July 7, 2011
Heading towards denali pass. (Photo by Michael Bellamy)
You’ll know when we know.
Phil Ershler
July 7, 2011
Carstensz Team On The Move
IMG senior guide Jason Edwards reports by sat phone that the team flew this morning from Timika in a Twin Otter for about 45 minutes to a small bush airstrip adjacent the Dani village of Ilaga. Then they hiked about an hour and a half to the guesthouse, where they are staying at for the night. Tomorrow the trek begins in earnest. Jason says everything is going well and the team is excited to finally be on the trail after all the travel. We’ll keep you posted!
Eric Simonson
July 6, 2011
Jason Edwards reports by sat phone that the Carstensz team arrived to Timika, on the south coast of Papua, after a long flight across Indonesia from Jakarta.  Today they have been working on checking in with the local authorities, getting their permits all squared away, and doing some further repacking of the gear before going to the airport for a weigh in. At the weigh in, each member with all their gear was individually weighed, and also all the group food and equipment, in preparation for the bush flight tomorrow to the small village of Ilaga. Most of the inhabitants of Ilaga are of the Dani tribe, and it is from here that the team will hire its porter crew.
Eric Simonson
July 5, 2011
Looking down at 14K Camp. (Photo by Michael Bellamy)
Greg Vernovage called in this morning from 14K on Denali. Weather has improved and the team is on their way to high camp. It’ll be a long day. This is maybe as important as the actual summit day. They need to get to high camp in good shape and ready for one more big day. Once they weigh the weather forecast and the see how everyone is feeling, the team will have to decide whether a rest day at high camp is appropriate or whether it’s time to climb. Sometimes is a function of “if the fish are running, it’s time to go fishing.â€Â We likely won’t know until tomorrow but will post the news when available. Excitement levels are running high.
Phil Ershler
July 5, 2011
IMG senior guide Jason Edwards reports from Jakarta, Indonesia that the entire team made it on schedule to the meeting point along with all their luggage, a good way to start a trip! After 17 hours of flying from Seattle, Jason said they were glad to see the hotel and get a good rest. Today, they did some final organizing, and this evening they are flying another 6 hours east, to the town of Timika in the Papua province of Indonesia on the island of New Guinea.  One more flight after that, and they will be ready to start the jungle trek to Carstensz  base camp.
Carstensz Pyramid is one of the most elusive of the “Seven Summitsâ€Â  (16,023 ft, 4,884 m) tucked away in a very remote part of the continent of Oceania. Just getting to the peak is one of the most challenging parts of the trip. We’ll look forward to following Jason and his team as they undertake a week of trekking through the jungle to Base Camp!
Eric  Simonson
July 3, 2011
Weather at 14k Camp. (Photo by Michael Bellamy)
Weather day at 14,000 ft. for Greg and his team. Not terrible but not the right time to move up. I remember a saying that famous Alaskan bush pilot, Doug Geeting, had in his plane – “when in doubt, don’tâ€. Works with mountaineering as well as flying, I do believe.
Food, fuel and time are not an issue. The weather will improve and, when it does, the team will move to high camp at 17,200 ft.
Phil Ershler
July 2, 2011
Spoke with Greg Vernovage this afternoon, the 2nd, by sat phone. The group had a serious carry yesterday to Washburn’s Thumb, well up on the West Buttress. Another big milestone. They cached gear for their summit attempt there, at around 16,500 ft. Then, it was back down to 14,000 ft. Today was a rest day at 14K. They visited with several IMG guides who are also working with AMS on Denali. Mike Hamill and his one climber had summited the day before as had guides Aaron Mainer and Ty Gimenez and their one climber. Nice. Peter Anderson was leading a regular AMS West Buttress trip and he had also been to the summit the day before. Nice little get together and nice to see everyone so successful.
Washburn's Thumb. (Photo by Michael Bellamy)
Weather is a big ‘iffy’ right now. But, 14K is the absolute right place to be when waiting out some marginal weather. When you think about it, Denali is basically a week long approach and a 3 day climb. Greg’s team is in the perfect position. They’ve done the approach and they’ve made their carry up high. Now they wait for a break in the weather. When it clears, they need 1 day of good weather to get to high camp and another to summit. So now they wait patiently and pick their shot. The carry to Washburn’s Thumb is a tough day but everyone is doing well and still in the game. As Calvin Coolidge famously said, “persistence and determination are omnipotentâ€. The team needs a bit of both now and a bit of luck with the weather.
We’ll keep you posted.
Phil Ershler
July 1, 2011
Camp Patriot Climb
If you haven’t heard of Camp Patriot then it’s time you read up on what a great organization it is…
Camp Patriot exists to take Disabled U.S. Veterans on outdoor adventures. The task is monumental. Today, there are over 2.3 million disabled veterans in the U.S.
These brave veterans sacrificed much in order to ensure our safety and freedom. All of these veterans had dreams about the future, but many of those dreams were lost due to injuries suffered in the line of duty. Outdoor activities that they hoped to do in the future have vanished due to their disability. We want to thank these veterans by showing them that with the right help, they can again enjoy the great outdoors. (www.camppatriot.org)
Every year the Camp Patriot organization puts together a climb of Mt. Rainier and IMG is happy to, once again, assist with some much needed gear and resources for their climb.
This year’s climb features these courageous veterans:
Derrick James Ford, below knee amputee from Afghanistan
Eric Andrew Cowin, below knee amputee from Iraq
Gilbert “Mag” Magallanes, Brain, hand, internal, and eye injuries from Afghanistan and Gulf War.
This year the celebration kicks off with a fundraiser hosted by the Seattle Seahawks on July 9th. Tickets are just $100 and all proceeds go directly to Camp Patriot.
Go get’em guys!
June 30, 2011
The view from 14 camp towards the West Buttress (Photo by Peter Spagnoli)
Greg Vernovage and crew made a ‘back carry’ today, picking up their cache at 13,500’. That means that all members and all their group supplies are now at 14,000 ft., aka Genet Basin. Nice.
Tomorrow is a big day. They will take their first shot at the fixed ropes heading up to the West Buttress itself. Somewhere on the Buttress, they’ll make a cache. Here’s hoping the weather gods smile on them tomorrow.
Phil Ershler
June 30, 2011
We’ve been closely observing the rock/ice fall coming  down the Nisqually Glacier the past week. The word from the experts is that it is not volcanic or seismic in origin. The probable cause is the natural erosion of the volcano, at a spot that has weakened significantly in the exposed layers of volcanic strata high up on the Nisqually Cleaver (Ridge). Rock fall from the steep exposed part of the ridge occurred at least three times, and entrained large amounts of snow and ice with it as it fell.
Nisqually Rock & Icefall. (Photo by Philip Reiff)
So far, the furthest extent of the flow of this material down the glacier is to  an elevation of approximately 7600 feet. Below that the glacier flattens out significantly. Our groups are taking a conservative crossing point on the lower glacier right now, at about 6,000 feet in elevation and approximately one mile in distance from the lowest activity. We will continue to observe activity on the glacier and have an alternate route available if necessary to avoid the Nisqually Glacier completely.
The Nisqually Glacier is a contained drainage and all activity is confined to this area. It does not affect our ascent of the Muir Snowfield to Camp Muir or the Kautz Route or Fuhrer Finger Route once we have gained the other side of the lower Nisqually Glacier.
George Dunn
