Entries By Dave Hahn

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Train on the Fixed Ropes

December 30, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 9,200'

The sun came around the mountain at 10 AM today, which was also about the time we got out of our sleeping bags and unzipped the tents. There was a faint breeze keeping things cool, but we clambered into the dining tent for a leisurely breakfast/brunch/lunch. By the time we waddled out and suited up for climbing it was 2 PM. Yesterday, although we were roped to one another for glacier travel, it was just walking with ski poles. Today, we had on crampons and carried ice axes. It only took a few minutes to get to the base of the fixed ropes where we paused briefly to rig up and review techniques for climbing steep snow. The goal was “lunch ledge” about an hour up the lines. We were starting to get some pretty good views of our surroundings -including a cloud bank pushing in from the northwest. By the time we’d descended, the clouds were covering the summits and blocking out the sun. Luckily there wasn’t any wind to go with this change in our weather. We were back in camp by 5 PM and set in for an evening of snacking and rehydration. Dinner was fashionably late at 8:45 PM and we were back in the tents by 10 PM. The plan is to move to highcamp tomorrow if the weather holds and everybody has stayed healthy.

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Ascend to Low Camp

December 29, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 9,200'

Yesterday’s perfect weather became today’s perfect weather. Strong sunshine, not a cloud in the sky and no sign of wind. We got good rest last night to make up for all of the travel nights and didn’t roll into breakfast until 9 AM. Murph took excellent care of us with eggs, bacon, pancakes, fresh fruit and coffee. Then we dug into our many packing and organizing chores. It is no small thing to shift from jet-setting in a sleek Gulfstream IV to old fashioned walking on a glacier with a week of supplies on our backs and in our sleds... but we managed just fine. Five rope teams of three set out at 1:50 PM. An hour later, at the first rest break, we all agreed that it was too darn hot in Antarctica. This was partly an illusion. The air temps were still well below freezing, but without a breeze and with plenty of hard work, we were sweating. Conditions were perfect for travel though. We had a well-packed and generally smooth trail in the snow without any open crevasses to negotiate. We took a second break at the start of a 90 degree turn in the glacier and a third under the 2,000 meter great western escarpment of Vinson. By then we were getting good looks at the sharp and dramatic summits north of Vinson. We had great views of Epperly, Gardner and Shinn -the fifth, fourth, and third highest peaks of Antarctica. We pulled into 9,200 ft Low Camp in 4.5 hours time and set to building tents and moving in. Lakpa, Pachi, and Namgya hosted a great dinner of chicken curry with rice in their spacious dining tent. We sat to sip hot drinks and chat for a bit but as we each began to feel the cold, we retired to warm sleeping bags. The tents are good and comfortable with sun projected to be on them until 3 AM -it then goes behind the mountain and we expect the big chill to take over. We’ll rest and do a little training and acclimatizing tomorrow.

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Vinson Massif: Team Arrives at Vinson Basecamp

December 28, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Elevation: 7,000'

Our night in Punta Arenas was short and loud... to be honest. It was Friday night and the town square was chock full of partiers and demonstrators beating drums and waving flags. We were out of the hotel by 5 AM and bound for the airport -sleep or no sleep. The team filed through security in an empty airport and then we walked out to our trusty Gulfstream IV to load up. At 6:40 we launched and left South America. We had fine conditions for flying, and the Gulfstream has plenty of windows, but for the most part, clouds blocked our view of Tierra del Fuego. Many of the team dozed or read over the Drake Passage, but all began to come alive when we first spotted icebergs... and then ice flows, ice shelves, and finally the glaciers of mainland Antarctica. During our final half hour in the air, we had ridiculously clear views of the Ellsworth Mountains and Mount Vinson’s less traveled Eastern flank. Then our all star pilots, Fred and Curt, had the G4 on final approach at Union Glacier. We were all paying pretty close attention as the wheels touched down on hard ice and the plane rolled along at high speed. Reverse Thrust did the trick nicely and the roll turned into taxiing into position for disembarking and unloading. Our first steps in Antarctica were a thrill. We were each a little surprised at how pleasant the weather was. No wind and relatively mild temperatures meant we were comfy in light down coats. Handshakes, fist bumps and highfives all around seemed the appropriate first order of business. But then we got the plane unloaded and said goodbye to Fred and Curt who rocketed down the ice and into the air again on their return to Chile. Our “ground team” of ALE staffers scooped us up in a bus with enormous wheels and brought us via ice highways to Union Glacier Camp. Our flight had taken 3.5 hours (by comparison, the “normal” Ilyushin 76 ride is about 4.5 to 5 hours).
We toured the camp around noon and then basically had some time to kill. Our Twin Otter flight to Vinson was planned for about 5:30 PM. We ate, played soccer, rode fat tire bikes and messed with electronics. Finally, we loaded onto two ski equipped airplanes and enjoyed a spectacular cruise through progressively bigger ice covered mountains. The Canadian pilots, Monica and Russ, flew alongside one another for much of the hundred miles. We landed going uphill at 7,000 ft on the Branscomb Glacier and hopped out at Vinson Basecamp. Things were quite busy for a few minutes as the planes were emptied of our gear and then filled by a team leaving the mountain. Once the Otters were in the air again, Vinson Base got extremely quiet and calm. We met our ALE staff and fellow guides, Pachi Ibarra, Namgya Sherpa and Lakpa Rita Sherpa (who, between them, have 32 Everest summits). We had an amazing dinner by Chef Murph who crushed it with Lamb Shanks and Broccoli. Then we settled into our tents and sorted a little gear. The travel is complete, the climb starts tomorrow.

Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Vinson Massif Expedition: Team Arrives in Punta Arenas, Chile

December 28, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Mike King

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif

Twenty four hours of flying high and fast brought our team of 12 to the end of the conventional planet. We’re now assembled in Punta Arenas, Chile... ready to go the final leg of our journey to the unconventional planet. Things look good for firing up the Gulfstream tomorrow morning to jump on down to Union Glacier in Antarctica. With luck, we’ll then make the hop out to Vinson Basecamp in ski-equipped Twin Otters.

We landed in Punta near mid-day today and got settled at the venerable old Cabo De Hornos hotel on the town’s central plaza. We walked the streets for a bit, finding lunch and making our way to the headquarters of Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions for a briefing. ALE is our partner and outfitter for the expedition and they got us up to speed on environmental safeguarding procedures and current weather predictions. We then went back to exploring town. There was the obligatory stop for pisco sours in the Shackleton Bar of one of the old, stately hotels on the plaza. Then we found the perfect grill -a Parrilla-for a hearty patagonian dinner. Finally, we watched the sunset light up clouds over Magellan’s Strait as we walked home. Early start tomorrow. Perhaps we’ll finish the day on Mount Vinson.

Best regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Mt. Rainier: Hahn, Davis & Muir Seminar Team Reach Summit

September 12, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Alan Davis

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier

Elevation: 14,410'

The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Alan Davis met at Rainier BaseCamp on Sunday for their Technical Training day. The team loaded packs and headed to Camp Muir on Monday morning. They have spent the last few days training near Camp Muir on glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques. This morning they put their training to the test, leaving Camp Muir with an alpine start. They were rewarded with clear skies and light winds as they reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just before 8 AM. Once they have taken all the hero shots and enjoyed the views, they will return to Camp Muir for their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow the team will descend to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp for the conclusion of their program. Congratulations to the Seminar teams!

Kilimanjaro: Hahn and Team Enjoy the Last Day on Safari

August 30, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Waking up at Balloon Camp, deep within Tarangire National Park, was a treat. We breakfasted and were saying goodbye to the friendly hotel staff by 7 AM. The team was looking for wildlife before we’d gotten a hundred feet from the hotel reception desk. Michael and Francis took us down along the great marsh along Tarangire’s Eastern edge. We saw eagles, kudus, hippos and all of the “usual” animals that -just a few days ago- were exotic and foreign. What we didn’t see was any other Safari vehicles. We had it all to ourselves for hours. But inevitably we had to start making our way toward the front gate of the park. Even so, we were treated to another leopard sighting on the way. A handsome but sleepy fellow conked out on a tree limb. By midday we were on the highway pointed toward Arusha and our Tanzanian home base at the Arumeru River Lodge, which we reached by 3 pm. This left plenty of time for repacking and showers and even an early dinner before we said “so long” to our friends at the lodge who’d taken excellent care of us... and “so long” to the Dik Diks and monkeys in the yard. We didn’t get a final glimpse of Kilimanjaro on the drive to the airport. It was hidden in clouds. So we’ll just go away recalling the view we had from the top looking down. Thank You for following our trip... until next climb. RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team

Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Conclude Their Time in Africa

August 29, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

Another big day on Safari. We began peacefully enough at Plantation Lodge under cloudy skies. First up after hitting the main road at 8:45, was a little stop for tourism and souvenir shopping. Then we dropped back down into the Great Rift Valley and checked out a Maasai village. The men and women showed us a few dance moves and we compared high jumping ability. They demonstrated how they start fire the old fashioned way and then they brought our team into their small dwellings to explain life in a traditional village. Our team picked up a few more keepsakes after a little bargaining and then we headed for Tarangire National Park. Something changed when we drove past the first giant Baobab trees. As if by magic, there was wildlife everywhere. We came to a waterhole and watched elephants, a giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, great crowned cranes, and mongooses start slurping it up -all at the same time. Roaming the savannas and river valleys, we came across a big male lion sleeping off a big night -by the looks of things. Rambling along on a bouncy dirt road, Melanie scored the sighting of the day, pointing out a big male leopard on a tree branch perhaps 40 yards away. We watched the big fella rest a bit more and then scamper down the tree trunk and melt into the grass. We saw at least a hundred (if not two hundred) elephants of all shapes and size. Most were in family groups shading under trees, some were actively eating trees, one trunkful at a time. We saw a tower of giraffes, we saw a gazillion gazelles. There were lilac breasted rollers and white backed vultures. We didn’t roll into Balloon Camp until 6 PM, but the friendly staff was there waiting to take the team to their "tent cabins". They then escorted us (we are still deep within the park, there is no fence separating us from the wildlife) to the swimming pool and barbecue deck to watch the sun set. There was a roaring campfire and an excellent dinner under the stars for our last night together. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Explore Ngorongoro Crater

August 28, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

It was another pre-dawn start... not quite as early or arduous as our Kilimanjaro summit day though. We piled into the Landcruisers and rolled out of Plantation Lodge at 6:30 AM bound for Ngorongoro Crater. The clouds were already low and thick and we were gaining altitude -so by the time we hit the rim of the giant collapsed volcano, we were in fog and murk. Michael and Francis didn’t have any trouble bringing the 4X4’s along the rough dirt road, giving the team the quintessential “African Massage” as we bounced along. Visibility had improved by the time we dropped into the crater with the critters. We began -as we had yesterday- focusing on individual animals, until the scale of this new place became apparent and we started counting herds rather than heads. Zebras caught our attention initially, since they were swarming the road. But Cape Buffalo, Wildebeest and gazelles became commonplace and routine within minutes as we saw them by the thousand. Early on we happened on a big pride of lions resting in the grass. There were two big males and perhaps 15 females and youngsters of various ages. Those included three tiny lion cubs that continually climbed over and under their mom, giving out little yelps and meows. The lions would sit up from time to time looking intently at hartebeest and zebra who were trying to figure out how close was too close in their morning walk to water. We moved on to cross the crater and visit hippos and a million new birds. Our picnic lunch was alongside a bunch more hippos in another corner of the crater. By this point, the clouds were clearing and the day was warming up. Our goal following lunch was to find Rhinos. We scoured the hills at the margins of the crater, we trained binoculars on a hundred distant grey rocks and logs and suspect shadows under trees. But the Rhinos didn’t come out to play. We contented ourselves with finding two mature bull elephants with enormous tusks. In late afternoon, our guides put the cruisers in four wheel drive and took us up and out of the crater. We made it back to the Plantation in plenty of time for sundown in the lap of luxury. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Enjoy Comforts of Beds and Showers, Now on to Safari

August 27, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

We had it pretty good on the mountain... but it sure was nice to sleep in beds last night and to take showers this morning. We breakfasted at the Arumeru River Lodge and then hit the road at 8 AM with our drivers/naturalists/guides Francis and Michael. We didn’t do too badly in the rush hour traffic skirting Arusha. Before very long we were out in open and dry country, pushing west into lands dominated by the Maasai tribes. We saw plenty of cattle herds being brought to or from water by Maasai herdsmen in their distinctive Tartan blankets. We reached Lake Manyara National Park a little before midday and popped the tops of our two stretch Landcruisers. We then stood with our heads and cameras out the roofs of the vehicles, looking for what might be hiding. We found monkeys and baboons, of course. But also Cape Buffalo and Elephant families and a hippopotamus momma and child lounging in water lilies a few feet from the road. There were hundreds of exotic birds for Keith, there were distant giraffes for Guillaume. We got a little used to seeing wildebeest and zebra and impala. We looked up in the branches of every tree we came to, searching for lions, but they weren’t available today. As the afternoon went along, the animals -and our expeditioners- got sleepy and so Michael and Francis pointed the Landcruisers toward the cushy Plantation Lodge. We sipped sundowners while watching the sun go down, dipped in the pool and generally lived the good life in this perfectly laid out compound of accommodations and gardens. We got together for a fine dinner -with many noting that it was almost as good as Tosha’s 15,000 ft fare- and we hatched plans for a pre-dawn start in the morning. Best Regards RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Celebrating Their Summit

August 26, 2019

Posted by: Dave Hahn

Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro

After such a massive and intensely challenging day as our summit bid, today was cruiser... and downhill cruising at that. We woke at 6 AM in the forest, commenting to one another that 10,000 feet was sure an easier altitude for sleeping than 15,000. We enjoyed one last excellent breakfast on the mountain and came out into the morning sunshine for the "gratitude ceremony". Our entire fifty-man staff assembled and began singing. They danced and clapped through the Jambo song, and the Bomba song, then assistant cook Benson took them -laughing- through the Churra song. The laughing became uncontrollable when Peter showed his Minnesota dance moves. Then we did a few small speeches and handed gratuities to each of the staff along with handshakes and “Asante Sanas”. We thanked them very much for helping and befriending us. Minutes later, at 8 AM, we were on the trail and heading down into the rain forest. It took just a few hours to walk carefully down the four thousand vertical feet of slippery trail past some giant trees and a few Colobus monkeys. We shared the track with porters from a number of other expeditions, running at top speed with big loads balanced on their heads. Everybody was ready for the finish. The gang assembled for a final group picture at the Mweka Gate trail sign around 11 AM. Then we dutifully lined up to sign the park service ledger and loaded onto our bus for a short ride to a picnic area. Tosha and our camp waiters, John, Alfredy and Damien, served us an excellent lunch out in the strong sunshine. We said our goodbyes and got on the bus for the big (2.5 hour) ride through the Tanzanian countryside back to Usa River and our lodge. Folks were understandably ready for showers and internet and an easy afternoon of getting ready for Safari. We celebrated over a victory dinner, outside with the monkeys and Dik Diks. The Arumeru staff honored the team with a surprise cake and a song. Finally, we did our toasts and our goodbyes to Joe, who’ll be winging his way home tomorrow while we continue the adventure. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

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Entries By Dave Hahn

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Train on the Fixed Ropes

Vinson Massif: Hahn & Team Ascend to Low Camp

On The Map

Vinson Massif: Team Arrives at Vinson Basecamp

Vinson Massif Expedition: Team Arrives in Punta Arenas, Chile

Mt. Rainier: Hahn, Davis & Muir Seminar Team Reach Summit

Kilimanjaro: Hahn and Team Enjoy the Last Day on Safari

Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Conclude Their Time in Africa

Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Explore Ngorongoro Crater

Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Enjoy Comforts of Beds and Showers, Now on to Safari

Kilimanjaro: Hahn & Team Celebrating Their Summit

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