Everyone is back at the Dik Dik hotel safe and sound! It was a whirlwind past few days on Kilimanjaro as we went from 15,200 feet up to 19,340 and all the way out in just over 24 hours. The team did really well and the weather was good, even though we got rained on a bit after the summit.
The weather for our climb was amazing and we all had great conditions on the summit. We started just after midnight under a partly cloudy sky. It was a windless night and that kept the temps from dropping to extreme lows. That said we did climb to over 18,000 feet before the sun came up so staying warm required us to be vigilant with our gear. Everyone kept their focus though and we all made it up. We summitted in a big wave spread out over about 45 min which was really cool for me as I got to spend a lot of time on top.
After returning from high camp we resisted the urge to relax too much as we still had a decent hike down to our last camp. As we snacked on french toast the clouds came up and we started to get some light rain. The rain picked up as we hiked down to Mweka camp and that added some challenge to the day but our excellent staff had dry tents and hot tea waiting for us. After dinner we dropped onto our sleeping pads for a well deserved rest.
This morning we woke up to more cloud cover. After another excellent meal we had a wrap up celebration with our mountain staff. The guys from the Dik Dik do an amazing job and we all wanted to make sure that they know we greatly appreciate the hard work. Then we hit the trail. A few hours of hiking was nothing for this crew and before we know it we were down at the gate.
We will have dinner in a couple of hours and toast to the great times we had on Kilimanjaro! Tomorrow it's safari time!!!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Today the trail became steeper on Kilimanjaro and rockier as we left the Giant Heather Zone. The team did a great job as the terrain got rockier. We even climbed some large rock bands testing our solid footwork on the slippery rocks.
We now are in the Moorland consisting of unique grasses and beautiful wild flowers unique to East Africa including Lobelias and Senecios.
After climbing a wide ridge we gained the broad and sloping Shira Plateau. It was a terrific day and we would love to include photos but the heavy mist kept the distant views out of sight. However, now at Shira Camp (12,200') we are hoping it clears offering our first view of the upper stretches of Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Dear Nat, John and Dave, looks like things are going well!!!! So happy for you all to be sharing this experience. Can’t wait to hear all the stories. Happy trails. Beth,Bill,Rachel,Lauren&Maria; :)
Posted by: Mastros on 8/1/2013 at 9:49 am
Way to go Samantha!! So very proud of you and Team Junell! A couple more days and you will be at the Summit and it will all be worth it. Enjoy yourselves and have fun. Lots of Love!
The Four Day Summit Climb teams led by RMI Guides Mike Haugen, Garrett Stevens and Elias de Andres Martos reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 7 am this morning with 100% of their team members. The teams reported very cold and windy conditions. They will spend a bit of time on the summit and then descend to Camp Muir. After a short rest to repack and refuel they will continue their descent to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's teams!
It was a great day here in St. Pete's!
We started the day with a walking tour of this beautiful city led by our wonderful local guide Natasha. She took us to the major sites and enlightened us to the 300 years of this city's history. We took a short break where some folks did a little exploring on there own, and others headed to the famous Hermitage where we learned that if someone spent one minute at every piece of art, it would take 8 years to view it all! Needless to say, we saw only a fraction of it.
Later in the evening the team headed out on a final tour of this majestic city by boat. We spent an hour touring the city from its many canals, which was a great way to wrap up our trip.
It's been a wonderful adventure with a great team. We are all thankful for the great weather we've had, but are looking forward to getting back home.
Missing all of our families and most of our friends.
See ya soon!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
A beautiful but smoky morning at our first camp on the Paradise Glacier. Yesterday the team did great getting here. Today we move camp to 8,500 feet on the Cowlitz Glacier where we will spend the next few days training before our summit attempt.
RMI Guide Adam Knoff
Today we traveled to the entrance of the Kilimanjaro National Park at the Machame Gate. We registered as a team and began climbing up from 5,900 feet.
We left the Cultivation Zone, where bananas and coffee plants grow and we made our way through the Forest Zone. It's lush rainforest made a beautiful day walking in the cool mist.
We kept our eyes out for the occasional Colobus monkeys in the canopy above but we only heard their screeching love songs.
Approaching camp at 9,800 feet, we entered the Giant Heather of the Heather and Mooreland Zone. Some of the heather grows over 30 feet tall. We are now sitting in our dining tent eating popcorn, drinking tea and relaxing.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
July 30, 2013 at 9:35 a.m. PST
Hi, this is Seth checking in from Mweka Camp. The summit was great today and I'll be emailing a pic out as soon as we get back to the hotel tomorrow. Everyone is tucked into their tents now listening to the pitter-patter of rain. We're hoping the morning brings some sunshine!
July 29, 2013 at 9:34 p.m. PST
Hey, this is Seth calling from Uhuru Peak, tallest point on Kilimanjaro, highest in Africa at 19,340'. The whole team made it, at least to Stella Point. We had a beautiful day with a few high clouds but zero wind for the whole climb and everyone did very well. We are going to take a few minutes, take some photos with the big sign and then head on back down. Tonight we will be dropping all the way down to 10,000 feet, which will feel great for us. Summit of Kilimanjaro for our team!
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall calls from the summit of Kilimanjaro!
Our Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The cloud covering made for a beautiful sunrise today. The teams have started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
RMI Guide Zeb Blais and the Expedition Skills Seminar – Emmons team also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier via the Emmons Route. The team will descend the route back to Camp Schurman, spend another day training and will return to Rainier Basecamp tomorrow.
Congratulations to today's teams.
Well the team has arrived in beautiful St. Petersburg. It was a long day of travel: three-hour bus ride followed by a three-hour flight. It's warm here and the sun doesn't set until nearly 11pm. We went on a short walk to stretch the legs and had a wonderful dinner at a great little cafe nearby.
Everyone is doing well and looking forward to exploring the city tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Summit! The Five Day Summit Climb led by Pete Van Deventer and the Four Day Summit Climb led by Brent Okita reached the top of Mt. Rainier early this morning. At 6:40 a.m. Brent radioed Camp Muir to say they were descending out of the summit crater. He reported great weather for the climb. We look forward to congratulating them in Ashford this afternoon!
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Dear Nat, John and Dave, looks like things are going well!!!! So happy for you all to be sharing this experience. Can’t wait to hear all the stories. Happy trails. Beth,Bill,Rachel,Lauren&Maria; :)
Posted by: Mastros on 8/1/2013 at 9:49 am
Way to go Samantha!! So very proud of you and Team Junell! A couple more days and you will be at the Summit and it will all be worth it. Enjoy yourselves and have fun. Lots of Love!
Posted by: Beverly Jones on 8/1/2013 at 9:47 am
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