Hi there, this is Seth checking in from 10,000 feet on Kilimanjaro. Everyone is doing well after our first day on the trail.
We started early at the hotel, with breakfast at 6:30 this morning. I arrived a few minutes early but I was still one of the last ones to arrive. This is a motivated bunch of folks.
The drive to the trailhead was relatively uneventful but checking in at the national park entrance took a little longer than usual. The small delay was quickly forgotten after a few minutes of hiking. Everyone agreed that it felt great to stretch the legs after all the traveling.
The weather was great for the hike and we are hoping that carries over for the rest of our time on the mountain.
That's all for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Jambo! Our first Kilimanjaro trip of 2015 has begun.
Everyone came in on the same flight late last night and most of us slept in a bit this morning. We all managed to get together before lunch for a team meeting followed by a gear check. In the afternoon we all packed our stuff to get ready for the mountain. We had some thunder in the afternoon as well but it never rained at the hotel. The temperature is nice and warm and that bodes well for a nice hike tomorrow.
I'll check in from our first camp tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Safari is over and that means the trip is coming to a close. We are all in a bus headed back to Arusha. We're planning one more shopping mission before heading back to the Dik Dik Hotel to get ready for our flights. Everyone is scheduled to fly out tonight.
It's been a great adventure that was capped off by a wonderful evening last night and a really nice morning game drive. We got extremely close to some elephants and got a great look at a female leopard. Everyone's still having a blast but the idea of heading home to our friends and family is taking hold. Hopefully our travels homeward are all as smooth as the rest of this trip has been.
I would like to give a big thanks on behalf of both my climbing teams this summer to the staff of the Dik Dik Hotel and tour operations and the RMI support team. The program here is excellent and everyone has really enjoyed their time in Africa.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Looks like earlier I posted this message on wrong climb.
Nice achievement, congratulations.
I just wanted to know about current ebola situation and did U guys feel any special effects of that, in terms of special screenings etc. We are planning on doing this early next year. Any information is well appreciated and did the climbers take any special travel insurance and if yes, which one. Thanks in advance
Just another great day on safari. Today we rounded out our 'Big 5' sightings with an up close look at a leopard. This elusive cat is always a tough one to get but we were lucky today for sure. We are spending our last night in Tanzania out in the bush in Kikoti Camp and tomorrow we finish the trip with a.morning game drive and evening flights. We pack the action in until the last minute.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Day two on safari is going great! We are down in Ngorongoro Crater and the wildlife viewing is as good as ever. The team is taking to the safari life like a fish to water. Everyone is also psyched that we didn't have to pack our back and move locations for the first time in over a week. That's about all for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
...now that’s what’s called, getting away from it all. What a beautiful view. With any luck, I’ll be seeing this one day too, in person. Thanks for the view from your location. Be safe.
Safari has started! This morning we met for breakfast and then headed out through the edge of Maasai country to Lake Manyara National Park. We have just finished with lunch and are about to head through the forested region next to the lake. This is the home of the tree climbing lions so hopefully we'll be lucky enough to see some.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hello from the Dik Dik! We made it down and out of Kilimanjaro National Park today. It's nice to be back inside a place where they have cold drinks.
The group moved off the mountain in good spirits and our lunch at the park gate was excellent as always. Our legs were tired from the long climb when we awoke but the pull of getting back to comfortable living got us up and moving by 8:00. The crew has been wonderful all week and today was no different. They made a great breakfast that sent us downhill in style.
Now we are shifting gears; getting ready for safari. I just checked in with the drivers and everything is all set for the morning. That's it for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hey, this is Seth checking in from Mweka, it's our last camp on Kilimanjaro. We came off the summit after my last call in and had a nice hike down to our high camp at Barafu. Then had a nice breakfast and rolled down here to our last camp. It was quite the hike, the last few miles are always tough on tired legs. Everybody is safe and sound down here. We are looking forward to a little dinner and then a long nights sleep, well deserved. Tomorrow we head back to our hotel and then we are off on safari. We will check in again from the Dik Dik Hotel. All is well here on Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall checks in from Mweka Camp after descending from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Hey this is Seth calling from the summit of Kilimanjaro. We have every single last member of the team up at Uhuru Peak. That's 100% of us 11 plus 5 great African guides. It's a nice day, clear skies all night long. The rain we had before, the last two days, just disappeared. There is a cloud deck down below us. We just had the nicest summit day. Everybody is doing great and we're gonna head back down. We have a long drop, it's about 9,000 feet down to our last camp. And then we are on safari. We will check in when we get to our last camp. Ciao.
RMI Guide Seth Watefall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Well, we have made it to Kilimanjaro High Camp and it has stopped raining. Those are two really good things. The upper mountain has a fresh dusting of snow and some clouds are still swirling around but all-in-all it's a pleasant day.
We had lunch here in camp after a short day on the trail. Now everyone is resting and organizing gear. We are planning an early dinner and bed and then we'll be off to the summit!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Glenn enjoy your adventure! Saw your wife today! Take care and we cant wait to hear all about the climb!
Your fans,
Frank and Margie
Posted by: margie grillo on 1/13/2015 at 7:03 pm
I’m glad to hear of a successful first day. Looking forward to following your grand adventure through the blog each day. Hike on!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/13/2015 at 5:34 pm
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