Brad Horning, Jeff Young and I flew into the Ruth in the hopes of first climbing the Moose's Tooth and then skiing up the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier, ascending Ruth Gap and then descending down the other side to reach the Kahiltna Glacier and ultimately Denali Base Camp. There Jeff would fly out and Brad and I would continue up the West Buttress of Denali. We had a lot of trouble getting information about Ruth Gap - but knowing that it had been done twice before we decided to give it a shot. Before we flew in we told our pilot what our goal was - but that if we were unable to get over the Gap we'd return to the original landing strip. The following are entries from my journal from May 30th - June 6th. [Read More... ]
 |
 |
Spring climbing came once again... and once again I started trolling for partners. Many options and many ideas were voiced but Yvonne and I finally announced we were going to the Alaska Range; to the Ruth Gorge. Everyone wants to go to the Ruth - and suddenly Yvonne and I had 2 other partners (Bryce Stath and Austin Thayer) to share camp and contacts with.
I hadn't been to the Alaska Range since 2004; I hadn't been to the Ruth since 2002 when I skied a bunch and attempted the Moose's Tooth. Driving into Talkeetna I glanced at the familiar sights - we ate an awesome breakfast at the Roadhouse, we chatted with friends at the NPS building and then we dumped our gear outside of Talkeetna Air Taxi and went inside to hand them our hard earned cash ("What? TAT isn't an Alaska Airlines mileage partner?!").
Around 2pm Paul Roderick piled us all into his Turbo Otter. Riding in a Turbo Otter is an experience and I was psyched! In the Alaska air taxi world it's the equivalent of flying first class in an airbus. You don't have to squeeze in a seat more suited for sled dogs rather than people with a pack on your lap. The Otter is so roomy I almost expected a hipster Talkeetna hottie to walk through serving peanuts and Alaskan Amber (TAT take note). The plane took off without a whine and we drifted towards the mountains with hardly a bump.
After flying into areas I've never been before for the past few years, the flight into the Ruth was calm and familiar. We drifted over Petersville Road, Peter's Hills and soon we flew up the turbulent moraine of the Ruth Glacier and before I knew it, we were banking past Mt. Johnson and coming in for a landing. [Read More... ]
Full writeup coming soon.... meanwhile here's a preview:
We floated the Chulitna River over the long weekend… hot and sunny and with glorious views of the Alaska Range towering above the river. The mercury climbed to 80 degrees and we drifted down river in shorts and t-shirts. On Sunday night we camped on a gravel bar with the summits of Denali and Mooses Tooth jutting above the clouds. The view from my sleeping bag serene when I unzipped the tent and looked out to see the faint morning light at 3:30am turning the peaks a deep pink. When you're on a gravel bar in the sun the mountains look so peaceful and pleasant…
And then back to Anchorage and the working life. I check my email to see a string from random people I don't know. And then I check the news; 2 dead in an avalanche in the Ruth Gorge: Andrew Herzenberg, age 39, and Avner Magen, age 42 - both from Toronto, Ontario. I read the NPS report… they were killed while descending Freezy Nuts on Saturday, May 30th. A little later I read the string of emails and make the connection… I had been corresponding with Avner Magen for a few weeks and now friends and family were asking if I had any news. [Read More... ]
