Team at 17,200'

Rob, Forest, Jeremiah, Dean, Marcio, Rex, Yury and Ed moved to high camp today and are settled into their camp and having dinner now. They had a long day and are happy to be there. They will most likely rest at the 17,200' camp tomorrow. If the weather holds I think they will try for the top on July 7th.

They will sleep in and rest up tomorrow July 6th. Activities at high camp include eating as much as one can, reading, playing cards, and walking around to various secret spots. Once I was there and walked around to a big ice sheet north of camp. I found some old canvas tents, it seemed like it could have been from the early 1950's. There is lots to see and do if one can get out and about.

Good Night,

Caitlin

Mountain Update

Rob, Forest, Jeremiah, Dean, Marcio, Rex, Yury and Ed are resting at the 14,200' camp today, July 4th. They will be eating and drinking as much as they can in anticipation for their move to 17,200', high camp, possilbly tomorrow. I am sure they are celebrating the 4th of July with style today.


AMS guide, Christian March setting up stoves a snow kitchen on Denali. The team has a kitchen very similar to this one and is spending a fair bit of time in there today!















This is an AMS camp at the 14,200' camp, Rob's team has the same tents and in the right foreground one can see the corner of the kitchen tent. Mt. Foraker at 17,400' dominats the view, fabulous.

Photo: Tom Torkelson







Yesterday, July 3rd, the team make a carry of their extra food, fuel, and gear up the fixed lines on the head wall between 14,200 and 16,200 feet. This is a hard working, big, fun day!


Climbers nearing the base of the fixed lines you can just see the 14,200'-camp below them. Photo taken on AMS' May 2009 Denali Expedition.

AMS team, at the base of the fixed lines, 15,500'.

















AMS climber at the top of the fixed lines, 16,200'. Look at Mt. Foraker in the background compared to the view of it from the 14,200' camp. They are getting up pretty high now, very exciting indeed.









AMS team, organizing items and readying the shovels for their cache at 16,200' before heading back down the fixed lines.

All above Photos: Tom Torkelson, AMS Guide



All the best,
Caitlin

Return to Talkeetna

Mr. Nubo Huang and AMS guides, Colby Coombs, Josh Hoeschen, and Nick D'Alessio are safely back in Talkeetna. They are showering, having a snack, and soon will be sleeping after their journey on Denali. It is a beautiful summer day in Talkeetna and all is very well.

- Caitlin

Word from 14 camp

Rob Gowler called with messages from the West Buttress team!

From Rex - "To Family & Friends, doing well, missing you all."
From Jeremiah - "To Family & Friends, doing well, missing you all."
From Dean - "Mom & Dad, thanks for the birthday card, all is well, loving life. Sherry & Tina, I miss you, looking forward to seeing you on the 31st. 7 mile bridge is required. Marcos, 'Weather is here, Wish you were beautiful.'" (I've heard eyewitnesses say Dean's been kicked back, enjoying a puff of cigar at each camp.)
From Marcio - "Hi everybody in Brazil! Hope all is well. Feeling well. Special kiss to Alexandra, I love you, Marcio."
From Forest - "Hello to all Family & Friends, all good here!"
From Ed, Yury & everyone - "Enjoying the -20F in July!"

The phone cut out before we could finish, so I'll send all your messages and blog comments if he calls back later. I think I was able to get a quick hello in to Dean from Andrea, and I was just about to give Rob the message for Marcio about the Brazil Cup results!

Early this morning the team finished their back carry to retrive their cached items at Windy Corner. They're resting and eating at the 14,200 foot camp now. Today they are going to review some the procedures of traveling with fixed line protection, which they will use in the next several days as they travel up the "headwall" to the 16,200' ridge.

Ciao!
~J and Caitlin

Summit Report

Colby Coombs called from 17,200 feet just a few minutes ago. He, Josh Hoeshen and Nubo Huang were on the summit last night at 8 pm, 20,320 feet above sea level on a beautiful, clear night.

It was a very long summit day and they have been resting all morning, which is normal for all teams. They will move down to 14,200 feet later today, then repack and wait for conditions to descend. Once they have had some rest they will determine how fast they want to move down. The earliest they would be back to Talkeetna would be sometime on Friday or Saturday morning. They are enjoying perfect weather, it is "splitter" up there, as Rob would say.

Rob, Forest, Jeremiah, Dean, Marcio, Rex, Yury and Ed back carried today to pick up their items at the Windy Corner area. Please excues our previous (now deleted) post that they were carrying to 16,200' today, they should be doing that in the next few days!

I just spoke with one of the NPS Mountaineering Rangers who said it is very quiet in the mountains, with not many people up there right now. Those few that are up there are enjoying the beautiful day!

We're getting projects done here at Headquarters, getting ready for the Mountaineering Courses coming up July 13, August 3, August 10, September 7 and September 14.
The sun is out, it will be a good day for a swim!
~Julia

Update from 14,000 feet

Rob just called to say that he just rolled in to 14-camp with Forest, Jeremiah, Dean, Marcio, Rex, Yury and Ed. He said every one is doing well and they plan to back-carry tomorrow, then make a carry up the following day. He said it was a very warm day. Nick had snow melted and ready for them, I'll bet they were ready for Tang or lemonade.
Rex sends a shout out to his people - he saw the jet overhead as they were rounding Windy Corner, and figured it was inbound to Fairbanks...
Rob will pass greetings to Jeremiah from his girls...

Nick is keeping the home fires burning at the 14,200' camp. The weather is beautiful, almost too warm, and "not a breath of wind" up high. Rob says it "looks perfect up there".

We're expecting a little rain here, thunder is rolling in closer and the eastern sky is dark. Rob could see the thunderheads below them. We've been getting afternoon thundershowers on these hot days. The Mountain Forecast is looking good.

Caitlin will likely make a post later tonight after Colby checks in.
~Julia

July 1st

Mike Hamill, Greg Vernovage, Porter Draper, Leslie Herje, Fergal O'Donnell, Manev Luthra and Keith Bronstein are all back in Talkeetna. They are enjoying the slow pace of Talkeetna and eating watermelon in the shade. A great way to transition back to the "real" world and urban life. It's hot and sunny in Talkeetna!

We are hoping to get updates from Rob and Colby's teams later today. The weather looks good from here, so if the wind is cooperating they'll both be having good days to make a move.

More when we get updates...
~Julia

Climber and Mountain Update

Colby Coombs, Josh Hoeschen, and Mr. Nubo Huang are now established at the 17,200' high camp and if all goes as planned they will try for the summit July 1st. AMS guide, Nick D'Alessio is a part of this expedition and today he helped the team a great deal by carrying extra loads up high today, June 30, he is at the 14,200' camp. I am willing to bet that Nick will be the most popular guide on the mountain tomorrow, July 1. Colby called me tonight and they are all feeling very well.

Nick will be a big help to Rob Gowler and Forest Wagner's team when they roll into the 14,200' camp on July 1st. I am sure he will greet them with his big smile and full pots of water. Hey, it's an arduous job melting pots of snow into water up there! At 14,200', a pot of hot water is similar to a big bag of gold for a mountain guide. :-)

Phil Ershler and Eben Reckord's IMG/AMS team have safely returned to Talkeetna and are now on their way home.

We expect Mike Hamill and Greg Vernovage's team in Talkeetna sometime July 1st.

The weather has been glorious both in Talkeetna and in the whole of the Alaska Range for the past several days. The days ahead look to be super for the climbers as well.

All Best,
Caitlin

Evening Mountain Update

Mike Hamill's team reached the top today! 2 team members turned back with guide, Greg Vernovage at Archdeacon's Tower at 19,650 feet, that's a great deal of work and a tremendous accomplishment in itself! Well done everyone! As of 8:00 pm they all had returned to the 17,200' high camp. They had a sunny, calm weather, but it was cold up there at 20,320' today. Everyone is well and they plan to be back in Talkeetna on Wednesday.

Rob Gowler called in. He and his team are having a great time and feeling well. Today they had a semi rest day and went back down to 9,800' to pick up their cache. Tonight they are eating "Mountain Pizza", a Denali meal Rob created many years back at AMS, and our teams have been enjoying it for years. It is tasty both in the mountains and at home, maybe if you're nice, he'll give you the recipe. :-) The team is planning on carrying some of their extra food, fuel and gear up toward Windy Corner tomorrow and caching it.

We expect Phil Ershler's team out tomorrow, Tuesday, June 30.

Colby Coombs and crew rested at 14,200' today and plan to make the move up to the high camp at 17,200' tomorrow, they are speedy!

We will get some photos up for you tomorrow.

Best,

Caitlin

Monday Update 6/28

Phil Erschler called from 17,200' this morning. They did summit yesterday and are moving down today.
Mike Hamill, Greg Vernovage and their team is going for it today!

Colby's group is resting at 14,200' camp today. They plan to move up tomorrow.
Rob & Forest's team is camped at 11,000' and plans to back-carry today, they'll camp at 11 again tonight.

It's partly cloudy here in the valley, but clear above. A good day for climbing!
~Julia