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Everyone slept well last night; the effects of international travel are rapidly disappearing. We woke up this morning at Machame camp to fine weather. We left camp early this morning and experienced great route conditions on our 4.5 hour climb to Shira Camp. A hot lunch greeted us once we arrived at camp, delicious! Now the team is resting and exploring our camp on the Shira Plateau. At 12,000 plus feet on Kilimanjaro, there isn't too much in the way of plant life but there are incredible views of the Great Rift Valley and the summit of Kilimanjaro. The team is in good shape and high spirits. We will keep you posted as we continue to progress up the mountain. RMI Guide Mark Tucker

On The Map

RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer, Sid Pattison and the Moondance Adventures Team reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. The team was walking off the Crater Rim at 8:35 am. Pete & Sid reported light winds and light snow as they moved through the cloud cap at the top of the mountain. Congratulations to today's team!

Saturday, July 11, 2015 - 2:50 am PT What a difference 24 hours makes. Yet again, we all worked late, yet again it is 1:30 AM. But we've got plenty to show for our labor. We began the day at 17,000 ft, blessed again with perfect weather. We are ending the day down at 11,000 ft in the clouds. It was tough work and we had plenty of dangerous steps to get just right, but we negotiated each of them safely. There was the airy walk along the crest of the West Buttress, the steep and strenuous fixed ropes, the awkward side hill of Windy Corner, the new snow to plod through on the Polo Field and Squirrel Hill and a few well disguised crevasses to sidestep on Motorcycle Hill. Done. Almost. Now for some rest and a cruise out the lower glacier. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map

June 21, 2015 10:40pm PST Greetings on this fine Father's Day from Camp 3 at just over 11k'! Our team enjoyed a leisurely morning and a relatively quick and painless move up today with light loads and nice temps. After building camp we took advantage of the free afternoon to lounge around, snack, nap, play scrabble, dig a hole to bury a box, reposition some door knobs, moisten our fence wood, and general beveraging. Our gang is in great spirits and enjoyed our first evening hangout in the posh (cook tent) of the trip. Hoping for a continuation of the decent weather for tomorrow's back-carry down to 9,600' where we left our cache of supplies. We're also hoping that all of our fathers had a great Father's Day. Know that we're thinking about you up here! Wulp, that's all for now. RMI Guide Billy Nugent & Team

Hello RMI blog groupies! Guess what?! Team 4 is resting at Camp Two at 18,000 feet on Aconcagua! Exciting huh! After a casual morning the team talked about preparations for summit day on the 19th. We talked about what color long johns were in fashion for 2015...lime green and how to use the buff headwear in various ways...Steve's favorite...tube top! Jenny on our team took on Adam in a new game created called Rockcci ball...don't ask, simple things confuse me. We went for a casual walk to stretch the legs and get the blood flowing. We are ready to move to high camp and the team is ready! Let's Get it On!!! RMI Guide JJ Justman

On The Map

We woke to clear skies at the Rivertrees Inn. Previously it had been overcast and even drizzly in the mornings.  The team was done with breakfast and packed up right on schedule.  We boarded the bus just after 8 AM and got on the road to Kilimanjaro.  The mountain was visible from the highway but the view got better as we approached and had less smoke and haze.  The Machame Gate to the National Park was bustling and busy.  It was a relief to have all paperwork and permitting done and to finally get walking, which we did shortly after 11 AM.  It was a stair master day as we started at 6000 ft bound for 10,000 ft.  The trail was in fine condition and it was clear that the National Park had been taking on major improvement projects.  We were lucky to see several families of black and white Colobus monkeys playing in the big trees as we walked.  It was hot and sweaty at first, but eventually things clouded over and the air cooled as we approached 10,000 ft.  We managed the walk in 5.5 hours.  It was a true pleasure to come into a perfectly constructed and completed camp.  Our staff greeted us cheerfully and showed us our tent home. 

We moved in and then got together for tea time and a 6:30 PM sumptuous dinner in the dining tent. Judging by the laughter, the day hadn’t been so difficult for our team.  We went over plans for getting going to new heights tomorrow and headed for bed at 8 PM, pausing -of course- to see the southern cross and a few other unfamiliar southern hemisphere constellations. 

Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave & Team

Wednesday, September 18, 2019 - 9:54 AM PT Greetings Everyone The team woke feeling very well rested after about 10hrs in our tent last night. We had a beautiful day on Kilimanjaro today, with sunshine nearly all day and only a few clouds after we reached camp. We started the day waking at 6:30 to start packing up before moving into our dinning tent for a nice breakfast with porridge, fried eggs, toast, avocado and even some fresh fruit, and most importantly plenty of hot coffee. We hit the trail shortly after 8am and slowly made our way up the rocky trail that leads out of camp. The trail climbs up a ridge and eventually out of the trees and normally allows for some truly spectacular views of the valley below, but today it was a bit limited. The team hiked for about 4.5 hours before reaching our next camp that sits on Shira plateau, which is an ancient lava flow just above tree-line. Once at camp we were treated to a wonderful warm meal and then hopped into our tents to relax. The evening was full of great stories and another amazing meal prepared by our gracious staff. RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew

On The Map

With good weather and a good route, RMI Guide Dave Hahn and the Four Day Climb reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The team began their descent from Mt. Rainier's summit crater around 7:30 AM. They will descend to Camp Muir to rest, refuel, and repack before continuing their descent to Paradise. We will see them in Ashford later this afternoon. Congratulations climbers!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018 - 9:08 pm PT We had our first overcast day today and it was a nice break from the intense sunshine. Temperatures were much cooler under the cloud cover and that made the climbing more pleasant for us all. After an early dinner we all kicked back in the cook tent and enjoyed movie night. Tonight's feature was "The brothers grimsby". Back to climbing in the morning when we head to Camp at 11,200 ft. RMI Guide Walter Hailes

On The Map

Sitting down to our 7AM breakfast on the patio at Arumeru River Lodge, we had a great view of Kilimanjaro this morning. We loaded up the bus and rolled out of the lodge just a few minutes after 8 AM. Traffic was light on the main road and we made good time cruising through the farmland and small villages. Kilimanjaro got bigger and more magnificent as we turned from the highway and began walking uphill toward the 6,000 ft Machame Gate to the national park. As usual, it took a little time to get the team registered and the staffing sorted, but by 10:50, we set out walking in warm, and sunny conditions. Filibert, one of our local guide staff, set the slow and steady pace up through the tall and lush forest. Freddie, our chief guide, along with guides Venance and Happyson brought up the rear. Things clouded up as the day progressed, the high humidity and exertion had everybody sweating before too long. We saw blue monkeys in the trees, a few good birds, and even a small chameleon on the trail. The track itself was in good condition, not too muddy, which certainly helped. We came into Machame Camp (at 9,900 ft) in just over five hours. The Utah gang was delighted to find camp already built and ready for moving into. We met in the mess tent for afternoon tea and then finished the day a few hours later with one of chef Tosha’s excellent dinners. Everybody did great with this big day of work, but most were also plenty happy with turning in early for bed at 8 PM. Best Regards, RMI Guide Dave Hahn

On The Map