Entries By dave hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We are at high camp!
Barafu -which means ice in Swahili. We got here nice and early, just after 11 AM. It only took about three hours to gain the two thousand vertical feet from Karanga Camp. The team came in smiling and all together and excited to finally be here, in place for a summit bid. The day ended up a little cloudy, with a snowflake or two in the air but that hasn’t bothered us. Benson treated us to a nice lunch and then we sat down with Naiman -our lead guide- to talk in detail about the summit and how we’ll prepare for it.
We are resting and organizing this afternoon, getting used to the altitude and catching up on our hydration. An early dinner is in order -Spaghetti at 5:30- and then we’re going into the tents for a rest. It will be an Alpine start; we aim to be walking at midnight.
Wish us a little luck, please.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
The team had a fine day of climbing to reach Barranco Camp at 13,100 feet. When we woke and ate breakfast at Shira Camp this morning, there was a mean looking lenticular cloud on the summit of Kilimanjaro. It looked like it would have been a very difficult day to summit. Luckily, we had different plans for the day. We set out at 8 AM walking toward Kibo (the central peak) and gaining altitude gradually. Before too long we passed 14,400 ft and shattered the previous high altitude records for everyone on the team. We cruised right on up to the Lava Tower at 15,200 ft and rolled down the other side to where our amazing chef Benson had prepared a picnic lunch for the team. By this point the clouds had cleared and we had full views of Kibo’s ice fields and massive cliff faces just above. We got walking again after lunch and made fine time hiking down into the gardens of Barranco Camp. At 3 PM we cruised through the last of the Giant Senecios and into our camp. We switched to relaxing with tea time followed by a nice dinner in our colorful dome tent. Tomorrow we take on the great Barranco Wall.
Best Regards,
Dave D. and team…WOW…what a spectacular day for all and the photos are amazing! Keep up the great climbing and God’s Blessings to all! Love, Bev
Posted by: Bev Kittleson on 8/11/2023 at 5:00 pm
We are watching every day….Mommy….Love you. Elsie and Emmett
Posted by: judy reiner on 8/11/2023 at 8:10 am
Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 1:55 am PT
Jambo from 10,000 ft on Mt Kilimanjaro. The start to our expedition went just as smoothly as it could possibly go. We were up and eating breakfast at Rivertrees by 7 AM and on the road by 8:15. Traffic on the main highway wasn’t too bad and we made fine progress, reaching the Machame gate to the National Park by 10 AM. There, at 6000 ft, we made final preparations for walking and we waited while the finishing touches were made on our climbing permit. By 11 AM, everything was set and we set out walking. We followed VV -one of our four local guides- into the rain forest. The weather was cloudy and humid but as we walked, there was enough clearing that we had occasional blue sky and sunshine through the big trees. Gradually the trail steepened and we began to make real progress. We stopped for snacks and rest breaks several times over the course of the five and a half hours it took to reach Machame Camp. Just out of the rainforest, we’ve graduated to the Giant Heather zone. Our support team established a fine camp and welcomed us in late afternoon. The blue skies were gone by then and the clouds had thickened up again. We got settled in for dinner in our dining tent at 6:30, just as it got dark. In the end it was a big day from start to finish and nobody lingered for very long following dinner. Between lingering jet lag and all of the hard work, the team was quite ready for a first night in the tents.
Best Regards
Sweet dreams to the brave and fabulous! Love you Allison!
Posted by: Liz DePasqua on 8/9/2023 at 6:57 pm
The climb begins. So excited for u & your team!!
Posted by: Rosie on 8/9/2023 at 5:28 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Monday, August 7, 2023 - 6:48 pm PT
Our team got busy with getting ready today. We met after breakfast in the garden-like compound of our hotel -Rivertrees. The huge fig trees along the Usa River throw plenty of shade and make for a fine playground for various troupes of monkeys. Our meeting delved into the particulars of how the climb on Kilimanjaro will flow and just how we will prepare for it. The team then dispersed to their rooms for gear checks and ultimately packing and weigh-ins. The afternoon was spent in this way, and with a few naps and cups of tea in the garden thrown in. Having mostly come from the west coast of North America, our gang is thoroughly jet-lagged. It was exciting in the evening to greet Brent Okita and his successful team of Kili climbers as they returned to the hotel. We then enjoyed our dinner -the last before the big event- while on the other side of the dining area, they enjoyed theirs as a victory dinner.
Best Regards
Dave D and team…hope all is continuing to go great on the climb! Each day is sure to bring much excitement on how far you have come! Praying for God’s protection each day! Love and Blessings, Bev
Posted by: Bev Kittleson on 8/11/2023 at 6:56 am
Looks like a fantastic group. We are all cheering you on Allison from OFW.❣️❣️ Chris is so proud of you
Posted by: Janet on 8/9/2023 at 5:56 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dustin Wittmier, George Hedreen, Bailey Servais, Mitch Valaitis, Evan Redman
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb teams reached the summit of Mt. Rainier around 7:45 am today led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Dustin Wittmier. Dave reported very pleasant climbing conditions for the morning. After enjoying some time in the crater the teams will descend to Camp Muir for the second and final night on the mountain. Tomorrow they will descend the remaining 4.5 miles to Paradise and conclude their program at Rainier BaseCamp.
Nice work team!
Congratulations to you all! Proud of you and your hard work!!
Posted by: Chrissy M. on 7/31/2023 at 11:36 am
Congratulations!! So proud of the hard work this crew has put in! Incredible grit and dedication, y’all rock!!!
Posted by: Angela Govila on 7/31/2023 at 9:31 am
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Joe Hoch, Devin Guffey, Daniel May, Tom Skoog, Ben Thorneycroft
Categories:
Elevation: 14,410'
The Five Day Climb July 20 - 24 led by RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Joe Hoch, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. They reported pleasant conditions with lighter winds than expected. The teams will return to Camp Muir and enjoy the afternoon and their final night on the mountain. Tomorrow the teams will descend to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp.
Congratulations to today's climbers!
Congratulations on achieving such a huge goal, Helene Scalliet!! I am so excited for you and can’t wait to hear all about it.
Posted by: Terri Nichols on 7/23/2023 at 5:10 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dustin Wittmier, Sam Marjerison, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7300'/ 348'
Wednesday, July 5, 2023 - 11:59 pm PT
Difficult day today, waiting for the weather to clear, then scrambling like crazy in the evening to fly and finally an unintentional split of the team. As some made it in to town and some remained on the mountain for the night.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dustin Wittmier, Sam Marjerison, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 7,300'
Tuesday, July 4, 2023 - 11:57 pm PT
Long day, but it ended with us reaching basecamp safe and sound, so it was a very good day. The start was hard, it was still snowing and blowing as we packed. There was a lot to do since our gear had been buried under a few feet of fresh snow. We set out at 9:40 in a whiteout, working by Braille and GPS. The first three hours were like that, pushing through endless new snow. We started to come out of the storm below ski hill, but conditions were quite mushy. Our snow shoes were sinking in, which made finding crevasses fairly difficult. We trudged on in surreal lighting as the clouds came and went. Heartbreak Hill didn't break any hearts. We were happy to be on the home stretch. We pulled in to basecamp at 6PM. It was all ours for a few minutes. Dominic Cifelli's team pulled in just behind us, but otherwise, camp was empty and gone, closed up for the season. Weather didn't permit a flight so we camped.
Hey Dustin and Dave! Awesome job getting your team back to basecamp! You guys Rock!
Farmer Dave
Posted by: Dave Kestel on 7/6/2023 at 4:48 am
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 9:05 pm PT
It has been a windy snowy 24 hrs at 11,000ft. Not very pleasant to be outside of the tents for long. We are biding our time, waiting to make a break for it.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Congratulations & Happy 4th of July!
Jokes are all downhill from here… :D
Posted by: FAUSTINE SAMEC on 7/4/2023 at 9:24 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Dustin Wittmier, Michael Murray, Sam Marjerison
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Monday, July 3, 2023 - 12:28 am PT
We battled our way down to 11,000 ft. A big day of work. Lots of packing, lots of dicey climbing down the tricky steps of the West Buttress. This day was supposed to be a nice one, but we could see every sign that the storm was coming in early. We had to fight a little to get around Windy Corner. It snowed on us as we climbed down and as we fought to get a camp up at 11,000'. But we are happy to have made such progress should the storm now come in hard.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
So proud of you Vanessa! Wishing you a beautiful summit adventure.
Love you a whole bunch!
Posted by: Jessica on 8/13/2023 at 5:29 am
Sean and gang- we hope everyone made it to the summit today- We are all proud of you Sean .
Tina and SBLEA Union
Posted by: Tina Oxford on 8/13/2023 at 3:26 am
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