A very nice day on Safari. We descended into the crater some 1,800 plus feet to get below the clouds surrounding the rim. Interesting forest of flat-topped Acacia trees surround the drop from the top. We as guests felt welcomed to this community of over 30,000 animals. Such a unique experience to be part of the tribe of the crater. The animals sense no threat so to be able to observe these creatures interaction in such a pure form is truly amazing. You can really think you understand their train of thought and why they are behaving a certain way. Probably not even close to the reason behind the action but fun to think I may be a wild animal whisperer. Great food and drink of course as we continue to enjoy the friendly local hospitality. The team continues to impress with their ability to persevere through the challenges of the day like what picture to take. Life is good, all is well, get out while you can.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
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.
Yesterday's carry to 14,000' left many members of the team knackered, so today is a very relaxing rest day in our well-appointed camp at 11,000'. A leisurely morning was the main agenda, with coffee, bagels, cream cheese and smoked salmon on the breakfast menu. A pan of hash browns and cheese is on deck for the afternoon snack.
The posh house, our group meeting location, kitchen, and dining room is in heavy use today, with its many panel seams radiating out from the center pole like the legs of an octopus. Under its protective canopy we've been solving the various problems of the world and making sure we stay hydrated. Team members drift in and out, while conversation and laughter drifts across camp.
Fortunately the light snow we have had the past couple of days is tapering off, and the sun is working to dry out our moist sleeping bags and tents. We are conserving our energy for tomorrow's move to 14K camp, which will put us over the halfway mark and in good position for the higher reaches of the mountain.
Climbing a mountain like Denali is a long process, and taking time to get to know one another is a big part of that. Today's rest is allowing the team to strengthen our group dynamic, and get to know each other more intimately. What started as a group of strangers more than a week ago is quickly morphing into a solid team of friends, ready to tackle the rest of the "Great One."
But we'll leave the hard work for tomorrow, and enjoy the down time today. Stay tuned for more!
Dan, Robin, Jess, James, Lori, Justin, Tyler and Garrett
So glad to hear the weather has improved and the sky is being kind to you guys!Hope the spirits stay high and every one stays safe. Love you Robin.
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa on 6/7/2013 at 9:10 pm
Thinking of you, Lori. Thankful for these e-mails, I look forward to them each day. Met Wendy by chance at Culvers, special. Keep having good weather, and good luck to you all. Mom
We had the to opportunity to fly today, and get established in base camp. The flight over the Alaska Range was incredible, the group was totally stunned by the views. We built our camp and ate some delicious quesadillas that Garrett Stevens made. Then called it for the day. It is really cool at base camp right now. Time to rest and get ready for a great day tomorrow.
All best,
RMI Guide Andres Marin & The Expedition Seminar Team.
Another windy night in a tent at altitude made getting on the road no problem for the team this morning. We loaded up our packs with everything needed to survive up high and marched down to a warmer season at Plaza Argentina, stopping to pick up our caches along the way. In a few days time it will be summer in Mendoza and the cold we've lived in up high a memory, but until then we have many miles to walk and a grand asado with our mule driving friends.
Talk to you when we hit the tree-lined streets of Mendoza.
RMI Guide Jake Beren
Hello everyone from the 14,000' camp on Denali. We're taking a rest day today, in order to acclimate and get strong for our forays up higher on the mountain.
After a breakfast involving lots of coffee and the universal favorite--bacon, we spent some time finishing off our snow walls at camp. The rest of the day was spent preparing gear for caching up high on the mountain tomorrow, as well as lounging around, reading, and eating.
We're planning to carry supplies up high on the West Buttress tomorrow, in preparation for our move to high camp and subsequent summit bid. We'll be in touch again soon.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Rich, thinking of you every moment. Go get ‘em. XO
Posted by: Christina Doren on 5/21/2012 at 4:30 pm
Hi Mike M!! Still rooting for you….and all your team!! Following your trek on the blog! Kick butt and take names!! Can’t wait to see the view from the top!
The first day and night down after an Everest climbing rotation are great for enjoying the novelty of comfort and easy living again. But it isn't really until the second night back down that I normally get full and renewing sleep. And looking at Kent, Seth and Erica over coffee this morning, I'm guessing it was similar for them. We all seemed back to our normal selves again today, ready to make plans and preparations for climbing again.
Toward that end, during breakfast out in the sun, we began sketching a big calendar of the next four weeks. There are plenty of blanks on it still, naturally... and of course a big question mark or two at the end, but I was pleased to at least be building a framework out into the all-important second half of May. I consider it a great luxury to be down merely resting rather than recovering (which can be a much less predictable process). I'm crediting that distinction to my strong, fit and patient partners... but also to my experience and past mistakes in this arena. I'm guessing that we did just enough up high this last time around... not too much, not too little. It is all too easy for me to remember the many trips that formed my learning curve on which I wasn't satisfied to come down the hill until my throat was bleeding, my head was pounding, and my muscles were pulled.
This is better. And I find I can illustrate the elusive "big picture" with the help of a calendar and some colorful marker pens. Pacing is everything in a two-month-long "race." My partners didn't fight me on any of this stuff (making me worry that my own slow learning curve could possibly have been avoided by employing a bigger brain). Erica settled in for a morning of schoolwork. Kent went to fiddle with his cameras and Seth had reading to do. We'd already made good use of yesterday in showering, shaving and leveling our tent platforms, so today was just plain old good rest. That is what they were doing up at C2 today as well. And perhaps it was the plan all over the mountain, as I didn't see very much traffic in the Icefall this morning. Our Sherpa team didn't rest today, but then they were up early enough and moving fast enough that by my morning survey, they were well out of sight and on their way to C2 already.
By afternoon, I was in the mood for struggle and conquest, and so I sought out renowned Scrabble player Justin Merle in the IMG camp. We tussled for a bit (alas, no bingos) before the better man prevailed. And then it was nice to just share afternoon tea with my longtime friends Mark Tucker and Eric Simonson. HimEx leader Russell Brice and Monica, his team doctor, showed as well for an unplanned and relaxing chat. Linden Mallory completed the party when he came to make sure that the "Sirdar" meeting was taking place as scheduled. Far more important than our tea party, this was a meeting of the Sherpa team leaders and dealt with figuring a plan to fix rope -and soon- on the summit terrain. While I may seem smug about taking the longer road and viewing the bigger picture, and all that, in order to get to the summit in the easiest and safest way -three weeks down the road- I'm anxious to have others start pounding away urgently at the door to the top... NOW!
There are plenty of strong and ambitious people here, and I don't want them all going to the top when I want to go to the top. It benefits everybody to have the door to the summit open for a longer period... and it will benefit my team to have that route pounded in and well-tested. Those who desire more challenge and more bragging rights back home can go early when it is colder and meaner. I wish them luck. Kick big footsteps, please.
Now if the first night down low was novel and the second was restful, I wonder what the third will be like... Will I soon be able to brag about having achieved the perfect basecamp rest day? Ambition takes many forms.
It was a bright and beautiful morning. We sat in silence, slurping our coffee, and enjoying the last bites of our final basecamp breakfast. Our last for the foreseeable future. We embraced our basecamp staff members with smiles on our faces and set out to begin our official climb on Cerro Aconcagua. "¡Buenas Suerte!" they said, as we waved goodbye. "¡Hasta luego!" we said, as we know we will get to see them again.
As we journeyed up the trail to Camp 1, we could still feel the cool breeze from the early morning freeze. It wasn't long, however, before the high altitude sun warmed us. It was another tough day getting to our destination, but we arrived in high spirits and indulged in some much needed rest. We again witnessed a stormy spectacle as we ate tasty bites for dinner. Now we're settled into the warmth of our sleeping bags, excited to see what all the hooplah is about at Camp 2 tomorrow before returning to Camp 1 for another night.
We woke at 1am this morning and fired up stoves for a quick breakfast and a cup of coffee and then we set off down Heartbreak Hill to the Kahiltna Glacier and up the the base of Ski Hill. By traveling in the wee hours of the morning we were able to take advantage of firm snow conditions and comfortable temperatures for climbing, before the glacier turned into a solar oven.
The traveling was pretty straight forward, climbing over some crevasses and skirting around others. We made quick work of the mission, and four hours after setting out we found ourselves making camp.
After "brunch" we retreated to our tents for some rest and to get out of the searing sun.
We'll stay on the alpine start schedule for now and hope to carry a load of food and fuel up to somewhere close to 10,000' tomorrow before returning back down to our current camp. We'll let you know how it goes.
It was sleep-in day at Barranco Camp. We didn’t start slurping coffee until 7:30 this morning and breakfast at 8:00 was a leisurely affair. There were several good reasons for going slow and dragging feet. Barranco Camp is a beautiful place and absolutely worth spending a little more quality time in. But strategy-wise, we wanted to give neighboring teams and their associated porters the chance to get out ahead of us and to clear the tricky ledges and scrambly bits of the Great Barranco Wall before we committed to it. Secondarily, we knew we didn’t have a long way to go to reach Karanga Camp. So it was 9:40 before we put on our packs and followed Gama to the start of the wall. The strategy worked... while we didn’t exactly have the track to ourselves, there weren’t any big bottlenecks or traffic jams and we were able to figure out the tricky rock moves without much pressure or stress. In truth, the great majority of the “wall” is just walking or careful walking. And we did all of that well. We gained about 900 feet in elevation and popped out on top of the wall to easy terrain and gorgeous views of Kibo and the rest of the world. As usual, the rest of the world -with a few exceptions- was under the sea of white cloud lapping at the slopes of the mountain a thousand feet below.
We had tea and snacks at that 13,900 ft high point and then carried on traversing to the east. After another hour we’d reached the steep walled Karanga Valley. Our camp sat on the opposite rim, so we dropped down a dusty trail to the valley floor and marched up the opposing flank to our home for the night. Karanga Camp is at virtually the same altitude we slept at last night -13,000 ft, so we hope to solidify our acclimatization before moving higher tomorrow. We made it here in four hours,allowing plenty of time for rest, for kite flying, and for more of Tosha’s great cooking.
Best Regards
Dave Hahn
The SUMMIT awaits. Congrats to all for a great hike so far…and yet to come. Excited for summit pics. High fives and hugs to Peter Jacqueline and Steven!
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.
Posted by: Bocci clan on 8/21/2013 at 10:13 am
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