We left the Dik Dik Lodge after breakfast and made our way to the start of our climb from the Machame Gate (6000 ft). After obtaining our permits we set off, starting in overcast conditions that were very comfortable. Four thousand vertical feet in just under six hours brought us to Camp 1, also known as Machame Camp. Our fantastic local guides and staff had all tents ready to be invaded. After dinner and a most beautiful sunset, we were settling in for the night, knowing tomorrow will bring a full set of challenges. The sun may have gone down but the team's excitement grew well into the night.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
We just received word that the one missing bag is getting picked up at the nearby airport and heading our way. The team is now complete! I encouraged the team to sleep in as best they could this morning, It sure helps with the jet lag we are all experiencing. Everyone followed orders and a leisurely morning it was. The afternoon was for preparation. The team assembled with a combination of enthusiasm and nerves. We spent a couple hours of meeting to channel both in the right direction, and to gain a solid understanding of what is to come. It's also a chance to get to know everyone. We have a great collection of people for this journey to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. We spent the remainder of of our day sorting all of our gear getting ourselves ready to start our trek. We share the same staging area as our local support team, needless to say, it was a very busy place to be. It is an interesting process to see the making of a grand expedition from the start.
Breakfast call will be around 6:30 tomorrow followed by a few last minute details before we start our climb!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team.
Hey, This is RMI Guide Eric Frank calling from the south side of Mt. Shuksan on a week long skills seminar. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are in our camp for the night had a great first day. We made it up just to the edge of tree line and it started to rain, so we made camp here. Everyone's doing well. Tomorrow Weather permitting we're hoping to go up to the glacier and do a little training for the day. Wish us luck and thanks for following along!
Eric Frank & Team Checking in from Shuksan Seminar.
What is the best way to maximize your training before an 8,000m peak climb? Well, probably not rock climbing, but it sure is a good one to maximize your time in Kathmandu while waiting to fly to Lhasa. Today we spent the day having some fun, as the pictures show, but also starting to get excited with planning, strategizing and dreaming of the climb of the "Crest above the grassy plains". Tomorrow we're flying to Lhasa early in the morning, and the Tibetan adventure will begin... Stay tuned!
RMI Guides Elias, Adam, Robby & Team
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guides JJ Justman and Christina Dale reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team reported clear skies, light winds of about 10 mph, and great climbing conditions due to a fantastic route. The team has started their descent an are en route to Camp Muir.
Congratulations to today's team!
Namaste:
And we have started our Shishapangma Expedition!!! The team is all well in Kathmandu... pretty much uneventful arrivals yesterday, that culminated with the expected jet lag on most of us. A nice welcome dinner put us to bed early. Today, we spent the day visiting the Monkey Temple and acquiring some last minute items we determined appropriate after our gear check. Kathmandu has greeted us with the last rains of the monsoon, which is to depart the Sub-Indian continent soon. We sure hope for the dry weather of the northern Himalayas when we are on our climb! However, that's a ways away yet, and we have to wait another day in Kathmandu before we fly to Lhasa, Tibet's capital, on the 6th.
In the meantime, we're going to continue to relax in hectic Kathmandu (is that an oxymoron?) before setting out for Chinese territory.
That's it for now; tune in for our blogs as we start our adventure into the Himalayas!!!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb teams reached the top at 8:00 a.m. With clear skies, calm winds, and a bit on the chilly side, the team began their descent at 9:30. High fives and cheers will commence at Rainier Basecamp this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led Pete Van Deventer and Mike King, is back at Camp Muir after turning on the upper mountain due to route and avalanche conditions. They encountered snow up to waist deep, providing poor footing on exposed slopes. The weather reported from Camp Muir is clear, calm, and cold. The teams will depart for Paradise soon.
Busy day. The team had coffee and tea brought around to Kikoti's tent cabins a little before sunrise. Fortified with a great breakfast, we got right back into cruising the rough but beautiful roads of Tarangire National Park. Highlights were the family of head-tossing, trunk-swinging, ear-flapping elephants we encountered. Curiously, they were more animated and energized than any of the many families we saw. And we finished our tour on a highlight too, getting to watch up close as five lions followed an alpha female around as she decided what she might be hungry for. We could see her changing her mind from wildebeest to zebra to Impala to warthog. It all looked yummy to her. We left her and the pride undecided and hungry as we hit the road for Arusha and our return to the Dik Dik Hotel.
We got back through Arusha's rush hour and road construction traffic at four. This left time for repacking and freshening up before one final excellent meal in the dining room. Then we said goodbye to the staff who'd taken exceptional care of us, and to our teammate Kathleen. She is staying on a week to do good works up by Lake Victoria. The rest of the gang got on board the bus for a ride out to the airport. We're flying now... Dar Es Salaam.... Amsterdam...and onward. We're all excited to be moving on, of course, but also a little reluctant to let go of this morning's vision of a lion cub telling his mom to hurry up with the food shopping. It has been an incredible few weeks in Africa. Thanks for following.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Dave, thanks so much for making us all a part of this incredible journey. We’re getting Mary back in the states soon and we’re so excited to hear about her journey, and we are so greatfull to you and the guides for getting her here safe and sound. We also thank you for all the pictures you painted with your eloquent words. I’m sure it’s not easy to hike a mountain “hearding cats” so to speak, with all those people in tow, and still have the energy to sit down at the end of the day and find the amazing words to give those of us at home a chance to live vicariously through our family members. A genuine thanks to you and the RMI staff for hosting this site/blog for all of us back home!!
A pleasant journey home to all of the hikers. our daughter, Mary, I’m sure, will take a piece of all of you with her home in the form of memories that will last a lifetime.
With much appreciation and congratulations to all,
Bill and Kathy Harshbarger
Posted by: Bill and Kathy Harshbarger (Mary's Parents) on 9/3/2016 at 5:50 am
What an absolutely amazing journey for all of you. Thank you for taking care of each other and much appreciation to Dave for posting wonderfully detailed blogs that allowed the rest of us to cheer and follow from afar.
Jason—we’re so thrilled for you and anxious for your return. Safe travels. Love you.
Posted by: Jen (Jason's sister) on 9/2/2016 at 9:12 pm
Good morning! This is RMI Guide Eric Frank calling from Goat Creek Camp right in the heart of the North Cascades National Park. This is the final day of our climb of Mt. Goode. We couldn't get a signal to call out last night, so we're just checking in this morning. Yesterday we actually woke up to a fair bit of snow on the rocks for our final 5 pitches to the top of Mt. Goode. We had a pretty entertaining time climbing up through mid 5th last climbing with snow on it. We were able to rappel off the the opposite side of the mountain drop down and walk about 10 miles out to this camp. Today we have 20 beautiful miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. We will be out this evening and touch base then.
Take Care!
Eric Frank Calling in from Goat Creek Camp - Mount Goode
Cookie and TRob
Keep climbing and enjoy!!
Much love
Mom
Posted by: Nancy Bento on 9/7/2016 at 5:56 am
Brooke and TRob and team
Wishing you the best of everything for your journee
Enjoy this special beautiful time
Posted by: Joan Mike Carol Eileen Andrea Katie on 9/6/2016 at 5:43 pm
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