Entries from Expedition Dispatches
This was a great day of climbing. It dawned crisp and clear at
Shira Camp. Kibo,
Kilimanjaro's main peak, was visible in all it's glory. We still couldn't see much out to the west because of clouds and murk, but everything was nice and blue up above. We got walking at 8:30 AM and made good, steady progress climbing toward Kibo. Inevitably, the clouds formed up as we went along, but we still enjoyed dramatic views of the hanging ice fields and steep mountain flanks ahead. We reached the 15,000 ft Lava Tower in early afternoon, and shattered everybody's previous altitude records in the process. Then our long descent into the Barranco Valley began. The good weather held for us and we even had a few sunny moments again as we got into the garden-like surroundings of our camp for the night. We passed under 30 ft high Giant Senecio plants... Seemingly straight out of a Doctor Suess book, and reached camp at 13,000 ft shortly after 3 PM. We are now camped below the Great Barranco Wall, but that of course, doesn't need to be climbed until tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Jambo from
Shira Camp at around 12,500 feet. We enjoyed a rain-free day from start to finish. Early risers back down at Machame Camp claim to have seen
Kilimanjaro's main peak before clouds hid her cliffs and glaciers. We ate breakfast at around 7:30 under partly cloudy skies and got walking at 8:15 under sunny skies. It was a day of serious altitude gain as we covered half of yesterday's distance but still got up 2,500 vertical feet. There were dramatic changes in vegetation as we came out of the forests and through various zones of plant life flourishing in arid conditions. A large part of the day was spent working up along a ridge of old and weathered lava. Eventually we saw our first Senescu and Lobelia plants. The first of what will be many. The climb finished with a traverse out to the west, where ancient lava flows built a broad flatland between Kibo- Kilimanjaro's main peak and Shira, its western satellite. The gang are all climbing well and continue to marvel at just how much dirt and dust will fit under human fingernails in this environment. Temperatures aren't so cold yet, despite our having pushed up to roughly 12,500 feet.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
The
Mount Rainier summit climb teams, led by
RMI Guides Eric Frank and Zeb Blais, were unable to summit this morning and turned on the Disappointment Cleaver. Although the weather was clear, calm, and cold, the avalanche danger and new snow kept the team from continuing their summit bid. Both teams are safely back at Camp Muir and are planning a 9:00 a.m. departure to begin their descent to Paradise.
The climb is underway. We were up early today, carrying bags and packs to the magic bus/truck for the ride to Kilimanjaro. We enjoyed a last comfortable breakfast at the Dik Dik Hotel and said our goodbyes to the staff there as we climbed on board the great expedition vehicle. We were on the road just after 7 AM and at our destination, the
Machame Gate to Kilimanjaro National Park by around 9 AM. Our expedition staff sorted loads and hired porters as we snacked, drank water and shooed monkeys from our staging area. Our climb began around 10:15 as we set out through the forest at nearly 6000 ft above sea level. Gaining 4000 feet over the course of about five and a half hours, we were encouraged to be on dry ground and good trail. There was significant cloud cover, but no rain until we'd very nearly reached Machame Camp at 9890 ft. Even then we only had a few minutes of sprinkles as we moved into our tents. An afternoon snack and a delicious dinner in our dining tent took us to darkness and the end of a fine first day. We were all happy to be finally walking in a pretty place after so many less than fun days of packing, traveling and preparing.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide
Dave Hahn & Team
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by
RMI Guides Mike Walter and Pete Van Deventer turned at Disappointment Cleaver due to fresh snow on the route with high avalanche conditions. The teams have left Camp Muir and are en route to Paradise.
Our
Kilimanjaro climbing team has come together at the Dik Dik Hotel on the outskirts of Arusha, Tanzania. The team actually assembled 24 hours ago, but it took until today for the guide to catch up and join the party. Couldn't get my rickety old 747 to start for the hop across the Atlantic. The team, in the drowsy grip of jet lag and the tranquility of the Dik Dik gardens, barely noticed my absence. Today was a day of rest and recovery... and of preparation for a great adventure. Eleven of us introduced ourselves and began the fun "work" of building a climbing team. We went through the various details of packing and getting organized for a journey through multiple climatic zones and a hoped for shot at the 19,340 ft high point of Africa. With just a few wonderful meals together, we're well on our way to being spoiled by the kitchen and dining staff at the Hotel. Our intention is to break away from all of this luxury in the morning...To get on the road by 7 AM, with the hope of being walking a few hours later. It will be great to replace the images of crowded airports and long security lines with visions of paths in lush forests and glimpses of distant snow-capped peaks.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide
Dave Hahn & Team
RMI Guides Casey Grom and Leon Davis along with their
Four Day Summit Climbs remained at Camp Muir overnight due to high winds. The teams were unable to make a summit attempt and will start their descent from Camp Muir later this morning. We look forward to seeing the teams at BaseCamp later today.
9:00 am PST
Guide Casey Grom checked in with the RMI office. With a bit of a break in the weather the team was going to take a walk on the upper mountain and plan to depart Camp Muir at around 11:30 am today.
The
Four Day Summit Climb teams led by
RMI Guides Jake Beren and Mike King turned around at Camp Comfort on Mt. Rainier this morning. While climbing, the teams encountered moderate winds and knee to thigh deep snow. We look forward to greeting the climbers in Ashford this afternoon.
RMI Guides Brent Okita and Zeb Blais lead their
Four Day Summit Climb teams to approximately 11,400 on the Disappointment Cleaver route before turning around due to avalanche danger higher on the route.
The teams returned to Camp Muir and will begin their descent to Paradise this morning. We look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Poor visibility, high winds and heavy precipitation forced the
Five Day Summit Climb led by
Lindsay Mann to stay at Camp Muir last night and they were unable to make a summit attempt. Camp Muir received about 6 – 8 inches of new snow. Lindsay and team will be packing up and starting their descent back to Paradise shortly. We expect the team to arrive back at Basecamp in the early afternoon.
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Keep on going and stay safe!
Posted by: Elese on 9/6/2015 at 8:56 am
Congrats on hitting the 15,000 Mark. The best is yet to come. Stay strong!
Posted by: Jackie on 9/5/2015 at 10:10 pm
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