Entries By dustin wittmier

Our timing was perfect today.  The Great Barranco Wall is known for having great traffic jams as hundreds of climbers and porters squeeze through choke points along the way.  We were just plain lucky this morning as we got our hands on the rock and picked our way up the various ledges and steps of the wall. There were plenty of people around but traffic flowed just fine, making for a stress free couple of hours to start the day.  Our amazing crew hosted tea and snacks on the magical flat atop the wall.  We lounged in the sun for nearly an hour, looking up at the magnificent south Face of Kilimanjaro.  Then we strolled along the relatively easy ground to Karanga Camp.  It is sunny and calm again as we rest through the afternoon.  But a giant column of wildfire smoke out to our west has us a little concerned for the valleys we inhabited a few days back.  It doesn’t threaten us in the least but of course we worry for the ecosystems we’ve come to love on Kilimanjaro’s slopes.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Barranco Camp, 13,100 ft.  We broke everybody’s altitude records today!  It was another perfect day, weatherwise, and we took advantage -leaving Shira Camp at 8 AM.  The terrain was less steep than yesterday as we walked straight toward Kibo.  The massive cliffs and hanging ice fields grew closer and more grand as we approached the Lava Tower, our altitude goal for the day.  We celebrated 15,200 ft by having lunch and a leisurely break.  Then it was time to try out the going down muscles.  We dropped 2000 vertical feet into the Barranco Valley and enjoyed the Giant Senecios and Lobelias that make the valley so special. 

We came into another perfectly built camp, patting ourselves on the backs for a 7.5 hour day on a big mountain.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn, Dustin Wittmier & Team

Barranco Camp, 13,100 ft.  We broke everybody’s altitude records today!  It was another perfect day, weatherwise, and we took advantage -leaving Shira Camp at 8 AM.  The terrain was less steep than yesterday as we walked straight toward Kibo.  The massive cliffs and hanging ice fields grew closer and more grand as we approached the Lava Tower, our altitude goal for the day.  We celebrated 15,200 ft by having lunch and a leisurely break.  Then it was time to try out the going down muscles.  We dropped 2000 vertical feet into the Barranco Valley and enjoyed the Giant Senecios and Lobelias that make the valley so special. 

We came into another perfectly built camp, patting ourselves on the backs for a 7.5 hour day on a big mountain.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn, Dustin Wittmier & Team

We caught a nice sunny day for our move out to Shira Camp. Kibo -Kilimanjaro’s central peak- was shining in the morning sun when we took off from Machame Camp. The team seemed to have no trouble with the steeper hills we confronted right off the bat.  We climbed up rocky steps through a forest of Giant Heather to attain a ridge crest, then we walked straight toward Kibo for a while before making a turn to the west.  We got to use our hands on the rock in a few places as we traversed some cliff bands on the way out to the Shira Plateau.  By 1:30 PM we were in our new camp.  It was a relaxing afternoon of eating, drinking and resting at this new and significant altitude.  The team is getting ready for a beautiful sunset out towards Meru, the fifteen thousand foot volcano on our western horizon. 

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Sunday, September 6, 2026 - 8:30 am PT

Machame Camp, 10,000 ft.  Our team of nine set off precisely on schedule this morning at 8 AM.  Our bus driver negotiated the busy highway to get us to the Machame Gate of Kilimanjaro National Park in a tidy two hours.  There were papers to be filed and permits to be issued and finally we set out walking through the big forest at 11 AM.  The team crushed it today, cruising from 6000 to 10,000 ft in 5 hrs, 20 min.  We took a few breaks, listened to a few birds and surprisingly, saw the mountain.  We began the day under thick clouds but they dissipated as we climbed and we ended up with blue skies and great views in our new home.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Saturday, September 5, 2026 - 10:10 pm PT

We’ve got the makings of another fine expedition to the highest point in Africa.  Nine of us got together at Rivertrees Inn yesterday to plan and pack for the mountain.  This morning we are setting out!

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

Congratulations to the Four Day Climb team, led by RMI Guides Stella Johnson and Dustin Wittmier, on reaching the 14,410-foot summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning!

Despite cold temperatures and strong winds, the team was rewarded with clear skies above the cloud layer surrounding Paradise. They are currently descending and expect to arrive back at Camp Muir shortly.

Well done, Team!

RMI guide Dustin Wittmier and his team reached the summit of Mt Shuksan on August 18th via the Sulphide Glacier. 

Great work up there!

RMI guide Dustin Wittmier and his team summitted Mt Shuksan via the Sulphide Glacier on July 28th, 2026. 

Great work!

The Four Day climb led by RMI guide Mike Bennet and Ray Holt reached the summit this morning. They reported strong winds at the summit, depsite low wind speeds throughout the climb. They were leaving the crater around 7:55am and are currently on their descent back to Camp Muir. They will return to Ashford this afternoon.

Great work up there!