Entries By Dave Hahn
Early risers at Shira Camp witnessed a giant moon setting out near Mount Meru to our west this morning. We still had views of the upper flanks of
Kilimanjaro when we went to breakfast, but by the time we hit the trail, the great cliffs and glaciers were cloaked in cloud. We marched upward on a low angled and broad ridge. Gradually the plants got smaller and smaller until there were hardly any of note by our high point at the Lava Tower. We endured a short sleet storm near the 14,900' pass, but that did not keep us from pushing on and breaking altitude records for a number of our team members. Then we began a steady descent into the Barranco Valley. Clouds let loose a ten minute rain shower on us and kept us guessing about the steep contours above. We could just see hints of ice and crazily angled rock up above. Below we could see a magical valley of Dr. Seuss style plants unfolding. Giant Senecios and Lobelias abounded. We were in our new home and safely in the tents at 13,000' before the next rain showers commenced. The late afternoon and evening blended together as a damp fog settled over our Barranco tent village.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
After a calm night at
Machame Camp at 9,800', we packed up this morning under blue skies and strong sun and pushed higher. The team was on the move by 8:00 AM and was immediately on steeper and rougher trails than we'd encountered yesterday. It was quite busy as the porters from a number of teams -including our own- were anxious to get out ahead and make it to Shira Camp as early as possible in order to claim prime sites for their teams. We made good progress, eventually following a rocky ridge line for some distance. It was continually interesting to watch the changes in foliage as we ascended. Looking out, we were above a sea of cloud obscuring the rest of Africa. Our sun and views of Kilimanjaro didn't last. By the time we'd reached about 12,000', clouds formed on the upper mountain and stretched to cover us. By then, we were traversing on blocky lava terraces out towards the Shira plateau. We made it into our new camp at 12:30 and after getting settled, enjoyed a fine hot lunch. Afternoon was mostly rest, relax and acclimatize time as we are now at a lofty 12,300' It is colder here and so we didn't stay up very late, hitting the sack at about seven, just after a hearty supper.
Best Regards,
RMI Guides Dave Hahn
On The Map
It was raining at the Dik Dik Hotel this morning when we woke. Light, but steady rain kept falling as we ate a 7 AM breakfast and got ready to board the bus/truck. But 15 minutes down the road, our driver shut off his windshield wipers. Low clouds still disguised the mountain we believed was hiding somewhere out to our northeast, but things were looking up. The variety of crops in the "cultivation" zone at the foot of
Kilimanjaro was quite impressive. We saw coffee, corn, avocado, mangos, and bananas all growing in a lush mix close to the Machame Gate. It took some time to get the group properly registered and permitted with the National Park but then at around 11 AM we began our ascent through a forest of tall trees. Our starting point was at about 5,900 ft, and our destination for the day was close to 9,800 ft, so there was little doubt we were in for a workout. At first we were in fog and humid clouds, but after several hours, the sun got strong and the sky got blue. We traveled on an excellent trail through the "forest" zone and into the "heather" zone and we began getting great views of
Kilimanjaro and her glaciers. At around 4:30 PM we strode into a cluster of tents and admired the work of our porters and kitchen crew as we took packs off in our new home. We ate dinner in our grand dining tent and turned in early under what appears to be a magnificent full moon.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
We got together after a relaxing breakfast in our tropical garden of a lodge and we talked about going up amongst the glaciers of
Kilimanjaro. It was a morning of going over the plan of attack and for discussing gear and best practices for staying healthy in this part of the world. The middle of the day was spent getting the gear and clothing sorted and by afternoon the team enjoyed a bit of free time to wander about or to nap. The wanderers didn't have to go far before they could see Kilimanjaro floating in the distance. The nappers surrendered for a short time to the jet lag we all feel.
The team enjoyed seeing groups of monkeys swinging through the trees of our compound as well as listening to strange birds call out as they cruised overhead.
We enjoyed a group dinner and some storytelling for the evening. It will be hard to leave this luxurious and laid back setting, but the thought of getting walking on the flanks of the largest freestanding mountain in the world is pretty enticing as well.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
It is 11 PM at the Dik Dik Hotel near
Arusha, Tanzania, and the entire climbing team has made it through the worldwide obstacle course of airports and aircraft to begin a Kilimanjaro expedition. We'll get started in the morning with strategizing and packing gear and prepping, but for now it it just a great relief to have everybody in one place (the correct place) and to have all the baggage safely off the carousels.
Our drivers and hotel staff gave each tired traveler a friendly hello, a handshake, a glass of champagne and a flower or two. The kitchen stayed up late to get an excellent dinner out to each and every climber.
We'll hope that a night's good rest goes a long way to refreshing, rebooting and rejuvenating the gang. An adventure is waiting.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide
Dave Hahn
The
Four Day Summit Climb Led by RMI Guide
Dave Hahn reached 11,800’ feet today before encountering firm and icy conditions on the route which forced them to turn around. Dave Hahn reported clear skies and beautiful weather. The team is currently descending from Ingraham Flats and will be back at RMI Basecamp in the early afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Our Four Day Summit Climb teams failed to reach the summit this morning due to a team member falling ill and needing assistance. The teams reached 12,300’, the top of Disappointment Cleaver, before they needed to turn around. Everyone is now descending back to Camp Muir and we expect their arrival at Ashford Base Camp around 4:00pm.
We had teams summit via three different routes on
Mt. Rainier this morning:
Dave Hahn and
Jason Thompson led teams via the Disappointment Cleaver Route,
Pete Van Deventer via the Kautz Glacier Route, and
Garrett Stevens on the Emmons Glacier Route. They reported chilly conditions, winds about 15 mph and sunny skies. All teams had left the crater rim by 7:50 a.m.
Congratulations to today's teams!
The Four Day Summit Climb led by
RMI Guide Dave Hahn was unable to reach the summit of
Mt. Rainier this morning. At 7:20 a.m. the team was descending Disappointment Cleaver en route to Camp Muir; they will be back in Ashford later today.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The alarm was set for 11:30 PM at 8000 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier. The rain began at 10:00 PM and continued on and off until 11:20. Rain wouldn't be considered a good thing if you were laying in your sleeping bag hoping that the glacial surface would freeze up in the night to permit safe and easy passage to the Southeast Fork and a possible airplane pickup. So at the appointed wakeup time, we had a soggy glacier, groggy climbers and a murky vision of the world. Although it is still light for twenty four hours in this part of Alaska in mid-July, it isn't very light between about midnight and four. But we made the decision, along with Rob Gowler's AMS group camped nearby, to make a break for the airstrip before the storm got worse. We were on the move by 2:00 AM and stumbling along on snowshoes in the gloom. Surprisingly, it rained no more. It was slow going at first, hitting big crevasses broadside, without being able to see them ahead of time and take evasive action. But conditions improved as we got further down glacier... there had been a great deal of new snow (bridging crevasses) the sky overhead was clearing and the snow surface was consequently freezing, and it was getting lighter. It was a great help to be backed up in route-finding by Rob and the AMS team. Together, as the last climbers on the mountain, we worked through the early morning hours. By seven, we'd solved all significant problems and found ourselves at the foot of "heartbreak hill". We climbed the Southeast Fork to the airstrip and called in the ski-planes. Conditions overhead were good, but it took a few hours until our planes could even get into the range. The bigger storm was still coming in, but all passes into the mountains were already clogged with cloud. We considered ourselves lucky to be flown out in the afternoon. What followed was a whirlwind of drying/sorting gear, connecting with the outer world again and showers and shaves. We enjoyed a fabulous West Rib victory dinner celebration, a summit certificate awards ceremony and copious amounts of laughter over our shared experiences of the past three weeks. Day 20... Trip done... all we could possibly have hoped for in defining a fine expedition.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Wow, what a vista! Love this blog! Chris and Jeff, keep breathing!!
Posted by: Joan on 9/20/2013 at 7:16 am
Awesome descriptions of the climb. I can really visualize it. Sorry you’re getting rained on!
Posted by: Mara on 9/19/2013 at 11:48 am
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