Entries By jeff martin

Hello from Karanga Camp, The team is doing great and we are happily nestled in at Karanga Camp. The weather has been having a hard time making up it's mind the last few days, and today was no different. The mornings start out clear, but by mid-afternoon, the clouds roll in and stay around until dinner, and then it clears out again. Fortunately, there has not been much rain and the trail conditions have been great. This morning when we got up, every trekker in camp was looking up at the Barranco Wall. It would be hard to miss this almost 1,000' wall rising up towards the sky, but it is when you see the first few porters working their way up the trail is when you really take notice. You can hear the nearby groups talking about the Wall followed by "we have to climb up that". The vantage point from camp makes the trail appear to be near vertical, but once you start the climb, it is very straightforward trail. In fact, most find it a lot fun and our group cruised right up it. With most of the elevation gain for the day done while climbing the Barranco Wall, it was easy hiking the rest of the way to camp. We had a spaghetti lunch waiting for us when we arrived and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Now it's time for popcorn and tea. We are all excited to be moving up to our high camp tomorrow and will check in from there. RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team Simba Sita

On The Map

Jambo from Barranco Camp, Everybody did extremely well today on our move to Barranco Camp. It was the longest and hardest day so far of the trek, but the team was more than up for the challenge. We started at 12,500' this morning, with clear skies and a magnificent view of the mountain. But this was short lived as the clouds soon took over and stuck with us for the rest of the day. We even had a little rain as we approached Lava Tower Camp, our high point for the day at 15,200'. The clouds parted briefly so we could see Lava Tower and a glimpse of the Western Breach Wall. But more important than the view, was the fact the team was strong and handled the altitude well. It was downhill from here and we made great time descending down almost 2,500', the entire amount of elevation we had spent the better part of our morning climbing up. But that is why today is so important for our acclimatization, and will pay big rewards on our summit day. Tomorrow we tackle the Barranco Wall, and will check in from Karanga Camp. A few comments from the Team - Cal and Grayson - We will not fail. Pam, Jaiden, and Carson - Miss you and love you. Susan, Jennifer, and Craig - Still standing RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team Simba Sita

On The Map

Hello from Shira Camp, Today the team moved from Machame Camp to Shira Camp for our second night on the mountain. The morning started out with clear blue skies as we continued the climb up and out of the giant heather zone. Within a few hours, most of the climbing for the day was done and we started a long traverse. At the end of the traverse the trail cuts through several sections of lava rock and we finally crested out on the Shira Plateau. This is at almost 12,500 feet, an altitude record for most of the group. We descended a couple hundred feet and walked right into camp. The clouds rolled in shortly after lunch and have been with us since. We are all hanging out in our tents now, resting a bit and working on our appetites for a big dinner. Tomorrow will be the biggest day of the climb so far and we will be adding another 2,500 feet to those altitude records. The group remains strong and are all up for the challenge tomorrow. RMI Guide Jeff Martin & Team Simba Sita

On The Map

Happy Valentine's Day from Machame camp. When we woke up this morning, it was sunny and warm and the perfect day to start our climb. After a quick breakfast, we loaded up in the vehicle and drove to the park gate, about an 1 1/2 drive from our hotel. With our park registration complete and the porter loads weigh, we were all more than ready to start walking. With not a cloud in the sky, shorts and t-shirts were all that were needed today. As soon as we started on the trail, we began a steady climb up through the forest zone, the most dense section of forest on the mountain. After we climbed several thousand feet, the forest started to thin and the flanks of Kilimanjaro came into full view. A short stretch later, we were walking into our first night's camp at 10,000. With our tents already set up and a snack waiting for us, it was a nice ending to our first day on the trail. The team did great today on the hike and everybody is feeling strong and healthy. Tomorrow we will be checking in from Shira Camp. Team Sima Sita

On The Map

Hello from Punta Arenas, We had the call this morning that we were on standby for our flight. Union Glacier was cloudy, but the report was that the weather was starting to improve and they would re-evaluate at 12:30 pm. We all crossed our fingers that the team could get going towards Vinson. The second call came in right at 12:30 and we were told that the bus is coming to pick us up at the hotel at 1:25 pm. The flight is a go! There were several other groups to pick up on the way to the airport, but the plane was loaded and ready for passengers. After an abbreviated security check, the bus pulled up right next to the plane and 15 minutes later everybody was on board and ready to go. It's about 4 1/4 hour flight down to Union Glacier . They carry enough fuel so that if they get down there and are unable to land, they can turn around and head back to Punta Arenas. Hopefully not the case for this flight. Once they land on the glacier, they will meet up with Dave Hahn, and if the weather is decent, the plan is for a quick turn around at Union Glacier, switching planes, and heading directly to Vinson Basecamp. The next dispatch will be from Dave and the crew on the ice. RMI Guide Jeff Martin

Greetings from Punta Arenas, Our second Vinson trip of the season is officially underway. Our small but adventurous group arrived yesterday in the beautiful port city of Punta Arenas. This small southern Chilean town sits right on the Straight of Magellan and is the jumping off point for our flight to Antarctica. Today, we had our pre-trip briefing with our outfitter ALE to go over all the details about our flight and to review some of the protocols for visiting Antarctica. "Vast, large, and remote" is how Peter McDowell, one of the owners of ALE and the person giving today's orientation, described it. He then showed a slide with the US (the lower 48) overlaid on top of Antarctica. Even with the US, there was still a whole lot of land mass showing. After the team meeting we began to unpack and then re-pack everything for the flight to Union Glacier. With the final equipment check complete, the bags were weighed and transported to the airport to be loaded on the plane. It is now a waiting game. The forecast is showing an improving trend and with any luck, the team will be able to fly out tomorrow as planned and meet RMI Guide Dave Hahn who is waiting for them at Union Glacier. Today is beautiful here and we are now off to do a little exploring and then on to dinner. We'll check in tomorrow to let you know about the flight status. RMI Guide Jeff Martin

Jambo from Kikoti Camp, We packed up this morning, left the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge and headed to Tarangire National Park. It is about a 2 hour drive from the crater rim, and by late morning we were already seeing the first of the many animals to come. Tarangire is the fifth largest park in Tanzania and it boasts over 3,000 resident elephants. It lived up to its reputation today and would guess that we saw at least 300 today. Since there is only one main river running through the park, most of the animals are concentrated along this water source, especially in the dry season (June - September). Lots more of zebras, wildebeast, impala, and gazelle were seen, as well as a few lions. The safari drivers always talk to each other about what animals they have seen. Unfortunately, it has been at least two days since the last leopard has been seen. Maybe it will happen tomorrow.... We will spend a few hours game viewing in the morning before heading back to the Dik Dik Hotel and getting ready for our flights home. This has been a really fun trip and we are sorry that it has to come to an end. Thanks to the entire team for making this a great adventure, and congratulations to all of you for reaching the summit of Kilimanjaro. Cheers to all and safe travels home. RMI Guide Jeff Martin

Hello from the Ngorongoro Wildife Lodge, We were driving down into the crater at 7:00 am this morning for a full day of game viewing. We saw at least 10,000 animals today, mostly zebra, wildebeest, cape buffalo, and gazelles. But the two black rhinos (mother and baby) is what stole the prize. We first saw them way out in the distance, but they continued to travel in our general direction and so we waited patiently. They ended up crossing right in front of us, about 100 yards away, and we were the only group to see them. Timing is everything when it comes to safari. We also saw lions, a cheetah, hyenas, a serval cat, and elephants. It was quite a day. After spending the majority of the day in the crater, including a picnic lunch, we headed back up the road to the crater rim. At the top, we stopped at a traditional Masai village to learn about their culture and how they live off the land. It was a lot of fun getting a tour of their huts and watching them perform their traditional dances. It was then time to head back to our lodge to grab a drink and head out on the patio to watch the sun go down over Ngorongoro Crater. Tomorrow, we travel to Tarangire National Park where we plan to spend another full day game viewing. The only animal left on our "Big Five List" is the leopard. We have heard that our chances are good that we can see one in Tarangire. - The Kili Team

Hello from the Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge, Well, the elusive tree climbing lions were no where to be seen today, but the game viewing at Lake Manyara proved to be spectacular. From the moment we entered the gate, there were lots of animals. The first sighting of the day was a troop of baboons, followed by velvet monkeys, blue monkeys, giraffes, cape buffalo, elephants, hippos, and water bucks. Not bad for the first hour of our safari. We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the park, and took enough pictures that a few batteries were already drained half way though the afternoon. Lake Manyara is about an hour's drive to Ngorongoro crater and we timed it perfectly to be at the first viewpoint of the crater right before sunset. When you first approach the crater, the view is just spectacular. Dropping almost a 1000 feet below you is the largest unbroken and unflooded caldera in the world. It is almost 13 miles across and is home to 25,000 animals. Not surprising that many call this the eighth wonder of the world! After a short drive along the crater rim from the viewpoint, we arrived at our lodge for the next two nights. The Ngorongoro Wildlife Lodge sits right on the crater rim and each room has a full on view looking out over the entire crater. We will get an early start in the morning to drive down into the crater. Tomorrow is going to be a big day and the group can't wait to get down there. - The Kili Team

Hello from the Dik Dik Hotel, We had an early wake up call at Mweka camp this morning and were on the trail by 8:00 am. It was blue skies leaving camp then we descended into the cloud forest and had the first rain of the trip. Even though we had a long summit day yesterday, the team was very motivated and made great time walking down to the park gate. We said our goodbyes to all the support staff that helped us climb Kilimanjaro and then loaded up the bus to head back to the Dik Dik. After being greeted by a glass of champagne, we headed immediately for a well deserved hot shower. We just finished our celebration dinner and will re-pack our bags once again, but this time, it is for a new adventure - our safari that starts tomorrow. First stop is Lake Manyara, most well known for it's tree climbing lions. We will let you know if we are lucky enough to see one. Cheers, The Kili Team