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Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Solveig Waterfall
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Elevation: 13,000'
On The Map
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mexico
Rest up for tomorrow’s big climb. Miss you lots!
Posted by: Deb on 2/17/2011 at 6:04 am
Have fun today, best of luck on Friday! I’ll be praying y’all up the mountain!
Posted by: Patsy Judy on 2/17/2011 at 5:35 am
Posted by: Jess Wedel
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek and Lobuche
Elevation: 16,500'
Monday, March 24, 2025 - 6:02 pm PT
Hello to all our friends and family!
Today we had a rest day in Pheriche but it wasn’t your typical rest day because we still went to over 16,500ft!
I challenged our team to help acclimate by taking a more active rest day. So we woke up early, had a quick breakfast and headed uphill to a peak behind Pheriche called Nangkartshang.
The weather has been a little unsettled with clouds, wind and snow so we said we’d just climb until it didn’t make sense but we got so lucky! Clear skies and insane views greeted us the whole way as we ascended from 14,000ft to over 16,000ft.
I prepped the team before the final rocky summit block, “it’s always windy and cold on top so we won’t stay long and make sure to add all your warm layers” but when we got up there it was so still with no wind at all and the sun beaming down on us. What a treat! We took our time, took lots of photos, and breathed in that thin air.
After stressing our bodies just enough, we headed back down. But let me say, this crew took the spirit of the Himalayan tahr with them and SAILED DOWNHILL. I could barely keep up and we were back in Pheriche in time for lunch.
After lunch, we all rested, read books and relaxed in the warm sun.
A near perfect rest day in Pheriche! Everyone is doing so well.
RMI Guide Jess Wedel and the Lobuche team

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Everest Base Camp Trek & Lobuche, March 16, 2024
Posted by: Brent Okita
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Land of elephants. Tarangire National Park has one of the largest concentrations of elephants in the world. And we saw plenty, along with most every other animal to be seen on safari. It was a great day of wildlife viewing in a park very different from the Ngorongoro Crater. This park is huge. A vast savanna broken up by a few river systems that provide much need water in this very parched environment.
Eric's big objective was to see a leopard, and our guides Chacha and Jacob didn't let us down. High in a leafy tree, camouflaged so incredibly well, was the cat! How our safari guides can pick these critters out of beyond me. We can only see it with binoculars, but there it is, with part of a carcass it had been feeding on.
The animal sightings continue regularly as we make our way to our luxury tent camp in the park. We celebrate our final night together with another wonderful dinner and a few glasses of nice South African wine.
We're off to get in a few more hours of wildlife viewing before having to get back to Arusha where we'll enjoy our day rooms for a few hours before our evening flight home.
Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and get into the big cats again on our way out.
RMI Guide Brent Okita and Team
Thanks for finding a leopard for Eric! And thank you for the updates. It has been fun to follow along. What an amazing experience for them!
Posted by: Lisa Corcoran on 8/11/2023 at 10:23 am
What an amazing adventure. I’m so glad Eric got to see a leopard! Leopards were such a big part of his childhood. Leopard PJ’s (nonstop for a while), stuffed animals, etc. With Eric’s awesome imagination he didn’t just pretend to be a leopard, he WAS a leopard. I bet there was a part of his soul that was right up in that tree with that leopard he saw.
Posted by: Judy Woellner on 8/11/2023 at 8:57 am
A painless 1 1/2 hr drive has brought us to the start of our climb, the Machame Gate. Registration with the Park Service is dealt with before we venture into the rain forest. The lush farms and vegetation here is a result of the clouds of moisture that hang at this elevation. We'll get above this climate zone at our first camp, the Machame Camp, at 10,000'.
We have met some of the mountain staff that will help us get to the top as pleasantly as possible. Many of them are friends from past trips, including Naimen, the head of our local guides staff. Our wait staff - yes, we have waiters - will keep the food chef Benson creates coming our way to keep our energy levels up. Alfred leads this team, and has been with me on every trip I've done.
We've devoured part of the sack lunches our outfitter had provided us and are now ready to rock.
Catch up with you at the next camp!
RMI Guide Brent Okita
On The Map
Mary , Almost there! Hope you are resting well. My heart is with you . Love you.
Posted by: Autumn Zentz on 7/25/2019 at 1:05 pm
On The Map
Hi Kara,
It looks like you have better weather then we have here in Cleveland.
Be safe and have fun.
I am sending you good thoughts.
Donna
Posted by: Donna on 4/7/2014 at 6:33 pm
So glad to see your smiling faces! The fact that you all are shopping is a great sign!!
All kidding aside,it sounds like this trip has had some very real challenges that you have conquered. Congratulations and a big warm hug to all of you. Can’t wait to hear about this trip. Thank YOU Mark, for supporting the team and keeping all the fans back in the US informed. Your pictures and your blog have been wonderful.
Jill Shepard
Posted by: Jill Shepard on 4/7/2014 at 6:07 pm
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro














Hi!! We are so excited for you.I am glad I finally found your blog. We love you and pray for you and the team everyday. Especially at night wondering if you are warm.
All our love,
Mom&Dad;
Posted by: nancy mccalley on 2/12/2013 at 8:43 pm
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