Entries By casey grom

Jambo Everyone 

Today the team left behind our beautiful and comfortable river lodge and have headed to the mountain towards the start of the climb. We left around 8am and drove along the rural countryside and small villages for 2 hours before reaching the 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 more forested and looks more jungle like and is called a 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 little cover from the intense sun, and we were happy it didn’t rain either. It took our team around 5hr to reach our camp for the night that sits around 10’000ft. 

Once we were settled into camp and got everybody situated the team was served a nice warm meal for dinner before retiring for the night. Everyone is still feeling the jet lag, and I’m sure the team will sleep well tonight. 

Casey and Kili crew

The gang's all here! There are 12 of us in total on this Kilimanjaro adventure. Everyone is doing well and we've been enjoying the Rivertrees Lodge that is nestled inbetween Arusha and Moshi, and not so far from the base of Kilimanjaro. 

Today was officially Day One for us (Day Three if you're following the itinerary on the RMI Website). So we had a round of introductions before discussing the upcoming program for the days ahead. The team spent the remainder of the day getting gear packed up, exploring the grounds of our peaceful Lodge and getting adjusted to the nearly 12-hour time change.  

Tomorrow we hit the trail and everyone is looking forward to seeing the mountain and stretching the legs after those long flights!

Until tomorrow,

RMI Guide Casey Grom and the Kilimanjaro Crew!

Hello everyone

We spent yesterday and this morning 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 were plenty of other animals as usual, and we got pretty close to a few lions, which was amazing. We also managed to see a leopard and a Pearl Spotted Owlet, which were some of the highlights.

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.

It's been a memorable experience for everyone and great friendships forged. But finally it's time to return home to our families.

Thanks for following

Casey and the Safari crew!

Today we visited the famous Ngorongoro Crater, and considered by many to be the 8th natural  wonder of the world. The crater is what remains of a once massive volcano that erupted and collapsed onto itself, leaving behind a giant caldera that's almost exactly 100 square miles.

We were able to see several lions and it was exciting to be close to those big cats! As we made our way around the crater we saw tons of other wildlife, zebras, Cape buffalo, wildebeest, Giselles, countless raptors and many other large birds. It was quite a day to say the least, and I'm certain one that won't be forgotten by anyone.

Before heading home we made a quick stop by to visit a Maasai village. The Maasai are a semi nomadic ethnic group that live a very simple life in remote areas of Tanzania.

We finished the evening here at the plantation lodge and are looking forward to what tomorrow may bring as we head to Tarangire National Park.

RMI Guide Casey and the Safari crew

Safari time!

Today was our first day of safari and we headed west to visit the beautiful Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara 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 and in their natural habitat.

We managed to see a few zebras, Impala and a tons of baboons, plus many elephants up close. The highlight was seeing a very large python high up in a tree canopy. It was an amazing introduction to the incredible diversity of wildlife that Tanzania has and the team is very excited to seeing more animals tomorrow.

We wrapped up the evening with a wonderful meal at our new lodge.

RMI Guide Casey Grom & the safari crew

Our final day on the mountain!

Today the gang got up at 6:30 refreshed after a much needed nights sleep, we had breakfast, then hit the trail one last time. It took just around 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 7 day journey up and down Kilimanjaro. 

Stayed tuned, Safari starts tomorrow!

RMI Guide Casey Grom and crew

We did it!!!

All team members safely back to high camp after standing on the “Roof of Africa”.  

The team did a great job climbing and stayed positive even though it was tough at times. It was slightly chilly and busier than we would have liked, however, our early departure saved us from the more than 100+ climbers all stuffed together. We even had the summit to ourselves for a little while. 

We spent about about 30 minutes on the summit celebrating, 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 Grom and a happy Kili team!

Hello again everyone!

The team had a good night’s rest last night and today was just a short 3hr hike up to 15’000ft to our high camp. It started out sunny, but then quickly clouded up thankfully making 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 great detail the plan for tomorrow’s climb. Everyone knows what we’ll be wearing, what will be in the pack, as well as the schedule. 

Our game plan will be to wake at 10:30pm and have a quick breakfast at 11, then hopefully hit the trail right around 11:30pm. 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 and the Summit Bound Crew

Hello again everyone! 

Right out of camp the team was 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 amazing job of moving steadily and allowing a few porters to pass with their loads precariously balanced on their heads. It was incredibly busy, but the team cruised through easily. Everyone said it was the highlight thus far!

After reaching the top we took a nice break and enjoyed the intermittent views of the ice ladened south face and valleys below between the passing clouds. The team continued our hike for a few more hours up and down through a few valleys before reaching today’s 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!

Howdy everyone back home. 

All is well in Tanzania. We’ve had great weather and the team is humming along really well. 

We hit the trail just after 8am and hiked for an hour before taking our usual 15 minute break, then back on the trail for another hour and so on. All total today we hiked for just over 6 hours before reaching Barranco camp. Our gracious Kilimanjaro porters have been working very hard and we arrive once again to a camp set up and ready for us. 

Along the way we passed around the famous Lava Tower reaching just over 15,000ft setting new altitude records for many. 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. Zuess story. 

The team is in good spirits and doing great. 

RMI Guide Casey Grom