Entries By mark tucker
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Woke up to a coffee on my porch while watching the bush begin its day. Many a crunch, crack, and snap during the night, below, above, and around our stilted tent platforms. Cloudy and cool as we drove through the park on or way back to the Dik Dik. New contender for shot of the trip, Morgan and her leopard is in the running. Guess a cheetah would have been a shoe-in for a race but we are leaving that shot for next time. Some lions, elephants and a thousand other creatures, we share this amazing world with, bid us farewell during or drive out of the park. The rest of the climbing/safari team is either in the air or going through customs as I write this. My flight is tomorrow. Here taking care of details to set up RMI's next team for yet another safe and successful expedition here in amazing Africa. Thank you back home for allowing these adventurers a hall pass for a visit to this exotic land. It's been a real pleasure spending time with them all. Sharing some insight to our travels in script has been a pleasure, hope they were well received. Get out there when you can. Take care, Safe travels, Safari on!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Pictures say a thousand words. The team was firing on all cylinders with their cameras. Easy picking today for great shots of all the major food groups. Cats that were close enough to pet. The resident genet cat up in the roof of the amazing Kikoti Lodge where we are for the night. It made an appearance at dinner and Aaron with the quick draw got the shot of the night. Perfect weather and great team work. That would have Mario Andretti's pit crew impressed while a tire was changed with a beautiful sunset and some cold libation for yet another chapter in the book. Easy to find some peace in these parts of the bush. Safari on!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Wonderful day of game viewing. Ngorongoro Crater was the place to be. We did fine work of observing and filming all day. Perfect weather had to be dealt with and thousands of animals needed to be filmed. We made you all proud back home with our drive and our drivers. Eric and Joseph maneuvered us around the crater rim to floor with ease and grace. Not to mention Michele presented us with yet another tasty lunch in the bush. A hippo downwind made a move in our direction getting out of the pond to check out the bill o' fare but please observe do not approach and or feed the wildlife.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Safari is on! That's it, I am buying a good camera. The photos taken today were impressive by one of the team members, shown on his computer screen downloaded at dinner was fantastic. To get so near a wild animal and feel no threat is an unusual experience unless you do it all the time. Such a thrill to relive the game viewing later. So many and such a great diversity in such a short time span, tough to take it all in at the moment. Look out cover of National Geographic, we are well under way. Lake Manyara was a nice tour this afternoon after a leisurely departure from the Dik Dik hotel this morning. Tomorrow the Ngorongoro Crater, better go charge my camera battery.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We had to put up with perfect weather again today. A quick 3 hour hike to the park gate where we said good-bye to our mountain adventure. We all boarded our monster truck that held about 30 of us including all mountain gear on the roof. A stop along the way for a lunch to break up the 3 hr drive and we are back at our lodge. The Dik Dik lodge welcomed us with open arms and has done an outstanding job assisting us with desired creature comforts. They are going to supply us with our safari guides and vehicles for the next phase of our adventure tomorrow. Tonight we just finished up a great celebration dinner. Now we are off to bed, everyone is doing well and we are looking forward to starting our safari tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team
Update after successful summit:
Weather could not have been better. Same with the team. What we learn about ourselves and others up in the outer limits of our atmosphere never ceases to amaze me. Outstanding efforts today by three teens, Aaron , Hunter, and Morgan. Each along with one of their parental units, etching out some family history. A fine example of good parenting to bring out the best in these adolescents under some very demanding conditions. What they did today can put a new perspective on everyday challenges. Put that one in your tool box. The rest of us didn't do too bad either. Making good time to the top and back down safely to our last camp, Mweka, here at 10,000ft. Our total summit day only took about 15 hours. We will be back to creature comforts tomorrow after another three hours of descending.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
[Link to summit call audio]
RMI Guide Mark Tucker calls from Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.
On The Map
Yet another nice weather day here on Kilimanjaro. We are looking down at a sea of clouds below us but it's all clear up here at 15,000' Barafu Camp, our high camp. After a nice breakfast the team took yet another big bite out of the mountain. After just a few hours of walking we are situated less than one vertical mile from the top of the "Roof of Africa". We have been eating, lounging and trying to not get too excited about the adventure ahead tonight. We spent some time this afternoon readying for our climb, putting fresh batteries in the head lamp,a gallon sized lunch bag, boots dried to perfection, special saved pair of summit socks pulled out and put in position. We are planning for an 11:30 pm wake up call. A lot of preparation and sacrifice has gone into getting us all here. Thank you all back home for the support on this great adventure. We will have an early dinner then it's into the tent for a few more hours of rest before we begin our summit attempt. The mountain has been very friendly so far and a we have a high level of confidence for it to continue for another 48 hours. Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
We are so excited and happy for all of you !!!! Congrats !! The beach misses you ! xxxoo JC and LB
Posted by: JC and Lizzie on 7/30/2016 at 7:28 pm
Woop woop!! So excited.
Posted by: Cassie evering on 7/30/2016 at 12:08 pm
We slept in an extra hour this morning for two reasons. Firstly, it gave us some extra rest in preparation for our summit attempt. Secondly, it allowed the rest of the teams at camp to break trail up the great Barranco Wall this morning so we could avoid "rush hour" on the wall.The 800 feet of solid handholds made the ledge scrambling a blast. With the assistance of our local staff, everyone made for a safe ascent of the Barranco Wall. Once atop the wall, we made a long traverse under the dramatic views of the the hanging glaciers and rock buttresses that make up the top of Kilimanjaro on our way to Karanga Camp at 13,160 feet. We are knocking on the door of the summit and the weather continues to be perfect! Yeah!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Up early for a crisp and clear day at Shira Camp. Perfect climbing conditions all day long. Kibo, Kilimanjaro's main peak towering over us during the 2,500-foot climb to well over 14,000 feet . A nice gentle grade up to our high point for the trip, then down, down, down, down the Barranco Valley where we are for the night. Glaciers, tall cliffs, giant ice runnels are the view from camp. Pictures at sunset are going to be awesome.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Thinking of you guys!! Love you.
Posted by: Cassie evering on 7/28/2016 at 9:09 am
A good night for sleep with a couple folk still adjusting to time zone change. There were amazing stars last night. Woke up to perfectly clear sky's views of the big top ahead. Sizable chunk of altitude gain in half the distance of yesterday but still gained us 2,500 feet in elevation. As you can imagine fairly steep right out of the gate but every one handled it well. The environment changes dramatically from a lush forest to a more alpine feel. A big finish to the day, traversing out to the west, complete opposite from where we will travel tomorrow across ancient lava flows that have created a broad flatland between Kibo-Kilimanjaros main peak and Shira, its western satellite. Our home for the night.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
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So proud of you Carol & Craig & all of your new friends. Well done!
Posted by: Joan & Randy on 8/1/2016 at 10:33 pm
Wow! You all did… And continue to do amazing! We miss you!
Posted by: Jeremiah and TeriAnn on 7/31/2016 at 9:39 pm
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