Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

The day worked out spectacularly.  We had to get up pretty early, of course -we left the hotel at 4:30 AM- but the upside to that was there wasn’t much traffic. We were out to the airport in no time, and then it was a little crowded and busy pushing bags through x ray machines and working our way through various lines.  We had just a little bit of waiting and wondering whether the flight would go  -it isn’t uncommon for travel to Lukla to be snarled and delayed by weather- but then we got the call and headed out to our plane.  We filed into the Twin Otter and strapped in for liftoff at 7:45.  Before long the plane was up above the clouds and giant Himalayan peaks were marching past the port side windows.  We could pick out Mt Everest looming on the horizon. By 8:15 the pilots had us safely touching down on the tilted runway at Lukla.  It turned out that all of our baggage had made the flight as well (which doesn’t always happen). We were in business.  And we had earned some good coffee and breakfast.  We took a little time to eat and get organized and at 10:30 we set out walking.  Downhill at first, we’d landed at 9200 ft, but eventually we did a little climbing as well.  We were passing through small farms and villages and dodging porters and pack animals.  In just over three hours and about five miles, we pulled into Phakding and our comfortable Tea House on the Bhote Khosi river. 
This left us plenty of time to relax through the afternoon and evening.  Turns out that tomorrow is another big and important day in a beautiful place. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

PC: Dave Hahn

Tuesday, October 1, 2024 - 8:42 am PT

This was a busy and important day for our trekking team.  We started out with a discussion of our planned itinerary and strategies for success.  We then embarked upon a few hours of tourism.  Nraj took us to the scenic and significant “monkey temple” and to the giant Bodinath Stupa.  He explained how Buddhism and Hinduism exist side by side in Nepal and recited the long history of settlement and development of the Kathmandu valley.  He took us to a painting school where we learned how the iconic and exquisitely detailed mandala tankas are produced.  We were back to the hotel by mid afternoon and then got into full on preparation for trekking.  Equipment checks were performed and the final packing commenced.  The team ate an early dinner and then headed for the rooms early as well.  We intend to get up before dawn and be out at the airport, ready to fly at first light.  We’ll need good luck, weatherwise, to allow safe air travel through the biggest mountains on the planet.  But this seems like a lucky team. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

September 30, 2024 - 7:52 am PT

Step one… get to Kathmandu.  Job done!  Our Gokyo Trek Team came together today, half a planet away from home.  As we were leaving home several days ago, Nepal was in the news for horrific monsoon flooding -news which we each monitored as we came through the airports on the way.  It was quite a pleasant surprise to have big, clear views of the Himalaya when we landed on a sunny, dry day in Kathmandu.   Obviously, we’ll hope that the monsoon continues to fade.  But the first order of business wasn’t fretting about the weather… it was getting a little rest and trying to adjust to all the time zone shifts.  We then had our initial team meeting in the lobby of the classic Yak and Yeti Hotel.  After a few introductions we ventured out into the crazy traffic of Kathmandu.  The seven of us managed to survive crossing ten minutes worth of wrong way traffic and torn up sidewalks to get to the tranquil rooftop Mezze restaurant for a relaxed dinner. 
Tomorrow we’ll get a little more into just how a trek through high mountains works, but for today -just getting here was plenty. 

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Today we headed to Tarangire National Park known for its abundant elephants, and it didn’t disappoint. Not sure how many we saw, but it was quite a few, and we got pretty close once again. 

There were lots of giraffes, impalas, monkeys, ostriches, and many, many birds. Unfortunately we haven’t seen any more big cats, but we will head out early in the morning with hopes of seeing them in the cooler temperatures. 

We are spending our last night here in Tanzania at Nykani Tented Camp, which has beautiful tented rooms with screened windows to allow the sounds of the African bush in. So, if you have ever used or heard the term “Glamping”, this is an extreme version of that. 

Everyone is doing great and hoping to see a few more big cats on our way out of the park tomorrow morning. Then it will be back to our main lodge near Arusha for a brief stop before catching our flights home. 

Thanks for following, your loved ones will be home shortly 

RMI Guide Casey Grom, and an amazing crew!

Day 2 on Safari had us visiting the world famous Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is what remains of a once massive volcano that erupted. In the 2 million years since then, hundreds of animals have taken up residence and have created one of the best safari options in Africa.

We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few more animals before the heat sent them in search for shade. Not long after descending down into the crater we came upon several lions. There were hundreds of zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo, gazelle’s and many sightings of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds.

One of the highlights was getting super close to a large male and female lion “on their honeymoon”.

We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the plantation lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Tarangire National Park.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew

PC: Casey Grom

Today was our first day of safari for us and we headed east to visit Lake Manyara, which is know for its tree climbing lions and more than 400 different species of birds.

We had a nice day viewing the wildlife that hardly seemed to notice us, despite being only feet away at times.

We didn't manage to see any of those famous lions, but we had several very close encounters with elephants. Nothing dangerous, but they passed close enough that we could have almost touched them.

We did manage to see a few giraffe, hundreds of baboons, impalas and so many birds, and one highlight was seeing the Pearl Spotted Owl, which is about the size of a coffee cup. It was a pretty nice introduction to the incredible bio-diversity that Africa has, and everyone enjoyed the day riding around in our safari vehicles.

We wrapped up the evening here at the beautiful Plantation Lodge with a wonderful meal and great conversations. Check out our beautiful lodge!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari team.

PC: Casey Grom

What a climb we had! 

Yesterday’s climb took the team 8.5 hours to successfully stand on the “Roof of Africa”. 

After a few photos, phone calls, and just taking in the view, the team descended back down to our high camp where we were greeted by our staff with songs and a little dance. It brought smiles and a much needed boost after all the hard work. 

We then descended for about five more hours to reach our last camp on the mountain. Funny how 10,000' can feel so comfortable after such a big day.  

Our final day on the mountain! 

Today the team got up at 6 am refreshed after a much needed nights sleep, we had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took about four hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch and said our final goodbyes to our amazing crew of 51 that took such great care of us on the mountain. 

We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. 

Finally we are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro. 

Stayed tuned, Safari starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

PC: Casey Grom

Hello everyone,

The team is back down from a safe and successful climb!!!

We have returned to high camp and will take a short break before heading to lower altitude. Tonight we spend our last night at Mweka camp which sits at 10,000ft. 

I will send a wrap up once we get back to town!!!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summiteers

Saturday, September 14, 2024 - 4:46 am PT

Hello again everyone 

The team had a good nights rest last night and today was just a short three hour hike up to 15,000' to ou high camp. It has been full sun with amazing views most of this trip, and the equatorial sun at this elevation is quite intense, but thankfully there was a gentle breeze to keep temperatures enjoyable for hiking. 

The team has just wrapped up lunch and discussed in great detail the plan for tomorrow’s climb. Everyone knows what we’ll be wearing, what will be in the pack, as well as the schedule. 

Our game plan will be to wake at 10:30pm and have a quick breakfast at 11 pm, then hopefully hit the trail right before midnight, to hopefully avoid some of the traffic as it looks a bit busy here at camp. The team has been doing great thus far and I’m expecting us to reach the summit in 7 to 8 hours if things go according to plan. 

As per usual on a Casey climb, one lucky trivia winner will get a phone call from the summit of Kilimanjaro. 

So everyone back home please keep your phones handy and if you receive a call from a strange number please answer. We are 7+hrs ahead of the east coast time zone. 

If you receive a call it will be on Saturday late evening 

Wish us luck!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the summit bound crew

Friday, September 13, 2024 - 8:03 am PT

Hello again everyone,

We had a slower start today to allow the many porters get a jump start on the route and ever narrowing trail. 

Right out of camp we were faced with the only significant technical obstacle for this climb. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000' and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up. 

The team did a great job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads. Which was astonishing to see, especially at this altitude. 

After reaching the top we took a nice break and enjoyed the spectacular view of the upper mountain, since there was scarcely a cloud in the sky. The team continued our hike for a few more hours up and down through a few valleys before reaching camp. 

All in all, it took only about four hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks. 

Spirits are high and there have been few complaints from this tough crew, even though it’s been more dry and dusty than we’d like!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili