Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
There was plenty of debate last night as to whether the tent fabric of our accommodations at Balloon Camp would keep out leopards and lions. But nobody showed up for breakfast this morning with visible scarring. In fact, we each slept quite well in the deep quiet of Tarangire National Park at night. We got going at first light today, with Francis and Ibrahim taking the Toyotas down by the giant marsh on the Eastern border of Tarangire. We covered a lot of ground along the edge of the wetlands. At times, there were no animals apparent and we had to settle for the physical beauty of the place itself. At other times, we bumped into four hundred skittish Cape Buffalo, galloping along -raising a dust cloud- and looking warily about for whatever might be chasing them. We saw plenty of good eagles and even a fascinating set of Eagle/Owls -a mom and her offspring- eating their breakfast on a tree branch. We looked everywhere for big cats but failed miserably at that, having to content ourselves with wall to wall elephants and giraffes, wildebeest and zebra along with majestic baobab trees. We’d made our way to the main gate of the park by 11:15 AM and had to tear ourselves away from Tarangire and get on the road back toward Arusha. We stopped at the city’s edge to check out the cultural heritage museum and shop before cruising through Sunday traffic to the Arumeru River Lodge. There was time then for showers and repacking and a pleasant early dinner before we boarded a bus for the airport. Most of the team started their journey homeward tonight. We said fond farewells as we diverged. I -for one- am sticking around for round 2, another climb and another safari, but that will all begin soon. For now I’m still thinking of the adventure and the challenges of the past two weeks and the fine team we became in enduring (and enjoying) it all.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Robby Young, Nikki Champion, Bryce Foster
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb August 2 - 5 reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today with 100% of their team! RMI Guides Robby Young, Nikki Champion and Bryce Foster lead their team to the summit of Mt. Rainier around 6:30 AM PT. The team enjoyed a beautiful morning on the mountain with clear skies and good temps. They began their descent from the crater rim around 7:30 AM.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!
Saturday, August 4, 2018 - 10:02 PM PT
Hey, this is Brent with the RMI Kilimanjaro Climb. We just got off the summit of Kilimanjaro here about 45 minutes ago. We are taking a quick break and going to head on down. We have had beautiful skies clear and sunny skies, but a bit of a wind. It has been a little nasty and hard for that part. But the team did really, really, well.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
RMI Guide Brent Okita calls after team reaches summit of Kilimanjaro.
On The Map
Hi Love the Blog! Think I have finally figured out how to leave a message! ❤️
Posted by: Rilda Perdue on 8/5/2018 at 10:55 am
May God continue to guide and bless y’all on your adventures to reach the skies!
Much love,
Tia Becky
Girly
Posted by: Rebeca Woods on 8/5/2018 at 8:57 am
Posted by: Jess Matthews, Jessie Poquerusse, Dustin Wittmier
Categories: Expedition Dispatches North Cascades
Elevation: 5,900'
We had a beautiful walk into camp today. Temps were cool, the bugs left us alone, and we made smooth work with heavy packs. We were greeted by a blanket of wildflowers and the sound of waterfalls as we made our way above the tree line into camp at the edge of the Coleman Glacier. Everyone is feeling good and settling in to camp life here at 5,900’. We’ll take advantage of a full night of sleep before beginning our training tomorrow on the slopes around camp in preparation for our summit climb.
RMI Guides Jess Matthews, Jessie Poquerusse, Dustin Wittmier and Team.
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We made a couple of stops along the route from the Plantation Lodge in the high country to Tarangire National Park down in the Rift Valley. We checked out a Maasai village where we saw traditional dances and chanting. The tribesmen showed us their method for building fire without matches and took us into their small huts to answer questions about the traditions that they follow. We then drove down to a busy afternoon in Tarangire. We began seeing elephants, right form the start. Herds of them... big family groups and gangs of bulls. Impalas, zebra and gnus were everywhere. We developed an eye for lilac breasted rollers and for vultures and snake eagles. Although we roamed over miles and miles of twisty, turny dirt roads, we didn’t see cats today... no lions, no leopards, no cheetahs. All the animals we did see had no problem whatsoever with the lack of cats though. As the sun began to sink, we pulled into Balloon Camp where our room assignments were “tent cabins” and where we needed to request an armed escort to get over to the lobby and dining area. We are still within the park and there aren’t any fences. There is a good deal of natural beauty though. Just after sunset, we watched “bush television” (a campfire) and gazed up at the Southern Cross and the Milky Way. Then we laughed through another fine dinner together and got ready for a final night in Africa.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Geez!!! What an excellent trip!! You are the best Dave!!
Safe travels home to the team!
Aunt Vicki and Nana and Shawn
Posted by: Aunt Vicki on 8/5/2018 at 6:16 am
Posted by: Eric Frank, Steve Gately
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb Teams checked in at 7:40 AM as they were leaving the summit crater of Mt. Rainier. The group enjoyed blue skies and a really nice morning on the mountain.
Once they return to Camp Muir they will repack and continue their descent to Paradise. They will end their program with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
What a fantastic early Birthday gift Bob !! You made it, way to go. Love you
Posted by: Barbara on 8/4/2018 at 4:44 pm
Congratulations to all of you , what a great experience. So proud Bob
Posted by: Barbara on 8/4/2018 at 4:41 pm
The last hill into camp at 15,200' saw everyone rest stepping and pressure breathing almost religiously. Whether we felt good or were struggling just a little, we all knew by this time what was required to feel as good as possible to do well at this altitude.
It was perfect to have our shortest day coincide with our going to our highest camp. A new altitude record for most everybody! Surprisingly, no headaches have been reported yet, a testament to how well folks are taking care of themselves.
In the first few minutes that we were at camp, our mountain staff had our tents up and shortly thereafter had the dining tent up. An hour later our chef Tosha had amazingly whipped up lunch: French fries, sauteed chicken and vegetables, followed by a dessert of orange slices and his incredible chocolate bar creation.
Hey you chefs out there, celebrity or not, you don't hold a candle to Tosha. What he does on a couple of propane burners with one assistant at 15,000' is magic!
This afternoon we're getting ready for our summit climb, packing what we can and being as organized as possible for our push off just after midnight. Folks descending from the summit today commented on how nice the day was up there. I have a feeling we'll have similar conditions.
Wish us luck, and I'll try to get out a voice dispatch from the summit.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We bounced along rough dirt roads in the Landcruisers as sunrise came on. It was the rare clear and dry morning up on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater and we were thrilled with the views into the giant caldera. The air was crisp and cool as we made our way down in, fully on the lookout for critters. We began to see countless Cape buffalo, gazillions of gazelles, and absurd numbers of zebra. We saw a set of lions getting frisky between catnaps. Big solitary bull elephants marched to and fro in the distance. Hippos were relatively hyper, moving from one mud bog to another and performing barrel rolls in the soup. Ostriches and Kori Bustards strutted about. We saw hyenas and jackals, wart hogs and a few thousand gnu. A picnic lunch and some French pressed fresh coffee prepared us for a final flurry of game viewing. We saw a lone and distant rhino to make it a “big four day” (elephant+lion+Cape buffalo+rhino = The big five minus a leopard) and then Ibrahim and Francis expertly piloted the Landcruisers up the steep switchback road to the 8,500 feet crater rim and we headed back to the tranquility of the Plantation Lodge in late afternoon.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi DAVE,
We are back at it!! Ready for safari!!
I live the facial hair Brian!!❤️
Posted by: Aunt Vicki on 8/3/2018 at 6:08 pm
Day 4 and we're knocking on the summit door of this mountain. This morning we scaled the Barranco Wall right out of camp. Ditching the trekking poles so we can use our hands to better grasp the rock on this steep part of the climb the team moved like pros. Exclamations of how much fun the climbing was was universal. Yes, we had to wait several times for groups of porters to pass by, but no one was complaining of the chance to catch our breath. Plus, it was a chance for us to appreciate the coordination and athleticism of these folks as they negotiate this steep terrain, balancing 32 pound duffels of gear on their heads.
Our high point was never more than 14,000' as we traversed up and down several drainage to come around to the SE side of Kilimanjaro where our camp is situated. During this slow walk we were constantly rewarded with magnificent views of this special place.
Today was also a day of solidifying the acclimatization gains of yesterday before we venture to our high camp tomorrow. Measuring our oxygen saturation levels this morning indicate that everybody is doing great! But we already knew that just based on how well we're all walking.
We're excited to get to high camp!
We'll be back in touch tomorrow from 15,200' camp.
RMI Guide Brent Okita
On The Map
RMI Guide Pete Van Deventer and the Mt. Baker Easton Glacier August 1 - 3 team reached the summit this morning around 6:30 AM PT with 100% of their team members.
The team will make a complete descent today and conclude their program this afternoon.
Congratulations to the team!
Woohoo! Way to go team! Thank you so much for all your amazing support of the American Lung Association and Climb for Clean Air! See you at the trailhead!
Posted by: Evan Lepine on 8/3/2018 at 10:09 am
Congratulations! Can’t wait to see pictures!
Posted by: Jane on 8/3/2018 at 9:06 am
Katy, hooray for you!! We are so proud of you!! Love Mom &Dad;
Posted by: Penny Bowman on 8/7/2018 at 6:36 pm
Uncle Matt rocks! Go Blue!!
Love, Sarah &Autumn;
Posted by: Jen on 8/6/2018 at 4:11 pm
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