Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Greetings friends and family. Today marks the start of our great African adventure to climb
Mount Kilimanjaro. It's with much excitement that the team has finally come together here in Tanzania at the beautiful Arumeru River Lodge.
Although some of the team braved long 20+ hour flights from home in getting here, others took advantage of being this far from home to enjoy time in Amsterdam, Monaco and Tuscany before arriving. A few folks just arrived early to the hotel and were able to relax by the pool after what can be an exhausting trans continental flight.
The wonderful staff at our hotel restaurant even stayed open late when the last of the crew didn't get here from the airport until 10:30 pm last night. We're off to a great start as we prepare for a full morning tomorrow. We'll review our itinerary and what we can expect on the mountain, and then do a thorough equipment check to make sure we have everything necessary to have a fantastic expedition as we scale the heights Kilimanjaro over the course of the next seven days.
Following a bustling morning we'll be treated to a relaxing afternoon before we get underway the following day. Mmm... a cold drink by the pool might just be the ticket to rid myself of the last of my jet lag.
We'll talk again soon,
RMI Guide Brent Okita
The normally intimidating
Barranco Wall wasn’t so intimidating for my team today. We cruised up it. Perhaps it was because we all got pretty good sleep in Barranco Camp last night. Or it might have been Bruno’s outstanding 8 AM breakfast. Maybe we were energized by the staff breaking into a spirited singing and dancing session in honor of our 9 AM departure. In any case we set off up the network of lava ledges and gullies and none of the team seemed the least bit concerned with the drop-offs and consequences for mis-steps. Nobody puzzled over how to pull up onto the next ledge or on how to let porters with loads squeeze by in such tight spaces. We were up the whole thing in 90 minutes and joking about going back down to do it again. The morning had started out clear but we were in familiar clouds from the top of the wall all the way to Karanga Camp which we reached by about 12:30 PM. Our crew blew us away with another excellent lunch and a well-built camp for us to relax in at 13,100 ft. The clouds fell away just before sunset, enabling us to see Kibo shining and majestic with recent snow. The winds got going a little around camp as we ate dinner and sheltered in the dining tent. With it a little on the cold side, we were inclined to linger a bit longer over hot tea for an after-dinner storytelling session before bed.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
The
Four Day Summit Climb July 26 - 29 teams led by
RMI Guides Mike Haugen and
Pete Van Deventer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Pete reported that 100% of climbers and guides in both teams reached Columbia Crest. Mike reported warm temperatures and light winds.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
The Mt. Baker North Ridge team led by RMI Guide Mike Walter just checked in from the summit of Mt Baker!. This team of experienced climbers ascended Mt. Baker via the challenging North Ridge route. Mike reported that the team is doing well, and will be starting their descent after enjoying the views from the summit.
Congratulations Team!
Heather and Brian saw the Lunar Eclipse last night, just before midnight. A few of us ventured out between 2 AM and four, but it was a done deal. Nothing to see except a big moon and stars and planets and a mountainside full of glaciers and snowfields glowing in the dark. The light show continued when we met for coffee at 6:30 with the last of the moon in the West and the first bit of sun in the East turning Kibo’s cloudcap orange.
We got walking at 8 AM in excellent cool and clear conditions. The terrain was easier on this day, and the path was plenty wide as we gradually gained altitude. We kept track of the changing vegetation as we climbed, going from sage-like brush mixed with juniper in the heather and moorland zone to the sparse and spare grasses and mosses of the alpine desert zone. Philip led the team past their previous high points to set a bunch of new altitude records at the 15,200 ft lava tower. There, after a leisurely lunch right up close under Kibo’s steep cliffs and ice fields, we began our descent-ultimately into the extraordinary gardens of the
Barranco Valley. Clouds overtook us for a time, but as we pressed onward and downward we earned clearing skies again and striking views of the giant mountain, the giant senecios, and the giant lobelias. Our staff treated the team to a rousing rendition of the beloved Jambo song as we came into our 13,000 ft camp. After seven hours on the trail it was time for some comfortable afternoon lounging in the tents. Chef Bruno cooked up yet another amazing mountain dinner and we ate like kings. We all stood still for a few minutes coming out of the dining tent to ooh and ahhh in the dark. The planets and stars were joined tonight by the lights from the town of Moshi, twinkling down below.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Justin and I had a great trip in Boston Basin. We summited shark fin tower via se ridge then traversed the Boston Glacier to the North Ridge of Forbidden, camped there and ascended forbidden via North West face. We descended the West Ridge, camped at the high bivy, then climbed the South Ridge of Aguille De. Awesome adventure!
RMI Guide Zeb Blais
RMI Guide Steve Gately called in from the Summit of Mt. Shuksan. The team reached the summit via the
Fisher Chimneys route. The team climb strong and efficiently making it possible climb the summit pyramid in 45 minutes. The weather was clear, but smoke from wildfires did fill the air. The team is on their descent and headed back to their high camp where they will spend the evening, tomorrow they will trek out returning to Glacier, WA.
Congratulations to today's team!
The
Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides Mike King and Hannah McGowan reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team started their climb in the clouds, but these quickly subsided to provide clear skies and a beautiful views from the top. The team has started their descent and will be returning to Rainier Basecamp early this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's team!
The clouds stayed with us through much of the night at Machame Camp, but it was a treat to wake to clearing skies and our first views of Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s central peak- rising to impossible heights in the distance. We set out at 8 AM on a steeper and rockier track than yesterday’s trail. It was as if we were on an endless staircase through a forest of giant heather. We could see a layer of cloud a thousand feet below us, stretching to the horizons, and there was some cloud up near the top of Kibo, but we were in the clear for big chunks of our journey. Our climb ended up being along the spine of a ridge radiating out -like a spoke in a wheel- from the central peak. We began a leftward traverse toward the
Shira Plateau when the clouds caught up with us, making things a bit murky, but not as damp as our cloud-walking yesterday. At 12,000 feet, we began to pick out the giant senecios and lobelias endemic to Kilimanjaro and we got used to the large white-necked ravens performing crazy aerial maneuvers and waddling around on the ground to scavenge for food. By 1 PM we walked into our new camp at Shira at 12,500 ft and quickly got settled. Most enjoyed a good afternoon nap following lunch, but we all came out to watch the sunset and moonrise before dinner. Luckily the clouds faded away again and we could easily pick out Venus, Jupiter and Mars in the brilliant sky. Kibo was lit up magically by the moonlight. Word is that a lunar eclipse will occur between 2AM and 4AM tonight and several of the team vowed to take advantage of their lingering jet lag to get up and witness such a thing in this memorable setting.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The
Four Day Summit Climb Teams led by RMI Guides Casey Grom and Andy Bond reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Casey reported clear skies with very light winds and a fantastic climbing route. The team has started their descent and are en-route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
First thing in the morning at look up what your doing. Feel a little like we are
there with you. Stay safe.
Posted by: kay and dick seubert on 7/30/2018 at 7:38 am
Kevin: We are enjoying reading about your journey. Hope you are having the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy and stay safe!
Posted by: Connie on 7/30/2018 at 6:06 am
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