Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we were climbing down a giant volcano, tired, grimy and hoping our strength would hold out. Today we were squeaky clean, comfortable, road-tripping, touristing and game-viewing.
And it was great. We drove out of the Dik Dik and Arusha around 9 this morning and made our way -in two souped-up Toyota Landcruisers- to Lake Manyara National Park. We enjoyed a tranquil and easy picnic lunch within the park with Zach acting as Chef while zebras and elephants wandered by. Then we went cruising with both vehicle roofs peeled open to allow standing and scanning for wildlife. Lake Manyara itself was stunning today, with seemingly a million pink flamingos, storks and pelicans working the water's surface and shores. We spied baboons, elephants, giraffes, mongeese (what the plural of mongooses really should be), zebra and wildebeests, along with a few shy hippos and eagles.
Before the sun set, we left the park and drove up on the rim of the great Rift Valley, looking out over the lake and a good chunk of East Africa. Our destination for the night was the Kirurumu Lodge and an extremely comfortable network of tent-cabins and fine dining. Tomorrow, we look forward to a full day of safari-life.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
RMI Guide Jake Beren and 100% of the Team reached the summit of Mt. Shuksan at 10:20am PT today. Jake reported great climbing conditions and beautiful weather. The team planned on spending some time on the summit enjoying the views before starting their descent back to camp.
Congratulations Team!
The Four Day Summit Climb August 2 - 5, 2014 with climbers from Eddie Bauer and led by RMI Guide Solveig Waterfall reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. Solveig reported light winds and great weather. As of 7:20 am the team was reaching the top of Disappointment Cleaver on their descent.
Congratulations to today's summit climb team!
Way to go Jason and Harumi! Congrats to all - Godspeed!
Posted by: SueWilliams on 8/5/2014 at 8:02 am
This is the Forbidden Peak - West Ridge team checking in for the day. We are at camp in Boston Basin enjoying beautiful weather. We will do some technical training this afternoon in preparation for our training climb up Sharkfin Tower tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Southside
Yesterday was a rest day for us in Cheget! Most of us took it easy, relaxed, packed up gear, and did a little exploring around the Baksan Valley. Rumor has it that a few trout were caught and cooked for lunch!
Today was our travel day from the mountain to St. Petersburg. It was a pretty long day with the four-hour bus ride to the airport and then a three-hour flight. It was a pretty uneventful day, but the team is doing very well. Everyone is happy to be here in this beautiful city and looking forward to our city tour tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Good job, Kim, Liz, and everybody! Be nice to the folks in St. Petersburg. Remember: you represent America.
Posted by: Eric Y. on 8/5/2014 at 9:19 am
You all look great. Hope you get a chance to see some of the Hermitage.
Posted by: Eddie & Shuyu on 8/4/2014 at 2:51 pm
Posted by: Jeff Martin, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Elbrus Northside
Hello from Kislovodsk,
As planned, we had an early start this morning, leaving our hotel at 5:45 to drive to the domestic airport. With all our bags checked we boarded the plane and flew south to Mineralyne Vody, the main airport in the Caucasus region. Then it was an hour drive to the resort town of Kislovodsk. Best known for its spas, many Russians come here to take a break from the big city life in Moscow. But we did not come here for the spas. We are here because it is the last town before we drive into the mountains. We spent the afternoon going through all of our gear, making sure we had everything needed for the climb and this team is ready.
Tomorrow we will finally see Elbrus for the first time as we approach Basecamp. We are all excited to be ending our travels and beginning the climb.
All the best,
RMI Guide Jeff Martin
Have a wonderful climb everyone! I hope you enjoy your 40th Birthday on this climb, John!
Posted by: Becky on 8/5/2014 at 7:56 am
Jess and team, have a great climb. Love you wiffie!! we are all doing well here.
Posted by: Hector on 8/5/2014 at 3:27 am
The day started with our local staff serenading the team with the "Jambo" song after breakfast. It was nice to see the strong and good men who've helped us so much this week all in one place, singing, dancing and able to receive our thanks for their great efforts. We then made an effort to get out of their way by leaving Mweka Camp and descending 4000 vertical feet to the Mweka gate to end our climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro. The low clouds didn't hold back for long before dropping light but steady rains on us and the already slippery track. The trail took us through a lush and seemingly impenetrable forest... I'm sure there was much to see, but mostly we concentrated on making careful steps and avoiding falls for a few hours. We were relieved to reach easier terrain for the home stretch. Since it was still raining at the Mweka Gate to the National Park, we didn't hang around long before loading onto our expedition bus/truck and hitting the road for Moshi. Halfway back to Arusha, in better weather, we stopped for a great picnic lunch. Then it was on to our comfortable home at the Dik Dik hotel where we all got a lot cleaner and a little more pleasant as we caught up on sleep and internet. We're heading for a celebration dinner now, which will double as a farewell to Brian and Brad who are abandoning us and heading home tomorrow as we set out for our much-anticipated game-viewing safari.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Jake Beren checked in from their 6,400' camp on Mt. Shuksan where they stayed last night. The team is planning to do some training today and spend another night at their current camp. They will be making their summit attempt tomorrow morning via the Sulphide Glacier.
Have a grand summit adventure, Sarah et al!
Posted by: Maggie on 8/4/2014 at 9:47 pm
I am very excited for all of you, I wish I could be up there to enjoy the beauty of the mountains. Congratulation and have the best day tomorrow. Best wishes Tom from your friend, Nikki
Posted by: Nikki P. on 8/4/2014 at 1:39 pm
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Seth Waterfall along with the Five Day Summit Climb led by Lindsay Fixmer reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams enjoyed some time on the summit with clear skies enjoying the views. The team began their descent and as of 7:45 am were on the top of Disappointment Cleaver en route to Camp Muir. The teams will take a short break to repack their gear and then start the final descent to Paradise.
We look forward to seeing the teams at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
Hello, this is ElÃas and the Machu Picchu trekking team. First of all, we want to apologize for the lack of communication yesterday, but we were in such a narrow valley that our satellite phone wouldn’t pick up the signal. However, we had an awesome day crossing the Continental Divide, from the Pacific side to the Atlantic and dropping to an amazing valley, where we saw herds of llamas moving around. And we had awesome views of Nevado Salkantay, a 6,000+ meter peak, and amazing glaciers. Today we merged with the classic Inca Trail, where we are today. We are just camped here, perched on a terrace right above treeline, and it’s been an amazing day! We went from the dry Andean landscape to the rainforest we have just crossed, and we’re having an awesome time discovering this amazing land of the Inca. We’ll keep you posted tomorrow, as we have our second journey into the classic Inca Trail, and again, we have left behind the three days of incredible hiking up mountain passes in the Andes. That’s all for now! We’ll check in again tomorrow. Bye.
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Elias de Andres Martos calls in from Machu Picchu.
Hope everyone is having a wonderful time! Go team Junell!!! - Sam & Clay, I Love you mommy and daddy and miss you!! Rowan
Posted by: Beverly Jones on 8/5/2014 at 10:56 am
Jayne, you know I will be expecting some pictures with you and the llamas. Hope y’all are having a blast!
-Tyler
Posted by: Tyler B. on 8/5/2014 at 7:41 am
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Congratulation! How wonderful! I can’t wait for more news and photos. Great Job, enjoy every minutes of your great experience, Nikki P.
Posted by: Nikki P. on 8/5/2014 at 12:38 pm
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