Entries By dave hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
So far, so good. We left our Punta Arenas hotel at 6 this morning to come out to the airport. After a little wait-and-see period, we’ve loaded onto the plane at 9:45 and the engines are spooling up. All systems are go.
With any luck, the next dispatch will be from Antarctica.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
Our bags are packed and stowed on the Ilyushin 76... the big four engine Russian Jet that will take us down to the Ice. We hope to be off deck first thing tomorrow morning, but that will certainly depend on the weather. The gear got weighed and gathered up just after nine in the morning, so we had plenty of time to go strolling along the shore of Magellan’s Strait. Our next official function was a briefing/cocktail party at ALE headquarters at 4 PM. Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions- is our outfitter and they gathered the fifty or so passengers for our flight to orient and educate us on the trip South. They issued Pisco Sours served over Antarctic ice for the occasion, which was something of a reunion for the guides and frequent climbers in the group. They explained that the weather needs to improve a little, but that there is some reason to hope that it will for a flight tomorrow. My team of five went out for a last restaurant meal and then called it an early evening. We’ll get up early...around 5AM... and we’ll see if conditions have improved.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Vinson Massif
A Vinson climb in the heart of Antarctica begins with a heck of a lot of airplane and airport time. Over the past two days my team assembled in Punta Arenas in Southern Chile. Today, the five of us met after breakfast and began to go over the details of how we’ll get from South America to the Ice. It was an easy day of packing personal gear and resting in hotel rooms. Outside, the weather swirled and cycled in a typical late November Patagonian mad mix. The wind generally howled and white caps were everywhere out on the Straits of Magellan. Rain showers alternated with intense sunshine and blue sky. In the early evening, we walked a few blocks along the busy streets to a trusted restaurant and enjoyed a casual dinner while discussing colder places. We’ll have tomorrow to complete our preparations and these last two nights to get over our jet lag.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Chris Ebeling
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Four Day Summit Climb August 2 - 5 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Chris Ebeling reached the summit of Mt. Rainier today around 7:30 AM. Dave reported a beautiful day on the mountain. The team will spend some time in the crater and enjoying the views. They will return to Camp Muir and continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon. Their program will conclude with a celebration at Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb teams!
What an adventure and what a great team to summit with. Could no have asked for more!
David Hahn, Greyson and Alex are rock solid stars and I was happy to trust my life with their judgement and skills.
Posted by: Sarfraz A Durrani on 9/8/2018 at 2:17 pm
WOW. I am so impressed and proud of you all!! Such an experience and accomplishment I would never dream of. Congratulations
Posted by: Louise Utley on 9/5/2018 at 9:06 am
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Dave Hahn reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Dave reported beautiful weather and a challenging route. The team will enjoy the views from the summit before starting their descent.
Congratulations to today's team!
Way to go Cindy!! Awesome accomplishment!!
Posted by: Jeannie on 8/31/2018 at 9:39 am
Awesome job Tim and Cindy! I’m thrulled that the weather was on your side!! Great news!! Safe trip down!!!
Posted by: Penny pfann on 8/31/2018 at 9:16 am
The Four Day Summit Climb teams for August 24 - 27 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn & Andy Bond were unable to reach the summit today. Upon reaching the top of Disappointment Cleaver, high winds forced the teams to turn back to Camp Muir. The team is planning to descend from Camp Muir around 9:30 AM and we look forward to seeing them at Rainier BaseCamp this afternoon.
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Up before dawn, just one more time. Balloon Camp was kind to us... such a quiet night and such an easy morning -until just after breakfast when we had to split up with Emily and Phillip who were off to the Serengeti. We loaded up again with Ibrahim and Edson to see what we could see. We saw tracks in the road. We saw the vastness of a marsh, stretching to the horizon, dotted here and there with big animals, we saw a very pretty morning. And after an hour, we saw an amazing and beautiful leopard close up. We scared him and he scared us. Ibrahim looked up to find him on a branch as we passed nearly underneath. We skidded to a halt and he hopped up on his feet. We fumbled for cameras and he showed his teeth. He growled in a low and ominous rumble and we each wondered if he was considering jumping through the open top of our Toyota. Instead he climbed quickly and gracefully down the tree trunk, bared his teeth at us again and went hunting in the marsh. We followed his progress by watching his tail above the tall grass for a bit and then drove on, stunned and excited by our quick and awesome encounter. We were still talking to each other about our good luck twenty minutes later when we saw another beautiful leopard up another tree. This one from a relaxing distance of 100 meters, which took away the pressure to photograph and record. We just watched and appreciated for a time before moving on. We had a few more hours in the park... hours of trees and rivers and eagles and vultures, elephants, zebra, gnu and impala, giraffes and Cape buffalo. We even saw kudus, which is a rare thing (don’t try it at home).
By late morning we’d left the park and were cruising back toward Arusha. We made a stop for more shopping and a little culture at the cultural heritage center and then pressed on to the hotel. Saying goodbye and thanks to Ibrahim and Edson for a big five experience and a wonderful four days, we set to repacking and prepping to fly. We had one last dinner together, while watching the Dik Diks and monkeys play in the garden and we practiced our Swahili while saying goodbye to the staff at Arumeru River Lodge. Said then drove us out to the airport as the sun set on our great adventure. Lots of flying awaits and there are lots of pictures to go through now. We haven’t said much in the way of goodbyes, it will be easier to just say “see you all on the next mountain.”
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
The Plantation Lodge was just too comfortable... we couldn’t leave at the crack of dawn. A leisurely 9 AM departure sufficed. Before leaving the Karatu area, we stopped for some souvenir/gift shopping and a try at negotiating prices. Then we dropped back down the escarpment into the Rift Valley and cruised through the bustling town of Mosquito River. Out in the dry country beyond town, we pulled off the highway to tour a small Maasai village. The residents danced for (and with) us, showed us how to make fire without modernity, and then took us two-by-two into their small houses -built of sticks, mud and dung- to describe the basics of being Maasai. Tanzania has over 120 different tribes, but the Maasai stand out because they are attempting to hold on to their traditional methods. Thus educated and enlightened, we lit out for Tarangire National Park. This park has very different ecosystems compared to Manyara and Ngorongoro. It is made up of arid and expansive forests and savannas cut by three wandering river courses. Impala, gnu and zebra are seemingly everywhere. We began seeing extended families of elephants, including some little fellas less than a year old. We learned to distinguish between male and female giraffes by the shape of their horns. We stopped to look at giant baobab trees and termite mounds and mongoose. We were getting spoiled... the team began demanding to see grizzly bears and tigers too. Actually, just when it seemed we’d go catless for the day, we came upon nine very alert and animated lions, close up. They wandered down to the river giving every impression that they were starting a hunt. In early evening we came to Balloon Camp deep within the park. The friendly staff oriented us to our bush hotel, which included advising us not to walk around without a guardian after dark. There are no fences between us and the critters of Tarangire. We watched the sun go down on our last full day in Africa and then sat for some “bush TV” as they call the campfire. A crew of cheerful and colorful Maasai came to sing, chant, jump and dance as it got fully dark and starry. We then enjoyed a barbecue buffet under those same stars.
In the morning, we’ll start to diverge, as Emily and Phil head off to the Serengeti and the rest of us explore a bit more of Tarangire. Seems a shame to break up the team, but our trip is winding down.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We did another alpine start and another climb up the side of a volcano. But this time we got up to a fine pre-dawn breakfast in a comfy dining room with a roaring fire and rode up the side of a collapsed volcano in Toyota Landcruisers. That was all under heavy cloud and a little rain. By the time we’d ridden around the crater rim and dropped down in, we were out of the clouds and into a world of wildlife and wonders. Before very long we were looking at a pride of nine lions up close and personal (before the day was out, we’d seen around 26 different lions). We saw herd after herd after herd of wildebeest, zebra and Cape buffalo. Gazelles bounded and abounded. There were just a few solitary elephants here and there. In the morning we spied a rhinoceros off in the distance. In the afternoon we went on a wild rhino rumor race... chasing across the crater along with half the other Toyotas in Tanzania to see a supposed rhino who apparently dropped down and went to sleep out of sight. As consolation, we had high times with hippos in a number of places. Many of the team said their favorite part of the day was encountering two lionesses simply walking past the cars on their way to who-knows-where. We had an excellent and very relaxing picnic lunch while watching hippos, birds, buffalo and zebras. At about 4 PM, Ibrahim and Edson steered the Landcruisers up a crazily switchbacking exit road and we left the conservation zone and got back to our garden of a hotel to take things a little easy before dinner.
Tarangire is tomorrow.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We loved our Kilimanjaro climb... but each and every night of it was spent sleeping on a tilt in one or more directions. Last night at the Arumeru River Lodge, we were on the level. Consequently, there were a bunch of relaxed smiles at breakfast this morning to go with all the clean hair and shaved faces. At 8 AM we met our Safari guide/drivers -Edson and Ibrahim and loaded up the Landcruisers for an adventure. We started out by heading west through the outskirts of Arusha. As we got away from Mt Meru’s flanks, the clouds got thinner until we were out in dry and open land under clear skies. We passed many herds of Maasai cattle tended to by small boys in tartan blankets. Even before reaching Lake Manyara National Park, we spied a few giraffes eating acacia trees near the highway. Once in the lush and green park, we began seeing wildlife almost immediately. Logan got the coveted “first pumba” prize for spotting a tusky warthog digging up lunch. Unexpectedly a small gang of Cape Buffalo kicked up dust as they charged across the road. A few minutes later, we saw our second of the “big five” with a memory of elephants eating their way through the thorn trees. There were troops and flanges of baboons everywhere we looked. After a great picnic lunch with superb starlings singing in the branches overhead, we encountered a tower of giraffes, a bloat of hippos, and a dazzle of zebras. Along the way, there were silver-cheeked hornbills, a small implausibility of gnus and a herd or two of impalas. We looked high and low for big cats but they eluded us today. Perhaps tomorrow. In late afternoon we drove out of the Rift Valley and into the highlands. It was a great pleasure to pull into the meticulously manicured grounds of the Plantation Lodge near Karatu. We enjoyed cocktails and appetizers as the light faded and the stars came out... then we moved inside for a fine dinner to celebrate Phillip and Emily’s fourth wedding anniversary.
Ngorongoro Crater tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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Thinking many warm and fuzzy thoughts to all of you. Can’t believe that this morning I complained about a few flurries in Worthington!
Posted by: Janet Brennan on 11/27/2018 at 9:01 am
Looking forward to reading about your adventures Matt! The Theta Chi team is behind you 10%!
Posted by: Steve Magas on 11/25/2018 at 8:23 am
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