Entries from Expedition Dispatches

The team rallied for a pre-dawn start at Lolkisale Camp. We were escorted from our tent cabins so as not to lose anyone to predators. We ate breakfast as the light came up on the vast wilderness surrounding camp.

As we drove back into the mix of animals, trees, rocks, grassland and riverbeds we had high hopes of spotting the leopards and cheetahs that had been eluding us thus far.  We saw a million more beautiful things this morning… but not the big cats. Something left for future safaris. By midday, this one was winding down as we headed east toward Arusha. The team was happy to get back to the familiar ground of Rivertrees Inn to have a chance to clean up and repack for extended travel. Inevitably, we started having to say goodbye to one another as we began a last migration to Kilimanjaro International Airport.

It seemed hard to believe that the project our team had been dedicated to for years -raising funds for the American Lung Association- and then actually climbing Kili for clean air- that it could all be coming to a conclusion… but of course our ambitious climbers were heard to be hatching dozens of new goals and challenges for the coming years. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & The ALA Climb for Clean Air Team

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Hannah Smith and Dominic Cifelli reached Ingraham Flats today. The team had a good climb above Camp Muir to 11,200'. On going route conditions and a windy morning made that the high point for the team today. They enjoyed the sunrise over the Cascades and descended to Camp Muir. They will be back in Paradise in the early afternoon. 

Strong work to all the climbers! 

It was another cool and cloudy morning in the highlands where we woke up, but as we descended into the rift valley again, it got warmer and drier. We stopped for some souvenir/gift shopping and then made the move toward Tarangire National Park. We entered just before noon, weaving between giant baobab trees scarred by elephant tusks. Immediately we began seeing wildlife… impalas, zebra, wildebeest… first in ones and twos, then by the hundreds. Eventually we mixed in elephants and giraffes and seemingly everything else. 

Tarangire is a vast land of animals. From horizon to horizon. Our seasoned safari team spotted two impressive lions that no one else had managed to find. We spent the day marveling at elephant families and birds of all sizes and flavors. We searched high and low for cheetahs and leopards… but (so far) without success. By sunset we were sitting around a fire just outside the park boundary in a “tent camp” still spotting wildlife from our chairs. It is our final night as a team. As the first few stars began to show, we shared a spontaneous and appropriate few minutes of silence… and then we burst into laughter and conversation and eventually storytelling. 

Leopards in the morning.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Today's RMI Four Day Climb with guides Steve Gately and Jackson Breen climbed to Ingraham Flats to enjoy the sunrise. The high heat, and current route conditions prevented the team from safely going any further onto the upper mountain. The team enjoyed the morning climb and are now descending to Paradise.

Ngorongoro Crater was worth getting up early for. We were on the road by 6:30 AM. It was cloudy and as we climbed up to the rim of the old collapsed volcano, we were in thick fog.  This did not prevent us from seeing a handful of elephants in the forest up there though.

Our first hours in the “crater” were actually a little cool and drizzly, but we were seeing abundant wildlife and so we didn’t really care.  We saw everything from Cape Buffalo to Jackals. The giant herds of Zebra and Wildebeest were a big hit. During the course of the day, we crisscrossed the valley floor and saw eight lions (beating yesterday’s total). We got to see a number of happy hippopotamus pile-ups in the mud and shallow waters. 

By mid-afternoon we were climbing out of the bowl to visit a Maasai village on the crater rim. We danced with the villagers, and they showed us some of their traditional methods for building fires and living in the wild.  The team got back to the Plantation Lodge in time for a sunset swim in the pool before dinner.

Tarangire tomorrow!

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

100% of Team on Top!

RMI Guide Mike Walter and team reach the Summit of Mt. Baker at 7:11 am today. The team had great climbing and warm weather. They are on the descent and will be back at the traihead later this afernoon. 

Congratulations Team!

The Four Day Climb led by RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer and Leif Bergstrom made it to the top of Disappointment Cleaver today. Route conditions and warm weather made it unsafe for our larger team to continue onto the upper mountain.  The Team is back at Camp Muir and will be descending to Paradise soon.

Congratulations Team! 

What a difference a day makes!  No more camping and no more climbing.  Today we woke to rainy skies in Usa River, but we woke in comfy hotel beds and got into nice, dry Toyota Land Cruisers.  Our Safari guides: Jakob and Ng’orongo took us west through Arusha and out of the rain into the Maasai country beyond.  We made it to Lake Manyara National Park by midday.  Things started out slowly… a few baboons.  A bird or two.  The odd bushbuck.  At our picnic lunch, the mountain guide on the team suggested there was nothing much remaining to be seen and that we should call it a day and head for the hotel swimming pool.  Nobody listened.  Our safari guides then found a lion asleep under a tree.  Which turned into seven lions when we looked a little closer.  Which turned into seven hungry, hyper, and hunting lions when a cheerful, clueless zebra came strolling along.  Our guides kept us alongside a protracted hunt as the zebra got smart and began to move away along the lakeshore.  The lions - actually five lionesses and two lions - finally pulled the trigger and sprang after the zebra.  We couldn’t quite see that but somehow, they switched prey in the middle of the attack, coming away with a couple of warthogs in their jaws.  The mountain guide on our team admitted that the swimming pool idea had been a poor one and that in ten years of visiting Manyara he hadn’t seen one lion let alone seven making multiple kills.  To drive home the point, we then saw Cape Buffalo, giraffes, and elephants at close quarters and in quick succession.  And THEN we went to the pool.  We were at the Plantation Lodge for sunset and an excellent dinner.  Safari Day One, in the books and exceeding all expectations. 

Best Regards,

Dave

The Four-Day climb led by Casey Grom and Abby Westling enjoyed the sunrise from Muir Peak this morning. After extreme temperatures in the forecast and a very warm night, RMI guide, Casey grom reported that the team was already starting to bake in th sun at around 7am this morning. The team is currently on their descent and return to Basecamp this afternoon.

Nice work team!

At breakfast this morning there were plenty of our team singing the praises of Mweka Camp and 10,000 ft living. The sleep was sooooo much better than at 15,000 ft. Food went down easier as well, and we put away plenty of it before hitting the trail at 8 AM. Within a few minutes of walking, we entered the rain forest. The day was dry and clear but as we descended, the trail was wetter and more muddy. We had to drop 4000 ft without slipping. This was made a bit more exciting by the hundreds of porters from various teams trying to get down the slippery track with big loads at high speed. We finished the journey at 10:30am and signed our names in the National Park registry at the Mweka Gate. We then enjoyed a final lunch with our staff, after which we were treated to a spirited song and dance session with all 46 of the men who helped us. We expressed our gratitude with tips for all and then shook hands to seal the deal…and to bid farewell.

We loaded onto the bus and made the two-hour ride back to the Rivertrees hotel. It was then a comfortable afternoon of showers and gear sorting. The adventure continues tomorrow with safari, but we took the time this evening to eat and drink together in celebration of our successful climb of Kilimanjaro. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn