Entries from Kilimanjaro
September 7, 2017
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,000'
At some point in the early morning hours, the clouds cleared away, the full moon and stars came out, along with the great volcanic cone of Kibo, Kilimanjaro's central peak. First light was our first sighting of the mountain we've been climbing. All were thrilled to see it, but it must be admitted that some were a little intimidated by the steep icy mountain flanks rising into the sky. We ate our breakfast and got walking toward the peak at about 8 AM. The walking was pretty easy compared to the tricky trails we'd become accustomed to, but it was taking us steadily higher. Within a few hours of marching through the high desert vegetation, we were breaking altitude records. In fact, by our high point of the day, the Lava Tower, at 15,200 ft, we'd crushed records for Cory, Jen, Don, Syd, Carol, Naomi and Curt. Only Sarah and Martha had been to greater altitude. Cumulus clouds formed up with the heat of the day to rob us of some views, but generally, we were blessed with a fine, calm and dry day for hiking. We worked our way down into the Barranco Valley-back down into the garden of giant Senecios and Lobelias. We reached camp at 13,000 ft by three o'clock. Our staff of porters, cooks, camp boys, waiters and guides seemed pleased with our performance. A few men began clapping, and within minutes, fifty of our best mountain friends were clapping, dancing and singing. Eventually, we all joined in -some of the team managing to get down and shake it while still wearing packs. Not bad after a seven-hour hike and a trip to new heights.
We rested away the afternoon, listening to stories and Swahili at the foot of the Great Barranco Wall.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
September 6, 2017
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 12,600'
We spent a quiet night at Machame Camp with clouds above and below. Those of us lying awake, still wrestling with jet lag, were never able to detect even the faintest of breezes rustling tent fabric. 6:30 was our wake up target and although we were right on the mark, Kilimanjaro itself decided to sleep in. We were never able to see Kibo, the central peak, due to clouds. We set out at 8 AM in pleasant walking conditions -never in danger of overheating- with the sun obscured. The trail led steeply upward through a giant heather forest. We climbed slowly and steadily, working from time to time on walking and breathing techniques for the days ahead. Views were limited but still enchanting as we reached and followed a ridge top of old lava formations to well over 12,000 ft. We finished with an hour of traversing ledges and trails to the north, turning the corner onto the easier Shira Plateau just after noon. We were in our 12,600 ft new home -Shira Camp- by 12:45. We lounged away the afternoon with meals, naps, storytelling and exploring. Sunset into the cloudy peaks of Shira was briefly beautiful. We finished with a sumptuous alpine dinner in our dining tent, chatted a bit more about legendary climbs and climbers, and then called it a day. (A good day)
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
September 5, 2017
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 9,800'
A fairly smooth first day for our climbers today. We were on the road by 8 AM as planned and heading east. We made good time rolling down the highway under thick clouds. There weren't any views of Kilimanjaro to be had, even as we approached the Machame gate to the National Park at 6000 ft. As always, the gate was good and busy as a handful of other expeditions were getting underway on our same timetable. We were among the first to set out walking, at around 10:45. We never got rain, although the air was quite moist during the hours we spent in the thick forest. We gained elevation steadily and by mid-afternoon we were leaving the big trees and getting into a forest of giant heather. We came in to Machame Camp at 4:15 to find that our staff had been working quite hard on our behalf. A fully built camp was ready and waiting for campers. We settled in, met for afternoon tea and then dinner in our dining dome tent. We talked of the plan for the coming day, recalled the funny parts of the day we were ending and headed to bed.
Best Regards
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Naomi, You are our hero! You just amaze us with all your accomplishments, but this one is over the hill!
G-d bless U and keep you safe.
Florence & Marty Jesser
Posted by: Florence Jesser on 9/13/2017 at 8:07 pm
Naomi..
Reading the daily blogs as we follow your amazing adventure. Have a great time and stay safe. Luv U a ton.
Posted by: Howard Katz on 9/6/2017 at 7:11 pm
This was our Kilimanjaro kickoff day... but it was also our Kili catch-up day. We began our climb by sitting down as a group just after breakfast and strategizing. We went through our itinerary and discussed goals and contingencies. Then we checked each climber's gear and clothing for the trip, finally we packed and weighed each load. We had lunch outside under the patio awning as dik diks (smallest of the antelope family) roamed the grounds and velvet monkeys played in the trees. Afternoon was the "catch-up" portion of the day as we rested and attempted to reset our day/night perceptions to fit our new setting -about nine time zones off -give or take. We'd take trips up the Lodge's observation tower from time to time in order to look for Kili on the horizon. Clouds kept it hidden today though. Tomorrow we'll set out for the mountain just after breakfast and will relay a team picture or two as we progress.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hi Mom and dad,
I hope you are having a good time! You are defiantly the coolest parents for doing this trek! Don’t worry all is well in Brussels.
Love,
Nora
Posted by: Nora on 9/6/2017 at 5:24 am
Curt, have an awesome adventure and stay safe!
Posted by: Kathy Goodwin on 9/5/2017 at 9:18 am
We've gotten eleven climbers -and their gear- through an assortment of aircraft and airports to the outskirts of Arusha, Tanzania. What with ample jet lag, it can't be declared with certainty that all are now sleeping at the Arumeru River Lodge, but all are now in residence (at 4 AM). In a few hours, we'll wake up to begin a Kilimanjaro adventure. It will begin with coffee and a velvet monkey or two out in the garden-like patio of the lodge. We'll eat breakfast (if the monkeys don't) and meet finally as one big team to figure out the start of our week-long climb to the highest point in Africa.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Go, Nao! Love you, girl. Sending vibes your way constantly. So proud of you. Hugs, smiles and cheers. cd
Posted by: Claudia on 9/6/2017 at 10:55 pm
Don and Jennifer, I’m in awe. CNt wait to see the photos.
Love,
Tina.
Posted by: Tina Mooney on 9/4/2017 at 4:43 pm
The Kilimanjaro Climb & Safari August 5 - 19 has come to an end. The team enjoyed our final night in Africa at the Balloon Camp - Tarangire. Today we traveled back to Arusha and returned to the hotel where we first met two weeks ago. We enjoyed one last meal together as a team, repacked packed bags and headed to the airport. Everyone will be traveling to their respective homes over the next 24 hours. We had a grand adventure!
Until next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Congratulations Team & a HUGE thank you to Mark Tucker for keeping us all so well informed. I really enjoyed knowing what was going on each day. Looking forward to seeing Jennifer & Geoff back in Seattle!
Posted by: Rhonda Bolton on 8/18/2017 at 11:14 am
Jambo!
Life does not get much better that this. We are living in the moment, sitting around the fire watching an incredible African sunset. The accommodations and surrounding area are the very best, and we are having so much fun! We wish you all were here!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker & Team
We spent the day cruising for wildlife in a caldera. Ngoronoro Crater didn't disappoint. There was fairly heavy cloud glued to the crater rim in the morning when we were working around the circumference, but as we dropped into the interior, we got under the weather and enjoyed fine visibility. We saw vast quantities of wildlife including herds of wildebeest, cape buffalo and zebra. There were hippos galore and dozens of colorful birds. The big male lion stole the show as he ambled down the road right next to our vehicle. We finished in the forested area and had the luck of observing a large female lion hanging in a tree taking a nap. Life in the bush is good. The team continues to persevere despite the fine dining and very comfortable rooms. More adventures ahead tomorrow!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The big payoff starts and the dividends are fabulous. We had a great afternoon at Lake Manyara National Park. We successfully shifted gears from mountain living to wildlife viewing. We were on the road just after 8:30 and a few hours later pulled into the park. We had lunch just inside the gate where we had our first visit with a troop of baboons. They were very interested with our lunch boxes and for good reason, once again Barking Zebra providee us with a fantastic assortment of goodies that fuels the furnace to get us through to our next feast, definitely not starving on this trip. We started the game drive where the roof of our Landcruiser is modified to open up and create great sighting of all the animals which were everywhere. Under an hour drive from the gate puts us at the Plantation Lodge just outside the gate of tomorrow's park. Very, very, very comfortable here. Even if you didn't come down from a big mountain you would feel the same way.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Round trip complete! Back in the lodge where we started a week ago and it feels great.
We enjoyed recounting our adventure during a nice dinner out on the patio. We awoke early this morning and were treated to yet another scrumptious breakfast and lots of fresh Tanzanian bold coffee. After that we had a really fun closing ceremony with the Barking Zebra staff. Awesome job from start to finish. These guys took such good care of us and a pleasure to spend time with on Kilimanjaro. There was a small matter of a three-hour hike to the park gate, but it was enjoyable with no rain in the mystical descent through the cloud forest. The sights and sounds were amazing. Lots of happy campers after a hot shower and looking forward to sleeping in a bed.
Tomorrow we start our safari; it's going to be a blast.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
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Congratulations to all! My money is on Carol for dancing.
Posted by: Karen Ford on 9/8/2017 at 6:57 am
Sending positive thoughts to the Tulsa Team - Curt, Syd, and Carol (Karl?). Have a great trip! Enjoying your journey from OK.
Posted by: Brent Johnson on 9/8/2017 at 6:13 am
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