Entries from Expedition Dispatches

Friday, September 13, 2024 - 2:38 am PT

Jambo everyone,

All is well in Tanzania. We’ve had great weather and the team is humming along really well.

We hit the trail just after 8 am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15 minute break, then back on the trail for another hour and so on. In total today we hiked for just over seven hours before reaching Barranco camp. Our gracious Kili porters have been working very hard and we arrived once again to a camp set up and ready for us.

Along the way we passed around the famous Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000' setting new altitude records for many. We also passed by many of the giant groundsels and towering Senecio trees that made us feel as if we were in some crazy Dr. Suess story.

The team is in good spirits and doing great.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

PC: Casey Grom

After a full week of training at Camp Muir, the Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir team reached the 14,410' Summit of Mt. Rainier. Cooler fall temperatures allowed RMI Guide Mike Bennett and Team to climb during the day and they stood on top at 1pm today. They are on the descent and will be back at Camp Muir where they will spend another night. The team will return to Rainier Basecamp tomorrow afternoon.

Congratulations Team! 

Hello again everyone 

Today the team awoke to beautifully clear skies and views of Kilimanjaro looming above us. 

We started our day with fresh fruits, eggs, porridge and plenty of coffee, before setting off on our second day. 

The trail out of camp slowly ascends through the last remaining trees and makes its way along a rocky ridge that eventually climbs up onto the Shira Plateau. We hiked a little more that 4 hours and have ascended to just over 12,000' to reach our next camp. 

Everyone enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the views of the valleys below as we climbed steadily up Kili. 

We are currently relaxing in our camp enjoying good conversations and stories from team members. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!

Tuesday, September 10, 2024 - 10:58 pm PT

Hello Everyone

The team awoke early today and left behind the comforts of our beautiful lodge and have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We hit the road shortly before 8am we drove along the rural country side for a little less than 2 hours to reach the park entrance. Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee production and for a variety of other agriculture needs, but there are still some areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for.

The base of Kilimanjaro is forested and resembles a jungle or cloud forest. Traditionally it supports a large part of the banana production for this area. 

Once at the gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into 20kg loads for our porters to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly and made our way up the winding trail. It wasn’t too busy which made for some pleasant hiking. It took a little over 5 hrs to reach our camp for the night which sits just shy of 10’000ft. 

The team just finished an amazing hot meal and are looking forward to a good night of sleep at our new home for the night. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

Greetings from Tanzania.

All is well here in Tanzania and most of the team arrived late in the evening 2 days ago after some very long flights. It was a short and uneventful ride to our Lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team spent the 1st day relaxing and getting adjusted to the nearly 12hr time change.

We had a leisurely morning today and had our first official meeting at 10am where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the program for the coming days ahead. We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our Lodge, which is incredibly peaceful and has monkeys running around keeping us entertained.

We wrapped up the evening with a delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow and get a little bit of exercise.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

Monday, September 9, 2024 - 12:03 am PT

Hello! The team just got back to camp after a sunset climb on the Easton Glacier. It was a hazy but beautiful climb. We'll get some well earned rest and walk back to the trailhead in the morning.

RMI Guide Jess Wedel

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir September 4 - 9 led by RMI Guides Dustin Wittmier, Seth Burns, Drew O'Brien and Will Ambler reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The team has spent the last several days training on the mountain and enjoying the views. Today they put their work to the test and made their summit attempt, reaching the crater rim around 7:30 am. After enjoying a bit of time on the summit the team is descending to Camp Muir where they will spend the night. Tomorrow they will descend the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise.  A team celebration will be in order tomorrow afternoon before they conclude their six day program.

Nice work team!

The September 1 - 5 Five Day Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier led by RMI Guides Dominic Cifelli and Sam Hoffman.  Climbers reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 5 am and were able to enjoy some time in the summit crater.  The skies are clear and it's a bluebird day.  The teams left the crater rim at 6:10am and are currently on their descent to Camp Muir.  Once back at camp they will get to rest and enjoy the views and will spend tonight on the mountain. Tomorrow they have another 4.5 miles to descent in order to reach Paradise. There program will conclude tomorrow with a celebration of their adventure.

Nice work team!

The Five Day Climb August 30 - 3 September led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Drew O'Brien reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning.  The team first checked in at 7:30 am from 13,300' on their ascent.  They reported good climbing and clear skies.  A little after 10am they let us know they had reached the summit, enjoyed some time in the crater and now were starting their descent from the crater rim.  The teams will return to Camp Muir in a few hours and get to rest, relax and enjoy some time on the mountain. Tonight they will spend their second night at Camp Muir, but they will get to sleep until a reasonable hour, not an alpine start.  They will descend the remaining 4,500' to Paradise tomorrow and end their program with a small celebration.

Congratulations to today's climbers!

PC: Drew O'Brien

Our Mt. Baker - Easton Glacier Climb August 30 - 1 September led by RMI Guides Mike Bennett, Sam Marjerison and Bailey Servais reached the summit yesterday in beautiful conditions.  The team returned to camp an enjoyed some rest after their alpine start.  Today the team descended to the trailhead and completed their program.

Nice work team!

PC: Mike Bennett