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Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
It was cloudy and cool at Plantation Lodge when we set out at 7 this morning. And it was cloudier and cooler still when we reached the rim of the giant collapsed volcano that we intended to spend the day inside of. We each had jackets or sweaters on as Fabian and Godson brought the Landcruisers down the steep and exposed road into the Ngorongoro caldera. We began seeing wildlife immediately. Herds (big herds) of wildebeest, zebra and Cape buffalo. We went on the prowl, looking for big cats and rhinos. This would be our only opportunity to see black rhinos... but we came up empty on that score. Those guys were a little too shy to come into range of our binoculars. We did see some cats -big and small- there was a serval cat and there were some lions. We got a look at a lioness staring intently through the grass at some unsuspecting buffalo. And ultimately we saw two full grown male lions lounging on what turned out to be a sunny afternoon. We saw hippos and elephants and secretary birds and bustards. There were hyenas and jackals and vultures. By day’s end, we were barely turning our heads to see gazelles as they’d become too run of the mill and common. We saw plenty of other Toyota Landcruisers -it is high season for tourism after all. We crisscrossed the crater and bounced over darn near every dirt road, still standing with our heads out the tops of the vehicles at 5 PM trying to see every last critter and geological wonder we could. Finally we escaped the caldera and came home to our comfy hotel. We watched the sun set and the moon rise, had a relaxing and reminiscing outdoor happy hour before a fine dinner in the dining room.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
All of the climbers and guides on the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. RMI Guide Nick Scott reported clear skies and a breeze on the summit. The team began their descent shortly after 7:00 AM. We look forward to seeing them in Ashford this afternoon and hearing about their week on the mountain.
Way to climb!
Hello from the Khumbu Valley!
We started our day here pretty early, meeting in the hotel lobby at 5 a.m. After checking out of the hotel, it was a short ride to the domestic airport where we weighed all of our duffels and backpacks before getting tickets and slipping through a very laid back security check. Normally there’s a little bit of waiting before heading out to the plane, but today things moved along pretty quickly.
The flights to Lukla have a reputation of being a little intimidating and bumpy, but thankfully today’s flight was pretty smooth and uneventful. It’s about a 30 minute flight in a small 16-passenger Twin Otter with stunning views of the Himalayas. We landed on the small runway in Lukla that’s only about a quarter mile in length and has a slight uphill angle.
After we touched down, the plane was unloaded and our local Sherpa guides hired a few porters that will be carrying our duffels throughout the trek. We made a brief stop at a local tea house to have breakfast and get situated before hitting the trail.
We hiked for about four hours today with few stops to rest and to take in the beautiful scenery. We arrived at our camp for the night in a village called Phakding just in time for a well earned lunch. The team got settled, had naps, or explored a little before walking a short way to one of the many monasteries here in the Khumbu Valley. Luckily for us the monks were having a prayer session and allowed us to sit in while they chanted and blew their horns. It was very surreal and a wonderful way to start this adventure.
All is well!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
On The Map
Posted by: Elias de Andres Martos, Adam Knoff, Robby Young
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Shishapangma
Namaste:
And we have started our Shishapangma Expedition!!! The team is all well in Kathmandu... pretty much uneventful arrivals yesterday, that culminated with the expected jet lag on most of us. A nice welcome dinner put us to bed early. Today, we spent the day visiting the Monkey Temple and acquiring some last minute items we determined appropriate after our gear check. Kathmandu has greeted us with the last rains of the monsoon, which is to depart the Sub-Indian continent soon. We sure hope for the dry weather of the northern Himalayas when we are on our climb! However, that's a ways away yet, and we have to wait another day in Kathmandu before we fly to Lhasa, Tibet's capital, on the 6th.
In the meantime, we're going to continue to relax in hectic Kathmandu (is that an oxymoron?) before setting out for Chinese territory.
That's it for now; tune in for our blogs as we start our adventure into the Himalayas!!!
RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos
Posted by: Seth Waterfall, Walter Hailes
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 11,200'
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Muir is enjoying wonderful weather on Mt. Rainier today. The team is spending the day training at Ingraham Flats at 11,200'. Ingraham Flats is a relatively flat section (hence the name) of the Ingraham Glacier that climbing parties often use for a camp when climbing Mt. Rainier. The team will head back to Camp Muir for their second night on the mountain.
Browse our range of ballet pumps & flats in Flat Out Of Heels .
Posted by: butterfly twists on 6/2/2016 at 9:24 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Guide News
On the morning of Saturday, the 27th, I had been pined down at Camp 3 by high winds for two days. Camp 3 in is in a wind-exposed location, and for the previous 48 hours I’d had to go out and dig out every two to three hours from the wind-drifted snow that built up around my tent. In the morning the wind had finally died down, and I had decided to push on to Camp 4 and started packing up to make the move up to Camp 4 -- but then I got an updated forecast that predicted heavy snow later Saturday and through Sunday morning. With the delay at Camp 3, I was running low on provisions, so if I couldn't make the peak push by Sunday morning I would be forced to turn back. The forecast for the rest of the week, though, looked very promising... and I made the reluctant decision to retreat to base camp, with the plan to start back up again re-provisioned on Sunday morning.
So here I am Saturday evening, back at Manaslu Base Camp. The forecast is now for the winds to stay relatively calm and for clear skies for the rest of the week So my plan is start back up the mountain in the morning and make my summit push on Wednesday. I'm beginning to wonder how many times I'll have to climb this mountain before it allows me it's summit.
RMI Guide Alex Barber
Today saw a lot of wind on our carry up to Camp 1 at just over 16,000'. Lots of difficult walking in loose rock, scree, and icy penitentes brought us up to our first cache where we dropped food, fuel, and gear that will be needed on the upper mountain. Tomorrow calls for another rest and acclimitization day before our move up the mountain the following day. We'll check in again tomorrow.
Posted by: Mike Walter, Jess Wedel, Michael Murray
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mt. McKinley
Elevation: 11,000'
Wednesday, May 15, 2024 - 2:51 pm PT
With our cache established around Windy Corner, our team is resting at 11,000' Camp. It's a bit breezy in camp, much windier up high. A good day to chill.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
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Denali Expedition, May 5, 2024
Keep up the great work team! waiting on these blog posts daily. So excited for all of you!
Pouliot you are my hero!
Posted by: Tucker G Balam on 5/16/2024 at 11:54 am
Our entire Mt. Baker reached the summit via the Easton Glacier at 8:15 this morning! The weather has been great and the route is in good condition. Everyone is doing well. We are back at camp and will be packing up to head to the trailhead shortly.
RMI Guide Hannah Smith
With our departure from Aconcagua Basecamp imminent, the group took full advantage of the amenities today, ordering pizzas for lunch, taking showers, and sipping coca colas. Cards came out and heated games ensued. A few folks headed back down the trail to take photos and stretch their legs, but ironically, the blue sky turned dark gray and a short but intense hail storm chased everyone back to cover. We enjoyed our last base camp dinner for a little while, with several people heading back for seconds on lasagna. As dinner wrapped up, we stepped outside to another gorgeous pink sunset, but today the shadow of Aconcagua imprinted itself on the sky as well. We're heading to bed ready and excited for the move to Camp 1 and the continuation towards our goal that it signals.
We'll be in touch,
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Alex Barber, Juan, and team
On The Map
Best of luck and fair skies to everyone on the team, with a shout out to my good friend Kevin Stitely. Tag one for the Slingers Kevin. We are following your progress from here where all is well. Have fun and be safe. We leave for Mexico on Friday. 83 in Puerto Vallarta. Just sayin….....Big D
Posted by: Dick Greenbaum on 1/27/2015 at 5:22 pm
Let the adventure continue! Hope the climb to Camp 1 went well and you are all safe and sound. The kids are enjoying the daily blog updates and taking them into their 5th grade classes at Nativity Elementary in Fargo ND- so you have 50+ 11 year olds cheering you all on every day! All my love to Lee - so proud of you each and every day!
Posted by: Di Hoedl on 1/27/2015 at 7:28 am
Enjoy and be safe! Mucha suerte y cuidense todos!
Posted by: Bettina ( Wolf's sister) on 9/6/2016 at 1:36 pm
Galina. Lala and I will be following your travels. Enjoy and be safe.
Posted by: JOHN NEWLAND on 9/6/2016 at 7:45 am
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