go for the summit tomorrow, after a nice rest day today.  We spent the day building walls and doing a short back carry to the top of the fixed lines.


It is beautiful out, calm winds, and sunny, with clouds blanketing the moutnains below us.  It looks like tomorrow is going to be the only good day for the rest of the week, so we are going to give it our best and then retreat before the weather comes in.  We hope it goes!


We will talk to you all soon!  Over and out"


Looking at Mt. Foraker from 17,200 feet at Denali's High Camp, on a 2010 expedition.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Denali Team 2: May 8 - 28 Dispatch #5

Denali Team 2:  May 8 - 28, 2011
Guides:  Richard Riquelme and Mary Harlan
Climbers:  Claire Morrissey (London, UK), Stephen Baldock (Washington State), and Johnna Haskel (Maine)

Richard called at 7:30 pm on May 14th with this dispatch:

"Hi! This is Richard calling on behalf of Team 2, just checking in! Today we had a decent day carrying our cache from 9,700 feet. Right now, we’re enjoying a nice of the view of the valley, but it looks like the clouds are going to roll in soon. The team is doing very well – still going strong! Tomorrow we will do a cache around “Windy Corner”, stashing things around 17,200 feet. The group sends a collective message to all our friends and families: Hello, everyone! We’re doing really well up here and everyone is still strong. We miss you! Wish us well!"

Denali: Names of Injured Persons & Fatality Released in Mt. McKinley Climbing Accident

The National Park Service released the names of the climbers involved in the fatal accident on Mt. McKinley May 11-12.  The following is the press release issued at 8:54am Alaska time, Saturday, May 14.


For Immediate Release
Contact: Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103


Climbers Involved in Mt. McKinley Rescue Identified

Two remaining injured climbers were evacuated from the 17,200-foot high camp on Mt. McKinley in the afternoon of Friday, May 13. Mountain Trip guide Dave Staeheli, age 56, of Wasilla, Alaska and client Lawrence Cutler, age 45, of Croton-on-Hudson, New York, suffered from frostbite to the hands and feet after a night spent at high elevation in cold temperatures and gusty winds. Staeheli also sustained a broken rib. On Friday afternoon it was determined that the two men could not safely descend the mountain on foot, so a helicopter evacuation was initiated. Both men were individually shorthauled from the 17,200-foot camp to the 14,200-foot camp by NPS ranger John Loomis and B3 helicopter pilot Andy Hermansky. From there, the helicopter flew them down to the Kahiltna Basecamp for a fixed wing flight back to Talkeetna.

On the previous night of May 12, fellow teammate Jeremiah O¹Sullivan, age 40, of Ballinhassig, Ireland, was rescued from 19,500-feet on Mt. McKinley with a broken leg and severe frostbite to the legs, hands, and face. The fourth member of the rope team, 38-year-old Beat Niederer of St. Gallen, Switzerland died from unknown causes near 18,000 feet. Neiderer¹s body was recovered late Thursday night via helicopter shorthaul.

An additional client who had turned back along with a guide earlier during the day of the summit bid due to frostbite on his fingers was evacuated from the 14,200-foot camp by the NPS Thursday afternoon. He has been identified as Tony Diskin, age 33, of Westmeath, Ireland.

As of the morning of May 14, there were 282 climbers attempting Mt. McKinley. Eight summits have been recorded thus far. A total of 1,029 climbers are registered to climb during the 2011 season.


-NPS-

Maureen McLaughlin
Mountaineering Administration and Public Information
Talkeetna Ranger Station
Denali National Park & Preserve
PO Box 588
Talkeetna, Alaska 99676

(907) 733-9103 (phone)
(907) 733-1465 (fax)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Denali: Accident Near Summit of Mt. McKinley

Cold temperatures dropping to -20F at night and winds of up to 70 mph have created very difficult conditions high on Denali / Mt. McKinley.  The two American Alpine Institute teams that are currently on the mountain, lead by Kurt Hicks and Richard Riquelme, are waiting for the weather to improve at Camp 3 at 14,000 feet and at Camp 2 at 11,000 feet respectively.  The American Alpine Institute teams were not involved with the accident or the rescue that occurred  May 11-13, 2011.

On Wednesday, May 11, a Mountain Trip guided team had an accident near the summit ridge of Denali.  A rope team of one guide and three clients fell near the ridge, and one of the climbers sustained a broken leg.  While the guide worked to secure the injured climber in a bivy sack at 19, 500 feet, the two other climbers began the descent.  One climber never made it back to high camp and died.  On Thursday, May 12, the injured climber was successfully rescued by helicopter and the body of the climber who died was located and removed from 18,000 feet.

Friday morning, the surviving guide and client (who both sustained frostbite) were still at High Camp at 17,200 feet.  As of 4 pm, May 13, the names of those involved had not been released by the National Park Service.

The following is the Denali National Park News Release:


Denali National Park and Preserve News Release
Date: May 12, 2011, 10:00 p.m.
For Immediate Release
Contact:  Maureen McLaughlin, (907) 733-9103


One Climber Rescued, One Recovered from Mt. McKinley

Denali National Park and Preserve rescue personnel were able to save the life of an injured climber at 19,500-feet on Mt. McKinley the night of Thursday, May 12, however, a teammate from the same guided expedition was found dead at 18,000 feet.

The guided client rescued from 19,500-feet had broken a leg when the 4-person rope team fell near the summit ridge of Mt. McKinley very late on Wednesday or early Thursday.  After the fall, the team’s guide secured the injured climber in a bivy sack at the ‘Football Field’ while the other two clients descended.  By morning, the guide and one of the two uninjured clients had separately descended to the 17,200-foot high camp where they were treated by another team for frostbite to the hands and feet.  The third client never returned to high camp.

At the request of the National Park Service, the 176th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard launched a HC-130 aircraft from the 211th Rescue Squadron on Thursday morning in an effort to spot the injured and missing climbers. Pararescuemen from the 212th Rescue Squadron on board the HC-130
spotted the client with the broken leg at 19,500-feet, though they were unable to definitively verify the location of the other client.

Winds gusted to 70 mph throughout the day on Thursday, and Denali National Park’s high altitude A-Star B3 helicopter was unable to safely fly above14,200 feet.   However, by 5:00 pm that evening the winds subsided and boththe HC-130 aircraft and the NPS helicopter were able to make a reconnaissance flight up high on the mountain.  The helicopter pilot and an NPS ranger verified the location and status of the injured climber at 19,500-feet, and for the first time rescue personnel were able to confirm the location of the second climber above 18,000 feet.

With a rescue basket secured to the end of a 125-foot rope, A-Star B3 helicopter pilot Andy Hermansky returned to the climber at 19,500 feet. The injured client was able to climb into the basket as the helicopter hovered overhead.  Once the patient was secure in the basket, the helicopter flew down to the Kahiltna Basecamp to an awaiting LifeMed air ambulance for transport to Anchorage.

Next, the A-Star B3 helicopter returned to the site of the climber near 18,000 feet, this time with NPS mountaineering ranger Kevin Wright on the end of the 125-foot shorthaul line.  Helicopter pilot Hermansky hovered while Ranger Wright set down adjacent to the climber and buckled him into a
canvas sling known as a ‘screamer suit’.  The climber was flown on the end of the shorthaul line to the Kahiltna Basecamp.  The patient showed no obvious signs of life during the shorthaul flight.  The patient was transferred to a CH-47 ‘Chinook’ helicopter from the 52nd Aviation Regiment out of Ft. Wainwright for a more thorough medical assessment.  Two NPS ranger medics, also on board the CH-47, confirmed that the climber had died.  The cause of death is unknown at this time.

The guide and the client, both of whom suffer from frostbite, currently remain at the 17,200-foot camp.  The names of all climbers involved in the incident are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
                                   -NPS-