Entries By casey grom
Posted by: Casey Grom, Hannah Smith
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest BC Trek
Namaste!
Greetings from Nepal!
The team has finally arrived after some incredibly long flights and a 12hr time change.We spent our first day get acquainted and discussing the necessities to our upcoming adventure.
We then headed out to visit a few famous temples here in Kathmandu. First up was the Swayambhunath, also known as the "Monkey Temple", that overlooks most of Kathmandu. Then we visited the massive Boudhanath Stupa, which is one of the largest in the world. We wrapped up the evening with getting all our gear packed and an amazing meal at a restaurant call “Le Sherpa”.
Today the team left Kathmandu and flew to Lukla, our starting point to the trek. Thankfully it was a rather uneventful flight to one of the world’s most famous airports. After arriving had breakfast then waited at a tea house for all the porters to be chosen and then hit the trail. We hiked for about 3 hours to reach our first camp of the trip in a small village called Phakding. The weather was perfect, and everyone did great on the hike.
Team is doing well and oh so happy to be in the mountains!
RMI Guides Casey, Hannah, and Team
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello one last time.
Today was our last day here in Tanzania so we opted for a moderately leisure departure from the tranquil Plantation Lodge.
Our first stop was to a huge gift shop so everyone could bring back a few souvenirs.
By the looks of it, a few people back home are getting some nice gifts too.
We made a quick stop off at Lake Manyara National Park. Normally the safari sightings here are always exciting, but sadly that was not the case today. It’s been incredibly wet this year and most of the drivable roads have been either flooded or completely washed out.
It was expedited to say the least.
The team has returned to our original lodge and are packed up headed for the airport.
Your loved ones should be home soon!
Thanks for following,
RMI Guide Casey Grom & Crew
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, and considered by many to be one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The crater is what remains of a two million year old massive volcano that erupted and collapsed on itself, leaving behind a giant caldera that's roughly 100 square miles. The crater is home to some 25,000' animals because of the abundant food and water that flows from a spring.
We were able to see several lions, including two big males, but not nearly as close as yesterday. As we made our way around the crater where we saw tons of other wildlife, zebras, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, jackals, Giselles, hyenas, and four Black Rhinos in the distance. It was an enjoyable a day to say the least.
We are wrapping up our trip with a final night here at the Plantation Lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Lake Manyara National Park before catching late flights home tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello again everyone,
We had quite the storm roll through last night with lots of rain and a very impressive lightning and thunder show. Thankfully it had mostly tapered by morning before we headed out on another safari in Tarangire National park.
It was pretty quiet initially as I’m sure the storm had most animals tucked away, but soon enough the wildlife was back and ever present. We saw the usual cast of characters with the highlights being a Serval Cat and a beautiful lioness lounging in a tree at close range.
We have just arrived at our new beautiful lodge just outside of Ngorongoro crater. It’s a stunning and extremely peaceful private lodge tucked away in a densely forested hillside.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the safari crew
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Hello everyone,
We spent today touring Tarangire National Park which is home to more elephants per square kilometer than any place on earth, plus and a huge diversity of other animals too.
We saw elephants, giraffes, warthogs, impala, mongoose, baboons, ostrich, and a lot of other animals, and 37 different birds with the highlight being the Pearl-Spotted Owlet!
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 of Africa in. Hopefully everyone sleeps well tonight!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Safari crew!
Posted by: Casey Grom
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Today we started our day at 6:30 am refreshed after a much needed nights sleep. We had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took just under three hours to reach the park gate where the team had lunch and said our final goodbyes to our amazing crew that took such great care of us on the mountain. We finished the little celebration by handing out their well deserved tips and then hopped aboard our awaiting bus for the ride back to the lodge. Finally we are all safe and sound, cleaner, and smelling fresh after an exciting seven day journey up and down Kilimanjaro.
Stayed tuned, safari starts tomorrow!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and team
Saturday, January 29, 2022 8:22 PM PT
Quick update from the summit!
100% on top!
Sunday, January 30, 2022 12:02 AM PT
Team is all safely back at high camp, a little tired but full of smiles.
It was pretty cloudy when we left camp and stayed that way most of the night. The wind and weather were quite nice despite the clouds. The team did an amazing job climbing and stayed positive even though it was a tough climb.
We spent about about 20 minutes on the summit taking photos and even made a few phone calls to loved ones back home.
We are headed down the mountain to our final camp in the thick warm air at 10’000ft, where we’ll have dinner then head off to bed for some well deserved sleep.
RMI Guide Casey and a Happy Kilimanjaro Summit Crew!
Hello again everyone,
The team had a good night’s rest last night and today was just a short 3hr hike up to 15’000 ft to our high camp. It started out sunny, but then quickly clouded up thankfully for great hiking temperatures. The Equatorial sun at this elevation is quite intense, a little break was needed.
The team has just wrapped up lunch and discussed in detail the plan for tomorrow’s climb. Everyone knows what we will 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 7 to 8hrs if things go according to plan.
As per usual on a Casey climb, one lucky trivia winner will get a 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 8+hrs ahead of the east coast time zone.
Wish us luck!
RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Summit Bound Crew
Go Kimberly!! Keep following your hopes and dreams!
(proud dad moment)
Posted by: Kevin Nichols on 1/29/2022 at 2:38 pm
Hello everyone,
Right out of camp we were faced with the only significant technical obstacle for this climb. This hurdle is the great Barranco Wall, which rises about 1000ft 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 an excellent job of moving steady and allowing a few porters through with their loads precariously balanced on their heads. Which was astonishing to see!
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 up and down through a few valleys before reaching today endpoint.
All in all, it took only about 4 hours for us to reach our next camp called Karanga, named for the big and beautiful valley which it overlooks.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and Crew
Hello from Africa,
Today we woke to beautifully clear skies again with even better views of Kilimanjaro since moving up on the mountain. The days route took us up and around the well known and beautiful Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000', setting a new altitude record for some.
We also passed by many of the giant groundsels and towering Senecio trees that made us feel as if we were in some crazy Dr. Seuss story book.
All in all it was a really nice day with clouds gathering in the afternoon to help keep the temperature comfortable for hiking.
RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew
Reading your summary of Ngorongoro Crater and it’s abundance of wildlife was like reading a National Geographic magazine. So many creatures reside there! Giselles too!! Did you spot any Tom Bradys?
Lol ...Congrats on your climb!!
John B from Rhode Island.
Posted by: John on 2/4/2022 at 6:06 am
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