Hello again everyone,
Day 4 started much like yesterday, luckily for us, with clouds below and clear skies above. Looming above camp was our first major obstacle of the climb, the 1,000' high Barranco wall, the only real technical part of this climb. Looking straight at it one would think its nearly unclimbable but thankfully for us there is a faint climbers trail that bobs and weaves it way via a series of ledges and steps safely to the top. Everyone did fantastic and thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and were amazed watching the porters navigate this terrain with their loads still balanced on their heads.
Once on top of the wall we took a nice break to enjoy the views and snap a few pictures. The rest of the trail was mostly a traverse with spectacular views of the last few glaciers that cover the southern side of Kilimanjaro.
We arrived in camp right around noon and had a quick lunch then retired to our tents for a little rest.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hey Steve and Brian! Been following your progress all week. If I’m getting it straight, tonight is the night! So good luck and enjoy every minute of it! You guys rock.
Posted by: Dave L on 8/24/2013 at 9:18 am
Chris and Jesse!!
You are almost at the top!!! You go girls! What an awesome journey for the two of you to be experiencing together. Stay strong and enjoy the view! Love you guys and cannot wait to hear about this amazing adventure.
Chris - You sure know how to celebrate your birthday! Woohoo!
Karen
Hello All,
Today the team was greeted with clear skies and plenty of sunshine above a cloud layer that filled the valleys below Mt. Kilimanjaro. We started the day in similar fashion with fresh fruit, eggs and great coffee, and started our hike in light layers and lots of suncream just after 8 am again. The team made good time climbing up the Shira Plateau which is an old lava flow with sparse vegetation and plenty of boulders. We ascended up to a place called Lava Tower which is around 15,000' and managed to set a few new altitude records for some of the team. Once our high point was reached we descend down into the Barranco Valley where we marveled at the unique giant groundsels and Senecio trees that litter this area.
We arrived at camp with all our tents set up and ready for us to move into once again. The team is incredibly thankful for the hardworking support that we have here on Kilimanjaro.
Everyone is doing great and looking forward to a much deserved night of rest.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kilimanjaro crew
Hey Steve and Brian! Been following your progress all week. If I’m getting it straight, tonight is the night! So good luck and enjoy every minute of it! You guys rock.
Posted by: Dave L on 8/24/2013 at 9:17 am
Hey what’s that hat you’re wearing Chambo? WHat a nice bunch of smiles you all have on. Clearly you need more challenge. : )
Hello all
Most everyone slept well last night and we started the day with our wonderful support staff bring us hot tea and warm washing water to our tent this morning. We had nice breakfast of fresh fruit, fried eggs and of course plenty of fresh coffee.
We hit the trail today on Mt. Kilimanjaro around 8am and climbed up a moderately narrow ridge that lead all the way up to the Shira Plateau where we traversed into camp. It was mostly cloudy today which didn't allow for many views but did make for some really nice hiking temperatures. The team made good progress today on the rocky trail pausing only for some porters to pass and of course taking a break every hour for water and snacks.
We are currently resting in camp enjoying the warmth of the sun and taking in our first views of Kilimanjaro.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hi Chris… It must be so exciting at this point. How are the legs holding out? Im so happy for all of you. Sleep well you’ll need it for tomorrow. Sailing with Rob was a blast and Brian is watching you climb from the beaches in California. Tread on.
Love,
Tom
Posted by: Tom on 8/24/2013 at 3:26 pm
Hey Michael and Bruce,Ttake some good photos so we can enlarge them. Use a tripod and don’t cut off your feet!! Love you and miss you. Stay safe. Love Mom
Hello again everyone.
We had a early departure from the Dik Dik Lodge and drove east for about two hours to reach Kilimanjaro National Park. Our drive took us through the rural country side of Tanzania which is full of banana and coffee plantations, markets and plenty of people headed between home and the local water well. It was very surreal to see so many folks who depend on these wells for their water, especially watching them walking with 5 gallon jugs carefully balanced on their heads.
Once at the gate we took a short break to sign in and allow our team to arrange all the loads and hire all of our porters for the seven-day climb. Our team started with 11 climbers and quickly grew as we acquired all the support of cooks, waiters, camp crew and porters and we ended up at a total of 68!
Just before 11 a.m. we set off on the trail that ascended through the forest and slowly climbed all the way up to just shy of 10,000'. It took the team a little over four hours to reach our camp and everyone did fantastic and enjoyed the hike.
The team just finished dinner and are all comfortably resting in our warm sleeping bags- thanks to the hot water bottles our gracious crew prepared for us.
Not quite roughing it yet!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Hi Chris and Jess,
Love following the climb and your progress ... I can only imagine how awesome it must be. Everything is looking up for you guys ): , haha. Enjoy, stay safe and I look forward to seeing the photos!
Love you guys,
Lorraine
Posted by: lorraine bocci on 8/22/2013 at 7:16 am
Chris - Jess sending extra energy your way—the next 9,000 feet is a breeze…enjoy… you two rock.
Hello everyone and welcome to RMI Expeditions' fourth Kilimanjaro Climb and Safari of the 2013 summer! The whole team arrived last night after some very long flights and have been comfortably resting here in Africa just outside of Arusha, Tanzania in the wonderful Dik Dik Hotel.
After catching up on some much needed sleep we started the day with a nice breakfast of fresh juices, fruits, eggs and delicious bread while watching the local monkeys play in the yard. We then had our official team meeting where we had a round of introductions and discussed the intricacies of our upcoming climb. We spent the remainder of the afternoon packing and enjoy the beautiful grounds of our hotel. We wrapped up the night with an amazing five-course meal that finished with everyone favorite: bananas and chocolate ice cream!
Everyone is doing great and we are all very excited about the adventure that lies ahead.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Jess… Forget Poppy’s idea about bringing the monkey home for Shorty. Look who’s left with Shorty now. I can see it being the three of us next year when your climbing again. I don’t think so ! Give mom my love and lighten her load for her. Tread on.
Tom
Posted by: Tom on 8/21/2013 at 9:20 am
Chris. And Jess- what an awesome experience!! Thinking about you every day. What a way to celebrate a Birthday! Love you both
MB
Hello -
We are checking in on our penultimate day. We're in Tarangire National Park also known as the garden of the elephants. It's been a great day and we've been fortunate to have gotten close to many large animals. Tonight we'll be having our last dinner together before we all start heading home.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
Hi this is RMI Guide Seth Waterfall checking in from inside Ngorongoro Crater. We've had an amazing morning! First thing after we drove into the crater we came upon several lions including a large male that walked right in front of our truck. After that we found a spot where a female rhinoceros was lying down. After waiting patiently we were treated to the sight of her getting up and coming within a few hundred feet of the car. That's as close as I've ever been to a rhino in the wild! We're headed for lunch now and then off to a Maasai village.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
We've started our safari with a great day. We got an early-ish start from the Dik Dik and headed out of town. On the way we stopped to pick up some stuff for the road. We made good time on some rough roads and through some construction zones. It's actually great to see the government investing in infrastructure here.
Once we got to Lake Manyara National Park we had an amazing lunch at a nice little picnic spot and then headed out on the game drive.
The drive was excellent! I've been convinced for years that the 'tree climbing lions' of Lake Manyara do not exist but today I was proven wrong. It was just a glimpse of the hind quarter of the lion but now I know they're real.
We're done with the game drive now and enjoying cocktail hour at the Plantation Lodge. It's a great change of pace from the mountain. Here's a pick of the grounds at the lodge. It's a beautiful spot to spend a couple of nights on safari.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and Team
We're off the mountain and on the way back to the hotel! It's been a great climb but everyone is really looking forward to hot showers this afternoon.
Summit day was awesome yesterday. This team really kicked some butt! It wasn't easy, that's for sure. Everyone stepped up and performed to the best of their abilities.
The weather, once again, was fabulous and that just added to our enjoyment of Kilimanjaro. Tomorrow we're shifting gears into safari mode. That is always a fun time.
That's all for now. Here's a summit shot.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and Team
Hey Seth here checking in from Mweka Camp, that is our last camp on Kilimanjaro. We made it back to High Camp in really good time and the good weather continued all the way down. Everyone is tucked into our tents and just waiting for dinner. We are going to crash out early tonight after a super long day, but a successful one. Tomorrow we are off the mountain and back at the hotel. I will send summit photos when we get back into Wi-Fi range.
That’s it for us.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall and team.
Unbelievable accomplishment for this team. A huge congrats to Phil and Susan. We are super proud of you both, but Susan, you rock! Missed you in the Hood, but what you did there can’t be topped. Ciao! D & W
Posted by: Denise and Wayne on 8/13/2013 at 10:01 pm
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Hey Steve and Brian! Been following your progress all week. If I’m getting it straight, tonight is the night! So good luck and enjoy every minute of it! You guys rock.
Posted by: Dave L on 8/24/2013 at 9:18 am
Chris and Jesse!!
You are almost at the top!!! You go girls! What an awesome journey for the two of you to be experiencing together. Stay strong and enjoy the view! Love you guys and cannot wait to hear about this amazing adventure.
Chris - You sure know how to celebrate your birthday! Woohoo!
Karen
Posted by: Karen on 8/24/2013 at 7:58 am
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