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Entries By jeff martin

Vinson Massif: Departure for Antarctica

Posted by: Jeff Martin | December 03, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif

Hello from Punta Arenas,

We had the call this morning that we were on standby for our flight. Union Glacier was cloudy, but the report was that the weather was starting to improve and they would re-evaluate at 12:30 pm. We all crossed our fingers that the team could get going towards Vinson.

The second call came in right at 12:30 and we were told that the bus is coming to pick us up at the hotel at 1:25 pm. The flight is a go!
There were several other groups to pick up on the way to the airport, but the plane was loaded and ready for passengers. After an abbreviated security check, the bus pulled up right next to the plane and 15 minutes later everybody was on board and ready to go. It’s about 4 1/4 hour flight down to Union Glacier . They carry enough fuel so that if they get down there and are unable to land, they can turn around and head back to Punta Arenas. Hopefully not the case for this flight. Once they land on the glacier, they will meet up with Dave Hahn, and if the weather is decent, the plan is for a quick turn around at Union Glacier, switching planes, and heading directly to Vinson Basecamp.

The next dispatch will be from Dave and the crew on the ice.

RMI Guide Jeff Martin

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Vinson Massif: Team 2 Arrives in Punta Arenas

Posted by: Jeff Martin | December 02, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Vinson Massif

Greetings from Punta Arenas,

Our second Vinson trip of the season is officially underway. Our small but adventurous group arrived yesterday in the beautiful port city of Punta Arenas. This small southern Chilean town sits right on the Straight of Magellan and is the jumping off point for our flight to Antarctica.

Today, we had our pre-trip briefing with our outfitter ALE to go over all the details about our flight and to review some of the protocols for visiting Antarctica. “Vast, large, and remote” is how Peter McDowell, one of the owners of ALE and the person giving today’s orientation, described it. He then showed a slide with the US (the lower 48) overlaid on top of Antarctica. Even with the US, there was still a whole lot of land mass showing.

After the team meeting we began to unpack and then re-pack everything for the flight to Union Glacier. With the final equipment check complete, the bags were weighed and transported to the airport to be loaded on the plane. It is now a waiting game. The forecast is showing an improving trend and with any luck, the team will be able to fly out tomorrow as planned and meet RMI Guide Dave Hahn who is waiting for them at Union Glacier.

Today is beautiful here and we are now off to do a little exploring and then on to dinner. We’ll check in tomorrow to let you know about the flight status.

RMI Guide Jeff Martin

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Kilimanjaro: Martin & Team’s Trek & Safari Comes to an End

Posted by: Jeff Martin | August 06, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

Jambo from Kikoti Camp,

We packed up this morning, left the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge and headed to Tarangire National Park. It is about a 2 hour drive from the crater rim, and by late morning we were already seeing the first of the many animals to come. Tarangire is the fifth largest park in Tanzania and it boasts over 3,000 resident elephants. It lived up to its reputation today and would guess that we saw at least 300 today.

Since there is only one main river running through the park, most of the animals are concentrated along this water source, especially in the dry season (June - September). Lots more of zebras, wildebeast, impala, and gazelle were seen, as well as a few lions. The safari drivers always talk to each other about what animals they have seen. Unfortunately, it has been at least two days since the last leopard has been seen. Maybe it will happen tomorrow….

We will spend a few hours game viewing in the morning before heading back to the Dik Dik Hotel and getting ready for our flights home.

This has been a really fun trip and we are sorry that it has to come to an end. Thanks to the entire team for making this a great adventure, and congratulations to all of you for reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.

Cheers to all and safe travels home.

RMI Guide Jeff Martin

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Kilimanjaro: Martin & Team See Thousands of Animals at Ngorongoro Crater

Posted by: Jeff Martin | August 05, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

Hello from the Ngorongoro Wildife Lodge,

We were driving down into the crater at 7:00 am this morning for a full day of game viewing. We saw at least 10,000 animals today, mostly zebra, wildebeest, cape buffalo, and gazelles. But the two black rhinos (mother and baby) is what stole the prize. We first saw them way out in the distance, but they continued to travel in our general direction and so we waited patiently. They ended up crossing right in front of us, about 100 yards away, and we were the only group to see them. Timing is everything when it comes to safari.

We also saw lions, a cheetah, hyenas, a serval cat, and elephants. It was quite a day. After spending the majority of the day in the crater, including a picnic lunch, we headed back up the road to the crater rim. At the top, we stopped at a traditional Masai village to learn about their culture and how they live off the land. It was a lot of fun getting a tour of their huts and watching them perform their traditional dances.

It was then time to head back to our lodge to grab a drink and head out on the patio to watch the sun go down over Ngorongoro Crater.

Tomorrow, we travel to Tarangire National Park where we plan to spend another full day game viewing. The only animal left on our “Big Five List” is the leopard. We have heard that our chances are good that we can see one in Tarangire.

- The Kili Team

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Kilimanjaro: Martin & Team Enjoy Game Viewing in Lake Manyara National Park

Posted by: Jeff Martin | August 04, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

Hello from the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge,

Well, the elusive tree climbing lions were no where to be seen today, but the game viewing at Lake Manyara proved to be spectacular. From the moment we entered the gate, there were lots of animals. The first sighting of the day was a troop of baboons, followed by velvet monkeys, blue monkeys, giraffes, cape buffalo, elephants, hippos, and water bucks. Not bad for the first hour of our safari.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the park, and took enough pictures that a few batteries were already drained half way though the afternoon.

Lake Manyara is about an hour’s drive to Ngorongoro crater and we timed it perfectly to be at the first viewpoint of the crater right before sunset. When you first approach the crater, the view is just spectacular. Dropping almost a 1000 feet below you is the largest unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world. It is almost 13 miles across and is home to 25,000 animals. Not surprising that many call this the eighth wonder of the world!

After a short drive along the crater rim from the viewpoint, we arrived at our lodge for the next two nights. The Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge sits right on the crater rim and each room has a full on view looking out over the entire crater.

We will get an early start in the morning to drive down into the crater. Tomorrow is going to be a big day and the group can’t wait to get down there.

- The Kili Team

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Kilimanjaro:  Martin & Team Finish Kilimanjaro Climb

Posted by: Jeff Martin | August 03, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro

Hello from the Dik Dik Hotel,

We had an early wake up call at Mweka camp this morning and were on the trail by 8:00 am. It was blue skies leaving camp then we descended into the cloud forest and had the first rain of the trip. Even though we had a long summit day yesterday, the team was very motivated and made great time walking down to the park gate. We said our goodbyes to all the support staff that helped us climb Kilimanjaro and then loaded up the bus to head back to the Dik Dik.
After being greeted by a glass of champagne, we headed immediately for a well deserved hot shower.

We just finished our celebration dinner and will re-pack our bags once again, but this time, it is for a new adventure - our safari that starts tomorrow. First stop is Lake Manyara, most well known for it’s tree climbing lions. We will let you know if we are lucky enough to see one.

Cheers,
The Kili Team

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Kilimanjaro: Martin & Team Descend to Final Camp

Posted by: Jeff Martin | August 02, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 10,000'

Hello from Mweka Camp,

We did it! We had an absolutely perfect summit day today on Kilimanjaro. Leaving camp at 12:45 am, we made it to Stella Point (the crater rim) by 6:30 am, just in time to watch a very colorful sunrise. At 7:30 am, the entire team was standing on top of Uhuru Peak, the Roof of Africa. The group did an excellent job of climbing the 4,000’ from Barafu Camp to the summit.

The weather continued to cooperate today and we had clear skies all day long. It is always nice to be rewarded with a grand view from the top. We all congratulated each other for this big accomplishment, and took our summit photos.  We descended back to Barafu Camp in time for a late breakfast and to pack our gear up for the hike down to Mweka Camp.

It is nice to be down at 10,000’ again. We are camped amongst the Giant Heather and the air is thick again.

Our last dinner on the mountain started with a champagne toast to the summit of Kilimanjaro, and was followed by a wonderful meal.  We walk out the last six miles and end our trek at the Mweka Gate tomorrow. We will be back at the Dik Dik by early afternoon and everybody is looking forward to a hot shower and clean clothes.

The Kili Team

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Kilimanjaro: Martin & Team Summit Kilimanjaro with 100%

Posted by: Jeff Martin | August 02, 2011
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 19,340'

Hello RMI,
This is the RMI Kilimanjaro team reporting from the “Roof of Africa”.  We had a beautiful summit day and are happy to report that 100% of our team was standing on top of Uhuru Peak about ½ an hour ago.  We have already began our descent and are looking forward to being in High Camp in about two hours and then our final camp of the day, Mweka Camp. 
We’ll give you a dispatch when we get to camp.  It’s a good day here on Kilimanjaro.

RMI Guide Jeff Martin

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