Entries By dave hahn
Great days at Tarangire. Wonderful night at Kikoti Camp. Checked back in at Dik Dik for shower and dinner, then off to the airport. Busy times, but good times... I'll send a roundup from Amsterdam.
Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hey, this is Dave Hahn calling in from safari in Tanzania. Hey, we had a great day in Tarangire National Park. We saw hundreds of elephants. We saw a million zebras, gazelles; we saw a couple of male lions sleeping. It was great day, wonderful day. We're at Kikoti Camp, just outside the National Park right now. Unexpectedly, we don't have internet tonight so I'm not sending a dispatch but thought I'd give you a yell and let you all know that we're all doing just fine. And we're looking forward to the very last day of our trip. Tomorrow, we'll go back through Tarangire and we'll make our way back to Arusha. But all is well and we'll be in touch. Thank you.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Safari in Tarangire National Park, Tanzania.
We spent the day cruising for wildlife in a caldera. Ngorongoro 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 a solitary black rhino. The big cats stole the show though. At one point a female lion walked out into the road and lay down against the hubcap of one of our vehicles. This was despite a bunch of us leaning out to take pictures and a small traffic jam of land cruisers forming to capture the event. She couldn't have cared less about car occupants. All she knew was that she was hot and that the hubcap was offering a little shade.
Bryson, our driver, had to maneuver very carefully to get the vehicle moving without running over the big cat tail.
On the way out of Ngorongoro, we visited a Maasai "boma", or village, and learned a little about the famous tribesmen clinging to their traditional lifestyle.
Tomorrow, we'll move over to Tarangire National Park.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
It was a little easier getting up and getting going today since we didn't have to crawl out of tents on a mountainside. The gang was on the road, leaving the Dik Dik Hotel by 8:15 AM. It took several hours to wind through Arusha's traffic and to get over to Lake Manyara National Park. But the drive was very much worth the trouble. We rolled back the roofs on the two Toyota Landcruisers and went looking for wildlife. Within minutes, we saw elephants and baboons and monkeys. We ticked species after species, had a great picnic lunch and then saw the main attraction: lions lounging in an acacia tree. It was hard to leave the pair of big cats, but eventually we moved on to see hippos and pelicans, zebras and wildebeests. As the sun got low, we left the park and headed for the Plantation Lodge, our accommodation for the night. All were surprised and pleased to find themselves in the lap of luxury in a beautiful garden setting. We've come quite a way from sleeping on a tilt on cold dirt.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Our last day of the climb started out with perfectly clear skies at Mweka Camp. The team got together for breakfast, mentioning sore muscles from the day before, but with everybody smiling and excited for the finale. After breakfast, our staff sang the "Kilimanjaro Song" while we clapped and recorded everything. A few short speeches were made and tips distributed, before we all headed down the trail. This walk was all in forest -an extreme contrast to our time up in the ice and rock alpine zone just a few hours back. As we dropped 4000 ft, we looked for monkeys and birds and marveled at giant camphor trees. At our finish line, the Mweka Gate, the Dik Dik Hotel had put on a splendid picnic banquet. With full bellies and tired feet we boarded the bus/truck for the ride through Moshi and back to the hotel on the outskirts of Arusha. It was then a relaxing afternoon of getting clean and trying out the hammocks of the Dik Dik. We enjoyed a memorable victory dinner together, recalling with laughter how we'd been utter strangers just a week before. In the morning, the main body of the group will go off on a game-viewing safari. We wish Keith safe travels on his way home and we are counting on spying Peter and Charlotte across some muddy hippo wallow in these next few days.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
September 8, 2015
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 10,000'
Summit Day on Kilimanjaro!
This one went just perfectly from start to finish. We woke at 11:30 PM had a bit to eat and drink and then went walking toward the top at 12:30 AM. It was clear and cold... colder still as we got higher, naturally. But the best thing was that the night was calm. Wind never bothered us on this day. All agreed that it was quite difficult, just the same. The altitude involved was new for each of our climbers, and predictably it hit some harder than others without too much rhyme or reason. We didn't have 100% to the summit... Nine of ten made Stella Pt on the crater rim and seven of those nine made it over to Uhuru... The highest point. The guide managed to drag himself up as well, but only with the ample assistance of our local staff. Freddy and his guides: Gunther, Eliapenda, Charles and Filbert, along with Oswald made huge differences in our enjoyment of the morning. We hit Stella Point at 7 AM just after a magnificent sunrise. By 8 we were at Uhuru and we spent thirty minutes there. We'd made it back to high camp before noon and after a fine brunch we were on our way down the vertical mile to Mweka Camp at 10,000 ft. We reached camp at 4 PM, tired but quite happy.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn & Team
On The Map
HUGE congratulations! Jenell you’re an inspiration as always!!!
Posted by: Adam Spoor on 9/9/2015 at 12:35 pm
Congratulations to Dori and the whole crew!
Posted by: Bruce Carlson on 9/9/2015 at 9:03 am
September 8, 2015
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 19,340'
Hey, this is Dave Hahn checking in from Kilimanjaro. We summited this morning. We had a beautiful morning. We left High Camp at about 12:30, and we were at Stella Point on the crater rim at 7 a.m. Perfect conditions up there no wind and clear, very nice. We were on Uhuru Peak, the highest point in all of Africa by 8 in the morning. And we all made it down safely to our high camp, Barrafu, and now we're going to continue on down, and we'll send you a dispatch from the Mweka Camp. All is well.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in after successful climb to the summit of Kilimanjaro.
On The Map
For Dori,
Congratulations! ou worked so hard to do this and now you get to celebrate!
Can’t wait to hear all the stories.
Hopefully you get to relax a bit!
Lots of love,
Rebecca
Posted by: Rebecca Crichton on 9/8/2015 at 11:06 am
Congrats to everyone! NELL!!! Soooooo proud of you and wooHOOOO!!!
Posted by: Lolly on 9/8/2015 at 10:43 am
September 7, 2015
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 15,000'
Another great day on Kilimanjaro. Yesterday's clouds went away in the night and we were treated to a sparkling and clear, sunny morning. Looking up more than a vertical mile from Karanga Camp, we could see all of Kibo's glaciated southeastern flank. As we've gotten used to, there was a sea of cloud below us -only permitting a brief glimpse now and again as to what might be down there. But we are more focused on what lies above these days. We started climbing at 9:30 AM and in just over two hours we'd gained 2,000 vertical feet and we strolled into Barafu Camp at about 15,000 feet. It was an easy afternoon then of eating, planning and napping. We are in bed early (6PM) because we plan to be up and climbing in the middle of the night. A little luck on the weather doesn't seem to be too much to hope for now... It is calm and the afternoon clouds are fleeing fast. We could have a wonderful climb.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Go Jenell!!!!!!
Pole Pole!!!!
Junell/Jenell power!
- Clay
Posted by: Clay Junell on 9/8/2015 at 6:30 am
Hope the summitting was grand! My sister Dori is having the time of her life and I am very proud of her! Safe travels and an easy walk down.
Posted by: Brady Wright on 9/7/2015 at 9:48 pm
September 6, 2015
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 13,160'
This was a short, but significant day for the Kilimanjaro team. We climbed the great Barranco Wall. Things started out pretty clear and sunny down at camp, and we got great views of the massive and steep walls of Kibo above. The glaciers and frozen waterfalls all looked tenuously attached to the mountain and stuck out in stark contrast to our desert-like surroundings a mile below. We waited until 9:45 AM to give the army of hard-working porters first shot at the narrow ledges of Barranco and then we began working our own way up. Our local guide team, led by capable and calm Freddy, shepherded us from ledge to ledge, making sure we always knew where the next good solid handhold was. We made steady progress and soon topped out on the wall, 750 steep vertical feet above our starting point. It only took a couple more hours then of traversing several valleys to reach Karanga Camp at 13,160 ft. We got in just in time as it began to rain and even snow a bit shortly after our arrival. We'll see if it is just the normal afternoon buildup of moisture, or some more significant shift in the weather.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Congratulations Dori & team!! What a wonderful accomplishment!
Posted by: Robin Knudson on 9/8/2015 at 8:02 am
Sending lots of love to all! So proud of Jenell and everyone!!
Posted by: Katrina on 9/8/2015 at 4:33 am
September 5, 2015
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
Elevation: 12,800'
This was a great day of climbing. It dawned crisp and clear at Shira Camp. Kibo, Kilimanjaro's main peak, was visible in all it's glory. We still couldn't see much out to the west because of clouds and murk, but everything was nice and blue up above. We got walking at 8:30 AM and made good, steady progress climbing toward Kibo. Inevitably, the clouds formed up as we went along, but we still enjoyed dramatic views of the hanging ice fields and steep mountain flanks ahead. We reached the 15,000 ft Lava Tower in early afternoon, and shattered everybody's previous altitude records in the process. Then our long descent into the Barranco Valley began. The good weather held for us and we even had a few sunny moments again as we got into the garden-like surroundings of our camp for the night. We passed under 30 ft high Giant Senecio plants... Seemingly straight out of a Doctor Suess book, and reached camp at 13,000 ft shortly after 3 PM. We are now camped below the Great Barranco Wall, but that of course, doesn't need to be climbed until tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Keep on going and stay safe!
Posted by: Elese on 9/6/2015 at 8:56 am
Congrats on hitting the 15,000 Mark. The best is yet to come. Stay strong!
Posted by: Jackie on 9/5/2015 at 10:10 pm
Congratulations! Can not wait to hear all about. Safe travels
Posted by: Elese Sifly on 9/9/2015 at 4:08 pm
Congratulations to All the members of this great team, including these brave local men. Thank you for sharing these beautiful moments, as always. And now, it is time for a well deserved SA FA RI ! Enjoy
Posted by: Chrystel on 9/9/2015 at 3:14 pm
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