Peak #46
The final countdown is on – today, the team summited peak #46, Kings Peak in Utah. Kings Peak stands at 13,528 ft.
Then it is off to finish out the west with Wyoming, Montana and Utah. The last peak will be Hawaii.
Entries Tagged as 'US 2010'
Mt. Hood
On the summit
With today’s summit of Mt. Hood, the team is finally done with the Pacific Crescent – Denali, Rainier, Hood and Whitney. It is day 30. Peak #45.
Check out all the snow - in July!
The team is off to Salt Lake City for a day of rest before tackling Kings Peak at 13,538 ft.
The Story of Ranier
Matt and his dad, Mike, at the summit
First and most importantly – the team safely summited Mt. Ranier yesterday (June 2) at around 10:00 am and were back in Seattle by the evening. The team is currently on their way to Mt. Hood for an attempt tomorrow.
The view
The team started up Ranier on Wednesday. They made it safely to Camp Muir after about 8 hours of climbing, were turned back less than a 1,000 feet from the summit. Holed up at Camp Muir for night, they decided to try again on Thursday morning.
- In the blizzard
After an alpine start and after a long, slow morning at about the 13,400 mark, the snow and wind had turned into a full-on blizzard. It was time to call it for Ranier. The team went descended back to Camp Muir to prepare to leave, but the storm had effectively trapped them in. Nothing to do but to wait it out.
- Above the clouds
Sleeping is tough under those conditions and on Friday when the team awoke – early again – the weather had broken and the winds had died down. It was, after all that, a pretty good summit morning. What a difference 12 hours makes. So they took off about 6 am and by 10 had hit the summit. As the pictures show, they had the summit pretty much to themselves. Then it was a quick descent and some very big sighs of relief.
Mt. Ranier Summited
At about 11:00 am MT, I received a SPOT that shows the team at the top of Mt. Ranier. I’m sure there is a story here and I’ll update this post as soon as I’ve had a chance to talk to the team.
Ranier – Day 2
The team left Camp Muir this morning at 12:00 am and finally had to cry uncle at about 8:30 am – less than 1,000 feet from the summit. The weather on Ranier this spring/summer has been a bear - and this morning the winds had picked and the snow was flying.
The team is back at Camp Muir where they will huddle up and, weather willing, make another attempt tomorrow. If this weather pattern continues to hold, they will move on to Mt. Hood and return to catch Ranier on the flip side.
As expected, the team is disappointed but safety always comes first. On a mountain like Rainier, it pays to play it on the cautious side.
Rainier!
esterday, the team spent the day traveling from Columbus to Seattle. It has been 26 days since the team pushed off of Denali, and Rainier, the highest point in Washington state at 14,411 feet, is peak number 44. Rainier is an active stratovolcano and its 26 major glaciers and 36 square miles of permanent snowfields and glaciers makes Ranier the most heavily glaciated peak in the lower 48.
The team is climbing via the Ingraham Direct route and ascended 5,000 feet today and to camp tonight at Camp Muir (10,500 feet.) The weather is being a bit tricksy – they are going to leave for a summit attempt tomorrow at 2:00 am, but can hole up and rest in the event that summit conditions don’t look favorable.
The team is thrilled to be back in the snow and alpine conditions. Taking a break at the lower altitude states over the last 10 days or so has allowed the team to rest and gain some strength. They are primed to head into the home stretch.
Wrapping Up the Midwest
With pilots Dr. Russ Betcher and John Shoffner
The team sends a HUGE thank you to Dr. Russ Betcher and John Shoffner for volunteering their plane, their time and their mad piloting skills to the 50/50 cause this weekend. We are so grateful for your help – what a great ride this weekend.
The pilots dropped the team off in Indianapolis this morning where they quickly knocked off Hoosier Hill, the highest point in Indiana, and are now on their way to Columbus, Ohio. From there, it is on a plane and then off to Seattle for the final push for the lower 48.
Weekend Wrap Up – Planes, Bikes and Cars
With friend Shawn Donohue at Jerimoth Hill, RI
After Maine, the team headed to Rhode Island and, joined by family and friends, made quick work of Jerimoth Hill, the highest point in Rhode Island. From Providence, the flew to Chicago where they were met by an old friend, John Shoffner, who also happens to be a private pilot and Dr. Russ Betcher, who also happened to volunteer his pilot services and his plane.
Getting ready to head out
That’s when the fun began. A combination of barnstorming, hiking, biking (when they couldn’t find anyone to to drive them to the trail-head) and car borrowing allowed for a whirlwind tour of the real midwest. The team landed in some amazingly remote air strips and met a some great people.
Charles Mound, IL
- 6/26 - Jerimoth Hill, RI (812 ft)
- 6/26 - Charles Mound, IL (1,235 ft)
- 6/26 - Timms Hill, WI (1,951 ft)
- 6/27 - Mt. Arvon, MI (1,978 ft)
- 6/27 – Eagle Mountain, MN (2,301 ft)
- 6/27 - Hawkeye Point, IA (1,670 ft)
Eagle Mountain, MN
Midwest, you rock. The proof? The Lach Family, Luann, Stan and Cooper the dog saw the team’s plane overhead and drove out to greet the team on the landing strip. The Lach’s were kind enough to not only take the team out to the trailhead, but they also hiked with them to the summit of Timms Hill, the high point of Wisconsin.
With the Lachs at Timms Hill, WI
America the beautiful
The Greatest Mountain
Under clear (finally!) skies and a big moon, the team hit the trail to summit Katahdin, the highest point in Maine, via the Abol Direct at about 4:00 am today. The ascent was quick and unusual only for the fact that there was actually some sun.
Katahdin, which means “the Greatest Mountain,” is at the northern terminus of the Applachian Trail. This is peak number 35 for the team and the last mountain peak high point east of the Mississippi.
Mt. Washington
The team braved some extreme winds and this persistant rain to summit Mt. Washington, the highest point in New Hampshire. They are hoping to catch a break tomorrow as they head towards Maine.