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Larger Than Life: Daryl Miller

Evan Phillips on July 5, 2022

You know that saying – “they just don’t make em’ the way they used to”. I guess you could call it a quintessential American expression. In the climbing world, It conjures up icons like Lynn Hill, Jim Bridwell, Catherine Freer, and Royal Robbins – just to name a few.

You know you have someone like that in your life. It’s someone who’s tough. They have a determination and resolve that’s made of granite. There’s something about them – maybe you can’t quite put it into words – but they just have an aura or presence around them – that’s larger than life.

When you meet these people, they leave an indelible mark on you. And that’s exactly how I felt this last spring, after spending a few days with a guy named Daryl Miller.

If you spent any time climbing on or around Denali back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s – surely you came across Daryl – or at the very least, you knew who he was. Back then, Daryl was the Chief Climbing Ranger on Denali – and even then, he was larger than life. His aura was equal parts military, mountaineer, and Marlboro Man – a steely gaze with a perpetual squint in his eyes from too much glacier sun.

But Daryl wasn’t just known for his daring mountain rescues. In February 1995, he and his partner Mark Stasik walked out of Downtown Talkeetna, and embarked on one of the wildest expeditions in Denali Park history. When the grizzled and emaciated duo returned 45 days later, they had become the first party to circumnavigate Denali National Park in winter – a rugged 350 mile journey that has never been repeated.

But Daryl’s life journey didn’t end with Denali. In 1997, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease – a condition that ultimately forced him to shift gears in his career, and eventually retire from the Park Service in 2008.

These days, Daryl lives a simpler life in Anchorage with his wife Judy and their two dogs, Raven and Jago. When I came to visit Daryl for the first time in March, he led me to a back room where we would conduct the first of our three interviews. The room is adorned with relics of a life well lived: photos of climbing expeditions near and far. Military medals, black and white stills of a young Rodeo clown. And a young man, barely out of high school, in combat fatigues in Vietnam, circa 1965.

I quickly realized that I didn’t know much about Daryl. But what I did know is that he’d probably lived 9 lives. The only question was where to start.

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Cover Photo: Daryl after a 30 hour search for a patrol member above 15,000 feet on Denali, May,1994

Special Thanks to Daryl Miller

Written and produced by Evan Phillips
Edited and mixed by Pod Peak
Music by Evan Phillips and Tim Easton

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The Northwest Face of Kichatna Spire

Evan Phillips on June 23, 2022

Today we head into the Kichatna Spires – a compact subrange of monolithic granite towers located just south of Denali.

In early June, North American climbers Graham Zimmerman, Dave Allfrey and Whit Magro, headed into the Kichatna’s – their sites set on a new line up the beautiful northwest face of the ranges namesake – Kitchatna Spire.

Although many parties attempting lines in the Kichatna’s get hammered by bad weather and poor conditions, the trio was blessed by the mountain gods – which allowed them to make a first ascent in an enjoyable and safe manner.

The climb, which the team named ‘The Pace of Comfort’ – takes a steep line left of the 1979 Embick and Bridwell route, and goes at Grade VI 5.10, A3+, M6, 70° snow.

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Notes

Special thanks to Graham Zimmerman

More info about ‘The Pace Of Comfort’ on Kichatna Spire:
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Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak

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Rumble In The Chugach

Evan Phillips on June 5, 2022

The western Chugach – the mountains surrounding Anchorage and the Mat-su valley to the east, are a veritable playground for hikers and climbers. Although the rock is predominantly poor in quality, the peaks are striking, sometimes rising 5,000 from the valley floor, with a variety of snow and ice lines penetrating their faces. Historically, these peaks have been scaled by mountaineers of all skill levels. But in recent years, skiers have started exploring some of the larger objectives – and one of the most sought after lines, is the north couloir of Mount Rumble.

Resembling a lower-elevation K2, Mount Rumble rises nearly 5,000 out of the headwaters of Peter’s Creek Valley – it’s symmetrical walls forming an almost perfect pyramid. The North Couloir nakes it’s way up the mountain, and is consistently 40-50 degrees for almost 4,500’. Suffice to say – it’s an epic climbing or ski line – depending on conditions of course.

In April, local Anchorage skiers and endurance athletes, Brian Harder and Lars Flora, skied the line – but the did it incredible style – making the 26 mile round trip, with over 14,000’ of elevation gain, in 13 hours round trip.

I recently caught up with Brian to hear about the experience, what he learned along the way, and some future objectives that he might explore.

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Notes

Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Music & Sound Design by Evan Phillips

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Book Report: Valley Of Giants

Evan Phillips on May 1, 2022

Call me old school, but nothing gets me more fired up than adding a new adventure, climbing or mountaineering book to the collection. So I was excited last month, when Valley Of Giants: Stories From Women at The Heart of Yosemite Climbing, arrived at my doorstep. This anthology, edited and curated by Lauren DeLaunay Miller, is a collection of 39 stories – written and told by the trailblazing, often-times under the radar, women who have been at the center of Yosemite climbing over the past century.

While the book of course features stories by well-known valley climbers such as Lynn Hill and Steph Davis, DeLauney Miller has gone to painstaking lengths to include older, more obscure – but equally important stories – as well. The result is a rich and inspiring history of female climbing and adventure in Yosemite Valley.

I recently spoke with DeLaunay Miller, to talk about her process for putting this important anthology together. What struck me was the amount of work, and dogged determination required – just to find the stories for the book: Basically a combination of internet sleuthing, scouring the white pages of physical phone books, writing and sending hand-written letters, and cold-calling strangers across the country. It’s an impressive feat, and left me feeling that DeLaunay Miller is equal parts climber, librarian, and investigative journalist.

So i hope you enjoy my conversation with Lauren DeLaunay Miller – talking about her new anthology Valley Of Giants: Stories From Women at The Heart Of Yosemite Climbing.

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Notes

Special thanks to Lauren DeLaunay Miller

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Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak

Original Music by Evan Phillips

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Trip Report: The East Face of Golgotha

Evan Phillips on April 18, 2022

This month’s trip report takes place in one of Alaska’s most remote and mythical mountain ranges: The Revelations. First explored in the late 60’s by David Roberts and friends, The Revelations hold a mystique, and reputation, that has continued to grow over the years. The range, which is nestled between the southwest tip of The Alaska Range, and the north and western aspects of the Aleaution, Neacola and the Tordrillo Mountains, is as remote, as it is fierce. The jagged peaks, which average between 7 and 9 thousand feet in height, are an alpine climbers dream, with sweeping granite buttresses, firm gullies of neve snow, and ribbons and shafts of bulletproof ice.

But for every day of good conditions and weather, there’s at least 3 days of worse weather. And by bad I mean never ending rain and snow storms, fog and soupy cloud cover, and relentless, vicious, hurricane-force winds. If that’s not enough, just getting in and out of the range requires multiple bush plane flights, sometimes costing thousands of dollars. That is if you can even find a pilot willing to fly in there (more on that, at the end of this episode). Let’s just say that being a Revelations climber requires a different kind of commitment.

And this was certainly the case for North American alpinists Clint Helander and Andres Marin, who flew into the Revelations this March to attempt the east Face of Golgotha – an unclimbed, 4,000 foot granite face, laced with snow, and pierced by sinister shafts of ice.

The mountain, which clocks in at just under 9,000’, was first climbed in 2012 by Helander and Ben Trocki, when they attempted the east face, but ultimately opted for an easier route up the southeast face. Helander returned in 2016 with Marin, making a tricky landing directly under the face on the aptly named ‘Misfit’ Glacier. But after a day, the snow and wind came, and the duo was nearly killed when a gargantuan avalanche destroyed their camp, forcing them to quiver behind a large, glacial erratic for days until their pilot extracted them to safety.

The duo returned in 2017 – this time with a third – Leon Davis. That year, they made it multiple pitches up the route, finding a massive bivy cave. They also got a look at what appeared to be the crux pitch. An overhanging prow of rock with ice daggers hanging off the top like tentacles of an octopus. But unfortunately, a broken crampon led to an early retreat.

Again, Helander and Marin returned in 2018, but the conditions and vibe weren’t right. They decided to fly out.

Finally, in March of this year, Helander and Marin returned for a fourth trip, landing on the more spacious Revelation Glacier, where they made a basecamp. The duo then traveled over a col, and rappeled onto the Misfit Glacier, where they were able to recon the east face. This time, the route looked to be in impeccable condition, with a decent weather window to boot.

Here’s Clint and Andres’s account of the first ascent of the east face of Golgotha – a route they aptly named ‘The Shaft of The Abyss’.

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Notes

Special thanks to Clint Helander & Andres Marin

Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips

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A Conversation with Vasu Sojitra

Evan Phillips on April 14, 2022

On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know backcountry skier, advocate and adaptive athlete, Vasu Sojitra. When Vasu was just 9 months old, his right leg was amputated due to a blood infection called Septicemia. Although his life was forever changed, it didn’t stop him from pursuing his passions through childhood, which included skateboarding, soccer and skiing. But things changed in college, when Vasu discovered the joy of backcountry skiing – which opened a whole new world of exploration of the natural world, and himself.

Since that time, Vasu has immersed himself into the life of backcountry skiing, while simultaneously pursuing work as an advocate for people living with disabilities. For Vasu, the goal is to expand the definition of backcountry skiing to the adaptive community. And maybe this was best exemplified in the summer of 2021, when Vasu and his teammates skied off the summit of Denali, making the first disabled ski descent of the mountain.

I recently got a chance to talk with Vasu about his extraordinary life, ranging from his challenges as a kid, to his self-customized ski outriggers, and his incredible ski descent of Denali. All that and more, on this episode of The Firn Line.

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Notes

Special thanks to Vasu Sojitra / Cover Photo: Sofia Jaramillo

Written & Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips

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Trip Report: The Alaska Wilderness Classic (in Winter)

Evan Phillips on March 20, 2022

They say Alaska is a place of extremes. This ranges from the stark changing of the seasons, to the scale of the wilderness landscapes, and of course, the size of the monolithic mountains. But it also applies to the races – and I’m not talking about Nascar. There’s the Iditarod – a grueling 950 mile dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, that travels through bitter cold temperatures and sub-arctic, coastal storms. There’s Mount Marathon – a blistering roundtrip run up and down a nearly 3,000 foot high peak, covered in loose rock and scree, and lined with dangerous cliffs. And then there’s the Alaska Wilderness Classic.

Started in the early 1980’s, The Alaska Wilderness Classic is less of a formal race, and more of a grass-roots, community driven adventure challenge. The Classic historically traverses a mountain range, anywhere from 150-250 miles in distance, and the rules are simple: get from point A to Point B unassisted, usually by foot, ski or packraft. Participants are expected to leave minimal impact on the terrain they cross, and are prepared to extract themselves in case of emergency. Although the racers are often-times friends, and checking in with each other throughout the race, it’s a serious event, with potentially high consequences.

And this was the case in the winter of 2020, when Emily Sullivan and her partner, Taylor Bracher, began their journey from the historic mining community of McCarthy, Alaska – to cross the heavily glaciated Wrangell Mountains, en route to Tok, Alaska.

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Notes

This trip report is made possible with the generous support of The Firn Line Patreon backers.

Special thanks to Emily Sullivan

Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips

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Vertical Quest: Topher Donahue

Evan Phillips on March 5, 2022

It was the summer of 1996. At the time, I was 21 years old, living in a primitive cabin in the small fishing village of Ninilchik, Alaska. That summer, I’d landed a job working as a park ranger assistant for Alaska State Parks, and although I’d like to say I was doing something cool like building trails, the reality is that I was cleaning gnarly outhouses, packing up bags of garbage, and picking up fish guts off the beaches. Although I was far away from any climbing, I was often mesmerized by the Aleutian and Neacola Ranges, 50 miles across the water.

So I was excited when I received a stash of beloved issues of Climbing Magazine in the mail. As I poured through each issue, I was stopped in my tracks when I stumbled onto a story about 2 climbers who’d just attempted the North Face of Mount Neacola, the highest mountain in the Neacola Range. The climbers, Topher Donahue and Kennan Harvey, had spent 5 days attempting a route they dubbed the Medusa Face. The photos were inspiring, and terrifying to say the least: a near vertical dark wall bigger than The Nose on El Cap. Black rock laced with snow and ice, with no obvious crack systems to follow. A mixture of free, aid and ice climbing, while being pummeled by relentless wind, spindrift and bitter cold. This was wild stuff.

Although the duo didn’t reach the summit, it was an adventure that resonated with me, and captured my imagination. I never forgot about the Medusa Face on Mount Neacola.

That’s why I was intrigued 25 years later, when I heard about the trio of Ryan Driscoll, Justin Guarino, and Nick Aiello-Popeo, making the first complete ascent of the face. It was stunning to me to hear about a new generation of climbers returning to a climb that had filled me with so much intrigue and inspiration over the years. It also got me thinking about reaching out to Topher Donahue.

Luckily I did get in touch with Topher, and we recently had an engaging conversation about his life in the mountains. We talked about a lot of things, including his attempt on Neacola. But like a lot of climbers I talk with, it turns out there was a lot more to Topher’s life, than one trip to a remote Alaskan mountain in 1995.

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Notes

Special thanks to Topher Donahue // Cover Photo: Kennan Harvey

Written & Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips

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Miranda climbing at a crag developed by Tim Bruns and Will Harris who founded Wadi Climbing, the climbing Gym in Ramallah, Palestine. This area is in Area A of the occupied Palestinian territory. Photo Credit: Julie Ellison.

A Conversation with Miranda Oakley

Evan Phillips on February 6, 2022

On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know rock climber, big-wall soloist and AMGA certified rock climbing guide, Miranda Oakley.

Growing up in Maryland, Miranda learned from a young age the values of compassion, teaching, and working with others. Born to a Palestinian mother, and an American father, Miranda grew in a family that cared deeply about social justice issues, whether it was participating in peaceful anti-war rallies, or attending meetings of the Palestine Aid Society with her mother.

Later, in her teens, Miranda started rock climbing at the local gym – and it was during that time, she discovered the calling that would begin to shape her life. In college, she started a climbing club and began making her first road trips with friends. But it wasn’t until she headed west in 2006, to the big walls of Yosemite Valley, that her life’s vision truly came into focus.

Since that time, Miranda has become a force in the climbing world. With the support of her longtime sponsor, Mountain Hardware, She’s established herself as a seasoned guide with the Yosemite Mountaineering School, while simultaneously becoming one of the most prolific female trad climbers in the United States. Some of her remarkable ascents include linking Half Dome and El Cap in a day, as well as becoming the first female to rope-solo The Nose on El Cap in under 24 hours.

I recently caught up with Miranda, to talk about her remarkable life journey. Our conversation begins during Miranda’s college years – the formative time when her passion for climbing became the driving force in her life.

Learn more about Miranda Oakley

Written & Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips

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Life Lived Wild: Rick Ridgeway

Evan Phillips on December 29, 2021

On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know legendary mountaineer, outdoor adventurer, author and conservationist, Rick Ridgeway. I first learned about Rick back in the early 90’s, when I read his mountaineering classic, The Last Step, which details the 1978 first American ascent of K2. Rick was an early hero of mine, as I admired his tenacity, grit and determination in the mountains. But it turns out, the world’s high peaks we’re just one chapter in Rick’s life: a life that’s been filled with adventure, catastrophe, enduring love, and heart-wrenching loss.

A few months ago, I caught wind of Rick’s new memoir, Life Lived Wild, which came out via Patagonia Books on October 26th. The book describes the many adventures in Rick’s life – everything from a gripping stay in a vicious Panamanian jail at 24 years old, to one of his closest companions dying in his arms on a remote Chinese mountain, to traverses in remote regions of Tibet and Borneo, to the windswept and frigid summits of Antarctica. After finishing the book, I finally understood why Rolling Stone magazine once dubbed Rick, ‘the real Indiana Jones’.

This last fall, I was fortunate to catch up with Rick when we talked for almost 3 hours over the course of two separate interviews. It would be impossible to cover Rick’s whole life in such a short amount of time, so we talked mostly about his early years. At the end of it, I was left mesmerized by Rick’s stories – but more importantly, I was touched by his honesty, his humor, his grace, and his enduring wisdom.

Notes

Written & Produced by Evan Phillips
Editing & Sound Design by Pod Peak
Original Music by Evan Phillips & Tim Easton

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See You Soon

Evan Phillips on October 14, 2020

In this special episode of The Firn Line, August Franzen, a young Alaskan alpinist, shares his story of climbing through life-changing love, and heart-wrenching grief.

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Persistence: Steve Swenson

Evan Phillips on May 11, 2020

On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know legendary North American alpinist, Steve Swenson.

Over the course of a climbing career that has spanned a remarkable 50 years, Steve has left a lasting imprint on the world stage of alpinism, from his roots in the Pacific Northwest, all the way to the 7 and 8,000 meter giants of the Himalaya, and the Pakistani Karakoram.

His early climbs in the Canadian Rockies, which included an astounding list of classic north faces in the 1970’s, set the stage for other first ascents in Alaska and beyond.

But it was Steve’s love for the greater ranges, specifically the Karakoram, that became the biggest alpine pull in his life. Starting with a number of attempts in the early 80’s on Gasherbrum IV, Steve continually refined his style, and partnerships, to make ascents of giants like K2, Everest, and most-recently, one of the highest unclimbed mountains in the world – Link Sar.

I recently got a chance to speak with Steve about his enduring alpine career. We talked about his early climbs as a youngster growing up in the Pacific Northwest, as well as his new book, Karakoram: Climbing Through The Kashmir Conflict, which was released in 2017 by Mountaineers Books.

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New Routes: Kjersti Gedde

Evan Phillips on August 8, 2019

Have you ever been on a path, where it seemed like everything was lining up the way it should be – things were going smooth, your life felt perfect – and then one day, seemingly out of the blue, something happened, and everything changed? What once felt comfortable, suddenly felt unstable. What once felt like solid ground, now felt like falling through space.

As climbers and outdoorsy folks in general, we pride ourselves on being strong – both physically and mentally. We’re high achievers that see in mountain faces and blank walls, problems that need to be solved.

But at the end of the day, we’re all human beings. Not every problem can be solved – and sometimes, what’s most important is being able to look in the mirror and say, today is the day to make some changes.

In some ways, this is what my recent conversation with climber, skier and musician Kjersti Gedde was about. We talked about her recent decision to walk away from a stable career in the outdoor industry, how music and songwriting helped her navigate through overwhelming grief, and what it means to give yourself permission to simply be who you are.

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The Creative Path: Tony Perelli

Evan Phillips on July 19, 2019

On today’s episode of The Firn Line, we’ll get to know Alaskan-based wilderness adventurer, woodworker, potter and teacher, Tony Perelli.

Tony grew up in the farm country of Wisconsin, playing sports as a kid, but also developing a passion for the outdoors, fishing and canoeing with his family and grandparents. After college, Tony found himself in Alaska, working as a teacher for the Anchorage School District, and also meeting a group of friends that would introduce him to mountaineering and packrafting. These formative experiences would shape his life, and instill a deeper sense of love and respect, for the wilderness.

Since that time, Tony has continued refining his life, stripping away the excesses, and focusing instead on living simply, working with his hands, and sharing unique life experiences and connections with others.

Last winter, I got to sit down with Tony, to talk about his life in the mountains and wilderness, as well as the creative endeavors he chooses to pursue, and share with others. Like many conversations on The Firn Line, we started by talking about Tony’s inspirations as a kid – and later, how a random encounter after college, would lead him to Alaska.

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Ruth Gorge Grinder

Evan Phillips on May 16, 2019

In April, 2019, alpinists Alan Rousseau and Jackson Marvell flew into the Ruth Gorge, intent on repeating “Blood From The Stone”, arguably one of the most difficult routes in the Alaska Range. But when the duo found poor conditions on the face, they re-directed their efforts, eventually succeeding on a new route between “Blood From The Stone” and “The Wine Bottle”.

The pair were harassed by a group of ravenous ravens, and endured a pummeling at their second bivy. But the suffering was balanced out by incredible climbing, which followed a series of vertical, razor cut, ice-tubes splitting the granite walls. On the third day, the team topped out on Mount Dickey, establishing an instant Alaska Range classic in the process.

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Alaska Mountain Women

Evan Phillips on March 21, 2019

AK Mountain Women is an all-female group that loves human powered expeditions in Alaska. The goal of the group is to cultivate a strong community of local women dedicated to challenging and educating themselves and others about glacial mountaineering and big remote mountains.

Photo: Austin Siadak

Chris Kalman descends after bailing from an attempt on an unclimbed granite bigwall. Location: A remote valley in Coastal British Columbia. Photo: Austin Siadak

Chris Kalman racks up and prepares for the descent after summiting a previously unclimbed granite bigwall. Location: A remote valley in Coastal British Columbia. Photo: Austin Siadak

Wandering Writer: Chris Kalman

Evan Phillips on November 30, 2018

Growing up in the suburbs of northern Virginia, Chris Kalman was exposed to academia and team sports from a young age. But by the time he reached high school, he discovered rock climbing, and was instantly hooked. Always a deep thinker, the solitary process of combining fitness with problem solving appealed to him.

But it wasn’t until Kalman moved out west after college, to work trail crew at Rocky Mountain National Park, that a new world of adventure and self-discovery emerged.

Since that time, Kalman has forged an adventurous, almost Kerouac-style path thru life. This quest has taken him from the technical granite test pieces of Index, WA, to the sweeping big walls of Cochamo in southern Chile. But Chris’s search isn’t just about climbing. Rather, it’s a pursuit of self-examination, meaningful relationships with others, and a journey toward a deeper understanding of life.

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