Our final day in Africa started way out in Balloon Camp in Tarangire National Park. Our “tent cabins” were luxurious and the staff helpful and friendly in getting us out on the dirt road by 7 AM. We were still deep within the park, and so within a moment or two of saying our goodbyes we were standing in the back of the Landcruisers looking for leopards. They eluded us. But an extremely beautiful, quiet morning in the wilderness did not elude us. We stopped frequently for eagles, vultures, cool tracks, impalas and hartebeest. We came on a seemingly endless parade of giraffes who stopped long enough for a photo and to nibble the acacia trees in passing. Families of elephants came by on their grass eating missions, bound for rivers and pools. We looked up every tree and under every bush for cats and predators, but the best we could scare up were a couple of cute little jackals following a gang of impala.
By 11 AM we left the park and hit the highway toward Arusha. We made one stop as we reached town, at the cultural heritage museum and craft shop, then we pressed on toward Usa River and our hotel. We had time to shower and repack and even rest before an early dinner -our last together- and loading up on one more bus. Kilimanjaro was out and awesome as we ate and then rode toward the airport in the last of daylight. It seems hard to believe that two short weeks ago, we hadn’t all known one another. It also seems hard to believe how many things we’ve since accomplished as a team. We’ll start going in separate directions again fairly soon -but with a heck of a lot of fine memories to connect us.
Thanks for coming along for the ride.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
The Mt. Rainier Summit Climb, led by RMI Guide Walter Hailes, reached the summit this morning. Temperatures are warm with some gusty winds.
The team began their descent back to Camp Muir and 7:10 a.m.
Update 5:00 pm PST
Elias and team are back at high camp and will descend off the mountain tomorrow. All is well and he will check in from Huaraz.
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Hello! This is Elías and the team calling from the summit ridge of Artesonraju. We’ve been climbing since midnight. It’s 10:20 local time. We’re super-psyched, but unfortunately we cannot reach the summit. We are literally a stone’s throw from the top, and it’s got a hefty cornice, and it’s very dangerous. We don’t find it worth it to continue the last 100 meters to the top, so we’re headed down. That’s it for now!
Elias calling from the Summit of Artesonraju July 6, 2017
The Four Day Summit Climb May 18 - 21 led by RMI Guides Elías de Andrés and Paul Rachele reached the summit of Mt. Rainier just after 7 AM this morning. It is a beautiful and clear morning and the team reported a windy start, but pleasant conditions on top. They will return to Camp Muir and continue their descent to Paradise.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team.
We have all assembled in the Russian capital city of Moscow. Most of the group arrived this afternoon after nearly 24 hours, or in some cases more, of traveling. Needless to say, everyone is tired, a bit jetlagged, and we're still waiting on a few bags, but psyched to be here and ready to go. We caught a great dinner down the street at a gastropub, and then are now headed to bed to sleep off the travel and be ready for our tour of the Kremlin and nearby cathedrals tomorrow. Thanks for following our Russian adventure, we'll be in touch again soon.
RMI Guides Pete Van Deventer & JM Gorum and team
Hello from base camp!
It's Team Aconcagua reporting for blogging! Last night the winds were howling here at base. We woke up and the winds were still gusting and we had several snow squalls blowing through camp. It was a fairly easy decision for the team. We decided not to do our carry to camp one at 16200 feet.
Sure, you betcha, the team could have grit their teeth and made it to camp one. However, we are not in a hurry. We were planning on a second rest day at base camp anyways. Instead of sitting around though, we donned light packs and did an acclimatization hike to just above 15000 feet. The entire team is doing great! And despite the adversity we are all in good spirits.
It's now noon so Christina and I are cooking up some fresh veggies to go into our Plaza Argentina Potato Surprise. Thanks for checking in with us and keep you fingers crossed for nicer weather. We are hoping to carry food and gear to camp one tomorrow and then return for a last night in base camp.
Go Packers!!!
RMI Guides JJ Justman and Christina Von Mertens
Wishing you all a safe climb. Love hearing how it is going.
Chris, looking forward to seeing your great photos!
Posted by: Sally Schuler on 12/14/2015 at 12:23 pm
Glad to hear you’re all doing well! Sounds really cold up there, but I know you guys all dig that! Sending a shout out of “hello” to my pal Chris Villar. And hoping that you guys are all having a blast!
Posted by: Aaron Shumaker on 12/13/2015 at 12:15 pm
RMI Guide Andy Bond and his Shuksan Seminar team all reached the summit! Andy reported great weather with a little smoke south of them. The team arrived back to camp in the afternoon. They will be training tomorrow and ending their seminar on Friday.
Saint Petersburg!!!
We traveled all day and have finally arrived in one of the most beautiful cities of Europe. Things went relatively smooth despite two van rides and two flights. We got checked into the hotel here and then ran out for a quick dinner followed by a short but scenic stroll.
Everyone is very excited to explore and see this city tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
RMI Guide Mike King led his Four Day Summit Climb June 24 - 27, 2017 team to the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. The teams reported clear skies and low winds on the summit. They will return to Camp Muir and then continue their descent to Paradise this afternoon.
Congratulations to today's Summit Climb team!
The Expedition Skills Seminar - Emmons team just called from the summit! All is well with them and they are beginning their descent. The lead guide, Christina Dale, said the team has enjoyed their week on Mt. Rainier with many skills learned and to top it off, a summit on the highest peak in Washington! They will be descending off the mountain tomorrow and working their way back to Rainier Basecamp to cap off their week with a celebration here in Ashford.
Great job! We are proud of you!
Posted by: Ellen on 7/15/2017 at 9:09 am
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