Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Jambo from Barranco Camp!
The team had their best night of sleep yet. We were walking in the fog this morning and still no views of the upper mountain. It was perfect hiking weather and altitude records for the group over 14,800'. We all cruised into camp looking and feeling well. The hike took 6 hours and 15 minutes. Some sun and the first view of the upper mountain was a treat to us all here at Barranco Camp, which is just under 13,000'. Lots of photos with the unique giant groundsel tree that grows at this elevation. We are planning on rolling slow out of camp tomorrow because of the short distance to Karanga Camp. The team was happy to hear they get to sleep in.
The team continues to do well. We had some communication problems yesterday so we apologize for not getting a dispatch out. We'll check in tomorrow from Karanga Camp.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Our Four Day Summit Climbs led by Brent Okita and JJ Justman were standing on Columbia Crest at 7:05am PST this morning. According to Guide Brent Okita “It’s a beautiful and clear morning up here with a chilly breeze from the north." The teams will be spending some time on the summit before they make their descent back to Camp Muir.
Our Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by Adam Knoff also checked in this morning their training is going very well. RMI Guide Seth Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today for his 100th time!
Congratulations to our Four Day Summit Climb teams and a special congratulations to Seth Waterfall!
The Four Day Summit Climbs August 7 - 10 led by Billy Nugent and Jason Thompson reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning! The teams were beginning their descent from the crater rim shortly after 7 a.m. PT. They reported a beautiful day on the mountain with warm temperatures, light winds and clear skies.
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons also reached the summit today led by Linden Mallory.
Congratulations to today's summit teams!
Hello from Kilimanjaro,
After a great breakfast at the Dik Dik Hotel, we loaded our bags and packs into the vehicle and headed for our objective, Kilimanjaro. We arrived at the Machame Gate, our entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park, and after registering our team for the climb began the trek to our first camp. It felt great to stretch our legs after the many hours of travel and we were excited to get started after the many months of training and planning. We started out in a light rain but were quickly walking under the canopy cover of the lush forest and were able to shed our rain gear. It was a very pleasant hike with beautiful weather and glimpses of monkeys in the trees above.
We reached the Machame Camp (9,800') after six hours on the trail. Aside from a little mud on our boots, everyone was dry and happy upon arriving in camp. We enjoyed our first great meal on the mountain, prepared by our mountain staff, of hot soup and fresh vegetables from the Dik Dik garden..
We are settling into camp for our first night on the mountain.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The RMI Teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today! The Four Day Summit Climb August 6 - 9 led by Mike Walter and the Five Day Summit Climb August 5 - 9 led by Leon Davis reached the summit of Mt. Rainier at 7:00 a.m. PT. The teams enjoyed a beautiful day on the mountain with clear skies and light wind. They began their descent from the crater rim shortly after 8 a.m. en route to Camp Muir. The teams will continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Greetings from Tanzania,
The team has gathered at the Dik Dik Hotel in Tanzania. Sometimes the toughest part about starting a trip like this is getting out of town and sitting on a plane for such long time periods. Now that those things are behind us we can begin to focus on our adventure.
We enjoyed a beautiful day at the Dik Dik Hotel mostly napping, resting and eating then had to do a little work to get ready for our climb of Kilimanjaro. We went through a thorough gear check and discussed how to pack our bag and packs for the mountain. A team meeting to discuss our plans for the next few days and coordinating with our mountain staff to assure all our gear is packed, weighed and ready to go.
This is the first trip to Africa for all of our team members and they are fired up for the climb which begins tomorrow. We have planned for an early breakfast and then will make the 90 minute drive to the Machame Gate, our entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park. We start our climb with a 6 to 7 hour hike to our first mountain camp, Machame Camp.
We will send updates throughout our climb and hope you will follow along. Everyone is excited to get started!
Uusiku mwema (good night),
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The Four Day Summit Climb August 5 - 8 led by Seth Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today! The teams enjoyed a beautiful climb this morning with clear skies, warm temperatures and not a breath of wind. They began their descent from the crater rim shortly before 7 a.m. PT en route to Camp Muir. The team will continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb!
Our Four Day Summit Climbs made it to the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. They reported clear skies, light winds and warm temperatures. The teams enjoyed some time on the summit and are now descending back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's teams.
Posted by: Jeff Martin
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Jambo from Kikoti Camp,
We packed up this morning, left the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge and headed to Tarangire National Park. It is about a 2 hour drive from the crater rim, and by late morning we were already seeing the first of the many animals to come. Tarangire is the fifth largest park in Tanzania and it boasts over 3,000 resident elephants. It lived up to its reputation today and would guess that we saw at least 300 today.
Since there is only one main river running through the park, most of the animals are concentrated along this water source, especially in the dry season (June - September). Lots more of zebras, wildebeast, impala, and gazelle were seen, as well as a few lions. The safari drivers always talk to each other about what animals they have seen. Unfortunately, it has been at least two days since the last leopard has been seen. Maybe it will happen tomorrow....
We will spend a few hours game viewing in the morning before heading back to the Dik Dik Hotel and getting ready for our flights home.
This has been a really fun trip and we are sorry that it has to come to an end. Thanks to the entire team for making this a great adventure, and congratulations to all of you for reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Cheers to all and safe travels home.
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
The August 3 - 6 Summit Climbs led by Dave Hahn and Pete Van Deventer called down at 7:30 a.m. saying that they had reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. It was nice up top with light winds. The teams left the summit at 8:20 a.m. to descend back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations!
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Yo Meri! Looks like a wonderful time! Wish I were there! Love, Mimi
Posted by: Mimi on 8/11/2011 at 8:05 pm
Hi Meri and Kilimanjaro crew!
You guys look awesome with the green in the backgroungd, can’t wait to see the white! :-)
Have a most excellent time and know that all of us back home are JEALOUS!
M-
Posted by: Mauraan on 8/10/2011 at 10:39 am
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