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THE EXPEDITION:
INFORMATION:
LINKS:
Farmington Police Department (NM) Jefferson County Police Dept. (KY)
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Please see the Expedition Photo Gallery to view the images The expedition carried with them communications equipment for periodic attempt to make contact with the Expedition Manager, Steve Evans, as well as family friends and media. The information listed here is what has been authorized to be released to the general public. Each team member also provided a list of personal, media and sponsor contacts who were notified personally upon any news. For further information, please contact Steve Evans by e-mail at SteveEvans@backcountry-experience.com Click the date below to view the dispatches. To compare the teams progress against their plan, view their expedition itinerary:
Expedition Team Members Keith McPheeters and Rocky Fails travel by car from Farmington, New Mexico to Salt Lake City, Utah. They meet Steve Evans, Expedition Manager, for last minute details. They pick up prescription medications which have been arranged for them in Salt Lake City to include in the team medical kit, and then transport it along with their food to the airport. They are carrying with them 210 pounds of food, which is the entire supply for the four member team for up to four weeks including emergency rations. All other equipment is confirmed to have arrived in Anchorage, having been shipped in advance courtesy of UPS. Keith and Rocky meet Charlie Newman, who has arrived on his flight from Kentucky, and proceed to Anchorage together. Keith confirms that they arrive safely and meet Stu Frink to complete the team.. All of the expedition gear is accounted for and the team assembles it for transport to the mountain. They are scheduled to attend a brief National Park Service orientation tomorrow morning at 8:00am before departing from Talkeetna by Talkeetna Air Taxi for Base Camp on the Upper Kahiltna Glacier. The plane is equipped with skis to land on the glacier.
Keith McPheeters, Expedition Leader, reports that the Cops on Top Expedition Team arrived safely last night in Advance Base Camp, at the elevation of 14,200 feet on Mount McKinley. He states that they are on schedule according to their planned climbing itinerary, and everyone is doing well. This was their first opportunity to make contact since arriving on Denali due to complications with their communications equipment. McPheeters made a brief call via cellular phone to his family in New Mexico to provide this status update and exchange personal messages. Climber Rocky Fails also confirmed that all is well in a similar call to his close contacts.
Advance Base Camp becomes the staging area to reach the upper reaches of the mountain. Overall, weather usually improves and the conditions near the summit can be more easily monitored from this camp. It is at this point that cold and altitude usually begin to affect the climbers so attention to acclimatization, the body's natural process to adapt to high altitude, becomes important. Climbers usually rest here to aid in acclimatization, and to take an excursion to the nearby "Edge of the World" to view the magnificent overlook of the Northeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier 4,700 feet below. The next objective is to ascend fixed rope lines up a steep feature called the "Headwall" to a ridge at 16,200 feet to cache supplies, and then descend back to Advance Base Camp for rest and adjustment to altitude. The team will then again climb the Headwall and traverse the ridgeline with the goal of establishing its final camp, High Camp, at 17,200 feet. The attempt at the summit is made from there. Forecasts for the next few days call for slight winds and clear weather at 14,000 feet with low temperatures of 10 below zero and highs of about 15 degrees Fahrenheit. There is an chance of increased cloudiness and wind after Sunday, June 10th. Photos of this section of the climb are available in our 1999 Expedition Gallery.
Expedition Leader Keith McPheeters makes a brief call from the feature known as the "Edge of the World" to summarize the team's daily progress. He reports that the team is taking a scheduled rest day today in Advance Base Camp at 14,200 feet and enjoying the excursion to this dramatic overlook. McPheeters states that "the weather has been beautiful and everything is on schedule". The following is Keith's report of the expedition's daily activity to this point. Compare their actual progress to the expedition itinerary and view the route:
At 7:52pm Alaska Time, Expedition Climber Stu Frink reports that the team returned to Advance Base Camp this evening after having climbed The Headwall to establish the supply cache at the 16,200 feet ridgeline. Stu states that it is "very cold and the guys are doing alright," and establishing phone contact is difficult. Winds gusted to approximately 50 mph during the ascent up The Headwall, and it appears that a storm is approaching. The team is preparing themselves for the possibility of being confined to their tents for a few days while waiting out the storm. Snow accumulation is possible through Thursday, June 14th. This eventuality is expected, and incorporated into the expedition plans with specialized equipment and supplemental supplies. Also, the climbers often bring with them lightweight leisure activities such as cards or reading material to help quietly pass the time.
At 10:30pm Alaska Time, Expedition Leader Keith McPheeters checks in to state that the team is still in Advance Base Camp at 14,200 feet. He reports that everyone is doing well. At the time of the call, he reports a temperature of approximately 10 degrees below zero. They have had snow accumulations and winds varying between 50mph and 80mph during the last three days. This storm is expected to continue until Friday with clearing possible on Saturday. McPheeters plans to keep the team at Advance Base Camp during the storm and take advantage of the clearing weather on Saturday to move to High Camp at 17,200 feet. He is tentatively planning on a summit attempt for either Sunday or Monday, depending on the weather and the condition of the team.
The Cops on Top team took advantage of an unexpected break in the weather to quickly advance to Camp V at 17,200 feet. This is referred to as High Camp because it is from here that the team makes their attempt at the summit. At 12:43pm today, Expedition Climber Stu Frink excitedly notified home that the team decided to move forward at noon yesterday, June 13th, after the weather took a noticeable turn for the better. They established High Camp twelve hours later at about midnight last night. Stu states that it was "quite a hump, but we made it," after the exertion of climbing 3,000 vertical feet while carrying packs at altitude. There is a storm hanging low against nearby Mount Foraker. The team is keeping a watchful eye on that storm as it most likely will determine their window of opportunity for a summit bid. If it remains low, Stu states the team will make an attempt at the summit tomorrow morning, Friday, June 15th. If the storm instead moves higher and reaches them, they intend to wait it out in their tents at High Camp. They have four days of supplies in their cache, so they are willing to wait as many as three days before having to descend. Stu mentioned that the team is holding together well. That is important because teamwork, along with weather and acclimatization to the altitude, are primary factors for success. Despite this storm, the team is exactly on schedule according to their expedition plan. Keith McPheeters, Expedition Leader, reports that he found the memorial plaque that he placed at the "Rescue Gully" for Cortez Colorado Police Officer Dale Claxton during the 1999 Cops on Top Denali Expedition. That expedition was a memorial for Officer Claxton, and the 1999 team had to descend due to storms. Keith states the plaque is in mint condition and he will carry it with him on the summit attempt in addition to the memorial plaque which the 2001 team is carrying for Washington State Trooper James E. Saunders.
The Cops on Top 2001 Denali Expedition Team of Keith McPheeters, Rocky Fails, Stu Frink and Charlie Newman reach the 20,320 foot summit of Denali at approximately 6:00pm Alaska Time. Keith reports from the summit that it is a "gorgeous day!" Both memorial plaques were placed on the summit, one for Washington State Patrol Trooper James Saunders, and the other for Cortez Colorado Police Officer Dale Claxton.
Keith McPheeters also provides the following recount of the expedition from Advance Base Camp on June 12th to the summit on June 15th, and then the descent to Talkeetna, Alaska. I have only added dates in parentheses to provide a reference of time: "(10 June 2001) Initial reports of a HUGE storm moving in from Siberia with heavy snowfall and extreme winds caused us to look very hard at our supplies while at the 14,200 foot camp. We had already cached our emergency supplies at 16,200 and were down to 2 days food and the 3 day High Camp food. I made some bargains for extra fuel and we picked up some extra food from descending climbers and were settling in for the storm. Like the nearly 2 dozen other campsites in the camp, we spent a day double reinforcing our snow walls till they were several feet thick.
(12 June 2001) By Wednesday,
the weather reports changed dramatically with news of a massive
High Pressure moving in for the weekend. We made the
decision to jump on the opportunity and broke camp.
(13 June 2001) The move up the
headwall with the heavy packs was brutal, though under better
weather conditions that when we had done our carry to 16,200.
We arrived very late at night with temperatures plummeting and the
wind picking up. We were treated to a glorious sunset while
we desperately tried to raise our tents in the stiff winds.
All of our available thermometers bottomed out when the
temperature swan dived past -25. With winds estimated at
about 40 MPH and unscientific estimates of the temperature at
about -40, we simply crawled into our tents with no
dinner...simply hot water to make hot drinks with. By the
time we were in our sleeping bags and ready for sleep, it was
well into the next morning at 4:00 AM.
(14 June 2001) The next day was
spent recuperating at the High Camp and trying to re-hydrate
everybody. Due to the altitude, everybody's appetite was
poor and there was little effort made in forcing big meals on
everybody.
Stu and I climbed to the rocky point where I
had buried Claxton's plaque under a cairn of rocks that I had
dislodged from the surrounding ice. While still some 20
yards away, the cairn was immediately recognizable and a small
stub of the wand could be seen emanating from the cairn. The
wand had been sheared clean as a knife cut from its original 4
foot length to the surface of the rock cairn by the 2 years worth
of wind and storms. I pried open the rocks to discover that,
although faded nearly white, even the blue COPS ribbon with which
I had attached the plaque to the wand was in good condition.
The plaque itself was exactly in the
same condition as when I had put it there!
It was an emotional time for me, as I
pondered Claxton's family's wishes on whether or not to move the
plaque higher as originally intended, or to leave it in place over
Rescue Gully. My final decision was to rebuild the cairn and
replace the wand and ribbon, but move the plaque higher.
We slept early in hopes of an early start
for the summit the next day. As soon as we went to bed, very
strong winds began to hit the camp. The extreme cold turns
the tent flys to a brittle, rice paper-like texture that seems as
if they will rip at any second. The noise of the tents
flapping in the wind was deafening. A quick prayer for the
end of the winds was answered almost immediately as 2 hours later
all was calm in the camp.
(15 June 2001) Our planned
departure time of 0900 came and went as we fine tuned our gear for
the summit bid. When we left camp at 1030, there were 38
climbers visible on Denali Pass. We fell in behind the
different groups, 2 different guided groups and a large gathering
of Taiwanese climbers. The climb of Denali pass only took
1.5 hours as I was determined to make up the lost time.
There was no need to use the established protection as the
footsteps on the pass were well established by such a large group.
Once on the ridge, we began to pass the
groups one by one. By the time we had reached the
Archdeacon's Tower and the Football Field, we had passed the
guided groups and there were only a few Taiwanese ahead of us.
The climb to the summit ridge from the
Football Field was staggering! The sudden onset of a such a
steep climb and the complete lack of available oxygen, made the
climb very difficult and there was now only 2 climbers ahead of us
cutting the trail in the approximate 2-3 feet of new snow.
Once attaining the summit ridge, we now faced the most dangerous
part of the entire climb.
The summit ridge is breathtaking.... in more
ways than one. At times only 6 inches wide and with near
vertical emptiness off to the right, the face of Denali, and 75
degree slopes off to the left, every step called for caution and
careful deliberation. Winds were at an estimated 20 MPH.
Cornices on the ridge were at times non-existent and other times
unbelievably massive...as large as good sized house.
When the summit finally came in to view,
emotions were running very deep for all of the team. The
most common complaint being the difficulty in seeing the critical
foot placements due to the tears. We set foot on the summit
6 hours after we left High Camp and were the 3rd through 7th
climbers to attain the summit that day. We were all alone on
the summit for about 5 minutes until a large group of Taiwanese
climbers joined us. We buried Claxton's plaque alongside
Saunder's at the very summit, in addition to the personal items
sent by Trooper Saunder's children and family. Both Stu and
I felt a great deal of emotion and closure
for ourselves and can only imagine how the families of these two
officers must have felt.
We impressed a Taiwanese climber to take our
team photo as we knelt on the very small summit point, displaying
the plaques for one photo, and our flag for a second. The
wind and cold, joined with the waiting climbers, reduced the time
available to us on the summit point. We descended a few feet
to a small level area and attempted to make our planned phone
calls. The carefully protected phones were produced with
warm batteries and gloves removed to punch the small numbers on
the keypads. Within seconds, all feeling was lost in my
fingers and within the 30 seconds the phone's batteries went from
full charge to empty due to the cold. Charlie was able to
make a series of under ten word calls from his phone before he too
was unable to make further calls.
We descended as soon as the summit ridge
cleared from up-climbing climbers...there was certainly no room
for passing on the narrow ridge!
We stopped when we got off the summit ridge
to make what phone calls we could, to let everyone know of our
success. A short food break on the Football Field, and we
set off on our descent again. Four hours after leaving the
summit we again crawled into our sleeping bags in heavy winds and
brutal cold. There would be only warm drinks again that
night as none of us retained the energy to make something more
substantial.
(16 June 2001) The next morning
was calm and warm (relatively speaking) and we began our descent
from the mountain in the afternoon. The climb down 16 Ridge
was uneventful but the Headwall was brutal. Charlie
temporarily lost a crampon during the down climb on the fixed
lines, which held things up for a short time. Our packs, now
laden with our unused emergency cache supplies, were very heavy
and ungainly.
We rested at 14,200 feet for awhile as I
made my way from team to team attempting to lighten our load of
the now unneeded food and fuel we had in reserve. A team of
Italians and another of Poles greatly lightened our burdens by
taking much of our food. Predictably, not one person could
be found to take any of our unsued oatmeal! We then made our
way around Windy Corner and down to the 11,000 foot camp.
Exhausted from the day's descent and
completely out of water, we stopped to pick up our cache and to
melt water. As the temperature continued to dip, we elected
to pitch our tents and spend the night to more better be able to
meet the challenges of the lower glacier and the deteriorating
snow and crevasse conditions since our presence there two weeks
prior.
(17 June 2001) Upon awaking, we
rested through the heat of the day, breaking camp at 6:00 PM and
leaving at 8:30 PM. After nearly 5 hours on the trail
through the night, we arrived a Kahiltna Base after a dramatic
climb through the spectacular icefall area below the Moose's
Tooth. We pitched our tents and made our sleeping bags ready
for the last time, staying awake talking of our adventure until
late in the morning. We caught our flight out the next
morning without event and rejoiced in the greenness of
Talkeetna not too long after leaving the mountain.
We are all safe and whole due to the
conservative nature of our itinerary and adequate preparation,
there had been no symptoms of AMS to speak of and no frostbite to
the slightest extent on any of us. "
Further details will be provided upon the team's return from Alaska, including photographs from the expedition..
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