Entries from Kilimanjaro
Hello again everyone!
It was another beautiful day here in Africa with clear skies and a gentle breeze that kept the temperature perfect for climbing. We have left Karanga Camp and moved up to our high camp that's called Barafu. This camp sits on a ridge line around 1,000 ft, which eventually leads to the summit of Kilimanjaro. It's a relatively large camp spread up and down the ridge and we are sharing it with all the other climbers using this route, I'd guess that there's around 70 other climbers here with us.
Everyone is doing very well and we are excited to start our climb early in the morning. The team will have a early dinner and If all goes according to plan we hope to have breakfast and be hitting the trail right around midnight. We'll have a nice slow pace that should take us around eight hours to reach the summit. So keep your phones handy as I said one lucky climber will get to call home from the "Roof of Africa". That will be around midnight for those on the east coast.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Jambo everyone!
Things are going well and the team is doing great here on Kilimanjaro.
Today the team had a leisurely start as we wanted the sun to warm us up before our only semi-technical part of the climb. The trail out of camp starts off relatively mellow and then quickly ramps up as we ascend the great Barranco Wall. It's truthfully not as intimidating as it looks, but when does a thousand-foot cliff ever look easy. Thankfully the route winds its way up the cliff through ramps and small rock steps and eventually on to easier terrain. Everyone did a great job of taking it easy and I actually think they all enjoyed the challenge we had. We took a break on top of the wall to enjoy the views then slowly made our way to the next camp here above the Karanga Valley.
It was a relatively short day for us as this will be our last camp before we move up to our high camp tomorrow.
We are spending the remainder of the day relaxing and enjoying the royal treatment by our gracious staff here on Kili.
As usual we've had a trivia challenge that one lucky winner will receive a satellite phone call from the summit. It won't happen until we reach the summit, but that's not too far away. I'll let everyone know when that might happen on tomorrow's dispatch. So stay tuned!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
A conservation area and a World Heritage site, Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera is recognized by one private organization as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa- the unparalleled beauty of one of the world's most unchanged wildlife sanctuaries.
Teams Top Ten for today-
*Infant elephants in a large group doing their thing
*Hippos in the pool doing their thing
*Our 4th of the Big 5 the infamous black rhino
*Serval cat walking along side us for as long as we liked seeing prey on point
*Zebra cuddling with head on bum of other
*First sighting of ostriches in the wild
*The tiny vibrant colored sunbird in contrast with the Kori Bustard the worlds heaviest flying bird
*Our great local staff of drivers ability to pick game out of the bush
*A warthog that must have been to beauty parlor with beautiful swept back hair and double tusks
*Elephant in a tussle trumpeting as we leave the viewing area hearing them for a while after
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Hello from Africa everyone
Today the team woke to a beautifully clear sky above the valley clouds, and it was a warm day as we made our way from camp directly into the sun and heading straight at Kilimanjaro. Once again we made good time across the Shira Plateau stopping for breaks and that endless line of porters headed to our next camp.
As we headed uphill everyone was astonished at the beauty of Kilimanjaro and the remnant glaciers still hanging on. Our climb took us up and over a landmark called Lava Tower which sits at just under 15,000ft and lays beneath the massive and steep southern breach wall. As usual we stopped to enjoy the wonderful view and then slowly made our way back down into Barranco Valley. The trail weaves its way between rocky outcrops, giant groundsels and the massive, yet strange Senecio trees that look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.
We are currently relaxing in our camp which has amazing views not only of Kilimanjaro but also of the valley below us. It's indeed my favorite camp of the trip.
Dinner will be ready soon, so that's all for today.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Hoping this is the team w/ Scott Faulkenburg & Julie. If so, hope you’re having a blast and enjoying an epic climb! Wish we were there with you. Have a blast, and be safe!
Posted by: Chris & Judy Beaudette on 7/16/2015 at 6:53 pm
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Today we traveled to Lake Manyara. It was the first day of our four day safari through Tanzania and we had a great day. Here is what the team had to say about our day in the bush.
TOP TEN LIST
One comment about today?
1. The hippos fighting in the pool - Peter
2. The first sighting of a herd of Zebra right next to our vehicle - Chelsea
3. Observing the silver billed horn bird take a dust bath - Bonny
4. Take off and landing of a huge flock of yellow billed storks - Mark
5. Taking in the sights of land and people on the highway while standing up with head out off open roofed Land Rover - Nate
6. Baby Baboon riding on the back of it's mother, with cute ears - Elizabeth
7. Bargaining skills of local guys trying to sell a necklace - Jonathan
8. Vista of the Great Rift Valley from on top of the escarpment - William
9. Diversity of wild life in the field of vision at one moment - Allidah
10. The over easy eggs at breakfast - Madison
Carl and I went on our own safari to Highclere Castle today. Not only is the Castle breathtaking, but the grounds are truly amazing. BUT, I think I would trade in a minute for YOUR safari! Love the comments. Soak up every minute! xo Allison
Posted by: Allison Muller on 7/16/2015 at 12:12 pm
Hello again everyone!
All is well here on Kilimanjaro after a good nights rest. Today the team woke at 7 am to coffee and tea being served at our tent doors by our gracious staff. We had breakfast with healthy serving of fresh fruits, bread, assorted meats and cheeses, and fried eggs. After filling our bellies we hit the trail shortly after 8 am and slowly made our way along the ever winding trail towards the Shira Plateau. Our team did great on the rocky trail as we ascended higher up the mountain, stopping to take breaks and let the never end line of porters pass us.
It took about 5 hours to reach our new camp, which our staff had already set up before our arrival. Clearly we are not roughing it too much!
Everyone is doing well and seems to be enjoying the climb thus far. We'll spend the next few hours resting in our tents and taking in the splendid view we have from just over 12,000'.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
As I write, the band is cranking here at the Dik Dik. We had a great departure from the mountain this morning with perfect weather.....again.
What a packed week we had up on the Roof of Africa?! To be a guest in a foreign county is something special and this group shined at embracing the local staff as friends, not just someone for hire. The local staff were all so much a part of our success; it was tough to say goodbye. The time you spend on these big mountains is extreme in many ways and you always learn something about yourself and others. It's a special and hard to describe experience.
Tomorrow we will continue to cut a swath through Tanzania as we head over to Lake Manyara National Park for our first day on safari. We're pumped!
Don't forget to kiss the Blarney before you're next adventure!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Congratulations to the invincible group of 10! We have been reading about your progress with great interest and are glad to know all went well with the climb (not that there was any doubt!). Can’t wait to see all of your photos and hear first hand from you about all of your African adventures. Cheers! Courtney and Carl
Posted by: Courtney Bergeron on 7/15/2015 at 11:00 am
Team!!! What a great group you have been to all who have helped this climb be so successful. It speaks volumes for who you all are as human beings. How wonderful these folks from different cultures helped you all to achieve a goal of a lifetime. So thankful for them and all of ya’ll. Prayers for continued safety as you continue to experience a different beauty of Africa!! Hugs, Edi and Tim
Posted by: Edi Cronin on 7/14/2015 at 7:37 pm
Hey everybody, this is Casey Grom checking in from the Kilimanjaro Climb. Just wanted to let you know that everyone's doing great today. Today was our big move. Today we left the Dik Dik Lodge and actually headed to Kilimanjaro itself. We drove for about an hour and a half to get to the park entrance where we spent a little bit of time getting our gear sorted and getting all our porters together and getting signed in. After all that was taking care of, we had a nice, leisurely hike, where we gained about 4,000 ft today as we hiked up to Machame Camp. So the entrance is at about 6,000 feet and we hiked up to just a touch under 10,000 ft and everyone's feeling great and doing really well.
The weather today was incredibly nice. We had mostly and overcast day which is really, really enjoyable for hiking as it kept the temperatures down. Just as we were pulling in the camp, we did get a small break and we got see a little bit of the upper mountain and some of the glaciers up high on Kilimanjaro. That was a pleasant surprise for everybody.
We just wrapped up our dinner and everyone is crawling into our tents. And by the sounds of it, I'm guessing we're gonna have quite a few folks sleeping well tonight. I think everyone worked hard and looking forward to [transmission lost].
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom checks in after a successful first day on Kilimanjaro.
On The Map
Our team reached the summit of Kilimanjaro this morning in good style and we have now arrived at Mweka Camp at 10,000 ft for our last night here on Kilimanjaro. This group I have had the pleasure to climb with excelled in all phases while on the mountain. I have a high level of confidence they will be able to handle phase two, our game viewing safari. But for now we will enjoy a well deserved night's rest and tomorrow make our way down the to the trail head.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Congratulations to all of you - what a great family outing - much bigger than the usual picnic. Thanks to your dad for making this experience and these memories possible and for bringing all of you along in the great mountaineering tradition he loves. Have a safe trip down. Love, Meg
Posted by: Meg Race on 7/14/2015 at 6:37 am
Woot woot! Congrats guys!
Posted by: Amelia Muller on 7/13/2015 at 7:53 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello everyone and welcome to RMI's second Kilimanjaro's trip of the season.
The team arrived late last night after our very long and tiring flights from the U.S. We were greeted by the wonderful staff from the Dik Dik Lodge with warm smiles and a little champagne to toast our arrival.
After a short and quiet ride to our lodge we had a quick dinner then headed off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The team met this morning at breakfast with fresh fruits, homemade bread and jam, and plenty of good Tanzanian coffee.
We then got together for a formal round of introductions and an overview of the upcoming adventure. We discussed our plan for the climb and made sure everyone has all the necessary gear to keep us safe and warm on Kilimanjaro.
After a short break some team members took a short stroll on the beautiful grounds hoping to catch sight of some of the monkeys that often visit and some even managed to spot Kilimanjaro in a break in the clouds. The rest of us did a little packing and caught up on a little more sleep to help get adjusted to the big time difference.
We have just wrapped up an amazing five-course meal with great conversations, and everyone is squared away and looking forward to hitting the trail tomorrow as well as stretching the legs a bit.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Lori and Dave - I see that you will be going to the summit Saturday or Sunday!! Wow!! You’re doing it and I’m so jealous…
Stay warm and keep those feet dry!!
Love,
Leslie
Posted by: Leslie on 7/17/2015 at 2:07 pm
Best wishes for a good climb and a wonderful experience!
Posted by: Audrey on 7/14/2015 at 4:58 pm
What adventure! All my life I have dreamed of what you are actually doing. With so little time left, don’t sleep, Allison and I look forward to hearing every detail of your every day on the Dark Continent.
Posted by: Carl on 7/17/2015 at 1:44 pm
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