Entries from Kilimanjaro
July 21, 2019
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 15,000'
A few clouds to the morning but after another nutritious breakfast we set out toward
High Camp. We marched up the broad tilted plateau concentrating on efficient techniques in walking and breathing. Things steepened just a bit as we came to the final ridge. We all were feeling strong as we arrived in Barafu our High Camp at 15,000'. We enjoyed a great lunch and held a meeting about strategy for the summit bid. We are busy packing up for an early dinner, bed by 6 pm and wake up around midnight. The team is in great shape and can't wait to get started.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
July 20, 2019
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,030'
After a breezy start to last night the wind stop and a million stars made for an great view. Same clear skies this morning affording the glaciers and ice fields hanging at impossible angles overhead. We started a bit later giving some extra rest and a chance for some of the other teams to get ahead of us on the main challenge for the day- right out of camp the
Barranco Wall. Most of it feels like steep hiking but a few places require the use of hands to help us ascend. After pulling through one set of ledgers to another, making for great photos, we were on top. A few more hours of hiking some and then some downhill had us here at our next camp, Karanga. This camp is a couple hundred feet higher than last camp. A beautiful spot that overlooks the valley it is named after. The team is in great shape and high spirits.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
July 19, 2019
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,030'
Another sparkling and clear start to the day. Mt. Meru, our 15,000ft neighbor to the west, stood out like an island in the sea of clouds that cover anywhere below 10,000ft. Great views above of the summit as well. Our usual large fresh breakfast then off we went up a nice smooth gentle but steady ascent to the famous
Lava Tower outcropping situated at 15,000ft. Snacks and a lot of breathing then down we went. Two thousand feet lower has us tucked into another beautiful camp called Barranco. The team is a bit tired after what ended up being about an eight-hour day. All is well and looking forward to dinner.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
July 18, 2019
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 12,500'
The team had a very nice day here on
Kilimanjaro, waking to beautiful clear skies and hiking in sunshine all day. We started with a 6:30 wake up and packing before moving into our dining tent for a nice breakfast with porridge, scrambled eggs, toast, bacon fresh fruit and even fresh dark roast Tanzanian coffee.
We hit the trail around 9 am and slowly made our way up the rocky trail with incredible views of Kili above. After about five hours we reached our next camp that sits on the Shira Plateau, which is one of the three dormant volcanoes that make up Kili.
A lot of wet soggy cloths and gear is now bone dry, getting us back into great shape for our next few days on the trail.
All is well at 12,500'.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
July 17, 2019
Posted by: Mark Tucker
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 10,000'
Greetings from 10,000'
Machame Camp on Kilimanjaro!
We had a nice departure from the our lodge this morning. We left after a good nights rest and great breakfast. After checking in at the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate, we all put on our rain gear and worked our way up to camp. It was not the nicest of days on the trail with hard rain for the first half and light rain on the second half. We did the best we could but all of the team arrived at Machame Camp pretty wet. Lucky for us, amp was all set up so a quick change, snacks, hot drinks and dinner has us all in good shape. It may be wet out but it hasn't damped or spirits.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
All is well here in Tanzania as the team arrived late last night after some very long flights. All checked luggage showing up always a bonus. A short drive to our lodge that is not to far from the base of
Kilimanjaro. The team enjoyed a nice dinner upon arrival then headed for bed as the time zone change and all the travel will take it out of even the toughest of mountain climbers.
A great job done by all to recharge the battery. After a nice relaxing morning we had a briefing about logistic and a gear check just to make sure nothing missing from our kits.
Everybody passed with flying colors.
The remainder of the day was spent getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our lodge, which is incredibly peaceful and our first African animal sightings being some resident monkeys and small antelope.
We wrapped up the evening with another delicious meal. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
February 1, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello everyone.
We spent yesterday touring
Tarangire National Park which is home to many elephants, in fact, it has more per square kilometer than any place on Earth and it didn’t disappoint. There was one point when there was around 150 elephants within just a few hundred feet of us.
There were plenty of other animals as usual, and we got close to a few big giraffes, which was pretty cool.
We ended our day at a remote and off grid camp within the National Park and surrounded by wildlife. The camp has screened in rooms that allow the night sounds and smells of Africa in.
It's been a memorable experience for everyone and great friendships forged. But finally it's time to return home to our families.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew!
January 30, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Jambo everyone,
Today we visited the famous
Ngorongoro Crater. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is known for its abundance of animals that call the crater home.
We hit the road early with hopes of catching a few of the big cats before the heat of the day.
There were many sightings today of hyenas, jackles, ostrich, and countless other birds. We didn’t manage to see too many Lions, but did get to see 3 Leopards while driving in and out of the crater, which was certainly a highlight.
We saw several Black Rhinos which have become very rare do to poaching, however, they were only viewable through binoculars.
We wrapped up the day with a visit to a Maasai village not far from the craters rim. The Maasai people are a semi-nomadic tribe that exist almost entirely off of their cattle. The team spent time asking questions and enjoyed being shown around their small and simple village.
We have just finished another wonderful meal here at the Plantation Lodge
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
January 29, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Today was our first day of safari and we visited the beautiful
Lake Manyara. The lake is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals and home to more than 300 different birds. The birds were nearly of every shape and color you could imagine.
Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals.
We manage to see a few wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, lots of baboons, a few impalas, several elephants and even managed to get pretty close to a few lions. It was a nice introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Africa has and the team is looking forward to seeing more tomorrow.
We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal at our new lodge,
The Plantation Lodge. and even celebrated one of our teammates birthday with a cake and plenty of singing.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew
January 28, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Yesterday we had a wonderful albeit long day climbing to the summit of
Kilimanjaro.
The team woke at 11pm to thankfully clear skies after a very cloudy evening that had us wondering what lay ahead.
We had a quick midnight breakfast of porridge, tea and coffee before hitting the trail at midnight.
The weather turned out to be pretty nice with just a little bit of wind, but it was a little chillier than previous climbs. The climb took about 6 1/2 hours to reach the top, and thankfully the sun had risen shortly before reaching the top to help warm us and boost morale after climbing through the chilly night. Once there, we hugged each other, enjoyed the view and took plenty of pictures while we waited in line to get our photos of the sign that adorns the summit.
It was a true test of endurance for most of the crew, and I'm really proud of everyone. We descended back to high camp, had a quick lunch, repacked and continued further down the mountain to our final camp on the mountain, where we had dinner and then headed to bed for some well deserved sleep.
Today we woke at 6:30 feeling good, had breakfast, then enjoyed a goodbye song and dance from our gracious crew of porters, cooks, and local guides numbering 48. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hit the trail one last time.
It took a little over three hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge.
Finally we are all safe and sound, and a little cleaner after an amazing seven-day journey up and down Kilimanjaro.
The team is currently relaxing and looking forward to Safari which starts tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro crew
Outstanding! I am so proud of all you! Way to go Gabby, Sara and Charlie! You guys are absolute Rock Stars!!!
Posted by: Susie Yonkers on 7/22/2019 at 11:03 pm
Way to go! Can’t wait to hear all about your big adventure! Continued prayers for all.
Posted by: Mitzi Swift on 7/22/2019 at 6:55 am
View All Comments