Entries from Kilimanjaro
Another day of nice weather...YEAH! A few hours of hiking and here we are at
Barafu Camp at 15,000 ft. The team got busy upon arrival preparing for the early morning departure from here toward the summit, sorting through the stay and go gear since we will come back thru this camp on our way down from the summit. We all pooled together our favorite treats and made up some tasty looking lunches. We took a short hike up to get familiar with the start of the climb that will confront us with our alpine start from High Camp to the summit of Kilimanjaro.
It's nap time now before our early dinner then we will take another short rest before starting our summit attempt. The team continues to do well, wish us luck!
RMI Guide
Mark Tucker & Team
On The Map
Can we have a couple more beautiful days please?! I don't like to beg but if we can continue with weather like this we would greatly appreciate it.
A nice lazy start to the day was our plan in order to miss the traffic while climbing the Barranco Wall. The Barranco Wall is a series of rock bands just out of camp that gets your attention and requires your hands from time to time. At the top of the Wall we took some photos and gave each other some high fives before continuing on our way. We then traversed below the upper mountain for a couple hours to end up at
Karanga Camp (13,160') for the night. Camp is situated on a bit of a slope but our staff did a fine job of finding some pretty flat ground for the tents.
We continue to adjust both mentally and physically to this extreme environment; we're meeting the challenges head on. This team did there homework, taking training to heart prior to the climb and the investment is paying off. What a great group to climb with on Kilimanjaro!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
It was a BIG day, but not so enormous for this tough team. We woke up early and put in a solid six hours of climbing in good style. At one point on the trail we reached just under 15,000 ft, our current trip high point. We are now at 13,030 ft at the
Barranco Camp. The plan of climbing high and sleeping low is in place for acclimatization and seems to be working well; everybody is in good shape. The upper mountain towers above us at this camp and the beautiful weather will make for a fantastic sunset tonight.
Tomorrow we tackle the Barranco Wall as we continue our ascent of Kilimanjaro. We will check-in and let you know how that goes.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Battery recharge accomplished! It is so important to be good at resting when climbing a big mountain; and boy can this team sleep!
How about a perfect weather day? It was tough but that is what we had to deal with today. Fantastic views of the upper mountain got the teams attention as we continued our journey upward on Kilimanjaro. It sure looks like along way up and it is so we are taking it one day, one stretch, and one step at a time. In addition to the jaw dropping views, the team spent today's climb focusing on their fundamental climbing techniques.
We are now settled into our camp at 12,570' on the
Shira Plateau. Adjusting to this kind of altitude is always a challenge but this team is up for it. No headaches, good appetites, and great attitudes confirm that this team is doing well and enjoying the climb.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Gortex was the outfit of choice when we arrived at the Kilimanjaro National Park Entrance Gate this morning. Lucky for us, the rain stopped and we had nice conditions as we climbed through the rainforest on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes and the giant heather in the Moorland Zone to reach
Machame Camp. The team did well and we're all our tucked in for the night at ~10,000 ft on this beautiful mountain.
Jet lag still prevails and we are looking forward a good night's sleep for our first night on the mountain. We will check in again tomorrow with our progress towards the Roof of Africa.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
The entire team has arrived in
Tanzania. We spent last night at the Dik Dik Hotel in Usa River and have been enjoying the great food and hospitality.
After a leisurely breakfast, part of our team traveled to a local orphanage to pass along some items they brought from the US. It was well received and very much appreciated.
Our equipment checks went smoothly, thanks to the great preparation made by the team. We should be all set for our time on the mountain.
We have experienced a bit of light rain this afternoon and cool temperatures in the lowlands of Usa River at around 4,000'. Unfortunately it wasn't warm enough for anyone to appreciate the beautiful Dik Dik swimming pool.
We will get to bed early tonight to help recover from our long flights and so that we are rested and ready to head into Kilimanjaro National Park tomorrow morning.
Stay tuned,
RMI Guide
Mark Tucker
Hi! It is our last day on safari and we are back in Arusha doing some last minute shopping. Our next stop is the Dik Dik Hotel to repack, shower and then head to the airport. We will of course be squeezing one more fantastic dinner in as well.
Kikoti Camp was a great place to spend our last evening in
Tanzania. The sunset was spectacular and the scenery there is great. This morning we had a nice game drive with tons of elephants playing in the Tarangire River.
I think we are all psyched to head home but it has been a real fun group and everyone has gotten along together amazingly well. All of us will be flying out overnight so for the family and friends following along... See you soon!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hey this is Seth dropping a quick check in via the satellite phone. We are way out in the bush at
Kikoti Camp. Since I checked in last we have had some really great animal encounters.
Right after I emailed yesterday we spotted several rhinos fairly close to the road. That brought our total rhino count for the day up to 5 which is by far the most I've seen in a single day. Right after that we pulled up to a male lion next to the road. Our drivers got us into a good position and before we knew it he got up and walked to less than 10 feet from the cars! That was a real treat.
Today we spent the morning driving to Tarangire National Park and had an afternoon game drive. The elephants were out in full force and I'd say we saw well over 100. It was a very hot day though and that keeps the cats in the shade. We didn't see any of them. Tomorrow we will spend the morning looking for more cats and then head back to the Dik Dik before we all fly home at night.
RMI Guide
Seth Waterfall and Team
It's been another great day on safari. Today we got an early start and headed to
Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. This is different from the national parks here in Tanzania in that the Masaai people are allowed to continue their traditional way of life in the conservation area but no one is allowed to live in the national parks.
The entrance to the crater is only 15 minutes from our hotel but then we have to drive around the rim to get to a descent road. So along the way we stopped at a Masaai village where they showed us how they organize the village and what their homes are like. It was all very interesting.
After we got down to the floor of the crater we started to see all of the animals that we came for. We did get the chance to see a female lion and her cubs but it was very hot and they we just relaxing in the shade. After that we got to see two fairly active rhinos fairly close to the road and that was a real treat. But I would have to say the best sighting of the day was a few hippos feeding on grass very close to the car.
Now we are headed back to the Plantation Lodge for the night. Tomorrow we'll sleep in a little and then head to
Tarangire National Park and Kikoti Camp which are our last destinations on this trip.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi this is Seth. We are finishing up our first day of safari at
Lake Manyara National Park. It's been a good one with tons of monkeys and baboons, elephants, zebra, hippos, wildebeest, cape buffalo and giraffes. We were especially close to a large group of giraffes at a water hole.
The weather is very warm which is a big contrast to the past week we spent on
Kili. It is really nice to thaw out for a bit.
Now we are headed to our hotel for the night and tomorrow we will visit Ngorongoro Crater.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Well done. Have a great safari. Love to all. Jen.
Posted by: Jennifer Wright on 7/13/2015 at 2:10 pm
Congratulations to all of the Rogers clan! We are so proud of you all. Have a safe journey down the mountain. xo Carl and Allison
Posted by: Allison Muller on 7/13/2015 at 2:09 pm
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