RMI Expeditions Blog
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
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Today we started our full circuit trek of Torres del Paine trek with beautiful blue skies and no wind. We saddled our packs and headed off across the open sage bush landscape. We wandered across glacial fed streams and through beach tree forests. With guannaco and Caracara bird sightings we took lots of pictures. We had hot tea along the trail for lunch and pulled into our camp with a few hours to take a shower and hang out before dinner. After dinner we listened to live music by the local cowboys and even participate in the traditional Chilean dances. After the first day with these packs I noticed people were trying to share their snacks first and offer Cliff bars around to lighten the load. Everyone is in great spirits and enjoying the warm sunshine here in Patagonia. Hopefully, tomorrow brings another photogenic day on the trail as we head around the more remote parts of the towers.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Good evening,
The team spent the day hiking up with big loads on our backs to our high camp on Ixta, with the goal of going to the summit tomorrow morning. The team looked as strong as they have the whole trip and the weather forecast is looking quite nice for us.
We arrived at around 2 pm to camp here at 15,400 feet and have been relaxing and breathing the thin air. It's been generally cloudy all day but this evening the clouds have settled down below us and opened a gorgeous view of Popo, the other volcano in our vicinity.
We'll be getting up before the sun for our summit bid, wish us luck!
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
On The Map
Here we are at the Altzimoni hut, checking in after another good day in Mexico. We rose this morning and hit the road from La Malintzi to the town of Amecameca where we picked up some last minute fresh food items for our climb on Ixta. The bus then took us up to the Paso de Cortez, and continued up to the hut here at 13,000 feet.
Upon arriving we grabbed our day packs and went up tomorrow’s trail, towards Ixta high camp, for another acclimatization hike. It’s been a bit cloudy here at the moment but otherwise it’s as beautiful as ever up here in the mountains. The whole team seems to be handling the altitude thus far exceedingly well and I think we’re looking really strong for our trip up to high camp tomorrow.
We fueled up with a nice dinner of carne asada, rice, and fresh tortillas so now it’s time to get some sleep for a day of heavy packs and uphill travel!
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
On The Map
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
After some coffee and chit chat this morning the group spent three hours deciding which baselayer to pack and which hooded puffy to bring and how many pairs of socks to carry---you know what I'm talking about if you're reading this. We got our packs down to about 30 pounds and didn't leave any chocolate behind. Then we hopped in a boat and crossed the Straits of Magellan to walk around a huge penguin colony in the middle of the ocean. It was fun to see them so close and hear them talking to one another. Now in Natales we're going to get some treats before hitting the trail for the next nine days.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Posted by: Christina Dale
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Torres del Paine
Everyone arrived from hours of traveling to a sunny Punta Arenas. We walked around the streets of this once booming port town that was essential for all boats moving across the Americas before the Panama canal. It is now a sleepy town with a rich history of Magellan and all the boats that have passed through. We went to the cemetery where all the trees are perfectly pruned and saw the giant bronze statue of Magellan that rumor has it if you rub his toe you'll be back to Punta Arenas some day. We all had a great dinner of local seafood and lots of potatoes. The group is looking forward to spending a week trekking and taking in this remarkable place.
RMI Guide Christina Dale
Hola from Mexico!
The team met yesterday evening following our flights to Mexico City, and had a nice dinner a short walk from Hotel Geneve. Little did I know that shortly after we sat a mariachi band complete with a singing luchador began to play... what a trip!
This morning we boarded our bus and took the journey to La Malintzi at the foot of a dormant volcano, La Malinche, and spent the day hiking up to nearly 13,500 ft to acclimatize. Our goal today was less summit oriented and more for preparing our bodies for the climbs ahead so we opted out of going all the way to it’s 14,500 ft summit. That being said, the team was strong from start to finish and capped off the hike with a bit of earned relaxation before dinner. Tonight we’ll be sleeping in the cabañas here at La Malintzi at 10,000 feet to keep acclimatizing, all in prep for the next several days on Ixta!
I’ll check in as our climb progresses,
RMI Guide Chase Nelson
On The Map
Looking forward to following you on this adventure dad (Richard), can’t wait to hear all about it! Stay safe!
Posted by: Abbie Aspinall on 2/19/2018 at 7:30 pm
Enjoy the climb everyone. What a wonderful experience. Looking forward to hearing all about it Brandon.
Posted by: Terri Travis on 2/19/2018 at 6:45 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Our final day in Africa started way out in Balloon Camp in Tarangire National Park. Our “tent cabins” were luxurious and the staff helpful and friendly in getting us out on the dirt road by 7 AM. We were still deep within the park, and so within a moment or two of saying our goodbyes we were standing in the back of the Landcruisers looking for leopards. They eluded us. But an extremely beautiful, quiet morning in the wilderness did not elude us. We stopped frequently for eagles, vultures, cool tracks, impalas and hartebeest. We came on a seemingly endless parade of giraffes who stopped long enough for a photo and to nibble the acacia trees in passing. Families of elephants came by on their grass eating missions, bound for rivers and pools. We looked up every tree and under every bush for cats and predators, but the best we could scare up were a couple of cute little jackals following a gang of impala.
By 11 AM we left the park and hit the highway toward Arusha. We made one stop as we reached town, at the cultural heritage museum and craft shop, then we pressed on toward Usa River and our hotel. We had time to shower and repack and even rest before an early dinner -our last together- and loading up on one more bus. Kilimanjaro was out and awesome as we ate and then rode toward the airport in the last of daylight. It seems hard to believe that two short weeks ago, we hadn’t all known one another. It also seems hard to believe how many things we’ve since accomplished as a team. We’ll start going in separate directions again fairly soon -but with a heck of a lot of fine memories to connect us.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
It was a little tough leaving the Plantation Lodge this morning -it is a very comfortable place and we’d enjoyed our two nights there, but it was time to be moving on. Tarangire National Park beckoned, and we were excited to see what we could see. There were a couple of important stops to make on the drive over, one of which was a visit to a Maasai village. The Maasai are just one of many tribes in Tanzania, but they stand out because they choose to continue living in a traditional style, forgoing modern conveniences. We witnessed singing and dancing and a demo of how to rub sticks to make fire. We went into the sleeping dwellings and asked our tour guides a million questions about polygamy, arranged marriages, education and building materials. The team did a little gift shopping when the women of the village presented their handmade craftwork. We then headed for the park, excited to see the wildlife. Tarangire is a series of parallel rivers and shallow valleys separated by rolling hills and broad savanna. Before too long we were spotting birds and impala, warthogs and waterbucks. It took a bit before we saw giraffes and elephants, but then things quickly got interesting. A bull elephant pointed himself directly at a couple of lounging lions and not only disturbed their date, he chased the male lion and stood trumpeting on the ground they surrendered. A high point for many of us was seeing elephant families that included a number of one month old babies. One family of 20 took to a pond to cool off and splashed, wrestled, drank and rolled for no other logical reason than that it was just plain old pachyderm fun. We found big and solitary bull elephants and watched their behavior... all serious and food focused, in contrast to the matriarch ruled families. Some of the day’s best cruising was done in late afternoon as the sun got low on lush green fields, gigantic baobab and skinny palm trees. We finished up in friendly Balloon Camp -a rustic hideaway hotel in the bush. We’ve got one last morning to see leopards and cheetahs.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories:
The pattern finally changed. It was cloudy and a little cool when we set out this morning. Which was actually just fine. The entrance to Ngorongoro Preserve was a short drive from Plantation Lodge. Juma and Edson drove us up to the rim of the great collapsed caldera and we got out to stare in wonder at the “crater”. Then it was back in the Landcruisers for the rough dirt road along the rim... Juma said it was time for our “African Massage” as we bounced along the ruts and rocks. A Jeep track down through umbrella acacia trees took us to the valley floor where we immediately began to spot crater critters by the hundreds. First were the armor plated Cape buffalo, next a gang of Eland. We began to spot so many gazelles, zebra and wildebeest that they only merited a stop if they’d been born in the last few hours. Warthogs came and went. Bustards and Secretary Birds strutted past. Then came the lions. We parked near a beautiful male and female and our guides described -accurately- the process by which they’d get frisky with each other every ten or twenty minutes for an exhausting week. We watched for a few cycles, fascinated. The big cats paid no attention whatsoever to spectators. Next we saw herds of elephants in the distance and a black rhino a couple hundred meters away. Four of the “big five” before lunch. (We were missing leopards, which aren’t commonly seen down in the crater). Lunch happened to be within sight of about 20 hippos and a bunch of waterbucks. Despite the cloud cover, it was getting pretty hot in the afternoon. We kept spotting game -ostrich and hyenas... more lions and more elephants as we headed for the rough roads out of the crater. By 4:30 we were back at the ridiculously comfortable Plantation Lodge, amazed by what we’d seen but also ready to relax. We looked a little like a gang of teenagers at happy hour, focused intently on our smartphones as we shuffled pictures about. Tomorrow is another day and another national park.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Our safari guides, Juma and Edson, showed up right on schedule this morning with their souped up Toyota Landcruisers. We climbed in just after 8 AM and left Arumeru River Lodge -our home away from home. This was a good day to ride around in automobiles after a solid week of walking. It took some time to get through Arusha’s rush hour, but we were thoroughly entertained watching cargo motorcycles and the like. Eventually we broke into the open country west of town and rambled along dodging speed bumps and Maasai cattle. We reached Lake Manyara National Park at midday. Early on we focused on baboons and monkeys. Some of the big animals were just plain lazy on this hot and sunny day. It was around 90 F and so the elephants we spied in the forest were sticking to shady hollows. We began to see waterbucks and bushbucks, impala and exotic birds aplenty. As we came into open country along the lake edge, we could see zebra, wildebeest, and Cape buffalo everywhere. Looking at the nearby escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, it wasn’t too hard to imagine a time when such wildlife dominated its entire 10,000 km length. We spied giraffes, although not in great numbers. A hippo got out of the water long enough for us to admire his buff physique. We saw warthogs with their little warthoglets. The big cats eluded us today, although we kept sharp eyes peeled for them. All in all it was a great day out. Juma and Edson dazzled us with their knowledge of Tanzania, its parks and people... and the fabulous critters we were glimpsing. At quitting time we were parched and ready for a little relaxation. Everyone’s eyes opened wide when they saw Plantation Lodge’s perfectly cared for gardens, luxurious rooms and friendly staff. This place will do just fine, thanks... not missing our tents.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi Chris and Darrin! I’ve been following your entire trip and I am in awe of what you both accomplished! the scenery is beautiful and it appears like you all are having a great time. Congratulations on reaching all your goals on this trip. Talk soon!
Posted by: Cathy Brandes on 2/9/2018 at 9:23 am
Leaving a message for my girl Karen Serblowski ❤️
Hey girl!!!!! Every step you take is another in the right direction -sending you my love. Courage, my Heart…. can’t wait to see you xoxo
Posted by: Christine Fortier on 2/28/2018 at 8:30 am
Happy sailing to Magdalena island! Bet ya can’t just take 1 pic of the penguins.i had 1000’s! Luv ya and happy trekking.
Posted by: Elsie on 2/19/2018 at 6:12 am
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