Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition: Homecoming

I wound up staying up all night last night after I got back to basecamp at 4:30am. It was a wonderful morning spent with Masatoshi who is currently trying to summit Hunter.
Paul Rodrick, owner of Talkeetna Air Taxi accompanied by Stevie and Dmitri flew into basecamp at 2:45pm today to pick me up. It was wonderful to see them as well as knowing I wouldn’t have to spend anymore nights underneath the snow.
3 showers, 2 beers and 1 good dinner back in Talkeetna and it’s time to hit the sack… or better yet a REAL BED.
Be sure and check back frequently. As we sort through many images and video from the expedition we will be sharing them here. We’ll also keep you informed as presentations and other events unfold.
I want to thank you again for following along on my expedition. I appreciate all the well wishes and prayers that were sent my way.
~Lonnie

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 19: Full Moon

Sunday the 8th was spent trying to travel from 7,800ft to 7,200ft basecamp. Though the elevation is minimal, the distance is long. Lonnie had called in at about 5:30pm yesterday evening saying he had just been caught in the worst blizzard he’d traveled in 25 years. Whiteout conditions with howling winds prevented Lonnie from being able to leave the bamboo wand he was next to and continue on. The bamboo wands were previously placed on the ascent so that Lonnie would know where the crevasses lye and could ski following them without a ladder on the descent.
He then tried to dig down, but hit solid ice only three feet below him and then walked as far as the visibility would allow, tried digging down again and ran into the same problem. Lonnie, laying flat in a snowcave no more than 18in high, tried to get a few hours of rest through the weather conditions. Luckily he had warm water from earlier, but couldn’t even tilt the bottle up to drink from it without hitting the top of his snowcave 5in above him.
At around 2:30am the weather subsided leaving clear skies and a perfectly full moon. Lonnie could not see his bamboo wands, but could see where basecamp was from the well lit skies so then decided to push on via a new route using wind navigation. The image above is from Lonnie’s Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition in 2009 and shows navigation via wind and sun.
At 4:30am Alaska time Lonnie phoned in to say he’d arrived at basecamp. We’re all thankful he’s in a safe area and will hopefully be picked up this morning via Talkeetna Air Taxi if the weather allows. We’ll let you know as soon as Lonnie is safe & sound and back in Talkeetna.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 18: Lower Kahiltna Ski

Yesterday Lonnie made it from 11,200ft to 7,800ft. He skied down following his bamboo wands placed from the ascent. The visibility was so poor that at first he could not see where his bamboo wands were, but then eventually found two land masses along the Kahiltna Glacier that allowed him to eventually find his bamboo wands and follow them down to 7,800ft.
When Lonnie arrived at the snow cave around 5pm yesterday he ended the evening with a Mountain House lasagna meal and tea before hitting the sack.
Lonnie Dupre called in around 8:30am this morning before heading out and left the three audio updates below for everyone. These go into detail on the extremes he encountered on his descent.
Last year Lonnie punched through numerous crevasses on the lower Kahiltna Glacier and will be taking extra precaution as he travels over it today. He hopes to be at the 7,200ft basecamp by late this afternoon. We’ll keep you posted as we hear from Lonnie on his descent.
Meanwhile, we want to thank every one of you for following this expedition so closely and our sponsors for their generous support:
ENERGIZER: To light his way Dupre used an Energizer® Ultimate® Lithium LED headlamp, and powering his equipment during the extreme cold with light weight Energizer® Ultimate Lithium batteries. Without Energizer® the communications on the mountain would not have been possible.
Gunflint Tavern: We want to thank Gunflint Tavern from Lonnie’s home town Grand Marais, MN for their financial support for Polar Climb 1.
Herbalife: “During my training and acclimatization in Colorado I have been using Herbalife 24 PROLONG® to sustain my energy on those long workout days in high altitude when you need that extra lift.” -Lonnie Dupre
Rab- Rab supplied the entire Polar Climb 1 team with top of the line insulation gear from primaloft® jackets to merino wool base layers and more. We want to thank Rab for keeping Lonnie toasty at -72F temperatures.
MSR: Thank you for providing DragonFly® stove and fuel to keep Lonnie warm in his snow caves, melt snow for water and cook those delicious mountain meals.
Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation: A big thanks partnering up with Lonnie Dupre for a greater cause. The microbe samples collected on Denali will give a better understanding of how climate change will affect the production of living matter in extreme environments.
MTA: MTA provided the entire Polar Climb 1 team with mobile devices used to transmit video, audio and images from Denali this winter.
Buck’s Radio shack: Buck’s Radio Shack in Grand Marais, MN provided the satellite phone used for communication on Lonnie’s climb. Without this we would have not been able to communicate with Lonnie on the mountain.
Wintergreen Northern Wear: A big thanks to Wintergreen for keeping Lonnie warm and dry on the mountain. Lonnie was provided with custom made bibs made to Lonnie’s specifications for Denali and the Wintergreen® Expedition Shell Anorak allowed Lonnie to withstand the powerful winds of Denali.
Midwest Mountaineering: Over the years Midwest Mountaineering has provided Lonnie countless items needed for his Polar and mountaineering expeditions.
HumanEdgeTech: Thank you for providing lightweight and user-friendly software and hardware solutions for communication on Polar Climb 1.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 17: The Descent

After 16 days on North America’s Tallest mountain, including past 7 days spent in a 4×4 snow cave from brutal weather, Lonnie Dupre on Friday abandoned his effort to become the first person to scale Denali alone in the month of January.
Lonnie spent 7 days and 6 nights in a 4×4 snow trench in up to 97mph winds, but still remained mentally strong and physically healthy with every intention on continuing upward.
Spending all of yesterday analyzing weather it seemed that there may be a possible break in the winds for a day, but then picking up after a series of low pressure systems blow over to the South. This would possibly allow Lonnie to climb to 17,200ft (high camp), but would then pick up again and not diminish in the foreseeable future. To be stuck at high camp with only 8 days worth of supplies is too big of a gamble without having at least a three days of probable weather.
Lonnie Dupre, having great appreciation for mother nature, had to make the call Friday to descend after counting rations and fuel and adding those up with the weather probability. “Due to poor weather, low visibility and extreme winds, I was forced to make the decision to descend after receiving word that there was another week of the daunting weather around the corner. You just can’t climb being blown off your feet!” -Lonnie Dupre.
We do not see this climb as a failure, but as a truly inspiring man testing the limits of dark, cold extremes to bring attention to climate change. Lonnie will be also be descending with the microbe samples collected for Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation‘s study of how climate change will affect the production of living matter in extreme environments.
Lonnie spent the day in heavy winds climbing from 14,200ft over 1,000ft to collect his stashed gear on the Headwall and then descending all the way down to 11,200ft. On his descent yesterday Lonnie managed to get around Windy Corner without being blown off his feet by using both ice axes and crampons to dig in as the gusts would hit him. He then proceeded down Squirrel Hill, an ice slope at 12,000ft, in the dark. The gusts were up to 80mph and blew Lonnie off his feet, but was able to self arrest. He then had to down-climb the remaining 3/4 of Squirrel Hill backwards daggering with both ice axes and using crampons to prevent being blown off his feet again.
Lonnie arrived at 11,200ft yesterday evening after a very long day of traveling over 4,000ft in various elevations. We’ll keep you posted on his progress on the journey back to 7,200ft as we hear from Lonnie.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount Mckinley Expedition Day 16: 97 MPH

Lonnie called in throughout last night reporting heavy winds. NOAA Aviation was reporting gusts up to 97mph throughout the night and early morning hours today.
At about 1:30am this morning Lonnie spent an entire hour in the heavy winds outside securing gear and making sure the snow cave was not being effected by the extreme winds. The winds were so strong that the snow was literally being picked up and thrown into Lonnie’s face almost suffocating him. To spend anymore amount of time in them would be almost impossible, but managed to secure all gear and see that the cave was not damaged. The upside to spending a week in a snow cave is that it is reinforced with ice inside so becomes much more stable.
Unfortunately, there is no major change to report in the weather today and possibly not for the coming days. Lonnie is still doing well on food and fuel at 14,200ft, but in need for much better weather probability to move to high camp. Today Lonnie will spend his 7th day inside his 4×4 snow cave. Meanwhile basecamp will be working hard with the pilots in the area on gathering and analyzing weather data. We so appreciate these pilots volunteering so much time into helping us with weather predictions.
Lonnie is now getting a little more weather-forced rest, but remains in high spirits and is feeling healthy. His minor frostbit fingers are doing well as he remains taking extra care of them. Lonnie wanted to say a big thanks to everyone following along for your constant support. He has been moved by the number of people that has taken such an interest in this climb.
We will keep you all posted with the weather conditions in the coming day. Until then, upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 15: Fickle Weather

Unfortunately the winds did not subside as we had hoped. Lonnie woke up to to -30F and 45mph winds bringing the temperature down to a bitter -72F. Below is an audio update from Lonnie Dupre early this morning in his snow cave.
Lonnie will spend the day “cleaning house”, digging out his door and again stretching his legs outside his 4×4 snow cave.
We will again keep you posted on the conditions of the weather tomorrow. Meanwhile, remember to tune in to 91.1FM or stream live at Alaska Public Radio website at 2pm or 7pm Alaska time to listen to Lonnie being featured on Addressing Alaskans. A few days before he departed for Denali basecamp, Lonnie talked about preparing for the solo ascent of Denali in winter and his 25 year career as a polar explorer at REI in Anchorage. Enjoy!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 14: Anticipation

The day started at 5am this morning… milling over weather and trying to decide what to do. The early morning calm winds ended, picking up right as Lonnie was dressed and ready to start the climb to 17,200ft. Unfortunately they were bad enough to prevent him from moving up.
We’re constantly trying to get a good read on the weather. It’s tough enough to predict weather here in town let alone on a mountain like Denali. Tomorrow looks better, but we won’t know for sure until early morning whether or not Lonnie will be able to travel to 17,200ft camp.
Lonnie spent the day doing getting a little exercise near his snow cave and then spent some more time on his boots. He wound up taking off buckles for unneeded weight and then tore out the boot’s tongue to make more room for his toes. He’s now in his 14,200ft snow cave getting ready to make dinner and hit the sack.
With only a couple of days from the summit, Lonnie’s enthusiasm is contagious. We’re all anticipating a good couple of days of weather and know that when that happens this climb will be a success. We appreciate all the excitement and support from all of you and will let you know what the day brings tomorrow. Upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 13: Rest at 14,200

Lonnie is taking a day off to rest due to high wind and cold temperature. He’s only two travel days away from the summit, but will need ideal travel conditions for these two, very long days.
Dupre remains in good spirits and is well rested now. His toes didn’t get cold because he had made new liners for his boots from his vapor barrier originally for sleeping in. Lonnie said he shouldn’t have to use it from here on out and was worth the trade off for warm toes.
Lonnie will call around 5:30am tomorrow morning for a weather report in hopes of beginning his ascent to 17,200ft camp.
Looking for a good way to support the expedition? Lonnie Dupre spent the last ten years working on his new book, Life On Ice: 25 Years Of Polar Exploration, which includes a 32-page color insert of extraordinary Arctic images. This book covers 25 years of Dupre’s polar exploration, including the world’s first circumnavigation of Greenland and One World Expedition, a summer expedition to the North Pole that reached 68 million people worldwide. Over the past two decades, Dupre has lived and traveled with the Arctic Inuit, bringing their culture to the rest of the world. He has also worked with and gathered data for organizations such as the National Geographic Society, Greenpeace, the Explorers Club, the National Snow and Ice Data Center and the U.S. Department of Atmospheric Sciences. Wherever he goes, Dupre attracts media attention all over the world. This is your chance to see the inside story on all his expeditions.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 12: Headwall

We (Dmitri & Stevie) had the excitement of flying over Lonnie today with captain Paul Roderick from Talkeetna Air Taxi. Temperature on the mountain ranged from -50F to -60F with windchill where Lonnie was.
After he taxied his gear to higher elevation Lonnie began his descent. Having had stuck his gloves for a brief moment between his knees, one slipped out and rolled down the Headwall. Twenty minutes later Lonnie was reunited with his lost glove. Unfortunately, he got minor frostbite on six of his fingers from exposure during that time. He said he’s had it before and knows how to maintain it to where it doesn’t get any worse.
Needless to say, Lonnie will not be traveling from 14,200ft to 17,200ft until the winds are more calm or the temperature rises. We’re hoping that happens tomorrow, but will have to wait for a more up to date weather report to know for sure if travel conditions are safe.
Frostbite and all Lonnie sounded very positive and healthy. He enjoyed chicken noodle soup and lasagna for dinner. We’ll give an update on progress tomorrow as soon as we know what’s going to happen with the weather. Upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 11: Prep for High Camp

Lonnie woke up to -60F windchill weather this morning outside of his snow cave at 14,200ft. On the bright side the sun was out without a cloud in the sky.
He spent today organizing gear, food and fuel for high camp. Lonnie will spend tomorrow taxiing three quarters of his gear up the headwall to 16,000ft and then return to 14,200ft to spend the night. After that he will take the remainder of his gear and move up to high camp at 17,200ft. This will also allow him to acclimatize properly in prevention of pulmonary edema.
Lonnie is now in his snow cave enjoying Mountain House’ Tuscan Chicken Fettucini and listening to A Prairie Home Companion.
Meanwhile, join us on Twitter and Facebook for various updates!
Update from:www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 10: Windy Corner

Happy New Year from Denali!
It’s 9pm Alaska time on New Year’s Eve and Lonnie is just calling in after one long day. He finished building his snow trench at around 8:15pm this evening and is now working on getting dinner started.
Lonnie spent the day working his way from 12,700ft to 14,200ft. He managed to work his way up Windy Corner which withheld it’s powerful gusts just long enough for him to work his way around it.
Once Dupre climbed above windy corner he encountered numerous, large crevasses from where the Birchron Glacier comes off of Denali.
The weather today consisted of gusts plummeting the wind chill down to -60 Fahrenheit. Lonnie said he had to keep kicking his feet for at least half the day in order to keep them warm.
Tomorrow is a day of resting, charging all electronics and organizing all supplies for high camp.
Until next time, upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 9: Media/Update

Lonnie checked in at about 7:30pm this evening. He’s doing great and is working on hauling his gear to a higher elevation in preparations for the next 8 or 9 days.
When speaking with Lonnie this morning he mentioned that he was going to take it pretty easy due to the fact that he hadn’t slept at all the previous night.
We’ll be speaking with him at some point tomorrow evening and will be able to update with more detail at that time.
Meanwhile, we’d like to share a few wonderful recent news pieces done on Lonnie’s Polar Climb 1:
KTNA: Lonnie Dupre ready for 2nd Solo try for Denali in Darkest Month
MPR: The things we’d do if we could
REI: Lonnie Dupre Begins Solo Winter Attempt on Denali
Until next time, upward!

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 8: Taxi to 12,300FT

Today Lonnie will be taxing half of his gear up to the 12,300ft camp. He will then return to the 11,200ft camp tonight and then carrying the remainder of his gear back up to 12,300ft tomorrow.
We received coordinates at about 2pm today with Lonnie’s location at 12,300ft where he will also be collecting rock samples. These samples are for scientist Dragos Zaharescu from the Biosphere 2 project at the University of Arizona.
Dupre is partnering with Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation to collect microbe samples; helping to gain unique insights into the functioning of extreme environments.
“The goal of the data collection is to help scientists understand how nutrient cycling is affected by climate change. Basically, this means we can begin to understand how climate change will affect the production of living matter in extreme environments.” -Lonnie Dupre
Knowledge of this process is also likely to reveal vital clues about the evolution of microbes-rock interaction in these extreme boundary environments and its potential response to alterations in the environmental equilibrium such as climate change.
We will be in correspondence with Lonnie at some point tomorrow evening when he returns to his 12,300ft camp and will then update with details.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 7: 11,200FT Camp

Lonnie made the long haul from 9,600ft to 11,200ft today. Weather included variable winds and limited visibility. None the less he pushed onward. It might have been something to do with spending the last 36 hours stuck inside a snow cave. On the good side, Dupre said he was able to fit in a whopping 15 hours of sleep within that time. Well rested, he started packing up at about 6:30am for his next camp.
Lonnie’s is now tucked away in a new snow cave cooking up a little Mountain House meal.
Tomorrow, with promising weather Lonnie will most likely be moving on.
Right now it’s about -40 degrees outside on the mountain. Lonnie said he can keep his snow cave heated to about 30 degrees and claims it is warm enough for him. Traveling during the day he keeps warm by moving constantly. He only rests and takes his pack off once a day. That’s usually just to get more bamboo wands out of his sled for flagging.
He remains in good spirits and appreciates everyone sending prayers and well wishes his way. Until tomorrow… Upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 6: R&R

Due to poor visibility on Denali, Lonnie will be catching a little R&R today.
He will remain at 9,600ft in his snow cave, which is just large enough to sit up in. He plans on taking a long nap until about 3pm today, writing in his journal and then having bacon and cranberry pemican for dinner.
Lonnie is using an MSR stove(shown above). He has trusted MSR stoves for many of his Polar and Denali expeditions. A reliable stove is a must, and would be a life and death situation if it were to break. It’s used for cooking and most importantly melting snow for drinking water. It burns 20oz of white gas for approximately 126 minutes and weighs only 14oz. Lonnie said he is very happy with how it has been functioning on Denali.
Tomorrow, Dupre will be heading up to the 11,200ft camp as long as the weather clears enough for him to see at least 100ft ahead. We’ll keep you posted on his progress tomorrow. Upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 5: Movin on up

Today is Lonnie’s fifth day on the mountain. Today he went from 7,800ft to 9,600ft, a huge pull. He’s making fantastic progress and feels good.
The picture above is from earlier today. He wanted to show everyone his Christmas tree in his snow cave. He made the Santa Clause ornament from his chocolate wrapper and his Christmas tree star from the foil.
Tomorrow is forecasted to snow with variable winds up on Denali. Depending on visibility Lonnie will try to make it to 11,200ft.
Yann Tiersen and Vivaldi accompanied Lonnie on his long trek today up to 9,600ft. He’s currently having chili mac and beef for dinner.
We’ll keep you posted on Lonnie’s progress tomorrow when he checks in. Upward!
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 4: Christmas

Lonnie spent Christmas day cuddled in his snow cave, Christmas tree and all.
The weather wasn’t horrible, but not optimal for travel with the limited visibility. He decided to take the chance at having a little down time and preparing for his next push up to 9,500 feet on the upper Kahiltna where he hopes to be at by tomorrow evening. He continues to probe every step of the way on the upper Kahiltna followed by leaving his bamboo wands as markers.
When we received the call he was cooking chicken noodle soup and having tea. Then there’s chocolate for dinner, of course.
Dupre was in great spirit and wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 3: Ski Hill

We spoke with our pilot Danial from Talkeetna Air Taxi today and said they spotted Lonnie on the glacier, trucking right along. As his travels up the lower Kahiltna Glacier draw to an end he begins heading to the upper Kahiltna. He plans to make it up to about 9,000ft tomorrow weather depending.
Weather conditions continue to change for the upcoming days. A low pressure is skirting over the area leaving snow over the next day or two and winds on the mountain are going to be an estimated 25kts.
After just speaking with Lonnie he says he’s camped at what is know as Ski Hill which is right at the beginning of the upper Kahiltna. He is putting up his Christmas tree(tiny spruce branch) and having Mountain House Pasta Primavera for dinner.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition Day 2: Kahiltna Glacier

We just received a call via satellite phone from Lonnie. His spirits remain high as he progresses up the Kahiltna Glacier. He encountered crevasses, but his skis worked well spanning them and/or maneuvered around them.
Lonnie said outside of sore feet from traveling he’s feeling great. He mentioned that the surface travel weather is good over the glacier.
According to forecast, the weather will remain stable over next few days or so. He will be phoning in sometime around 7:30pm Alaska time tomorrow. We’ll post news as soon as we receive it.
He’s now enjoying some lasagna inside his snow cave and wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and to all a good night…
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com

Lonnie Dupre Mount McKinley Expedition: Day 1

Lonnie called in yesterday from base camp and planned to start moving up the Kahiltna Glacier sometime around 9:30am this morning. He’s hoping to make it up about half way before dark. It will be slow going due to heavy snow fall which inhibits ones sense to see the glaciers crevasses. Lonnie will be probing one step at a time as he moves upward.
Meanwhile here is some coverage of Lonnie departing:
KTUU: Lonnie Dupre Begins January Denali Summit Effort
“January on Mt. McKinley is something a little like the dark side of the moon, with winds of 100 mph, temperatures that plunge to -50 degrees Fahrenheit and a scarce six hours of daylight. (Eric Sowl/KTUU-DT)”
KTVA: Man Attempts First January Solo Climb of McKinley
“It’s a feat that’s never been done before – a solo summit on Mount McKinley in January. A Minnesota man is taking on the challenge.”
Duluth News Tribune: Grand Marais adventurer begins winter ascent of Mount McKinley
“After waiting out some weather, Dupre flew 60 miles from Talkeetna, Alaska, to an elevation of 7,200 feet at a base camp on North America’s highest mountain. It’s where he’ll begin his second bid to become the first solo climber to reach the summit of McKinley in January. More than a foot of snow fell on the area Tuesday and Wednesday, preventing an earlier arrival on the mountain.”
Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation Blog
“Only nine expeditions totaling 16 people have ever reached the summit of Denali in winter. Six deaths resulted from those climbs. Only one team (comprised of three Russian climbers) has ever made the summit in January…the dead of winter. Of those nine original expeditions, four were solo, but none of those individuals have been in January, the darkest and coldest time.”
As the day progresses we’re expecting to receive update on Lonnie’s exact location and hopefully an audio update. Stay tuned, we’ll keep you updated as soon as information becomes available.
Update from: www.lonniedupre.com