Entries from Expedition Dispatches
The Four Day Summit Climbs August 10 - 13 led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Gabriel Barral reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today. The teams reported clear and sunny skies with light winds with some valley fog below but clear skies to Paradise. The team started their descent from the crater rim at 8:00 a.m. en route to Camp Muir. They will continue their descent to Paradise later this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
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Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello from Karanga Camp!
Barranco Wall fails to stop RMI team from getting closer to the summit! We slowed our departure from camp in hopes of missing rush hour on the wall. No view of the top but nice temperature because of the clouds. Four hours later here we are at Karanga Camp at 13,000-feet plus. Snacks on the way to a hot lunch at camp. Lunch consisted of spaghetti and tomato sauce, which was a big hit. With the team eating and drinking as needed, it helps fuel us and keep our strength up as we move closer to summit day. A nice short climb today and tomorrow will get us ready for the summit climb tomorrow night.
We are looking down at the sea of clouds below, which is not unusual for the lower regions. Another great reason to be up here! Darn the luck missing out on the upper mountain views, so we continue to enjoy the incredible geological features we pass as we go. During the descent into the Karanga Valley you pass this 60-foot overhanging cave that I know I could atleast get a few moves on. Another time, we have a mountain to climb! It's so nice that none of our gear is wet from the rain, and our packs and boots are working well. It sure helps make the climb a bit more manageable. Nice easy afternoon with stories a-flying, reading , and taking in the views.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Our Four Day Summit Climb stood on top of Mt. Rainier today. They had clear skies and warm temperatures. After spending several days training on the mountain the Expedition Skills Seminar – Paradise Team led by Adam Knoff also reached the summit of Mt. Rainier. Both teams doing well and are en-route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's Teams!
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
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
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!
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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!
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This is Rusty from Jeff Martins group, the Team that just climbed the big hill before you guys. All I can say is get ready for the big day and listen to your guide he knows his stuff. Wish I was back on the Mountain! You have an amazing summit day ahead of you. One foot in front of the other…don’t stop.
Posted by: Rusty Griner on 8/12/2011 at 6:25 pm
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