As I write, the band is cranking here at the Dik Dik. We had a great departure from the mountain this morning with perfect weather.....again.
What a packed week we had up on the Roof of Africa?! To be a guest in a foreign county is something special and this group shined at embracing the local staff as friends, not just someone for hire. The local staff were all so much a part of our success; it was tough to say goodbye. The time you spend on these big mountains is extreme in many ways and you always learn something about yourself and others. It's a special and hard to describe experience.
Tomorrow we will continue to cut a swath through Tanzania as we head over to Lake Manyara National Park for our first day on safari. We're pumped!
Don't forget to kiss the Blarney before you're next adventure!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Congratulations to the invincible group of 10! We have been reading about your progress with great interest and are glad to know all went well with the climb (not that there was any doubt!). Can’t wait to see all of your photos and hear first hand from you about all of your African adventures. Cheers! Courtney and Carl
Posted by: Courtney Bergeron on 7/15/2015 at 11:00 am
Team!!! What a great group you have been to all who have helped this climb be so successful. It speaks volumes for who you all are as human beings. How wonderful these folks from different cultures helped you all to achieve a goal of a lifetime. So thankful for them and all of ya’ll. Prayers for continued safety as you continue to experience a different beauty of Africa!! Hugs, Edi and Tim
Hello! Today our team had a great day acclimatizing on Peak Cheget. We had gorgeous views of Mt. Elbrus the whole way up and we are excited to head on up to the mountain tomorrow. Here is a video of our day. Enjoy!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Hey everybody, this is Casey Grom checking in from the Kilimanjaro Climb. Just wanted to let you know that everyone's doing great today. Today was our big move. Today we left the Dik Dik Lodge and actually headed to Kilimanjaro itself. We drove for about an hour and a half to get to the park entrance where we spent a little bit of time getting our gear sorted and getting all our porters together and getting signed in. After all that was taking care of, we had a nice, leisurely hike, where we gained about 4,000 ft today as we hiked up to Machame Camp. So the entrance is at about 6,000 feet and we hiked up to just a touch under 10,000 ft and everyone's feeling great and doing really well.
The weather today was incredibly nice. We had mostly and overcast day which is really, really enjoyable for hiking as it kept the temperatures down. Just as we were pulling in the camp, we did get a small break and we got see a little bit of the upper mountain and some of the glaciers up high on Kilimanjaro. That was a pleasant surprise for everybody.
We just wrapped up our dinner and everyone is crawling into our tents. And by the sounds of it, I'm guessing we're gonna have quite a few folks sleeping well tonight. I think everyone worked hard and looking forward to [transmission lost].
RMI Guide Casey Grom
RMI Guide Casey Grom checks in after a successful first day on Kilimanjaro.
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Walter Hails and the Five Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Zeb Blais reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams enjoyed warm, sunny skies on the summit before beginning their descent around 7:30 am. We look forward to seeing the teams back in Ashford this afternoon.
Congratulations climbers!
Our team reached the summit of Kilimanjaro this morning in good style and we have now arrived at Mweka Camp at 10,000 ft for our last night here on Kilimanjaro. This group I have had the pleasure to climb with excelled in all phases while on the mountain. I have a high level of confidence they will be able to handle phase two, our game viewing safari. But for now we will enjoy a well deserved night's rest and tomorrow make our way down the to the trail head.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Congratulations to all of you - what a great family outing - much bigger than the usual picnic. Thanks to your dad for making this experience and these memories possible and for bringing all of you along in the great mountaineering tradition he loves. Have a safe trip down. Love, Meg
Hello everyone and welcome to RMI's second Kilimanjaro's trip of the season.
The team arrived late last night after our very long and tiring flights from the U.S. We were greeted by the wonderful staff from the Dik Dik Lodge with warm smiles and a little champagne to toast our arrival.
After a short and quiet ride to our lodge we had a quick dinner then headed off to bed to catch up on some much needed sleep.
The team met this morning at breakfast with fresh fruits, homemade bread and jam, and plenty of good Tanzanian coffee.
We then got together for a formal round of introductions and an overview of the upcoming adventure. We discussed our plan for the climb and made sure everyone has all the necessary gear to keep us safe and warm on Kilimanjaro.
After a short break some team members took a short stroll on the beautiful grounds hoping to catch sight of some of the monkeys that often visit and some even managed to spot Kilimanjaro in a break in the clouds. The rest of us did a little packing and caught up on a little more sleep to help get adjusted to the big time difference.
We have just wrapped up an amazing five-course meal with great conversations, and everyone is squared away and looking forward to hitting the trail tomorrow as well as stretching the legs a bit.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hello RMI Blog followers,
This is Team Russia coming at you live from the little town of Cheget. And as usual it was a fun adventure just to get here. The team was up early to head to the airport in Moscow where we hopped on our jet that flew us to Mineralnye Vody, known for its abundant mineral springs. But we are not on a spa retreat! We're climbing!
We jumped on our private transfer bus that shuttled us to this quaint little ski town. And upon arrival I was greeted with hugs and smiles from all my friends here that have assisted us over all these years. It's a long day of travel so the team just kicked back and took in the mountain views that we've been desperately waiting for. Finally!! We are in the mountains and the incredible mountain, Mt. Elbrus is a hop, skip and a jump away!
RMI Guide JJ Justman
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Jake Beren reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team spent some time on the summit before starting their descent at 9:47am. Jake reported light winds and warm temps at the top of the mountain, with a cloud deck around 11,000'.
Congratulations to today's team!
Sunday July 12th 7:41 pm PT
The team woke at midnight to cloud and light snow at 11,000 ft. We got up and rallied anyway, packing and eating a hot breakfast. We set off into the murk at around 2:30 AM and snowshoed for several hours by Braille in the whiteout. Finally we got a little visibility down at 8000 ft, the base of Ski Hill. The glacier surface didn't freeze up last night and so we had some nervous moments crossing soft and saggy crevasse bridges. One of our team went neck-deep in a complicated hole just below Mt. Francis - one of the very last crevasses we had to deal with, actually. We plucked him from the ice, but not without a fair bit of grunting and cursing and straining at the ropes. Then it was a simple but strenuous uphill climb to the old site of basecamp (there is nothing there now -which is normal in late season). Quite literally, we'd just put our packs down, at around 11:40 AM, when two beautiful K2 Aviation ski otters landed and took us to Talkeetna. The afternoon was a busy one, drying and sorting everything around the K2 hangar and connecting to the world again. We'll have a victory dinner tonight at the West Rib, perhaps with a toast or two thrown in. And then we look forward to a comfortable night's sleep at the Talkeetna Motel. Tomorrow we'll leave each other and be out on our own for the first time in three weeks.
Thanks very much for keeping track of our climb.
Until Next Time,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Gary/Team Hahn: Congratulations on a safe and exciting trip. Finish strong. Enjoy the moments of satisfaction that mother nature has provided and allowed.
We’ll look forward to hearing all about it.
Now get eastward bound to St Louis. No hitchhiking, no motorcycles, and no sleeping in the wooods. All the best,
Chip
Posted by: Chip Sniffin on 7/13/2015 at 6:11 am
Thanks Dave Hahn and your co-guides for excellent job!!! I am so happy your expedition is safe now and saying goodbye&luck; to each other :-)
There are many exciting aspects to this adventure in Russia. And today certainly was one of them. Our team enjoyed a beautiful day exploring the rich history and culture of Moscow. Svetlana was our city tour guide and she whisked us around town explaining so many things it is hard to remember. I do though remember how cool the Kremlin is as well as Red Square. We visited Cathedral after Cathedral where the artistry will take your breath away. It was enough that when it was over I had to pass out and take a siesta! Now, our team is refreshed and we are looking forward to another great evening in town. However, it will be back to business soon as we plan on departing tomorrow for the mountain.
RMI Guide JJ Justman
Congratulations to the invincible group of 10! We have been reading about your progress with great interest and are glad to know all went well with the climb (not that there was any doubt!). Can’t wait to see all of your photos and hear first hand from you about all of your African adventures. Cheers! Courtney and Carl
Posted by: Courtney Bergeron on 7/15/2015 at 11:00 am
Team!!! What a great group you have been to all who have helped this climb be so successful. It speaks volumes for who you all are as human beings. How wonderful these folks from different cultures helped you all to achieve a goal of a lifetime. So thankful for them and all of ya’ll. Prayers for continued safety as you continue to experience a different beauty of Africa!! Hugs, Edi and Tim
Posted by: Edi Cronin on 7/14/2015 at 7:37 pm
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