The word of the day is casual. We woke up casually. We ate brunch super casually. It started around 9:45 and ended around 12:30pm. We casually devoured breakfast burritos fortified by wild Alaskan game sausage provided by the legendary Bleys. Food comas quickly afflicted much of the crew. Everyone casually waddled to their tents for the afternoon to indulge in naps and further snacking. Some folks managed to stay conscious enough to read books and watch TV or movies. Eventually the dinner bell was rung and the tents casually began to rustle with life. Dinner tonight is a repeat of a classic - ramen but this time with the addition of some newly acquired Korean spice paste. It added some much needed flavor as our ability to taste is deadened at this altitude. Another weather day has passed uneventfully, but each day we wait we get more clarity about the weather for our potential summit window. Anticipation is slowly growing amongst the team as the day to begin our summit push gets closer.
When Luis posed the question last night if we could sleep in until 8:00, I just had to say yes. After all, we'd been going strong for days on end and were due some slack. The whole table erupted in celebration on hearing my response. So, at the civilized hour of 9:00 we left our wonderful hotel en route for some souvenir shopping, to check out a Masaai Village and then on to our last full day safari.
Tarangire National Park has not disappointed. The sheer numbers of animals seen right off the bat were amazing. Plus we got to see animals we haven't yet seen: giraffes, elands, and a few other critters. We also got to see numerous elephants. After all, this park boasts the highest density of elephants around.
Our day was made complete when we got up close and personal with a big old giraffe, maybe 20 yards away. How cool!
Now we're at our last 'hotel', Balloon Camp. Yes, from the outside these structures look camp like, but given the polished wood floors, marble topped bathroom, queen sized bed, it's not 'camp'!
Our group was seated outside for dinner with a full on barbecue buffet that did not disappoint. What took place before was pretty cool too. As we were enjoying a drink in front of a huge bonfire, all of the sudden a group of Masaai came dancing into our midst. They put on a well done show, even drawing us Westerners out of our comfort zones to join in the dancing.
Interestingly, the hotel has a policy that after dark everyone needs an escort to and from the main lodge and their rooms/ cabins. The staff was also very attentive to the bush just outside our outdoor seating, continually pointing their lights into the Bush. We did spy an impala looking in on the festivities.
Some of us were secretly hoping for a lion to check out at close range, but no such luck. Still, seeing the fresh elephant dung just outside my cabin was a great reality check. We're in their world at this place.
I must admit I'm hoping to see/ hear a big old elephant go walking by my cabin tonight.
As the trip draws to a close we're all looking forward to seeing loved ones again. But I, for one, will miss Africa.
Getting up early tomorrow we're going to see some lions up close, and anything else that wants to show its beautiful face in the morning.
All for now,
RMI Guide Brent Okita
RMI Guide Mike Walter checked in with us from Mt. Shuksan. He and his team reached the summit via the Southeast Ridge in 3 1/2 hours. They are back at their high camp and will descend Fisher Chimneys tomorrow as they finish their climb.
Congratulations to the team!
After a week on honing their alpine mountaineering and expedition skills on the Paradise Glacier, RMI Guide Christina Dale and the Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise team successfully reached the summit of Mt. Rainier early this morning. Christina reported clear skies, warm temperatures, and light winds on the summit. The team started their descent and will be back at Ashford Basecamp later today.
Congratulations to today's team!
We woke to a calm and clear morning down at Machame Camp. The sun hit around 7:30 AM, just in time for breakfast. Before we got on the trail, Freddy -our lead guide, introduced some of the key personnel on his forty five person staff and we had a round of jambos and handshakes.
We were walking by 8:20 and sweating by about 8:30 as the initial route involved some serious uphill on big rock steps through the heather. The big hazard in our first few hours was that the views were so spectacular I worried that the team wouldn't watch their steps. There was plenty to look at as giant Mount Meru -the 16,000 ft volcano back next to Arusha, was standing tall above a sea of clouds to our west. That sea of brilliant white clouds extended in every direction, beneath us. We had great views of Kibo, Kilimanjaro's main peak, and the rugged heights of Shira, its western satellite. We got to see our first Lobelias and Scenecios as we reached the upper limits of the heather. By then we were traversing left and negotiating small steep lava walls on our way out to the Shira Plateau. We were in our newest camp by 1PM. This one is quite a change from the last as we are now well out of the forest. Kibo never did cloud up today so we got to look at it all afternoon as we rested at 12,600 ft. We'll head straight toward it tomorrow for a closer look at our ultimate goal.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Way to get after it, Team! Onward and Upward!! Thanks for the map too. Gives a great perspective on the days ahead.
Rest well, Stay Strong, Mary #HarshStrong
Posted by: Bill and Kathy Harshbarger (Mary's Parents) on 8/24/2016 at 4:59 pm
Sounds like you could clearly see your goal and had beautiful views all day long. Here’s to a peaceful night and another spectacular day tomorrow.
Posted by: Jen Potter (Jason's Sister) on 8/24/2016 at 3:03 pm
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Paradise led by RMI Guide Mike King wrapped up their week of mountaineering training with a successful summit of Mt. Rainier. The team will descend off the mountain and be back in Ashford this afternoon to celebrate.
Congratulations!
July 1, 2016 - 10:19 pm PT
A hint of storm moved in last night, with some more cloud, some more snow and a little wind. It looked like more wind up above on the crest of the West Buttress, but we aren't going up that way to find out until things improve. It was a quiet and restful storm day at 14K. Instead of carrying loads up high, we ate long meals in our dining tent, let our blisters heal and took naps. Call it an acclimatization day. We'll hope for some improvement tomorrow morning that allows us to sneak a carry in.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Greetings,
Our whole team is here in Moscow and we just finished up a nice first dinner together. Everyone did great overcoming our first challenge - walking back to the hotel in a severely down-pouring lightning storm. With jet lag. Everyone passed the test with flying colors. And flashes of light.
We're looking forward to a great trip!
Cheers,
RMI Guide Tyler Reid and Team
Due to high winds and snow the Mt.Rainier Summit Climb was unable to summit this morning. The team, led by RMI Guide Casey Grom, traveled to the Gap (10,600') on the Disappointment Cleaver Route. Their planned departure from Camp Muir is 10:00 a.m.
The Four Day Summit Climb team for May 18 - 21, 2016, led by RMI Guides Elias de Andres-Martos and Kel Rossiter, reached the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams only spent a short amount of time on the crater rim before starting their descent to Camp Muir. The teams will continue their descent to Paradise and return to Rainier BaseCamp later today.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climbers!
Way to get after it, Team! Onward and Upward!! Thanks for the map too. Gives a great perspective on the days ahead.
Rest well, Stay Strong, Mary #HarshStrong
Posted by: Bill and Kathy Harshbarger (Mary's Parents) on 8/24/2016 at 4:59 pm
Sounds like you could clearly see your goal and had beautiful views all day long. Here’s to a peaceful night and another spectacular day tomorrow.
Posted by: Jen Potter (Jason's Sister) on 8/24/2016 at 3:03 pm
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