Entries from Kilimanjaro

Hello everyone,

Today the we had an early start and left behind our beautiful lodge as we have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We left around 8am and drove along the rural country side and small villages for 2 hours before reaching the Kilimanjaro National Park entrance.

Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee and banana production, plus a variety of other agriculture needs. There are still a few areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for. Kilimanjaro’s base is mostly forested and resembles more of a jungle, this area is called the cloud forest.

Once we arrived at the park gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our porters and other staff to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail that ascends continuously through the thick forest. Thankfully the overhead canopy provided a bit of relief from the hot sun overhead.

The team hiked for about five hours, reaching 10,000' and arriving at our first camp. After settling into camp and get situated the team was served a nice warm meal for dinner.

Everyone is doing well and looking forward to a good nights rest.

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

Jambo (Swahili for hello/greetings) from Tanzania 

All is well here in Tanzania and the team has finally all safety arrived after some very long flights. It was a short and peaceful ride to our lodge that is nestled in between Arusha and Moshi and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. The team had a quick dinner and headed for bed as the time change had us all feeling just a little off and pretty tired after all the traveling. 

Today we had a leisurely morning with our group meeting after breakfast , where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the upcoming program for the days ahead. The team spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our peaceful lodge and dodging the gaggle of monkeys patrolling the grounds. 

We wrapped up the evening with a delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations.

Seems the team has had their fill of cake since we enjoyed celebrating our 2nd birthday in a row already.

Everyone is doing well and excited to be here.  

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASEY GROM!

We were up before the sun at Lokisale, our tented hotel in the outback of Tarangire.  It was wonderful to sip coffee as the baobab trees took shape with the rising sun.  Some heard a lion passing near to camp.  The great staff put out a fine and fast breakfast for us and then we said goodbye and hopped into the Landcruisers for one final morning of safari.  We cruised the “swamp” -a vast expanse of grass- with no other cars around.  There were herds of zebra and elephant, wildebeest and Cape buffalo stretching for miles and miles. Eventually, Saiman and Izach pointed our vehicles toward the distant park entrance, but on the way, we saw the good stuff… a leopard climbing a tree, a lion hunting, hyenas crunching the bones of a kill… some final scenes to sustain us during endless airplane travel homeward. 

It was a few more hours back to Rivertrees Inn, and then showers and packing for travel.  We had time for a last dinner together out under the big trees, and then we were headed to the airport and a million lines and our goodbyes to each other. 

It has been a fine two weeks of seeing the world together.  Thanks for following along. 

Best Regards,

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and Team

It is always tough to leave the Plantation Lodge.  It is just too comfortable and the people are way too kind and friendly.  But we tore ourselves away because of Tarangire National Park.  It is a worthy motivating force… the chance to see incredible numbers and varieties of wildlife on a seemingly unlimited expanse of beautiful land.  We got rolling out of Karatu at 8:30 AM but couldn’t resist a fine shopping opportunity for some Tanzanian keepsakes a short distance out of town.  We still made it out to Tarangire by late morning and immediately began seeing animals and then more animals and more animals still.  At first it was just the flavors we’d already become familiar with (zebra, wildebeest, impala, waterbuck, eagles, vultures, giraffes) but then we started seeing new things.  Family after family of elephants, each with a wee one just a few months old.  We saw a python up a tree.  We saw lions chewing on a zebra. We saw hartebeest and elan and bushbucks and Dik Dik.  We looked up every likely tree for leopards… but they are still hiding from us.  Then we finished the day at  Lokisale Lodge, deep within the park.  The staff gave us a friendly welcome and lit a fire for us to enjoy sunset by.  They warned us gently of the wild animals roaming through the grounds of the lodge and then showed us to our deluxe tent cabins.  We are about to eat our final dinner together, way out in East Africa. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We spent our day in a collapsed volcano.  Ngorongoro Crater didn’t disappoint.  It was a clear morning at our hotel but it was cold and there was still a little cloud hanging around the rim of the caldera (which is at around 10,000 ft).  We did an hour of the usual rough roads to get to the descent road into the crater.  Then we saw two of the “Big Five” species before we’d even made it to the floor of the crater.  There was a big bull elephant with enormous tusks and not too far away there was a sleeping male lion.  Before long we were seeing thousands of zebra, wildebeest, gazelles, Cape buffalo and warthogs.  There were tons of hippos.  The highlights were reckoned to be the Caracal we spied (a medium sized cat with big pointy ears… rarely seen in Ngorongoro) and the pack of hyenas ripping up a Cape Buffalo carcass.  After another great picnic lunch in the field, we went back up to the crater rim to visit a Maasai village.  We watched (and joined in) traditional dances.  We saw the men make fire and throw spears, then we got a tour of the homes within a protective brush enclosure. 

Then we had another 90 minutes of bouncing over dirt roads before we got back to the ultra comfortable Plantation Lodge for the evening. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We hiked from the hotel to the parking lot in approximately 30 seconds this morning.  Which was our climbing goal for the day.  Then we shifted into Safari mode, driving out of Usa River at 8 AM.  Saimon and Izach, our safari guides/drivers, had us through the outskirts of Arusha (population 2 million) and out into the arid countryside in about an hour.  We cruised westward, watching Maasai tribesmen and boys moving cattle to water.  By late morning we’d reached Lake Manyara National Park.  We popped open the tops of our Landcruisers and stood up to search for wildlife.  The park was a little sleepy today, but we saw elephants and giraffes, Cape buffalo and eagles.  We drove along bumpy dirt roads through forest and occasional clearings to see impala and bushbucks, Dik Dik and vultures.  We spied Hirax and banded mongoose, crowned cranes and baboons.  There were monkeys galore.  During the course of the day, we enjoyed a picnic lunch in the park.  We looked up every tree for lions and leopards but came up a little empty on that score.  Still it was a fine day of exploring.  In the evening we drove out of the great Rift Valley and into the highlands to Karatu where the Plantation Lodge welcomed us with comfortable rooms and a delicious dinner.  Tomorrow we’ll venture out for Ngorongoro Crater. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

It was a relief to sleep “low down” at 10,000 ft last night.  The air had oxygen and humidity and everything we’d been missing up high on Kili.  We ate breakfast at 7 AM and got walking downhill through the rainforest at 8 AM.  The trail was in better-than-expected condition.  It can be slick and muddy, which can make the 4,000 ft descent treacherous, but today we found it pretty easy going.  The team flew down the track at a record setting pace, making the Mweka Gate in just two hours and fifteen minutes.  Hot showers can be a powerful motivator.  A short distance from the National Park, our Barking Zebra staff treated us to one final picnic lunch.  We then thanked each of the 46 men who’d put so much effort and kindness into helping us climb the mountain. After tips were passed out, the staff sang a few very fun and traditional songs while pulling us in to dance along.  We then said our goodbyes and got on board the bus for the two hour ride back to Usa River.  We checked into the Rivertrees Hotel and sprinted for the showers.  When we next met to plan our four days of Safari, the team was nearly unrecognizable in fresh clothing and shampooed hair.  We enjoyed a dinner outside under the big trees and wished our climbing partner Rob a safe journey homeward since -as planned- he’ll head home and come back for Safari on a future trip. 

Safari starts in the morning!

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

11 PM sure seemed like it came early last night.  Some got a little sleep, some got none, but we all got up to go climbing.  We had an 11:30 “breakfast” before leaving Barafu High Camp just after midnight.  It was magically clear and calm.  We could see the lights of Moshi and a thousand other towns.  The moon didn’t rise until about three so there were plenty of stars to see as we marched by headlight.  Naturally, all the other climbing teams were getting going at the same time, so Naiman -who led the way- had to do some bobbing and weaving to get us free of traffic jams.  Eventually we broke free and were able to set our desired pace up the steep, zig zag of pumice and lava steps.  We took short breaks every 60 to 90 minutes, generally adding clothing layers as we got higher and colder.  It was still dark when we hit the crater rim at Stella Pt at 5:48. We took a short break and the guides broke out thermoses of sweet black tea which the team devoured.  Then we walked the rim to Uhuru as daylight slowly came on.  There is a lot to look at on a 19,000 ft stroll at sunrise.  We hit the tippy top… Uhuru… at 6:47 AM   There were a few tears and cheers, then a bunch of happy photographs.  We sat to eat and drink and then -after 25 minutes on the top of Africa- we began our descent.  The team made good time, boot skiing down thousands of feet of loose pumice.  In three and a half hours we were back at High Camp. Our staff welcomed us with cups of fruit juice and joyful songs.  Tosha -our chef- prepared a 15,200 ft pizza lunch to fortify us for our continued climb down.  The team pulled out of High Camp at 11:40 AM and got down 5000 ft of rocky and dusty trail in three hours.  It is clear and sunny still at 10,000 ft Mweka Camp.  Our team is tired but happy.  We’ll sit down to our final dinner on the hill in a few minutes and we’ll review the highs… and the hard parts of an excellent day.  There will certainly be a few mentions of the amazing job our guides and staff did to get us living out a dream. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We did not have so far to go today, so we took it easy getting started at Karanga Camp.  We got walking at 9 AM in the perfect morning weather we’ve become accustomed to.  The team practiced the “rest step” and some “pressure breathing” on the gradual but steady ascent to 15,200 ft.  We took two rest breaks along the way and made the move in less than three hours.  Our amazing support team had camp well established at Barafu and that made it quite easy for us to just roll in and rest up.  We sat down for lunch together and then lingered for a comprehensive talk about our summit bid.  Things had clouded up a little, as we’ve found to be normal in midday, but less sun just made it a little easier to lounge in the tents for the afternoon.  Early dinner was in order, because we’ve got big plans for the night.  Just when the team thought the day was done, our fabulous chefs and waiters surprised Rob with a birthday cake (brought specially and secretly by runner from Arusha yesterday) and a round of singing and dancing.  The entire team will remember Rob’s high altitude birthday for a long time.  It is 7:30 PM now and all are in bed.  We’ll wake at 11 PM and walk at midnight.  We’ve got mountains to climb. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn

We pushed back our wake-up and starting times this morning in order to let a few of the surrounding teams get out on the trail first.  The Barranco Wall has a few tight passages along rock ledges where we’d just as soon miss the traffic jams.  That meant a leisurely pace to rolling out of bed and packing up.  It was cool in the shadow of the mountain though, and a relief -during breakfast- when the sun hit. We marched toward the base of the wall at 9 AM with perhaps a few butterflies in some stomachs as folks wondered how it would all work out.  From below, the Great Barranco Wall looks very much like a Great Wall… intimidating.  But as we started winding up the trail and came to grips with the tricky parts, most began to relax. Our local guides -John, Tom, Naiman and Philibet were at every difficult move, pointing out hand and footholds and managing porter traffic.  Before long we’d cruised past the narrowest ledges and gotten to easier -though still steep- trail sections in the middle of the wall.  There were still a few places requiring both hands on the rock near the top, but then we popped out onto flat ground about 1200 ft higher than where we’d begun.  We took a well-deserved break and snapped a few pictures of the spectacular South Face of Kilimanjaro.  The rest of the walk to Karanga was easy in comparison to the Wall.  Just a few valleys to traverse, and lots of sights to see as much of the lower cloud melted away.  We sat down to lunch in our new camp at 13,100 ft.  The afternoon was a chance for resting and rehydrating.  As the sun set, John -our lead guide- led the team in an impromptu dance session on the concrete heli-pad adjacent to camp.  We sat down to dinner in our well lit dining tent and then came out to another beautiful night scene, this time with the lights of Moshi (the city at Kili’s Southeast corner) spread out far below. 

Best Regards

RMI Guide Dave Hahn