High Point #45: Nevada

Justin & I hit our 45th state high point on Oct. 1: Nevada’s Boundary Peak! Trip Mileage: 10.6 miles (roundtrip) Hiking Time: 8 hrs 45 min Elevation Gain/Loss: 4,200 feet Last year while driving from Yosemite, CA to Boulder, CO after the Zero Landfill Tour, we realized we were driving right by Nevada’s state high…

Highpoint #44: Illinois

It’s been a hot minute since we checked off any state highpoints, mainly because the 7 left are pretty difficult to climb (Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Oregon for Justin & Washington for me) or difficult to get to (Nevada, Hawaii and Illinois). Charles Mound, Illinois, is arguably the “most difficult to get to” because it is…

Denali Training

It’s hard to believe this, but Justin’s Denali Climb (Take 2) is less than 2 months away!! The team is arriving in Anchorage May 10, then hoping to fly onto the mountain May 13 (obviously weather-dependent). I’ve always joked Justin’s training regimen for anything is less than stellar (he trained for a triathlon in 2010…

Denali Top Ten List

Another guest post from Justin (edited by Patrice of course)! My previous mountaineering experiences helped me predict what to expect on Denali, but as with anything, you really don’t know how it’s really going to be until you are wearing the boots yourself. And since I received lots of questions about life on the mountain,…

Justin’s Reflection on Denali

This is a guest post written by Justin (okay, it was edited by Patrice)! It’s been about two weeks since my 23-day adventure on North America’s highest peak concluded. I think Patrice did a wonderful job piecing together bits of information to keep you all informed on my team’s progress on the mountain, but I…

Denali Update: Days 10-18

Justin and his RMI team have been facing some not-so-ideal weather up on Denali (65 MPH winds, -35 degree temps). So they are on day ELEVEN being stuck (but safe) at Camp 3 (14,200 feet). I know those conditions sound extremely harsh, but I did get to speak to Justin and he is in great…

Denali Update: Days 3-9

I’m happy to report that Justin and his RMI team are plugging along up the mountain!! Weather has been really decent (in Denali terms) and they have made it up to Camp 3 (14,000 feet).  Read below to get a sense of the hard, back-breaking work they endure day after day on the mountain. I’m tired…

Denali Update: Days 1 and 2

After going through gear and National Park Service protocols, Justin, Bobby and his team flew from Talkeetna to Kahiltna Glacier with K2 Aviation on Thursday, May 12. It was a beautiful day for flying! J is the 3rd from the left and Bobby is the 5th from the right. (Don’t worry, they didn’t try to…

Denali Gear List

Fellow gear junkies, get excited. This post is all about gear!!! But first, a few other details.  Justin and Bobby (Bolt) flew to Alaska today for the long-awaited attempt to climb Denali.  The boys are climbing with RMI Expeditions. This is the same guiding service we used to climb Rainier and that Justin used to climb Shuksan. There are…