Happy at the Hostel in Talkeetna

I'm excited to report that we are all (Scott, Aaron, April & I) enjoying our reunion here in Talkeetna. I arrived in Anchorage late last night thanks to my sister Nicole's fast packing assistance and airport shuttle service! April picked me up and we stayed at their friend Brent's Bed & Breakfast. This a.m. we drove to Talkeetna where April & I took an incredible plane ride tour of Mount McKinley. It was absolutely unbelievable. We had gorgeous views of the entire Alaskan range, including Mt. Foraker (17,400 ft.) and Mt. Hunter (14,573 ft.). It was so beautiful and amazing to see where they climbed. We were in a small Cessna plane with 8 people total, including our pilot. Once we got above 14,000 ft., our pilot Erica had us all put on our oxygen masks since the small plane's cabin wasn't pressurized. Then we also got a tour of the Ruth Glacier and the Gorge area, including some close-ups of 6,000 ft. granite walls. Unbelievable!

So we are enjoying 70 degree weather here in Talkeetna and Scott & I are looking forward to beginning our vacation together. April & Aaron leave for Anchorage tomorrow and then are headed to the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan for his sister's graduation.

Can't wait to share the pictures with you all! Take care!

Scott & Aaron Safe at Camp IV - Ready to Descend Sat. / Sad News for Other Pacific Northwest Climbers

Scott called me tonight to let me know that they are still at 14,200 ft. after making 2 trips back up to 16,000 ft. to pick up their cache of stored food & supplies. He was in great spirits and assured me that he and Aaron are both doing great physically and feeling healthy. He told me that one of his crampons broke today, but he was able to fix it thankfully. He mentioned that they were offloading as much food as possible to other climbers, including one from Norway, so we have a place to stay next time we're in Norway. I teased him that he is an excellent negotiator - free room & board for some Ramen noodles - not bad! He also said that it was "warm" today, and I asked what that meant temperature-wise, and he said it's zero degrees! But compared to -25 with 50 mph winds (and not just like in the Midwest where you don't spend more than 15 min. outside in that type of weather!), he said it felt almost tropical. They are looking forward to getting down to Base Camp where the forecast is 35 degrees, where Scott said they would "swelter"! Ha, ha!

Tomorrow they hope to descend all the way to the landing strip (Base Camp) on the Kahiltna Glacier and fly back to Talkeetna on the 20th or 21st, where I will meet them on the 21st! Thank you to everyone for all your thoughts and prayers!
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On a sad note, I have to mention the events of today on the mountain that I don't think even Scott & Aaron were aware of yet. Members of the Denali mountaineering ranger patrol witnessed 2 climbers fall almost 2,000 ft. from about 19,000 ft. down to 17,200 ft. The climbers were roped up together as a safety precaution, which helps gives them a chance to stop themselves by plunging their ice axe into the mtn. ("self-arrest") in the event of a fall. Unfortunately, one of the climbers died as a result of the fall, and her climbing partner survived the night, but did not regain consciousness and died today. These climbers were from Washington - what sad news, especially for the Pacific Northwest.

Safe at Camp V (17,200 ft.)

Just a quick update from the guys - they descended safely from the summit (20,320 ft.) to Camp V (17,200 ft.) last night and left around noon today for Camp IV (14,200 ft.). They plan to spend the night there tonight and make it down to Base Camp by Friday. Once they reach Base Camp, they have to wait for good weather to fly from the Kahiltna Glacier back to Talkeetna. If the weather is good, they could catch a flight on Friday night or Saturday.

I can't believe they summited within 10 days of landing at Base Camp on May 6! Truly amazing.

I found a great website from PBS with a feature on Denali - great for kids to learn about mountain climbing and fun for adults, too! http://pbskids.org/nova/denali/where.html The "Body Breakdowns" link is great to see how the altitude and living outside in such harsh conditions during a climbing expedition on Denali takes its toll on you.

Just to give some context to what Aaron and Scott have just accomplished, this is a list of the highest points on each continent, commonly known as the "Seven Summits."

Excerpt from the PBS NOVA site:

"What are the "Seven Summits?"
The world has seven continents, each with its highest mountain peak. It is becoming more and more popular for climbers to try and climb all seven summits, which are also known as the Seven Sisters. Only a handful of people has succeeded. To reach the top of any of these is a huge achievement.

The continental Seven Summits are well known because of the popular challenge to conquer them all, but the world's highest peaks—those that reach 8,000+ meters (over 26,000 feet)—are all found in the Eastern Hemisphere, in the Himalayan and the Karakoram mountain ranges of Nepal and Pakistan."

Summit Success! 5/16/07 4:30-5:00pm ADT (5:30-6 PT)

WOOHOO! They made it! Sorry for the delayed info, but I was en route when Scott called me from the summit of Mount McKinley! He was very excited to report that they had a tough day, but they made it to the highest point in North America! They celebrated Aaron's birthday by reaching the summit and they were very fortunate to have clear weather and great views from the peak! They took lots of pictures on the summit. I can't wait to see them!

We lost connection not long after that, but Aaron was able to reach April, so she could wish him a happy birthday, and he could share the summit news personally with her!

Given that they were several hours behind Scott's planned summit time, I only expect them to make it back down to Camp V tonight, and hopefully the weather holds, and they make it back down to 17,200 ft. safely. Ideally, they were hoping to make it down to Camp IV tonight, but that's a lot of ground to cover considering their summit time. At least daylight is not an issue, since it really doesn't get dark in Alaska this time of year. They have ~18 hours of daylight and then it should be like dusk the rest of the night. But I imagine they are exhausted.

Keep them in your thoughts and I will update you when I hear from him again!

Anxiously awaiting news!

Still no word yet...not sure if they didn't have reception or battery power to call from the summit, if they had some issues and have to try tomorrow, or if they decided to leave the sat phone behind at Camp V to save weight, but I will let you know when we hear some news!

In the meantime, here are some statistics for you and the latest weather report for today:

WEDNESDAY...HIGH AT 17,000 FT...15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...EAST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH..WEDNESDAY NIGHT...LOW AT 17,000 FT...25 BELOW TO 30 BELOW.WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...NORTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH..THURSDAY...HIGH AT 17,000 FT...15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.
WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
OUTLOOK FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. SUMMIT WINDS NORTHEAST 20 TO 30 MPH.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SUMMIT WINDS NORTHEAST 20 TO 30 MPH.SUNDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SUMMIT WINDS SOUTHEAST 10 TO 20 MPH.

Happy Birthday, Aaron!

Many of you have asked me about Scott's climbing partner for this expedition, so this post is all about Aaron Saari since today is his 32nd birthday! Hopefully he will get to celebrate from the top of Mount McKinley today!

Residence: Aaron grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so and his other 5 siblings are "Yoopers." He lived in Portland, OR for a time before moving to Park City, UT (7,000 ft. elevation!) in 2006 where the training center for the US Ski Team is located. Aaron lives with his girlfriend, April, and his golden retriever, Denali.

Occupation: Physical Therapist for the US Ski Team: Nordic (Cross Country, Nordic Combined, and Special Jumping). He travels with the team internationally for World Cup US Ski Team competitions, managing injuries and acting as a first responder for trauma on the hill. Aaron plans to be with the team in Vancouver, BC at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Outdoor Interests: Aaron enjoys the snow and outdoors by mountaineering, cross-country and alpine skiing, running, rock climbing, and holing up in snow caves. He has competed in many of his own long distance cross-country ski races, many of them 50K’s.

Other Hobbies: Sings, plays guitar, and even writes his own little ditties when no one’s looking.

Climbing Experience/Successful Summits: Mt Superior, Utah (11,040 ft.) - April 2007 summit with ski descent with Billy Demong (2007 Nordic Combined World Championship Silver Medalist); Mt. Rainer, Washington (14,410 ft.); Mt. Hood, Oregon (11,249 ft.) - multiple summits (Routes: South side, Sunshine Route with Ski Descent, Cooper Spur); South Sister, Oregon (10,358 ft.); Middle Sister, Oregon; Mt. Adams, Washington (12, 276 ft.) - multiple summits

At Camp V - Going for the Summit Wednesday

Great news! Scott called tonight and said he was looking out over the beautiful Alaskan range. They made it up to Camp V at 17,200 ft. yesterday. It was a long day after carrying a very heavy load up to that altitude and then setting up camp, which is quite the ordeal of cutting blocks and creating a snow wall to shelter the tent from wind. How exhausting! He said it is "ridiculously" cold with a high of 20 below! Just imagine living outside for 2 weeks at those cold temperatures with no hot shower to look forward to or a chance to warm up really except lying in your sleeping bag and waking up with icicles inside your tent! Brrrr...

They are excited to make a summit bid Wednesday morning and are leaving Camp V at 8am, hoping to reach the summit around 1-2pm ADT. There are 2 other groups that were at Camp V with them yesterday and 2 more who reached that point today, so there are about 10-15 climbers making a summit attempt tomorrow a.m.

They have a steep section to climb up to Denali Pass (18,200 ft.) without much chance to pass by other climbers, but then up on the ridge it opens up to an area Scott called "the football field," and then they will reach the summit ridge after that and make their way up to the peak at 20,320 ft.! How exciting! I'll post the updated weather report in the morning.

No word yet - weather holding 'til Weds. night

We haven't heard from the guys yet, but Scott had told me it would be Tues. or Weds. before he called again. It looks like the latest weather forecast shows the front moving in Weds. night, so there is a good chance that they are getting in position to move up to Camp V today, rest there at 17,200 ft. tonight and go for the summit Weds. a.m. Of course, I am just speculating and will let you know once we get word from them!

Here's the new weather forecast:
SYNOPSIS...A WEATHER FRONT NORTH OF THE MOUNTAIN WILL WEAKEN TODAY. NORTHEAST WINDS OVER THE SUMMIT WILL INCREASE WEDS. NIGHT AND THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT OVER THE ARCTIC OCEAN MOVES SOUTHWARD.
...ABOVE 14,000 FT....TUESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY.HIGH AT 17,000 FT...15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...SOUTH 15 TO 25 MPH..TUESDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY.LOW AT 17,000 FT...25 BELOW TO 30 BELOW.WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...EAST 10 TO 20 MPH..WEDNESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY.HIGH AT 17,000 FT...15 BELOW TO 20 BELOW.WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...NORTHEAST 30 TO 45 MPH..
OUTLOOK THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...THURSDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY. SUMMIT WINDS NORTHEAST 30 TO 45 MPH. FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. SUMMIT WINDS NORTHEAST 30 TO 45 MPH. SATURDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. SUMMIT WINDS VARIABLE 5 TO 15 MPH.

Weather Forecast

Good news...it looks like the guys might have a good chance after the front blows through! Brr...it's cold, though! Hopefully they can get a shot at the summit and can get back down to lower elevations where it's a bit warmer.

SYNOPSIS...A WEATHER FRONT WILL APPROACH THE MOUNTAIN FROM THE SOUTH TONIGHT AND MOVE NORTHWEST OF THE MOUNTAIN TUESDAY

ABOVE 14,000 FT....MONDAY NIGHT...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW LIKELY. LOW AT 17,000 FT: 30 BELOW ZERO. WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...SOUTHEAST 40 MPH..

TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY.HIGH AT 17,000 FT: 20 BELOW ZERO. WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...SOUTHEAST 25 MPH..

OUTLOOK WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. EAST WINDS 25 MPH INCREASING TO 40 MPH THURS AND CONTINUING FRIDAY.

Update Sunday evening - Preparing to Move

Aaron called April tonight, and he was in really good spirits and said Scott was doing well also.

The guys are still at Camp IV, however they were able to bring a cache up to 16,200 feet today. Aaron said it's really windy at the top of the ridge there, estimating the winds at 50 mph and the temperature as 10 to 20 degrees below zero during the day.

They hadn't received the updated weather report yet tonight but heard earlier that there is a chance of snow tomorrow. Aaron said that today's forecast included a "chance of snow" as well, and the weather wasn't too bad. They are both acclimatized to 14,200 feet now, though Aaron said he could feel the difference in altitude going up to 16,200 feet today.

If weather permits, they will move up to Camp V at 17,200 feet tomorrow, which would prepare them for a summit attempt on the 16th. The guys said they'll call again either from Camp V or from the summit!

Here's the weather report for the mountain as of 11:30am today (Alaska time):
ABOVE 14,000 FT - SUNDAY NIGHT: MOSTLY CLOUDY; LOW AT 17,000 FT: -30; WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT: SOUTH 30 TO 40 MPH
MONDAY:MOSTLY CLOUDY; HIGH AT 17,000 FT: -20; WINDS FROM 17,000 FT TO THE SUMMIT...SOUTHEAST 25 TO 35 MPH..
OUTLOOK TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY: CHANCE OF SNOW TUESDAY. PARTLY CLOUDY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.SUMMIT WINDS: TUESDAY...SOUTH 10 TO 20. WEDNESDAY...NORTHEAST 15 INCREASING TO 45 BY EVENING. THURSDAY...NORTH 25 TO 40.

Waiting for Good Weather at Camp IV

Scott called last night to tell me that they were spending their 3rd night at 14,200 ft. On Friday they went down to 13,500 ft. to pick up supplies from their cache buried in the snow.

They had 6" of snow at Camp IV and when I asked if they were cold, he said it was "chilly"! He gave kudos to Aaron for being one heck of a chef, so it sounds like they are well-fed. They are hoping to take a load up to Camp V today if there is a break in the weather. The next window of decent weather looks to be Wednesday, though, so they might try to sneak up higher and take a shot at the summit on Weds. if the weather allows.

He said the hardest part so far was climbing between Camp II and III because they were carrying both their packs and sleds full of gear (~120 lbs. each). They were happy to leave those sleds behind at Camp III and opted to shuttle loads in their backpacks the rest of the way.

Camp IV - 14,200 ft.

I heard from Scott tonight, but the reception was bad and we only talked for 2 min. before we lost connection. They are at Camp IV (14,200 ft.) and plan to carry a load up to 16,200 ft. tomorrow and come back down to Camp IV to sleep. It's windy and cold and the weather is supposed to be bad this weekend, but they're hoping to move up to Camp V and then make a summit bid on Monday or Tuesday weather-permitting, which would put them 1-2 days ahead of schedule. Scott said the high temperature was zero degrees today at Camp IV.

Storing Reserve Supplies on Mount McKinley
Unlike Mt. Everest, they do not allow climbers to leave a tent pitched at various camps along the way as they acclimate to the elevation. Instead, Scott and Aaron have to break camp after every night if they move on to another location. They are allowed to "cache a load" at the various camps, which means they have to dig a hole in the snow ~1 meter deep to bury food and supplies and then mark the spot with multiple "wands" that flag the location. These have to be buried deep in the snow and the wands must protrude high enough to be seen above the new-fallen snow.

Keep them in your thoughts and prayers!

Camp III - 11,000 ft.

Update compliments of April Milan (Aaron's girlfriend in Salt Lake City, Utah)....

She heard from the guys late Weds. night and was surprised to hear that Aaron and Scott were relaxing in the tent at Camp III and looking out at a rainbow.

They woke up at 9,500 feet at Camp II with the entire inside of their tent covered with ice. Icicles hung from the ceiling of their tent. Despite the cold Aaron sounded really excited and full of energy. He said they are both feeling great and looking forward to tomorrow's climb. Since the weather has been a bit touch and go in the past week and since they had good weather today, they decided to forgo climbing Kahiltna Dome and take advantage of the conditions. After packing all of their gear up and loading their sleds, they estimate that each of them was hauling 120 pounds of gear and food. Because Camp III had gotten 3 feet of snow 2 days ago, the guys ended up having to break trail with their sleds and packs all the way up to Camp III at 11,000 feet. They say there are about 15 other tents up there at Camp III and no sign yet of any climbers on their way down from the summit.

When they got to Camp III, they ate, refueled, and refilled on water before taking a cache of all of their food, save 1.5 days supply, up to 13,200 feet. What a couple of overachievers. The weather forecast is decent for tomorrow as well, and the guys plan to climb to Camp IV at 14,200 feet tomorrow. This will put them 2 days ahead of the posted schedule!

Aaron was excited to hear that Dana and I are going to do a "fly-by" of the mountain on the 21st. He says if they're still on the mountain on the 21st, that we should look for 2 climbers, both in red jackets in black pants. I can only hope that we'll be flying close enough to the mountain to spot climbers up there!

Arctic High-Altitude Mountaineering

Because of its northern latitude and the barrage of storms coming off the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea, climbing Mt. McKinley has the unique challenge of bitter cold and arctic conditions. Even in the summer, temperatures regularly drop to 20-40 degrees below zero during the day between high camp and the summit, and of course it's even colder at night!

Also due to it's northerly location, the barometric pressure is lower, which means there is less oxygen in the air, adding a greater challenge for climbers. The difference becomes noticeable once climbers are above 10,000 ft.

Many doctors and experts compare the physiological challenge of summiting Denali to that of a 21-23,000 ft. mountain in the Himalaya, depending on the weather conditions.

So please keep them warm and toasty in your thoughts and prayers!

Camp II - Kahiltna Pass

I heard from Scott last night and he was in great spirits! He and Aaron made it to Camp II yesterday, which is at 9,700 ft., so they are right on track with their itinerary at this point. He told me he was lying in the tent looking at the "late afternoon" sun on the ridge of "Big Mac"! It is light ~16-18 hours each day at this time of the year, so "late afternoon" was really more like 7:45pm Alaska time (8:45pm PT). He said it's been very cold in the morning, but warm in the afternoon. When I asked him how cold, he said your nose hairs freeze! Nice visual for you!

He said they have been having fun setting up camp and using the snow saw to cut blocks to build snow walls that protect the tent from high winds. Not everyone's idea of fun but it is for these two guys!

Scott also said that they were very fortunate to make it up to Base Camp on Sunday morning because they left at 8am and were the first plane to land on the Kahiltna Glacier with another plane landing just behind them, and then they shut down all the other flights for the rest of the day due to snow and lots of clouds, so that gave them a chance to get settled at Base Camp and now they are at Camp II with only one other climbing group, so they have successfully avoided a crowd of climbers so far.

Thanks for all your continued support! For everyone who has sent me messages (Shane, Beate, Curtis, Chris, Jared, Mike), I passed on your thoughts to him on the sat phone last night! He appreciates it.

Camp I - "Ski Hill"

I should hear from Scott late tonight to hear about their progress. The plan was for them to climb yesterday from Base Camp on the Kahiltna Glacier (7,200 ft.) up to Camp I (7,800 ft.), affectionately known as "Ski Hill." Even though the elevation gain is not much, this is a distance of ~5 miles, so it's a long tedious day. They hoped to reach Camp II by tonight, which is at 9,700 ft. so I will let you know if they met that schedule and how they're doing.

Between updates from the guys, I will post some information about Mount McKinley for your reading pleasure. Enjoy and keep them warm in your thoughts!

Late Night Update

I heard from Scott at almost midnight from his cell phone in Talkeetna, and we talked for ~25 minutes. He said they shared the shuttle van from the Anchorage airport up to Talkeetna with a couple of other guys, so they were glad to split the cost as well. Once in Talkeetna (~120 miles NW of Anchorage), as all mountaineers must do, they checked in and attended an hour-long orientation at the Talkeetna Ranger Station. Scott said the orientation film was mainly about ensuring they have a very low impact on the environment while they're on the mountain.

Scott and his climbing partner Aaron enjoyed dinner at Mountain High Pizza Pie (like in Jackson, WY!) and spent the evening unpacking and re-packing their gear to correspond with the various loads they will carry and cache* along the way. (*more on that in another post)

From the Ranger Station, Scott found out this info: 4 mountaineers have already finished their expedition this season, and 2 of them summited, which reinforces the average 50% of climbers who successfully summit Mt. McKinley. (much better odds than the ~33% success rate on Mt. Everest) There are currently 112 climbers on the mountain with expeditions in progress.

Because there has been a lot of snow (~3 ft.) above 14,000 ft. in the past 24 hours, the small planes that fly climbers up to the Kahiltna Glacier are all waiting for a break in the weather to fly up there. Scott was excited that they chose Fly Denali as their air taxi company to get them up to Base Camp because there were 6 groups of climbers who elected to use Tahiltna Air Taxi, and now they are all queued up anxiously awaiting their turn. Scott and Aaron are the only group using Fly Denali at this time, so they will get to go as soon as the weather allows. They were hoping to depart at 8am today (9am PT) if the weather allows.

Next stop is the Kahiltna Ranger Station, where they check in and provide details of their itinerary for emergency reasons. Mountaineers have to register 60 days in advance, filling out forms and paying a $200 fee, to climb Mt. McKinley. (2% of the permit costs on Everest!)

We wish them clear skies for their flight!

"Hanging" Out in Talkeetna

Great news - the sat phone works! Scott and Aaron are in Talkeetna at the Fly Denali hangar. They weren't able to fly up to the Kahiltna Glacier tonight, so they are hoping to leave in the morning weather-permitting. So they spent the evening organizing and re-packing their gear and are spending the night in the hangar with hopes of flying up to Base Camp early in the a.m.

Send-off Complete!

Scott is on his way to Alaska - the beginning of the expedition has officially commenced! We left the house at 3:30am along with ~175 pounds of gear and food, after a late night of assembling Ziploc bags of Gorp, a last minute trip to REI, and lots of meticulous packing. I had to take a photo of his cart full of bags before we turned everything over to security this a.m., which I'll post soon. He is now making his way to The Last Frontier with a nearly full moon in the sky. Godspeed.

Surprise Send-off Party April 26, 2007

Thanks to everyone who joined us at the Rogue last Thursday night! He was truly surprised, and I'll be adding pictures from the evening very soon. The raffle was won by Julie Tesore, who turned down the Mt. Bachelor lift ticket and opted for a snowboard lesson next season from Scott! So there is still a free pass available to anyone who wants it, but it expires May 28 so hurry to claim it! Thank you to all of you who bought raffle tickets, and all the proceeds go toward satellite phone minutes so I can give you more detailed updates here!

For those who played the Guess the Summit Date and Time game, I listed them below. Now that I've posted the planned itinerary, you can see who has the best chance of coming the closest. Great guesses without any parameters except the dates of his entire trip! In date order:

• May 12 at 8:45am - Tanya


• May 19 at 10:01am - Sarah


• May 19 at 10:14am - Julie T.


• May 20 at 7:00am - Angela


• May 20 at 10:00am - Thad


• May 20 at 10:30am - Heather


• May 21 at 9:31am - Shane


• May 21 at 10:10am - Nicci


• May 22 at 9:30am - Rahul


• May 23 at 6:30am - Shan


• May 23 at 10:00am - Tom


• May 24 at 3:00pm - Mickey


• May 25 at 9:25am - Colleen