Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Hello again everyone:
Things are good here on
Kilimanjaro and the team is doing great!
Today started like the last few, beautiful and clear and then slowly clouded up as the day went on.
We left camp a little later today to allow the many porters to hit the trail before us as we had our only major obstacle right out of camp. This obstacle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000 feet and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require our hands to help us climb up. The team did great and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
After reaching the top we took a nice break but were unable to enjoy the amazing views due to the gathering clouds. Nonetheless we continued our hike for a few more hours before reaching camp.
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in our tents and playing a few games of cribbage!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Robby Young and Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team climbed into a cloud cap with cold and blustery skies. The team spend a short amount of time on the summit before starting their descent.
Today also marks the 100th successful climb of Mt. Rainier for RMI Guide Zeb Blais!
Congratulations Zeb and Team!
Jambo Everyone.
All is well here on
Kilimanjaro!
Once again we woke to beautifully clear skies with even better views of Kili and clouds obscuring the valleys below. Our morning ritual has been waking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dining tent for quite the feast. Normally there is fresh fruit, fried eggs, bacon, and plenty of hot coffee awaiting us, obviously we’re being spoiled up here by our wonderful staff!
We hit the trail once again around 8:00 am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15-minute break, then back on the trail for another hour. All total today we hiked for just over six hours before reaching camp which is set up and ready for us.
Along the way we passed around the famous and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000ft, setting new altitude records for some and we also chatted with a few other climbers who are on the same schedule with us. All in all it was a really nice day with clouds gathering in the afternoon to help keep the temperature comfortable for hiking.
That’s all for now.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
7:58 AM PT
Hi this is Bryan calling from the
Mt. Baker Coleman-Demming climb. We went up and over the Roman Wall and the team is celebrating on the summit as we speak. We have beautiful conditions, calm winds, sunny and reasonably clear. We have great views of the North Cascades, Glacier Peak and Mt. Rainier from a distance. We are enjoying our break up here and we will spend a little bit more time. We have a solid effort to get back to our camp at Hog’s Back. Everyone is doing great. When we get back to camp we will pack up and eventually we will head out back to Glacier. We will wrap of the trip with a celebration with pizza and beer. IT’s been a solid effort by the team, we are super proud of everyone. Thanks for following.
RMI Guide Bryan Mazaika
The
Four Day Summit Climb September 3 - 6 led by
RMI Guides Brent Okita and
JT Schmitt were walking up Columbia Crest just before 7 AM PT today. Brent reported a beautiful day and great climb. They will enjoy some time in the crater before starting their descent. Once back at Camp Muir they will repack and continue down to Paradise. They will end their program with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's summit climb teams!
RMI Guide Andy Bond and his
Shuksan Seminar team all reached the summit! Andy reported great weather with a little smoke south of them. The team arrived back to camp in the afternoon. They will be training tomorrow and ending their seminar on Friday.
Hello again Everyone
It’s been a bit cloudy the last few days, but 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 climbs up onto the Shira Plateau. We hiked a little more that four hours to reach our next camp arriving shortly before the clouds returned and a light drizzle started.
Everyone enjoyed the warmth of the sun and the views of the valleys below as we continued slowly moving upward.
We are currently relaxing in our camp enjoying good conversations and stories from team members.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!
On The Map
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
Hello Everyone -
We awoke early today and left behind the comforts of our beautiful lodge and have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. Starting shortly before 8am we drove along the rural country side for two hours to reach the Kilimanjaro National 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 savanna that Tanzania is known for. The base of Kilimanjaro is more 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 loads for our porters to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail. The team hiked for a little over 5 hours to reach our camp for the night. Everyone did great and enjoyed finally getting some much needed exercise.
After settling in the team was served a nice warm meal and then headed off to bed for a nice full night of rest.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb August 2 - 5 led by
RMI Guides Dave Hahn and
Chris Ebeling reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today around 7:30 AM. Dave reported a beautiful day on the mountain. The team will spend some time in the crater and enjoying the views. They will return to Camp Muir and continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon. Their program will conclude with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
The
Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams, led by RMI Guides
Christina Dale and
Chase Nelson, are currently on their descent from the summit. It took them 6 1/2 hours from Camp Muir to reach the top. The teams are enjoying perfect weather and we look forward to congratulating them at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon!
Congratulations on summiting Kiliminjaro!! That makes for a great birthday and how lucky am I
to get the phone call from the summit!! Can’t wait to talk to you, enjoy the climb down.
Megan
Posted by: Megan Martin on 9/9/2018 at 6:12 am
Wow! Great work…. I’m better at home in the Florida Keys with maximum elevation 12 feet :) Take it to the top Alysia, Emily and gang!
Posted by: Sandy Moret on 9/8/2018 at 6:13 am
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