One Final Post from me.. (you just cant get rid of me!)

Brian posted this early on in the blog just before they left for their trip, and I found it ever so fitting to post it again here.
I promise,, this is my last post... :-)

The Man In The Arena

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;  but who does actually strive to do the deeds;  who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

~Theodore Roosevelt     April 23, 1910

Wrapping things up....

So I guess for me, this is just about a wrap. Im hoping that the guys get on here once they are back and give us all some great stories and amazing pictures.
The guys arrived back off the mountain and into Talkeetna yesterday mid morning. They are staying at a friends house last night and tonight and will head to Anchorage tomorrow afternoon on the shuttle to catch their flights HOME!
Brian said they had a great meal last night prepared by their host John and then paid extra money later that night to order pizza and had it delivered by taxi service since the pizza place doesn't deliver and was 7 miles away!! I asked Brian if it was the best pizza ever and he said it was incredible!! It certainly cost enough, but to me, to hear how happy he was to have it, made it well worth the price. I myself would have done the same thing.
They will spend the day in Talkeetna browsing around and shopping and will enjoy another night in fellowship with their host and others. What a great way to wrap things up, being able to enjoy each others company without all the stress and worry.
Another trip and journey in the books. I would imagine it's hard to wrap your head around all you have just gone through and endured. But it was definitely a trip of a lifetime!!!
As the sun sets on this grand adventure I would like to say..

Welcome Home guys! We all have missed you so much!

Day 21.. the descent

So today marks their official descent of this tremendous mountain.
Last night Juli received a phone call from Chris and was given official confirmation of their summit.
Chris, Ed, and Clark reached the summit Wednesday around 7:45 pm. He said the weather was great and the skies were clear so they had fantastic views!! They were totally exhausted by the time they made it back to high camp.
Yesterday the three descended down to 14,200 and met up with Brian and Kirk.
They were hoping today to make it all the way down to base camp at Kahiltna glacier and wait for their flight off.
He told her that everyone was doing well and they so appreciate all of the prayers and love that have been poured out for them all.
The weather down to 8000 looks good for today, no snow, some clouds and mid 20's for a high! I'm sure that is a welcome feeling to all of our guys after enduring so much wind and snow for so many weeks.
I can only imagine that hot showers and a nourishing meal is on their minds at this point.
I may just have to burn Brians clothes when he gets home if they don't go up in flames on their own.
3 weeks and no shower? yikes.

And I "forgot" to post a map yesterday,, so here's where they are today... and I updated Wednesdays Blog post to show their summit map!! Sorry about that!

Contact and Summit Update!!!

Welcome to day.... umm what day is it? Who cares,, Yesterday was Summit day!
Ed Vonholst , Chris Jarvis and Clark Chesbro all made a successful summit to the top of Mount McKinley on Wednesday June 4, 2014!!!  Wooohooooo!!!!!  Such exciting news to share!

So let's back up and see how we got there...

So you'll remember Sunday and Monday looked like our guys open days to head up and establish high camp at 17,200. Well Sunday didn't pan out. go figure, more snow and wind.  So Monday it was.. the weather opened up and the morning started out great. And our guys along with quite a few other stranded climbers at 14,200 decided it was time to move on. Because there were so many on the trail , our guys took their time to break down camp and waited until the traffic slowed up a bit. They started their climb back up that insane hill...
This guy...the insanely steep slope that looks to be nearly straight up. The angle of this picture is not skewed. It's really that steep.

They made it up that hill with all their camp gear on their backs. However, when they reached the headwall and made it over, the winds and snow were there to greet them. They were blowing with such force and moving the snow around that it was a white out. Our guys couldn't even reach their cache that they placed several days before and were forced to go BACK DOWN that slope, again... see photo above for a reminder of the insanity. Lets remember that they already climbed it at least once to cache their gear, then came back down, now they went up again, with more gear and had to come back down, with the gear.
Having to camp another night at 14,200, removed another day from the summit window. Leaving only Tuesday and Wednesday to make it all the way from 14,200 to 20,300 with no rest days in between. That is a huge increase in elevation in a very short amount of time.
Based on the training that was done, studying and general feeling after exerting a tremendous amount of energy already that day, Brian did not feel that it was a safe choice for him to push the summit window in only 2 days. Had the additional day been there to help them all rest and acclimate there would have been no question. So, that being said, Brian chose to close his window for his summit attempt, and since Kirk is his stead fast best friend and climbing companion, and the man that came to climb that mountain WITH Brian, he too chose to close his window attempt and stayed behind at 14,200. 
Ed, Chris and Clark were feeling good, and had much more high altitude training living in Wyoming and decided to make their group decision and push on. So on Tuesday they headed out to once again tackle that monstrous headwall and made it all the way to high camp at 17,200 around 1am.
They got up and headed out in the early afternoon on Wednesday for their summit. The weather was glorious and could not have been more perfect. At last contact, the three amigos were set to hit the summit Wednesday night around 8pm and should have been back to high camp around midnight.
This is a picture taken yesterday from another group. Look at that sky!


Today, the three were to come back down to 14,200 to meet back up with Brian and Kirk and share their story and head down to 11,200 to camp for the night.
It is expected that tomorrow, Friday, they will continue their journey downward and have their sights set on home.
What an incredible story!! 20 days so far of wind, snow, severe below zero temperatures and wind chills. I have never been more proud in  my life of these five men. Some of which I only know from this blog and hearing brief conference calls in the past months.  For what they have endured, from studying all they could about this mountain, to the endless hours of training. The preparation involved with buying the right equipment, clothing, food, coordinating the travel. All of it has been an adventure worth telling for generations. Truly. How many people do you know that have done this,, actually climbed Mount McKinley, and came home to tell about it?? Well now you know 5 of them.
Five truly gifted and blessed Christian men that worked together as a team and climbed that beautiful mountain.  Our God is an amazing God to provide us with opportunities like these and to bring us safely through them.
Thank you all so very much for your prayers during these past three weeks. Our men aren't home yet so keep them coming! Let's make sure we get them off of that glacier safely and back home to the families that love them so very much.
Way to go guys!!! Congratulations!!!!

Day 18 and time to meet Kirk!

Kirk is an educator. He’s spent his life training horses, people and the occasional canine. He’s never met a sport or mountain he didn't like. The Lord has blessed Kirk with a positive mind-set and a drive to always give 100%, even in the most difficult of times.

 ​  The Lord has also blessed Kirk with an amazing wife who helped him train for his current Denali adventure by hiking with him up a snowy hillside, at ten o'clock at night, in -12 degree temperatures.   ​

Day 17.. the excitement builds

So here we are at the end of Day 17, Monday June 2, 2014 and if I had to take a guess, the silence of no call tonight tells me that these guys are geared up,, hyper focused, nervous as all... you know what, and are mentally preparing for what lies ahead in the next 24 hours. No distractions of any kind are wanted at this moment as they prepare for the prize.
So does that mean tomorrow is the day? I mean.. THE DAY... the one they have worked so very hard for? Only the 5 brothers of the mountain know.. and God of course! It could be that they just have nothing new to tell. We could speculate for hours, but lets review the basic "facts".
Yesterday it was planned that if the weather held they would advance and make high camp at 17,200', picking up their cache at 16,200 along the way and today would be a rest day. IF the weather did not hold, then they would have done this today and wait for their window.
The "window" as they call it, is really just that, an opening so to speak for them to be able to step through the blustery winter weather that pounds them daily into a more calm surrounding enabling them to safely finish what they came to do. Of course this doesn't mean Moses of the mountain suddenly appears and the clouds part and in steps puppies and sunshine. No, it just means that with any luck, the winds will go from 50mph to hopefully 20mph and the temperatures might then go from 70 below zero to maybe 45 below. And hopefully it wont snow,... the entire time.. hopefully.

The weather forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday however, could not get much better if that crazy old Moses really did make an appearance. Believe it or not, tomorrow is calling for CLEAR skies at the summit. I don't know if that ever really happens? Clear skies, winds south west at 15, and dare I say a high of 17 below with a windchill of only 40 below?? Seriously?? Somehow I cant help but think that all those prayers that we have been sending are being more than heard and the Lord is truly blessing our men with not only their window but quite possibly an opportunity for some unbelievably spectacular views!! Clear skies!!!  I'm so excited I can hardly sit still. What are the odds.
Well before I go Jinxing it,, lets remember to keep those prayers coming. Don't give up on our guys now. Everyone has been praying so hard and this is the final stretch that they are truly going to need them to be heard.  There is still the little factor of having to walk along that spine of the ridge that takes them to the summit. And of course there is the details of having to then descend back to 17,200, and then further each day.
Stay prayerful and keep checking back. I for one, will be taking my cell phone with me everywhere for the next two days just waiting for that call. It's going to be a difficult day, but nothing in comparison to what the men will be facing.
Lift them up Lord, let them walk softly in your path and lead them in their journey, mentally, physically and most importantly spiritually. Guide their steps in the snow and keep them true to their course. Let them rest safely and peacefully with the beauty of your blessings laid out before them. Keep them strong and healthy. Let them feel the love from all of us, surround them as they reach their goal.
Good Luck Men, we are all so very proud of you!!

Day 16

In Jon Krakauer’s book Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains, Chapter 4 is titled: On Being Tentbound. It’s funny, fitting and worth sharing.  Here’s a section taken from pages 45-46.

“During a storm-wracked trip to Mt. Deborah with his closest friend, David Roberts, one of the premier Alaskan climbers of the 1960s and 1970s, recalls:

Our conversation either died insipidly or led to arguments. 

I felt so frustrated by the weather that I had to get angry at something; 

Don was the nearest object and the only one capable of response…

I had got into the habit of reacting to Don’s mannerisms—to the way he cleaned his knife, or held his book, or even breathed…

I was becoming, in the stagnation of our situation, both aggressive and paranoid. So I would try to keep from thinking about it; instead I would daydream about the pleasure of warmer, easier living. 

But all the while I would be working myself into a silent rage over the 

sound of Don’s chewing as he ate a candy bar.”

“There is a good deal written about the pleasures of solitude in the great outdoors, but when you’re caged in a tent, the world beyond the dank ripstop isn’t doing much for you anyway.”

Day 15- More contact and hopeful for progress

Well here we are at day 15 and a turning point into the final stretch for our men. They have been gone now for 2 weeks and are in the home stretch before finally returning home to us.
They have been stuck at 14,200 camp for 4 days now just waiting for the weather to turn and for the opportunity to make high camp and then summit. The boredom, cold and winds are beginning to wear on them all a bit and they deeply miss home and their families.
As the weather continues to stay in this holding pattern, more climbers are forced to go back down and miss their chance at the summit. However, because of the snow and winds, there have been no flights in or out of Talkeetna for 5 days now, so base camp on the glacier is getting a bit congested with climbers eagerly waiting to go home, and new ones stuck waiting to fly in.
As Sunday would have it, the Lords day, the weather looks to be turning around a bit and finally calming down. Praise God! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday look like relatively decent days at both 18 and 20,000'. So it is the hope of our group that they will attempt 17,200 tomorrow and establish high camp, and then wait for their window to summit. They have pushed their final window date to Wednesday instead of Friday due to the number of climbers at lower base camp waiting to fly out. Once they summit and head down, they may get stuck for a few days again to get back to Talkeetna. Their flights home from Anchorage are scheduled for Tuesday, so they have to get down and back to catch those!
They are all feeling good physcially and none have experienced any issues with the altitude or cold,, so another huge blessing!

Please keep the prayers coming, for weather, their safety and for them to feel the love and support that all of us at home are desperately sending to them. I told them that so many are following on here and leaving messages,, so don't let them down... comment away and let them  know you are here for them. You have no idea how much it means to them all to know that so many people are supporting them.

Oops,, as I am wrapping up here, and email from Belinda just came in that she was also able to speak with Clark!! Sweet!!! He added that the winds over the buttress were at 100mph today!! That alone would make me crazy!! The mental fortitude these guys have is amazing!!

So I don't know about you,, but those tiny specs in the background seem to have multiplied quite a bit in the last two days! That's a lot of climbers waiting for their moment! I'm beginning to wonder if this other blog is actually posting real time pictures? Not so sure on the 100mph winds in this pic?  hmmmm

Our Guys and Other Groups on the hill...

So I have been following along with a guide group that has several groups in various positions along the mountain, but the most exciting is a group that is at 14,200. Where our guys are.... This is a photo from their blog... and I cant help but get excited thinking,, one of those little specs is our group!!! THAT is very cool!
So which one do you think it is?? Make a Guess and post it, we can confirm when they get home! Good Luck!


AND more importantly, Brenda spoke to Ed last night. It was after my bedtime here on the east coast, so i didnt get a chance to get a post up.. I know,, I'm a slacker...
The word is that they are all healthy and feeling good! Weather is playing games with them for sure and they just wait wait wait.. like all the rest of those specs in the above picture. They were able to cache their gear up at 16,200 and now just are sitting tight. They stressed that they are being very cautious and are all working great as a team. They have also met up with others that they actually KNOW and have enjoyed quite a bit talking with them about the climb and the future weather outlook.

Stay tuned in the next few days for that window to open. I would imagine it is going to be a mass exodus to high camp when it does finally open and should be very exciting!

Meet Chris & Brian

Chris is a Commercial Airline Pilot for Express Jet, which flies United Express East of the Rocky Mountains and into Canada and Mexico.  He became accustomed to extremely cold temperatures while working on his Bachelor's Degree in North Dakota (at UND) where he also served in the Air National Guard as a Crew Chief for the F-16.  The Lord is first in his life, and he has a very close relationship with Him and helps mentor youth in our community.  He loves the outdoors -- mountaineering, snowboarding, water sports, soccer and camping, among others.  He also loves to travel and experience cultures (and foods) all around the world.  Some of the places he's traveled are:  Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Chili, Argentina, Hong Kong, Thailand, the Philippines, the United Arab Emirates and Nepal, where he hiked up to the Everest Base Camp at over 17,500 feet.  Other interests include photography, painting and playing guitar for worship music.  Chris has an older brother and younger sister, and nothing is more fun or hilarious than getting those three together.  Chris has been looking forward to this Denali climb for a long time and has enjoyed hanging out with these other men over the many months of preparation. Climbing Denali with this group of godly men is a dream come true!

Brian is a Civil Engineer by trade and avid outdoors lover at heart!! Being a faithful Christian man he loves to spend as much time as possible marveling at Gods beautiful blessings of this earth. His main passion is of course hiking and mountaineering, but he also very much enjoys kayaking, hunting and fishing.  There are not many times throughout the year when he isn't doing at least one of these things. He thrives on spending time with his kids  teaching them all about all of his passions and they soak it up  and have developed a strong love for it as well. In the past few years he has discovered the Adirondack mountains in upstate New York and is working hard at climbing all 46 of the high peaks of the region.  He and Kirk have dreamed of climbing Denali for nearly 6 years after conquering Mt. Rainier in 2008 and then Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2009. His goal is to accomplish something very few individuals will ever come close to achieving, while seeing spectacular views that are beyond compare. 

Meet Clark & Ed

I thought over the next few days, it would be nice to share with you all a little bit about our climbers, who they are off the mountain and why they might be doing this.. .

CLARK ...is an industrial arts teacher in Buffalo.  He also teaches Construction Technology.  His Construction Technology class works with Habitat for Humanity and together they have built 9 houses in our community. He's always been a seeker of adventure and new experiences and has many interests.  He likes to fish- lake fishing and fly fishing, he loves  hiking and backpacking, kayaking, mountain biking, climbing, horseback riding,  camping, skiing - cross country, back country, and telemarking.  His favorite way to stay in shape is running with his dogs and he's completed  many long distance mountain runs which have been anywhere from twenty six miles runs to one hundred mile mountain runs.   He loves to spend time with his family and he and his wife will be building a new home starting this summer upon his return.  He has one daughter, who just got married and is living in Fort Collins.  She has an elementary education degree and also loves the mountains thanks to her dad.  He has one son, who loves the cowboy life and is currently cowboying on the Winecup/Gamble ranch in Nevada.  He also loves the outdoors thanks to his dad.  And last, he is a Christian man who loves Jesus and treasures his relationship with the Lord.

Belinda and Clark lived in Alaska for several years and climbing McKinley has been on his bucket list for some time now, just waiting for the right group of like minded guys!

ED...  was, is, and forever will be a true adventurer and lover of life! He's a bit of an adrenaline junkie-from mountain biking and telemark skiing, to sailing, mountaineering, and ironman triathlon competitions...He does it all with GUSTO! He enjoys his position at the YMCA as the aquatics coordinator, and enjoys EVERYTHING WATER!! More importantly, he is a dedicated husband, dad, son, and friend. Ed is a fun-loving, "young at heart" guy with a growing desire to seek and follow God's plan for his life!

Mt.McKinley at Head Wall

In case the still photo wasn't enough to give you a slight clue,,, here is a very short video of today's journey..

Day 12.. onward...

As promised,, today will be a map update day! Im so excited! Map updates are progress toward the goal! Though I do have to side note and say, that even if they stopped today, I and I  know all of our guys family members would be so incredibly proud for all these guys have accomplished.
I had a weird realization today while driving home from work and it was 83 degrees,, that a few thousand miles to the north west, it is seriously cold and snowy! It's just funny, how we take our own surroundings for granted sometimes. We have to remember to take the time to step back, view the lives of those around us from their shoes, and appreciate and be ever so thankful for the blessings we have been given.
I for one am thankful for the blessing of NOT enjoying the snow and alpine climbing. I would happily wait for my husband at the bottom of said mountain, warm, dry, perhaps a glass of wine in hand, in front of a fire place. But then again, it's our diversity that helps draw us closer to each other. Embracing each others differences and living through each other to experience all that we have been so fortunate to have been blessed with.
Ok, so where were we? Day 12, another large leap into the unknown. Today our guys scheduled to go from their camp at 14,200' up to 16,200.. "climb the headwall", cache their gear (squirrels) and then return back down to 14,200' to sleep.
Here is what they call "the headwall" (tiny people down to the right):

And what's worse,, is that they climb this, and then GO BACK DOWN,, only to climb it AGAIN the next day!!! Helllooooo. Try to remember the steapest sledding hill you ever went down as a kid and how awful it was to have to climb back to the top. Now increase the incline of that sledding hill in your mind 10 fold and the weight of your tiny plastic sled is now 50 pounds and did I happen to mention that it's not a quick little 75 yard run..  Oh yeah, and Mom isn't waiting for you with hot chocolate and cookies when you are done for the day... Wow... These men are amazing! Crazy,, and Amazing! How can you NOT love them for their passion and dedication.
Drum roll please..... here is your map....

Day 11.. More contact

In case you haven't figured it out by now, these men are amazing. Pushing their bodies to the limits, yet listening ever so closely to the internal whispers and staying safe and healthy.

We are at 14,200 and Feelin' Fine!.. but wait,, let me back up and make sure we are all on the same glacier here.... (get it.. glacier. snow humor!..ok, ok I miss my husband and I'm starting to get a little goofy!)

So, to recap a little, you'll remember that on Saturday they were at 11,000, going up to 13,500 to cache their gear (basically bury their stuff in the snow), and then heading back down to 11,000. They did this and felt great and had very good weather!  On the Lords day,, they rested! How perfect!

Monday they were feeling great, got up super early, packed up camp and headed out before 6am! They made excellent time up to 14,200 and got into camp by 1pm. Normally, they would have come directly up to this camp and then head back down the next day to grab their cache, but they were feeling good and wanted to make up the lost snow day, so they just picked it up along the way and brought it up with them. Talk about a workout!! They spent several hours setting their new camp as they knew this was home for the next few days and storms were pending so they took extra care to get it just the way they wanted.

Today, they rested again at 14,200 and they are all feeling good. No Altitude sickness at all, which is fantastic news!

So what's next? Im glad you asked... tomorrow they will go from 14,200 up to 16,200 and cache that gear again and then head back down... is anyone getting the mental picture of squirrels in the fall, grabbing acorns and burying them only to run off to look for more?  I doubt it's nearly that chaotic or comical to watch. It sounds exhausting.

Now the nagging question on the weather, well, snowy and cold with wind. Pretty much every day. The higher the elevation the more vicious the winds get and thus the lower the wind chills. We are looking at 58 below zero on saturday up at 18,000.  Once again I will be thankful for super expensive gear and it's ability to keep them safe and warm.

So no update to the map as they are still at 14,200, but will get a new one up tomorrow. In the meantime,,
here is another group of climbers heading up to 14,200.. just to give you an idea of what our guys might look like..those tiny holes in the snow in the center of the photo,, that's a camp with the tents buried, which helps block the wind and actually keeps them warmer.

Amazing Grace

I just had to post this.. Julie Jarvis.. Chris' Mom sent this to me... she has been so blessed with God's grace in sending her the passages we need to see and hear. Words can not describe the awesome feeling we have when something like this is placed before us just when we need it, it is a wonderful comfort.

But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way, who can't see where they're going.  I'll be a personal guide to them, directing them through unknown country.  I'll be right there to show them what roads to take, make sure they don't fall into the ditch.  These are the things I'll be doing for them -- sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute.  Isaiah 42:16

And so it goes..

In the words of the great Willie Wonka.. "Wait a minute, strike that, reverse it"...
so Saturday was sunday, but now Sunday is Monday?? Are you confused yet?  Don't be it's just another built in weather day!!
Jen was happily able to speak with Kirk last evening and once again, the reception was not the best. So the plan for today, is to now do what they planned yesterday and make it up to 14,200. They were able to cache the gear at 13 yesterday and sleep at 11. so that means today they will go from 11 to 14.

They just keep moving along! They are all doing well and Im pretty sure if we could see them now, Kirk would be giving the big thumbs up!! Keep the prayers coming!

Day 9... still going up?

So on a mountain at the elevation that our guys are at,, weather is either your friend.... or not. But either way it certainly will determine your day and course. So we left off with the plan of our guys heading up to 14,200 today, pending,, yes weather. They were calling for snow last night and into today with high winds. However, things were to calm down later this afternoon and into tomorrow.
So that was the plan and what we are going to continue with until we hear from the guys again.
If they are at 14,200 today, tomorrow they will return back to 13,500 and retrieve the rest of their gear that they cached on Saturday and then return back up to 14,200.
The weather forecast for the next few days is good for tomorrow and more snow for Tuesday...
Please keep the prayers coming for both physical and mental strength.
This week is going to be the turning point for the trip, as they are reaching the upper elevations and getting ever so close to the prize! It's going to be a very difficult week with a lot of acclimatization and heavy climbing in deep snow. Its going to be a very exciting week!! Keep checking back, keep praying, and don't forget everyone visiting the blog is more than welcome to leave a prayer, an encouraging word or any kind of comments you wish. While they cant see the blog now, they will see it when they return and your love and support will be greatly appreciated. 
Just an fyi,, we have had over 3000 views of our blog... 21 of them in the UK and 3 in Germany! Woohooo, we are International! How cool is that! Thank you so much to everyone for your support of our guys and their hard work and dedication to this expedition.

Here is a photo of another group that was at 14000 on Friday.. this is their camp...


You can see on the updated map,, they have come a long long way in a very short time!!

Day 8

More contact from our guys!
On Thursday it was Clarks birthday and he was able to call home and speak to Belinda. He told her that the weather was definitely offering challenges but they were all doing well and committed to going upward!
Last night, Friday, I was able to speak to Brian for a few minutes but had a terrible connection, so some of the info that I have is a bit spotty, but you'll get the idea.. up up up...
On Thursday they went from 9700' where they encountered their first round of snow and made it up to11,000' as planned. Remember this was the base of Motorcycle Hill. They stayed at camp yesterday at 11,000 and today, Day 8, Saturday they plan on heading up to 13,500', caching their gear and then heading back down to 11,000 to sleep and acclimate. According to the time line, they are only one day set back at this point, so that is great news!
If the weather holds out, they will go from 11,000' tomorrow and head straight up to 14,200'. I believe they call this basin camp? They will set up their new camp there and acclimate for a day or so.
I say if the weather holds. According to forecasts and what the guys are hearing on the mountain there is a storm blowing in tonight into tomorrow morning and it is to bring heavy snow and very strong sustained winds. After which things are expected to settle down again and next week so far looks to be better weather.
Here is a photo of basin camp at 14,200 with Mt. Foraker in the background... WOW!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CLARK!!!

If you could spend your birthday any way you wanted,, would you do it at 11,000' above sea level in the freezing cold alpine reaches of Alaska??  Well we know Clarks answer and it's a resounding YES! (at least for this year anyway)
So if there is anyone out there... give a shout out to Clark on his big day today and wish him well!! As I understand it freeze dried ice cream was stashed in his pack so the guys could celebrate in proper fashion! I sure hope one of them wrapped up a snowball or two for him to open!

Ok, now onto the additional business at hand.... today is scheduled to be a day of much climbing. The guys are climbing from 9700' up to 11,000 at the base of  "Motorcyle Hill". , where they will make their new camp and hunker in for the next day or so.  According to plan they will take tomorrow as a rest day to once again help their bodies acclimate to the new altitude level and to give themselves a break to rest.  The weather at 11,400 today was calling for snow showers and a high only near 3 degrees. Winds out of the south west around 15mph. Tomorrow is looking about the same though no snow is forecast and it is expected to be a few degrees warmer. Almost a balmy 7!
So party is up boys as you have all day tomorrow to sleep it off!  Wishes to Clark for a year filled with blessings and happiness!

Here is a view of the motor cycle hill from base camp.

Day 5

So today looked to be a day of resetting their camp. If all went well with the weather yesterday, today should have taken the guys from their camp at 7800 up to 9700' where they were to set up their camp for the night. This would be short lived as they will only plan on being at this elevation for tonight before heading upward again tomorrow.
They were expecting light snow above 8200' feet today, light winds out of the south west at 10 and temperatures around 7 degrees. brrrrr. Im praying those wind forecasts were right for once!

Here is a photo of another group at camp at 9700'... looks a tiny bit barren? But can you just try to imagine the view?!?! WOW!


So offically, once again, on the map this is where they should be tonight at Kahiltna Pass

Day 4--- take two

Based on the weather day yesterday, our guys plans for today were to follow the Monday schedule and ascend to 9700 feet at Kahiltna Pass. There they would cache their gear and then head back down to 7800 to sleep. 

Today's forecast on the mountain was to be clear skies and a few degrees warmer. So if that crazy wind finally dropped off, that should be where they are tonight! Please remain prayerful for them and for the weather. While they have all these weather days built in, I'm sure it would be natural to feel just a little discouraged by the minor set back. But knowing these guys, they threw on their packs and headed right back out, ready to face the day. 

Chris' mom sent this to me this morning as she found it be so fitting for the day, and I couldn't agree with her more. Since today was the 20th of the month, she chose Psalms 20 for her daily devotional and it really hits the mark.. 

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!  May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!

May He send you help from the sanctuary and support you from Zion!

May He remember all your meal offerings and find your burnt offering acceptable!  Selah.

May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your counsel (*purpose)!

We will sing for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners.  May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.

Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand.

Some boast in chariots and some in horses, but we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.

They have bowed down and fallen, but we have risen and stood upright.

Save, O LORD; May the King answer us in the day we call.

This is the view of the Kahiltna Glacier from 7200'...

Update to Day 3---CONTACT!

What a fantastic sound to hear a voice from so far away! Safe and sound and basically, as I had hoped,, happy!
They said they flew on to the glacier on Sunday and it was just beautiful! What an awesome sight! They were able to spend some time there and even had a chance to throw Frisbee!  How many people do you know can say they threw Frisbee on Mt. McKinley! SWEET!

They said they headed out for their next base camp at 7800' around 4pm and were doing just fine until the bend in the "trail". Once they started heading back up, they ran into a headwind that was non-stop.
And it hasn't stopped yet! They reached camp around 10pm and got straight to work, building snow walls, and getting their tents up and ready. And the winds continued. They are thinking between 40-50mph.

Today they awoke to, you guessed it,, more wind. With gusts up to 60mph, they have made the wise choice to sit put for the day. Many other climbers on the mountain at higher elevations are all experiencing these same winds and are all staying in camp. Of course with those kinds of winds it is very cold so wind chills are well below zero.

Tomorrows weather looks to be clear and a bit warmer, according to NPS weather forecast. So they will make their attempt at 9700 tomorrow and then again come back down to 7800 to sleep.

The guys have built into their planned schedule, 7 weather days to be used exactly as they are using their first one today. So while it may seem that this will delay their summit, it's only delaying their scheduled summit and not their entire chance. With so many days extra built in, they will have plenty of time to sit tight and stay safe and still make their summit attempt.

Please keep the prayers coming!

Day 3 ...upward

Happy Monday! I hope that is what the guys are thinking and feeling and that they are still happy! By now hopefully there are no blisters, no altitude issues and they are staying warm and dry.
The weather today should have been another decent day. A high of 14 degrees with snow showers and a bit windy with winds out of the SW at 20mph.
Today ascent  will take them from the base of skihill at 7800' up to Kahiltna Pass at 9700'. Once they reach the pass, they will stow the bulk of their gear and then return to their 7800' camp to sleep for the night.
This is done to help them to acclimatize and gives their body plenty of time to adjust.

Now this would be an awesome view to see,, as seen from Kahiltna Pass.

I love stats and info

So just a brief little tidbit for you to let sink in straight from the NPS...As of yesterday, when our group flew onto the glacier they were part of that 252 climbers... Can you imagine that's 247 OTHER crazy people , and thats only as of saturday... there are 1027 registered to climb!! HOLY that's alot of snow lovin', mountain climbin', love to punish their bodies crazy people.. of course that is coming from a sun lover myself, so I'll refer you back to the post on perspective. How exciting!!!

(NPS Photo - Kent Miller)   The 2014 mountaineering season on Denali has begun, with a steady stream of climbers now flying into the Kahiltna Basecamp. The NPS weather monitoring equipment at the Kahiltna Basecamp is now in place, so check here for daily Denali Weather Observations, including sky conditions, temperatures, wind speeds, and new precipitation. The observation equipment for the 14,200-foot camp will be in place shortly. Below are the 2014 registration statistics and reported summit rates: Climbing Statistics as of May 17, 2014 Mt. McKinley Mt. Foraker Number of Registered Climbers 1,027 6 Climbers Currently On Mountain 252 2 Completed Climbs 19 0 Number of Summits 12 0 Summit Percentage 63% 0%

Starting to Climb-Day 2

Oceans,, by Hillsong

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1m_sWJQm2fs

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine

We sang this song in church today and I couldn't help but think of our guys up there on that mountain as they begin this journey upward.  Where the Spirit will lead them to a place their feet never thought they would wander. Their faith will be made stronger and their trust will need to be without borders.
Keep your eyes above the waves boys, He is yours and you are His, rest in his embrace.

Today at 8200' the weather will be partly cloudy with snow showers and highs in the teens.  So I guess overall, not a bad day for climbing... thank you Lord!

Day two brings another day of prep work, getting their gear in the order that they need it. Loading it on the sleds, and acclimatizing to the altitude. Each of the guys will be carrying on them a pack that will weigh anywhere from 60-75 pounds and then they will each be pulling a sled behind them carrying another approximately 50-75 pounds. Lets remember that they need to carry in and out everything they could possibly need, food for 5 guys for 3 weeks, cooking equipment, stoves, ropes, clips, tents, sleeping bags, coats.... everything. There are no porters on this trip for them, as they are traveling as their own group without guides. Did I mention food for 5 guys for 3 weeks? Guys that will be expending huge amounts of calories per day. Thankfully most of it's freeze dried so it's individually light weight, but when combined, it's bulky and gets heavy!  They will also have crevasse training today, not that it's something we at home want to think about but there are alot of crevasses on this mountain,, sooooo the training is a good thing.

They will leave this evening for their next camp  which will be at 7800 feet at the base of "ski hill". They will start out at 7200' and climb to 7800'. Though not a huge increase in elevation, lets remember it's up hill carrying the most amount of weight that they will have. They will set camp which is where they will sleep for the next two days. As you can see on the map, they have a long way to go today.

Prayers for fair weather and safe travels men.

This is the view east towards Denali from where they will camp tonight.

Look at those happy smiling faces!! Five men, excited and more than ready to 'git her done.

Where are we going to put all this stuff??

 

 

The Start

So this is Day 1, after hours of travel over the past two days for our guys, now the true journey begins.
Brian, the last of the group to arrive, landed in Anchorage at 3am Eastern time and thankfully all of his bags also arrived. (when they climbed Kili he was missing a vital bag for several days!!)
The rest of the group had already been hard at work, unpacking and repacking their gear. Splitting up food and reviewing one last time the multitude of checklists. There is really no easy way to hit the local Walmart once you start the climb, so they better have what they need. And as always they did well and were well prepared.
They returned their rental car this morning and are on their way to the shuttle service that will get them and all of their gear to Talkeetna. Upon arrival they will meet with NPS (the National Park Service), check-in and go through required talks on safety, weather, communication, etc. If any of you have ever done a national Parks hike you know that at the base there is always a check in station.   You give your names, number in your party and time you are hitting the trail. You also checkout when you leave the trail. A vital step that allows the park rangers to ensure no one is lost etc. On a major climb such as this one, they will also give the route they are taking and approximate date they plan on being back.
After their meetings with the NPS, they will head to TAT, Talkeetna Air Taxi, which is bascially a very small plane that will shuttle them onto Kahiltna Glacier which is around 7800'. This will be base camp for them tonight and tomorrow.
The weather looks favorable today all the way up to 8200' with a high near 30 and light snow fall.

I can't believe the day is finally here!! Keep the prayers coming for their safety and clear skies.

Perspective

Merriam Webster defines perspective as;

a :  the interrelation in which a subject or its parts are mentally viewed <places the issues in proper perspective>; also :  point of view

b :  the capacity to view things in their true relations or relative importance <trying to maintain my perspective>

3

a :  a visible scene; especially :  one giving a distinctive impression of distance :  vista

b :  a mental view or prospect <to gain a broader perspective on the international scene — Current Biography>

 

Perspective of a wife to an extreme climber.. a.k.a.. point of view... your crazy, what is wrong with you, why in the world would you even find something so crazy even remotely enjoyable. however, skip to definition 3b..  true mental view....an amazing athlete, human being and person of true dedication and commitment.

 

Why would someone choose to be in 50 below winds chills, knee deep in snow, 20,000 feet above sea level.. did I mention choose.. as in , they want to do this? It's all a matter of perspective.

I see crazy and yet, from my husbands eye, I see Gods amazing grace. His glory laid out before me. His grace for success and endurance. I see a bond of friendship that has stretched over years and miles and has grown by the blessings the Lord has bestowed upon them. Its hard to describe when you see a bond between two people and then add to that a love,, no,,, a passion, a passion for life, and adventure. A shared bond between the two. Much like a husband and wife.. the desire to share this passion with each other. That's what I see, I perceive of this trip and the two men who started this crazy journey.

 

Many will never  understand what this expedition is all about, nor will they begin to touch the depth of understanding needed to know why these men choose to do this. But it's not for us to view it from OUR perspective but :to gain a broader perspective on the international scene. (the scene outside of our current zip code).

 

I invite you over the next several weeks to join me in a new perspective, to scratch the surface of the adventure, to see life outside of our own comfort zone. It's a little scary from this side of things, but I have to say that I could not be more proud to be the wife of a an extreme adventure athlete as I know the other wives, parents, brothers and sisters all share this same feeling.

 

May the grace of God carry you when you are tired, push you when you feel you cant go on, and give you peace as you view His great work from the 20,000' point of view.

 

May the Angels carry you safely home to us. We send you with all of our love and support.

The Man In The Arena

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming;  but who does actually strive to do the deeds;  who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

~Theodore Roosevelt     April 23, 1910

West Buttress Route of Denali

Training in the Bighorns

We all got together to train in the Bighorn mountains the first week in March.  As luck would have it, it was a COLD trip.  Great time to test out some of the gear as well as get some training in.  Worked together.  Learned a lot.  And the sun came out the last day.

Cook Tent

Camp

Kirk and Ed

John

Clark

Kirk

Brian

Chris

Clark and Chris

The Main Course

A long time ago, a friend of mine, yep that was Brian, submitted a post asking "how do you eat an elephant?" The answer of course is "one bite at a time". Well, we've been eating elephant for a long time now!   There has been a whole lot happen since Brian and I slowly started heading toward "the great one".  We've both changed jobs.  Both changed addresses.  Both got married.  (Now those are 3 pretty big bites!)  Intertwined within these mouthfuls are countless calls, books, workouts, maps, trips, gear reviews, purchases, more trips, re-purchases, research, more books, more workouts and definitely more calls.  As we lick the last crumbs on the plate, we are now realizing that we have been eating the appetizer, and the "entrée elephant" is just now being brought to the table. What are we going to do when IT is placed on our table in about ten days?  Well...I don't know about everyone else, but I'm going to sit back, take a deep breath, probably fart, say a blessing and get to eating!

...Confidently one bite at a time.  Not confidence in myself, but those around me.  Around the table before me sits 4 of the best guys and greatest friends anyone could ever hope for.  Physical beasts.  Technically sound.  Mentally solid.  Humble and God fearing.  I know this is quite a task that now lays only days before us, but I know that I'm not alone.  I know I am blessed and proud to be a part of this team of fine men.  Men with healthy appetites!

Reminiscing...

For those of you that don't know, don't remember or just plain would like to find out.. .back in good old 2009, the guys traveled very far from home, family and loved ones to climb Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania Africa... the goal that time was to allow Brian's brother Brad the opportunity to see an amazing sunrise from the nearly the top of the world.. before he went completely blind.
Here is a link to our blog from that adventure..... it's a great place to start if you want to get to know how these guys think and act. It will help to show you how well they train and prepare for these trips and hopefully it will help to excite you to want to hear more about this latest journey.
Keep them in prayer and don't forget to keep checking here for updates...

http://www.act-2009.blogspot.com/

Some info

If you want to learn more about the mountain, here's a few links to some good sites
Climbing in Denali National Park and Preserve
Weather on the Mountain
Denali brief history and climb summary

Ready or not, here it comes.

2.5 weeks left.  holy crap!  so much still to do....menus to finalize, gear to sort and weigh.  the devil's always in the details though.  this has been a long time in the making, so the excitement to actually 'get after it' is crazy.
"what gear am i forgetting?"
"do i have too much gear?"
"do i have enough gear?"
"what will the weather have in store for us?"
"how will we get along as a team when stress is high?"
"am i mentally prepared?  i mean REALLY mentally prepared?"2.