What a great day on safari! The crew all rallied for an early start to Ngorongoro Crater. The weather started out a little cool but we didn't have any of the rain like yesterday. After stopping at a Masaai Village we dropped down to the crater floor. We hit the jackpot pretty quick when a huge pride of lions popped up out of a creek bed right by us. After that we got really close to some hippos and even caught a glimpse of the elusive black rhinoceros. All in all a really fantastic day.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Seth here, checking in on our first day of safari. We left the Dik Dik this morning in a total downpour and we were all a bit nervous that our luck with good weather had run out. By the time we reached Lake Manyara, however, the rain had stopped. The moisture has actually kept the dust down so riding with the top of the vehicle open has been no problem. The game viewing has been pretty solid for our 'warm up' day. I would say the hippos were the most impressive animals we saw but we got the closest to some zebras. Tonight we will stay at the Plantation Lodge and tomorrow we'll visit Ngorongoro Crater.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Jambo! The team is off the mountain, safe and sound. Summit day, yesterday, was really great but it sure was nice to reach the end of the trail today. The weather has continued to hold up great for us. We had a little rain last night but it didn't hit until we had all finished in dinner and retreated to our tents. This morning we had an early breakfast and got on the trail by 8 am. This team descends very well and we all made it down by 11 am. We are headed back to the Dik Dik Hotel for some very needed showers before safari starts tomorrow.
On a family note, Jason C's wife and children met us at the park gate, he was literally running down to meet them and they would like to wish Esther a happy birthday.
One more shout out to Mrs. Sadler's class at Midlothian High.
Here's a pic from the summit!
That's all for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
January 17, 2015 - 8:25 pm PT
Hey, this is Seth checking in from the summit of Kilimanjaro! We are on the Roof of Africa. We had a great day, just clear skies and no wind was the story. A little bit chilly. Also, not very people on the route, so we actually were on top by ourselves for a solid 10 or 15 minutes before the next group came up, which is a total treat and a first for me. Everybody is feeling great, feels like we want to get back down to some thicker air. We are gonna head on down right now. Actually everyone has ditched me and I'm going to go catch up. That's it. We'll check in from high camp when we get back down. All is well in Africa.
11:32 pm PT
Hey, this is Seth checking in again. We have all returned back to high camp, safe and sound, although all are a little bit tired. We are going spend some time packing up, get some food on board and then we're going to head to our last camp for this Kili climb. Should be down there sometime mid-afternoon and then tomorrow we'll be walking off the mountain. That's it for us. We'll check in again tomorrow.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calling in from the Kilimanjaro summit.
Seth checking in once the team is at high camp after Kilimanjaro summit.
Congratulations to the whole team, especially to my awesome daughter, Ryan!! I have no doubt that new friendships have resulted from the teamwork needed for everyone to summit. I am in awe of each one of you. Great job everyone. You guys definitely rock!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/18/2015 at 2:24 pm
Congratulations to the team!! You did it! Looks beautiful. What an accomplishment. Matt hope you took lots of pictures!! Stay safe.
Posted by: Barb McAllister on 1/18/2015 at 12:52 pm
It has been another great day on Kilimanjaro. The weather has been fantastic and the crew has been getting stronger as we have climbed higher. I've been telling the team that this mountain can be cold but I don't think they believe me any more.
We are at high camp now which gives us about 12 hours to rest and fuel up for the summit push. Our crew has selected a great camp site with nice tent sites and that will really help us relax before the climb.
I will check in again from the summit if all goes well!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
I hope your summit day is all that you wish for!! Anxiously anticipating the summit update!!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/18/2015 at 7:54 am
We are sitting in Amsterdam waiting to board our flight to Kilimanjaro - sending best wishes for a successful climb - can’t wait to see you soon! Go SPS!!! Go Daddy!!
Angela, Nicholas and Madison
Posted by: Angela Chapman on 1/18/2015 at 12:37 am
Hello from Kilimanjaro! Today was just one of those nice and pleasant days in the mountains. We started out with our normal morning routine of breakfast and packing. But instead of getting right on the trail we hung back and watched the whole camp get packed up. Our big objective of the day was to climb the Barranco Wall and if we set right out for it, we would be in a big traffic jam on the steep rocky wall. By letting literally everyone get out of camp before us we were able to climb the route by ourselves. It was great.
After topping out on the 900-foot wall we had another two hours on the trail before camp. We arrived here at 1:30 and have had a nice relaxing afternoon. Soon it will be time for dinner and off to bed. Tomorrow we are headed to high camp!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
The team has arrived safe to our third camp. We are in the beautiful Barranco Valley. Today we set high points for everyone on the trip. We spent the morning climbing up to the 'Lava Tower' at 15,000' and then descended the trail to camp. We spent just under seven hours hiking today so the group is all a little tired. We should all sleep well tonight!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Greetings from the Kili team!
We are up above 12,000' at the Shira Plateau. It's not very crowded on the mountain and our camp is set nicely to the side of the main sites. The trail was a little slick today but not too muddy and the team handled it well. The weather was warm again so the five and a half hours we spent hiking was pleasant. The food has really been excellent so far and everyone has been really surprised at how good the whole operation is here on Kilimanjaro. We are all relaxing now before dinner and then we'll get fueled up for a big day tomorrow.
That's all for now.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall & Team
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
Congratulations Ryan! You and the team must be so happy with a successful summit. On to the Safari!
Posted by: Shirley on 1/20/2015 at 4:54 pm
Congratulations Terry, Marylynn and Jordan!
Posted by: Jennifer on 1/20/2015 at 6:03 am
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