Entries from Kilimanjaro
January 10, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 15,000'
Hello folks back home.
We’re still here on Kilimanjaro.
Day 3 for us was pretty similar to yesterday. Cloudy and rainy for almost the entire hike. This team is in good spirits though despite the weather being less than ideal. We haven’t completely ruled out descending and making a run to the beaches in Zanzibar!
Our morning ritual has been waking around 6:30 and getting everything in our tents packed up before heading into our very spacious dinning tent for quite the feast. Normally there is fresh fruit, fried eggs, bacon, and plenty of hot coffee awaiting us, obviously we’re being spoiled up here by our wonderful staff!
We hit the trail usually around 8am and hike for an hour before taking our 15-minute break, then back on the trail for another hour. All total today we hiked for just over six hours before reaching camp which was set up and ready for us thankfully.
Along the way we passed around the famous and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000 feet setting new altitude records for some.
Please send us some sunshine for tomorrow.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
January 9, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 12,200'
Jambo everyone back home -
The team woke feeling well rested after about 10 hours in our tent last night. We had a pretty good day on Kilimanjaro today, I only say pretty good because we hiked in light sprinkles to full on rain all day. Thankfully everyone’s gore-tex jackets kept us dry.
We started the day waking at 6:30 to start packing up before moving into our dinning tent for a nice breakfast with porridge, fried eggs, toast, avocado and even some fresh fruit, and most importantly plenty of hot coffee.
We hit the trail shortly after 8 am and slowly made our way up the rocky trail that leads out of camp. The trail climbs up a ridge and eventually out of the trees and normally allows for some truly spectacular views of the valley below, but today it was a bit limited. The team hiked for about 4.5 hours before reaching our next camp that sits on the Shira plateau, which is an ancient lava flow just above tree-line. Once at camp we were treated to a wonderful warm meal and then hopped into our tents to relax.
The evening was full of great stories and another amazing meal prepared by our gracious staff.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
January 8, 2019
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 9,800'
Hello Everyone -
Today the team left behind the comforts of our beautiful lodge and have made our way to the mountain towards the start of the climb. Starting shortly before 8am we drove along the rural country side for two hours to reach the Kilimanjaro National Park entrance. Most of the area surrounding Kilimanjaro has been cultivated and primarily used for coffee production and for a variety of other agriculture needs, but there are still some areas that have been untouched and resemble more of a savannah that Tanzania is known for. The base of Kilimanjaro is heavily forested and resembles more of a jungle or cloud forest. Traditionally it has supported a large part of the banana production for this area.
Once we arrived at the gate we had all of our gear weighed and divided into loads for our porters to carry before hitting the trail. Once everything was in order we started our climb slowly making our way up the winding trail. The team hiked for a little over 6 hours to reach our camp for the night. Everyone did great and enjoyed finally getting some much needed exercise.
After settling into camp the team was served a nice warm meal and then headed off to bed for a nice full night of rest.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
Casey Grom here checking in with RMI's first 2019 Kilimanjaro Climb!
All is well here in Tanzania and most of the team arrived late last night after some very long flights. It was a short and uneventful 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 has us all feeling just a little off and pretty tired after all the traveling.
Today we had a leisurely morning with our official meeting at 10, where we did a round of introductions and then discussed the upcoming program for the days ahead.
We spent the remainder of the day getting our gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our Lodge, which is incredibly peaceful and has monkeys and Dik Dik running around. See for yourself.
We wrapped up the evening with another delicious meal and plenty of friendly conversations. Everyone is doing well and excited to hit the trail tomorrow and get a little bit of exercise.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew!
Go Kris and Catherine! Enjoy your awesome adventure!!!
John H
Manager, Atlanta Base Camp
Posted by: John H on 1/8/2019 at 9:19 am
Have a great adventure and enjoy every breathless moment of beauty.
Cant wait to hear about your adventure!
Faith
Posted by: Faith Fischer-Whaley on 1/8/2019 at 5:44 am
Hello again everyone
Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. The crater is roughly 100 square miles and is home for more than 25,000 animals that reside here year round, as its one of the few places that has natural springs. We started early with hopes of catching a few big cats before the heat of the day sent them in search of shade.
We saw many hyenas, jackles, ostrich, plus countless other huge birds, and even managed to get close to a large pride of lions with very full bellies. There was a Black Rhino spotted not to far off of the road also which was a highlight.
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 and the team is off to bed after a long, but very rewarding day on safari.
RMI Guide Casey Grom
Today was our first day of safari and we headed northwest to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. The lake is a brief stopping ground for many migratory animals and home to more than 300 different birds. Everyone enjoyed the day cruising around in our safari vehicles with cold beverages in hand while seeing the animals up close.
We managed to see a few wildebeest, zebras, Cape buffalo, lots of baboons, a few impalas and many hippos, and several elephants pretty close. 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 teammate's birthday with a cake and plenty of singing.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew
Today we woke at 6:30 after a wonderful night of well deserved sleep, had a quick breakfast, then enjoyed a few goodbye songs from our hardworking and kind crew of porters, cooks, and local guides. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well earned tips and then hit the trail one last time descending back into the thick forest surrounding Kilimanjaro. It took about 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.
The team is doing great after relaxing for a few hours and some and well deserved long, hot showers.
Everyone is looking forward to our game viewing safari which starts early tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro crew
September 23, 2018
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 19,340'
We did it! Summit success!
The team got up at 11pm and were all ready by 11:30 for the ascent. We then had a quick midnight breakfast of porridge, tea and coffee before starting our climb under a mostly full moon.
The weather was very calm and the route wasn’t all that busy allowing us to take our time and enjoy the ascent. The climb took just under seven hours to reach the summit, and thankfully the sun rose shortly before reaching the top to help warm us and boost morale after climbing through the night.
On the summit we hugged each other, enjoyed the views and took plenty of pictures and even made a few phone calls to loved ones back home.
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, where we had a quick lunch, repacked and then continued further down the mountain to our final camp in the thick warm air at 10’000ft, where we just finished another fine meal prepared by our gracious staff. Now it’s off to bed for some well deserved sleep.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and a happy Kilimanjaro summit crew
On The Map
When I looked at the picture of the summit crew I knew it was you Judge Junell!!!! Congrats on another summit. I have another trip for you- The Lofoten Islands, Norway. I’ll send you the info!! Cheers to everyone.
Posted by: Elsie Bemiss on 9/24/2018 at 5:18 pm
kudos to Hans/Alix. You guys overcome all obstacles. Proud parents.
Posted by: Margot badenhausen on 9/23/2018 at 3:44 pm
September 22, 2018
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 15,200'
Hello again everyone:
After a good night's rest and a short hike up to 15,000 feet we’ve finally arrived at our high camp. Today was mostly sunny with great views of Kilimanjaro and our intended route for tomorrow’s climb.
The team has just wrapped up lunch and discussed in great detail the plan for tomorrow’s climb. Everyone knows what what we’ll be wearing, what will be in the pack, as well as the schedule.
Our game plan will be to wake at 11pm and have a quick breakfast at 11:30, then hopefully hit the trail right at midnight. The team has been doing great thus far and I’m expecting us to reach the summit in seven to eight hours if things go according to plan.
Also to note!
There have been several rounds of trivia with the winner getting a chance to make a satellite phone call from the summit. So everyone back home please keep your phones handy and if you receive a call from a strange number please answer. We are seven hours ahead of the east coast time zone, so a 7:00 am arrival at the summit will mean a midnight phone call.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
On The Map
Hey Jess, tried to get your call last night, but no luck for service. Can’t wait until you’re back. K byeeeee
Posted by: Zacharahia Mcclanahan on 9/23/2018 at 7:46 am
September 21, 2018
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,160'
Hello again everyone:
We left camp a little later today to allow the many porters to hit the trail before us as we had our main difficulty right out of camp. This obstacle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1,000 feet and looks as intimidating as it sounds. Thankfully there is a nice narrow trail that weaves its way up and through the wall and all the way to the top. Most of it feels more like steep hiking, but there are a few places that require the use of our hands to help us climb up. The team did a good job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads.
After reaching the top, we took a nice break and enjoyed the amazing views of the ice-ladened south face and valleys below. The team continued our hike for a few more hours before reaching camp. All in all, it took only about four hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks.
We spent the remainder of the day relaxing in our tents as a light drizzle arrived shortly after we did.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kili crew
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I’m so proud of both of you, Cat and Kris! Enjoy ever amazing moment of this incredible experience! We’re sending vibes of encouragement your way.
Posted by: Melinda on 1/10/2019 at 10:09 pm
Sending Houston sunshine to Ted, Pierce and the whole gang. You’re all making memory treasures! Keep it up! Paula & Steve
Posted by: Paula Strong on 1/10/2019 at 8:24 pm
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