Entries from Expedition Dispatches
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides
Elias deAndres Martos and
Leon Davis reached the Summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Elias reported beautiful clear skies, but very cold temperatures.
Congratulations to today's team!
Our ridiculously fine weather continues. The morning in
Shira Camp was calm and clear. There wasn't so much as a hint of any cloud or wind up on the heights of Kibo and for the first time, the sea of cloud below us wasn't complete. We could actually see bits of Africa far below. We got walking at 8:25. This was easier terrain than yesterday's rock-hopping. Just steady uphill strolling through low desert-style vegetation. We got closer and closer to Kibo and at 12:30 PM we reached our high point for the day. Fifteen thousand two hundred feet above sea level shattered altitude records for all but two of our ten person team. We celebrated with a rest break, some fist bumping and photos. Then it was time to get rid of altitude as we worked down toward the Barranco Valley. The scenery was outrageous as we crept under the ice fields, hanging glaciers and giant rock walls of Kibo's south side. Eventually we found our way down into the crazy vegetation again -giant Scenecios and Lobelias caught our attention as did the waterfalls and caves in the lava layers. We were in another perfect camp built at 13,000 ft below the great Barranco Wall. Afternoon weather was found to be just as perfect as the morning. All are hoping for a good night of sleep before the morning's wall climb.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
We woke to a calm and clear morning down at
Machame Camp. The sun hit around 7:30 AM, just in time for breakfast. Before we got on the trail, Freddy -our lead guide, introduced some of the key personnel on his forty five person staff and we had a round of jambos and handshakes.
We were walking by 8:20 and sweating by about 8:30 as the initial route involved some serious uphill on big rock steps through the heather. The big hazard in our first few hours was that the views were so spectacular I worried that the team wouldn't watch their steps. There was plenty to look at as giant Mount Meru -the 16,000 ft volcano back next to Arusha, was standing tall above a sea of clouds to our west. That sea of brilliant white clouds extended in every direction, beneath us. We had great views of Kibo, Kilimanjaro's main peak, and the rugged heights of Shira, its western satellite. We got to see our first Lobelias and Scenecios as we reached the upper limits of the heather. By then we were traversing left and negotiating small steep lava walls on our way out to the Shira Plateau. We were in our newest camp by 1PM. This one is quite a change from the last as we are now well out of the forest. Kibo never did cloud up today so we got to look at it all afternoon as we rested at 12,600 ft. We'll head straight toward it tomorrow for a closer look at our ultimate goal.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
RMI Guides Billy Nugent and Ben Like led their
Four Day Summit Climb teams to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Billy radioed at 7:30 am as the teams were approaching the crater rim. The report was clear skies and winds 15 mph from the North.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Jambo from 9,900 ft on
Mount Kilimanjaro. We are happily bedded down at Machame Camp after a great day of walking. The day began with the team shuffling duffle bags back and forth in the dark on the grounds of the Dik Dik. We were eating breakfast at 6:30 AM and then we actually drove out of the hotel compound at 7:28 AM...An unbelievable and unprecedented two minutes ahead of schedule. Our mighty Mercedes truck/bus carried food, gear and a huge number of climbers and staff. It was quite cloudy, so we didn't get to see the mountain during the two hour drive. But we saw plenty of interest along the highway, from villages to towns to cornfields, banana and coffee farms. At the Machame entrance to the National Park, there was the normal hurry up and wait process of getting the team registered and the porter loads sorted. By 11 AM it was all done and we got to start walking. Naturally -in terms of altitude- this was our low point for the day...6000 ft, but all agreed that it was an emotional high point. It just felt so good to start walking uphill through a forest after all the planning, preparing, travel and jet lag. The team did well with Filbert -one of our local guides- setting a perfect "pole pole" pace. (Slow in Swahili). After a couple of hours, we were out from under the clouds and all were surprised and pleased to see Kibo -Kilimanjaro's main peak- through a break in the trees. The forest transformed as we got higher and at 4:30 we pulled into a well built camp in the giant heather. We moved in -grateful at all the work our staff had put in. We sat for an excellent three course dinner just after sunset and told stories into the darkness.
We finished with a round of "lala salamas". (Sleep well) and turned in for the night.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide
Dave Hahn & Team
By three this morning, my team of prospective Kili climbers was all present and accounted for on the fringes of
Arusha, Tanzania. Eleven of us spent the day getting ready for a week on the move. As is normal with my groups, the team stifled yawns and feigned great interest as I conducted our introductory meeting after a fine Dik Dik Hotel breakfast. They claimed "jet lag" was the culprit rather than my rambling on. Possibly. We're a good ten hours removed from some west coast US homes now.
After the briefing, it was time for personal equipment checks and packing for an early departure. This left a good chunk of the afternoon for the gang to relax, to walk the garden-like grounds of the hotel, and to periodically climb the water tower to see if Kilimanjaro was out. She was, by evening... faintly... and floating like a cloud in the distance. As we organized, the local guides and kitchen staff had the much bigger job of packing the food and gear for the trip. It was impressive as always to see lead guide Freddy Kilewo out there making order of the chaos. He has about fifty people to plan for, between porters, camp staff, clients and guides. He makes it all look easy.
We'll begin walking the Machame route tomorrow and coming to grips with this challenge that many have been dreaming and scheming about for years. But this evening it is time to enjoy a send-off feast and a last night in a bed... even with jet lag, we all know it is a good deal.
Best Regards,
Dave Hahn and Team
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide
Casey Grom and
Robby Young turned at 13,800' due to high winds and route conditions. The team has has started their descent and are en route back to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
RMI Guide JJ Justman called at 7:05 a.m. The
Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams were beginning their descent from the crater rim! The weather on the summit was a bit windy but clear skies made for nice views in every direction.
Congratulations to today's summit climbers!
Our
Four Day Summit Climb teams for August 17 - 20 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The teams enjoyed beautiful weather with clear skies and a lots of bright moon light. After spending time in the crater, they started their descent. As of 7:00 am PT,
RMI Guides Elias de Andres Martos and Mike King reported that they were descending Disappointment Cleaver. We look forward to greeting the teams at BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today Summit Climbers!
We packed up
Pisco Base Camp this morning and headed back to the trail head. Everyone is ready for some solid rest and is welcoming the return to civilization, but it's been a fun couple weeks of climbing. The views we've seen and the adventures we've shared are going to stick with the team for a while.
Tonight we celebrate a successful trip and pack our bags one last time. We'll be heading out to catch planes back home tomorrow evening.
Thanks for following along!
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
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Yay!!! Stephen Roberts!!! I’m pretty sure this is YOUR team….so YAY…..YOU DID IT!
Congratulations to all of you! So proud of this achievement!
Posted by: Diane Roberts on 8/25/2016 at 12:04 pm
Wonderful achievement, Andrew Williams! I’m sure it was a memorable, but exhausting, experience.
Posted by: David on 8/25/2016 at 8:20 am
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