Entries By Dave Hahn

We did not have so far to go today, so we took it easy getting started at Karanga Camp.  We got walking at 9 AM in the perfect morning weather we’ve become accustomed to.  The team practiced the “rest step” and some “pressure breathing” on the gradual but steady ascent to 15,200 ft.  We took two rest breaks along the way and made the move in less than three hours.  Our amazing support team had camp well established at Barafu and that made it quite easy for us to just roll in and rest up.  We sat down for lunch together and then lingered for a comprehensive talk about our summit bid.  Things had clouded up a little, as we’ve found to be normal in midday, but less sun just made it a little easier to lounge in the tents for the afternoon.  Early dinner was in order, because we’ve got big plans for the night.  Just when the team thought the day was done, our fabulous chefs and waiters surprised Rob with a birthday cake (brought specially and secretly by runner from Arusha yesterday) and a round of singing and dancing.  The entire team will remember Rob’s high altitude birthday for a long time.  It is 7:30 PM now and all are in bed.  We’ll wake at 11 PM and walk at midnight.  We’ve got mountains to climb. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We pushed back our wake-up and starting times this morning in order to let a few of the surrounding teams get out on the trail first.  The Barranco Wall has a few tight passages along rock ledges where we’d just as soon miss the traffic jams.  That meant a leisurely pace to rolling out of bed and packing up.  It was cool in the shadow of the mountain though, and a relief -during breakfast- when the sun hit. We marched toward the base of the wall at 9 AM with perhaps a few butterflies in some stomachs as folks wondered how it would all work out.  From below, the Great Barranco Wall looks very much like a Great Wall… intimidating.  But as we started winding up the trail and came to grips with the tricky parts, most began to relax. Our local guides -John, Tom, Naiman and Philibet were at every difficult move, pointing out hand and footholds and managing porter traffic.  Before long we’d cruised past the narrowest ledges and gotten to easier -though still steep- trail sections in the middle of the wall.  There were still a few places requiring both hands on the rock near the top, but then we popped out onto flat ground about 1200 ft higher than where we’d begun.  We took a well-deserved break and snapped a few pictures of the spectacular South Face of Kilimanjaro.  The rest of the walk to Karanga was easy in comparison to the Wall.  Just a few valleys to traverse, and lots of sights to see as much of the lower cloud melted away.  We sat down to lunch in our new camp at 13,100 ft.  The afternoon was a chance for resting and rehydrating.  As the sun set, John -our lead guide- led the team in an impromptu dance session on the concrete heli-pad adjacent to camp.  We sat down to dinner in our well lit dining tent and then came out to another beautiful night scene, this time with the lights of Moshi (the city at Kili’s Southeast corner) spread out far below. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It was just a little on the cold side this morning at Shira Camp.  Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s main peak- was between us and the sun.  But  we were far above the clouds and it was clear up high, so the views more than made up for the cold temps.  The sun was on us by the time breakfast had finished and so things were comfortable when we got walking at 8:30 AM.  Our path led directly toward Kibo and the terrain was easier than what we’d dealt with yesterday.  We worked up broad, gently angled slopes.  Old lava flows.  Obsidian chunks were easy to find amongst the sagebrush and wildflowers.  By 11 AM we were higher than Mount Rainier and a short while later we were higher than Mt Whitney… thus breaking altitude records for everyone on the team (except Kim who has been to 19,000 ft).  We made it to the Lava Tower -at 15,200 ft- just after noon.  Clouds had formed up again and so it was cool, but not so bad that we couldn’t enjoy some lunch.  We began working downhill at 1 PM.  It felt good to drop altitude and to get back into warmer air.  We took a break just as we got into a garden-like grove of giant senecios and lobelias… the “Dr Suess plants” of Kilimanjaro.  Another careful hour of descent had us walking into 13,000 ft Barranco Camp just after 3 PM.  We settled in at the base of tomorrow’s main objective -the great Barranco Wall. 

We napped and read and sipped tea through the remaining afternoon hours. Dinner finished up by 8 PM and we marveled at the stars on this moonless night.

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

The clouds came back up over us in the night at Machame Camp, but the morning was pleasant enough.  We busted out of camp just after 8 AM and started right off with some hard work through a forest of giant Heather.  The trail was steeper and rockier than anything we had encountered yesterday… and a bit relentless. We pushed on for a couple of hours, getting above the clouds once more. After the steep hill, we worked more gradually up along a ridge crest through bright and intense sunshine. The team stuck right together as we made a turn to the North and traversed out toward the Shira Plateau. There were a few interesting parts requiring us to use our hands on the rock, and then we popped out on the plateau to the West of Kibo at 12,800 ft.  It was a relaxing descent then to get to our new camp at 12,500. We took just over 4 hours to reach Shira and so we had a relaxing afternoon -as planned- in our new home. There were actually a few short rain showers as the day went by, but most of us were napping in the tents by then.

We met for teatime and storytelling in the late afternoon and then, after a beautiful sunset, dinner at 7 PM.  By the time we piled out of the dining tent, the stars were brilliant. The Southern Cross and the Milky Way were easy to pick out, as were the distant lights of Arusha.

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

We woke up to low clouds over Rivertrees Inn… but that has been an everyday kind of thing, so it wasn’t much of a concern.  We had our breakfast and did our last-minute packing and gear sorting and then boarded the team bus at 8 AM. 

It took about two hours to get to the Machame Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park.  We did a lot of people watching on the way, seeing how Tanzanians go about day-to-day life.  And we watched the plants and vegetation change as the bus climbed up to the 6000 ft gate.   As expected, there was a little time to kill at the park entrance as the permitting process was completed.  We used the time to review efficient walking strategies and to discuss the terrain that lay ahead.  Finally, at about 10:30, we got walking with our staff of local guides.  Tom, Naiman, Phillibet, and John set the perfect pace, as usual.  We had about four thousand vertical feet to climb in about six miles.  Before long we were climbing in the clouds rather than under them.  It was easy to understand why the thick forest had moss on every surface.  The cool conditions made for the perfect walking temperature. The trail was a little muddy and slimy underfoot, but not to the point that you’d sink into the muck.  We didn’t have much trouble with traction or with maintaining a steady pace.  We took a few breaks for snacks and water, but by mid-afternoon the forest was changing to smaller trees, and it was clear that we were getting somewhere.  We came out above the clouds and the trail dried out.  The last hour or so into camp was in fine, blue sky and sunshine weather.  We rolled in at 3:30. Such a pleasure then to see that our staff already had camp built and ready for us.  We just had to move in and enjoy life at 10,000 ft.  That got easier when the last clouds above fell away and Kibo (Kilimanjaro’s central peak) came out for sunset. 

We spent the time before dinner staring at the giant rock walls and impossibly steep ice fields and glaciers. In our dining tent, we had a great feast and a little story time as John -our lead guide- explained his progression into becoming a full climbing guide, 255 Kili summits ago. The team checked out a few Southern Hemisphere stars before crawling into tents and calling it a day.  A good day. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Today was an easy day of getting packed and ready for the mountain.  We began with an after breakfast meeting outside under the big trees while monkeys jumped from branch to branch above us.  We discussed the plan for our climb and talked about how the gear needed to be ordered and arranged for starting out.  Then we conducted equipment checks back in the rooms to help folks decide what to leave in and what to take out.  There was then plenty of time in the afternoon for packing, napping away the jet lag, walking the peaceful grounds of the hotel, and eating.  We got together for a team dinner at 7 PM to cap things off.  Everything is set to go now, we’ll head for Mount Kilimanjaro in the morning. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We’re declaring victory right at the start of this Kilimanjaro expedition.  Each climber made each flight with each and every bag.  The gang assembled this evening at the Rivertrees Inn at Usa River, Tanzania.  Eight climbers and one climbing guide.  We introduced ourselves and explained how we’d each come to be on this quest.  For some it was years in the making, pushed back by the pandemic, for others the path to the mountain formed up spontaneously in the preceding months.  But we are all here now and ready to go… with a little inevitable jet lag.  We dined outside under the big trees, and without any interruptions from the monkeys in the neighborhood.  Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet and get down to the actual business of preparing for a Kilimanjaro climb. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It was pretty incredible to wake up deep within Tarangire National Park just before daylight.  Birds were starting to sing, monkeys were at play a few feet from our tents and lions were about.  Someone heard an elephant.  We drank coffee and watched the light come up.  The team ate breakfast, bid the hotel staff goodbye and hopped into our now familiar Landcruisers.  We set off on our final morning of Safari on a big cat mission… no stopping for zebras and wildebeest… bring on the kitties.  And sure enough, we struck lion gold.  First there was that big, beautiful male hanging out with four females… but wait, wasn’t that another couple of lions over in that tree and still more under it?  All told there were thirteen, big and small in the pride.  We watched them watch us and we watched them wrestle and climb trees.  And then we made slowly but steadily toward the park gate (we did indeed still stop for zebras and wildebeests).   The day got ordinary -though still pleasant- as we commuted back to Usa River and Rivertrees Hotel to repack and prepare for the airport. We recalled our favorite parts of the climb and Safari, we planned out future trips.  Then the team busted up finally… hopping on planes and departing Africa.

I’ll stay on for another climb and Safari that will begin soon.  Thank you for following. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team

A great day on Safari, according to our Kili climbing team.  We got out early (7:15 AM) on the drive to Ngorongoro Crater.  It takes a bit to drive the rough road up onto the crater rim, to cruise along that rim for miles and miles and then to drop down the steep road into the caldera itself.   Immediately upon hitting the valley floor, we saw two male lions a few hundred feet from the road.  But they might as well have been rocks.  They were sleeping so hard that we never even saw an ear twitch.   We moved on and began to encounter everything from wildebeest to jackals to hippos and Corey bustards.  The abundance of zebra and Cape buffalo and gazelles was stunning.  There were herds beyond herds stretching to the distant crater walls.  We cruised amongst the ostriches and wart hogs for hours, at one point getting great views of a Cerval Cat on the prowl.  Finally we stopped for a picnic lunch and then began our exit of the crater.  We stopped at a Maasai village on the crater rim and spent an hour with the villagers as they danced, sang, made fire, threw spears and generally explained why they choose to hang on to their traditional methods in a modern world.  Then we went back to that modern world, relaxing for the evening at the very comfortable Plantation Lodge. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Jambo from Safari Day One.  We left the Rivertrees Inn just past 7:30 this morning with our safari guides (and drivers) Simon and Nixon.  It took nearly an hour to break free of the big city of Arusha and to get traveling through the arid countryside to the west.  Before long we were seeing herds of cattle tended by Maasai in their distinctive tartan blankets.  We peppered our guides with questions about Tanzanian history, society and life in general.  By the time we reached Lake Manyara at 11 AM we were considerably smarter.  We entered the forest and the National Park all at once and began looking for wildlife.  Monkeys and Baboons were first up.  We began to see some great birds as well.  There weren’t great numbers of animals but eventually we were finding elephants, giraffes and Cape buffalo.  Simon and Nixon were clearly on a mission following our picnic lunch.  They were chasing clues that took us farther and farther into the park, basically a strip of forest between the gigantic lake and a steep escarpment of the Great Rift Valley.  Finally, we hit a small jackpot.   There were a family of elephants on one side of the dirt road we sat on -and three lions lounging amid trees on the other side.  About a hundred feet separated these two factions of the “big five” (and we were directly between them).  The lions (a big male and two females) were napping, but it was the kind of napping where they put their heads up to watch every move the elephants made.   Eventually we bid them goodbye as it was getting a little late and we had some distance to go to reach the town of Karatu and The Plantation Lodge hidden away back in the farmland.  We pulled in just before 7PM and quickly made ourselves at home.  Tomorrow we’ll get an early start on our journey into Ngorongoro Crater. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn