Entries from Kilimanjaro

The conclusion of a climbing trip is always a bittersweet affair. We're looking forward to getting back home to loved ones, yet we're sad to end a great adventure with some new friends. 

Our last day saw the group split up with Mike and Heidi flying out from an airstrip near our lodge in the park and the Corcorans needing to beat feet for an early flight home. Plenty of animals were seen on this half-day safari, with Mike and Heidi seeing another leopard! Our day rooms at our nice hotel back in Arusha were key for us to be washed and rested for our long flights home. 

As I reflect on this trip from the modern Schiltpol Airport in Amsterdam I'm reminded why we do this stuff. Cool adventures, physical challenges of the type 2 fun variety, and most importantly, climbing (and safari-ing) with a special group of folks that I look forward to doing stuff within the future. 

Thanks for reading these posts. See you in the mountains! 

RMI Guide Brent Okita 

This morning at Barranco, the clouds were lapping at the mountain just a hundred feet below us, but it was crystal clear up above.  We were out of camp just after 8 AM and doing battle with the Great Barranco Wall. Climbing through this section requires hands on some careful holds and feet on some well-chosen ledges in the lava.  We cruised it. We pulled over the top of the wall (at 14,000 ft) in about an hour and forty minutes.

Somehow, Benson, our chef, had beaten us to it and had a picnic table set up with refreshments. We lounged about in the sun and took pictures with Kibo’s impressive south face as the backdrop. Then we traveled on, traversing several shallow valleys.

Finally, we dropped down a steep hillside into the Karanga Valley and then up the just-as-steep opposite side of the valley. This climb took us into Karanga Camp where we ate lunch and rested and told each other tall tales for the afternoon.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Land of elephants. Tarangire National Park has one of the largest concentrations of elephants in the world. And we saw plenty, along with most every other animal to be seen on safari. It was a great day of wildlife viewing in a park very different from the Ngorongoro Crater. This park is huge. A vast savanna broken up by a few river systems that provide much need water in this very parched environment.

Eric's big objective was to see a leopard, and our guides Chacha and Jacob didn't let us down. High in a leafy tree, camouflaged so incredibly well, was the cat! How our safari guides can pick these critters out of beyond me. We can only see it with binoculars, but there it is, with part of a carcass it had been feeding on. 

The animal sightings continue regularly as we make our way to our luxury tent camp in the park. We celebrate our final night together with another wonderful dinner and a few glasses of nice South African wine. 

We're off to get in a few more hours of wildlife viewing before having to get back to Arusha where we'll enjoy our day rooms for a few hours before our evening flight home. 

Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and get into the big cats again on our way out. 

RMI Guide Brent Okita and Team

The team had a fine day of climbing to reach Barranco Camp at 13,100 feet.  When we woke and ate breakfast at Shira Camp this morning, there was a mean looking lenticular cloud on the summit of Kilimanjaro.  It looked like it would have been a very difficult day to summit.  Luckily, we had different plans for the day.  We set out at 8 AM walking toward Kibo (the central peak) and gaining altitude gradually.  Before too long we passed 14,400 ft and shattered the previous high altitude records for everyone on the team.  We cruised right on up to the Lava Tower at 15,200 ft and rolled down the other side to where our amazing chef Benson had prepared a picnic lunch for the team.  By this point the clouds had cleared and we had full views of Kibo’s ice fields and massive cliff faces just above.  We got walking again after lunch and made fine time hiking down into the gardens of Barranco Camp.  At 3 PM we cruised through the last of the Giant Senecios and into our camp.  We switched to relaxing with tea time followed by a nice dinner in our colorful dome tent.  Tomorrow we take on the great Barranco Wall. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 9:16 am PT

The drive to the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater brings you to well over 6,000', and on this day clouds obscured the views until we had descended most of the way to the crater floor. But this didn't get in the way of seeing the animals we had come to see. 

This area is truly one of the greatest wildlife habitats of the world. And we weren't disappointed today. There wasn't much we didn't see, and we got up close and personal with many animals. Well, from the safety of our Landcruiser. 

Lions, of course, were the highlight of the day and we were lucky enough to get multiple sightings. The list of animals we saw covers most of what you'd see in a National Geographic special, but the sheer numbers of animals continues to impress. Thousands, and this is not even prime season, according to our wonderful safari guide/drivers Chacha and Jacob.

We ended the day visiting a Maasai village where we were entertained with some dancing, a fire starting demo, view of their traditional living space - the boma - and their school. Yes, it was all a little staged, but it was also nice to know that we were helping support the village financially.

We're now enjoying the comforts of this wonderful lodge after a long day. Doesn't get any better! 

Tomorrow, Tarangire National Park. Can't wait! 

RMI Guide Brent Okita Lion PC: Mike Tully

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 1:55 am PT

Jambo from 10,000 ft on Mt Kilimanjaro.  The start to our expedition went just as smoothly as it could possibly go.  We were up and eating breakfast at Rivertrees by 7 AM and on the road by 8:15.  Traffic on the main highway wasn’t too bad and we made fine progress, reaching the Machame gate to the National Park by 10 AM.  There, at 6000 ft, we made final preparations for walking and we waited while the finishing touches were made on our climbing permit.  By 11 AM, everything was set and we set out walking.  We followed VV -one of our four local guides- into the rain forest.  The weather was cloudy and humid but as we walked, there was enough clearing that we had occasional blue sky and sunshine through the big trees.  Gradually the trail steepened and we began to make real progress.  We stopped for snacks and rest breaks several times over the course of the five and a half hours it took to reach Machame Camp.  Just out of the rainforest, we’ve graduated to the Giant Heather zone.  Our support team established a fine camp and welcomed us in late afternoon.  The blue skies were gone by then and the clouds had thickened up again.  We got settled in for dinner in our dining tent at 6:30, just as it got dark.  In the end it was a big day from start to finish and nobody lingered for very long following dinner.  Between lingering jet lag and all of the hard work, the team was quite ready for a first night in the tents. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

After a few days of unsettled weather on the mountain, the Four Day Climb August 5 - 8 was able to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides Alan Davis and Jack Delaney.  The teams reached the crater rim around 6:30 am PT and enjoyed an hour in the crater.  They will return to Camp Muir for a quick stop before continuing down to Paradise this afternoon.  We look forward to seeing the teams back at BaseCamp later today.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

Monday, August 7, 2023 - 6:48 pm PT

Our team got busy with getting ready today.  We met after breakfast in the garden-like compound of our hotel  -Rivertrees.  The huge fig trees along the Usa River throw plenty of shade and make for a fine playground for various troupes of monkeys.  Our meeting delved into the particulars of how the climb on Kilimanjaro will flow and just how we will prepare for it.  The team then dispersed to their rooms for gear checks and ultimately packing and weigh-ins.  The afternoon was spent in this way, and with a few naps and cups of tea in the garden thrown in.  Having mostly come from the west coast of North America, our gang is thoroughly jet-lagged.  It was exciting in the evening to greet Brent Okita and his successful team of Kili climbers as they returned to the hotel.  We then enjoyed our dinner -the last before the big event- while on the other side of the dining area, they enjoyed theirs as a victory dinner. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Aug 7, 2023 1:55PM PT

A sound sleep and much needed recovery was had by the team after our descent to Mweka Gate and the thin air of 6,000'. Negotiating a slick, slippery path down the 4000' to our waiting bus and celebratory lunch proved tricky, but no casualties were had.

We said our goodbyes to our new friends who supported us this week on Kilimanjaro. We all welcomed the showers, dancing, and comfort at our hotel - plus the ability to connect with friends and family.

Tomorrow our safari begins the second half of our adventure. Catch you then!

Brent

August 6, 2023 12:28PM PT

By late afternoon, our Kilimanjaro climbing team had formed up in Usa River, Tanzania.  Not without some missed flights and reroutes of course… and the airlines are still hanging on to one duffel bag of gear, but the team is together and ready to launch this adventure.  We began with a pleasant dinner outside in the garden of the Rivertrees Inn.  There were certainly some yawns and bleary eyes from jet lag, but we also shared some good laughs and a few somber and serious moments as the nine of us introduced ourselves and tried to explain why Kilimanjaro has come to mean so much in our lives.  We’ll get into the nuts and bolts of packing and prepping for the mountain tomorrow…

after a little sleep and some morning coffee. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn