Entries By dave hahn
After a calm night at Machame Camp at 9,800', we packed up this morning under blue skies and strong sun and pushed higher. The team was on the move by 8:00 AM and was immediately on steeper and rougher trails than we'd encountered yesterday. It was quite busy as the porters from a number of teams -including our own- were anxious to get out ahead and make it to Shira Camp as early as possible in order to claim prime sites for their teams. We made good progress, eventually following a rocky ridge line for some distance. It was continually interesting to watch the changes in foliage as we ascended. Looking out, we were above a sea of cloud obscuring the rest of Africa. Our sun and views of Kilimanjaro didn't last. By the time we'd reached about 12,000', clouds formed on the upper mountain and stretched to cover us. By then, we were traversing on blocky lava terraces out towards the Shira plateau. We made it into our new camp at 12:30 and after getting settled, enjoyed a fine hot lunch. Afternoon was mostly rest, relax and acclimatize time as we are now at a lofty 12,300' It is colder here and so we didn't stay up very late, hitting the sack at about seven, just after a hearty supper.
Best Regards,
RMI Guides Dave Hahn
On The Map
It was raining at the Dik Dik Hotel this morning when we woke. Light, but steady rain kept falling as we ate a 7 AM breakfast and got ready to board the bus/truck. But 15 minutes down the road, our driver shut off his windshield wipers. Low clouds still disguised the mountain we believed was hiding somewhere out to our northeast, but things were looking up. The variety of crops in the "cultivation" zone at the foot of Kilimanjaro was quite impressive. We saw coffee, corn, avocado, mangos, and bananas all growing in a lush mix close to the Machame Gate. It took some time to get the group properly registered and permitted with the National Park but then at around 11 AM we began our ascent through a forest of tall trees. Our starting point was at about 5,900 ft, and our destination for the day was close to 9,800 ft, so there was little doubt we were in for a workout. At first we were in fog and humid clouds, but after several hours, the sun got strong and the sky got blue. We traveled on an excellent trail through the "forest" zone and into the "heather" zone and we began getting great views of Kilimanjaro and her glaciers. At around 4:30 PM we strode into a cluster of tents and admired the work of our porters and kitchen crew as we took packs off in our new home. We ate dinner in our grand dining tent and turned in early under what appears to be a magnificent full moon.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
On The Map
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
We got together after a relaxing breakfast in our tropical garden of a lodge and we talked about going up amongst the glaciers of Kilimanjaro. It was a morning of going over the plan of attack and for discussing gear and best practices for staying healthy in this part of the world. The middle of the day was spent getting the gear and clothing sorted and by afternoon the team enjoyed a bit of free time to wander about or to nap. The wanderers didn't have to go far before they could see Kilimanjaro floating in the distance. The nappers surrendered for a short time to the jet lag we all feel.
The team enjoyed seeing groups of monkeys swinging through the trees of our compound as well as listening to strange birds call out as they cruised overhead.
We enjoyed a group dinner and some storytelling for the evening. It will be hard to leave this luxurious and laid back setting, but the thought of getting walking on the flanks of the largest freestanding mountain in the world is pretty enticing as well.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Be safe team!!! “Hi” to Liz!!!
Posted by: Gina on 9/17/2013 at 5:09 am
Have a great trip! Love you lots.
Posted by: Joan on 9/16/2013 at 6:45 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Kilimanjaro
It is 11 PM at the Dik Dik Hotel near Arusha, Tanzania, and the entire climbing team has made it through the worldwide obstacle course of airports and aircraft to begin a Kilimanjaro expedition. We'll get started in the morning with strategizing and packing gear and prepping, but for now it it just a great relief to have everybody in one place (the correct place) and to have all the baggage safely off the carousels.
Our drivers and hotel staff gave each tired traveler a friendly hello, a handshake, a glass of champagne and a flower or two. The kitchen stayed up late to get an excellent dinner out to each and every climber.
We'll hope that a night's good rest goes a long way to refreshing, rebooting and rejuvenating the gang. An adventure is waiting.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Thanks for taking such good care of everyone. :)
Posted by: Mara on 9/15/2013 at 4:31 pm
The Four Day Summit Climb Led by RMI Guide Dave Hahn reached 11,800’ feet today before encountering firm and icy conditions on the route which forced them to turn around. Dave Hahn reported clear skies and beautiful weather. The team is currently descending from Ingraham Flats and will be back at RMI Basecamp in the early afternoon.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Great job Nathaniel and Matthew - darn weather, atleast the weather let you go further this time than you did last time! Glad you could enjoy the adventure together! I love you both!!!
Posted by: Mama J on 8/31/2013 at 12:08 pm
Dear Jeff and Catherine et al,
We’re so sorry that inclement weather thwarted your ascent up Ranier!Glad that you’re encountering sunny skies on your descent. Our prayers for you and your team continue!
Love you both!!
Dad and Momma et al
Posted by: JimandDiana Smith on 8/31/2013 at 8:35 am
Our Four Day Summit Climb teams failed to reach the summit this morning due to a team member falling ill and needing assistance. The teams reached 12,300’, the top of Disappointment Cleaver, before they needed to turn around. Everyone is now descending back to Camp Muir and we expect their arrival at Ashford Base Camp around 4:00pm.
What’s the end of the story?
Posted by: Tatoosh on 8/23/2013 at 9:46 pm
Our Son was part of this team. He has said over and over again how impressed he is/was with the way everything was handled! Thank you all so much!!
Posted by: Monique on 8/17/2013 at 8:17 pm
Posted by: Dave Hahn, Pete Van Deventer
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Mount Rainier
Elevation: 14,410'
We had teams summit via three different routes on Mt. Rainier this morning: Dave Hahn and Jason Thompson led teams via the Disappointment Cleaver Route, Pete Van Deventer via the Kautz Glacier Route, and Garrett Stevens on the Emmons Glacier Route. They reported chilly conditions, winds about 15 mph and sunny skies. All teams had left the crater rim by 7:50 a.m.
Congratulations to today's teams!
Way to go Ben and Kara! Summited on Claire’s Birthday.
Posted by: Dad, Connie and Claire on 8/8/2013 at 6:20 pm
So happy for you Kara, Ben and Jeff! You’ve worked so hard for this… I am so proud!! Come home safely, I can’t wait to hear about everything. I love you!!
Posted by: Chris sand on 8/7/2013 at 8:44 pm
The Four Day Summit Climb led by RMI Guide Dave Hahn was unable to reach the summit of Mt. Rainier this morning. At 7:20 a.m. the team was descending Disappointment Cleaver en route to Camp Muir; they will be back in Ashford later today.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Bottle neck of climbers above the DC caused a major hours long delay. Unfortunately temps were warming up quickly and there was still a lot of mountain to climb.
Posted by: JC on 7/29/2013 at 6:23 pm
Too bad. Would like to know what prevented the team from summiting.
Posted by: Josephine Johnson on 7/29/2013 at 10:15 am
The alarm was set for 11:30 PM at 8000 ft on the Kahiltna Glacier. The rain began at 10:00 PM and continued on and off until 11:20. Rain wouldn't be considered a good thing if you were laying in your sleeping bag hoping that the glacial surface would freeze up in the night to permit safe and easy passage to the Southeast Fork and a possible airplane pickup. So at the appointed wakeup time, we had a soggy glacier, groggy climbers and a murky vision of the world. Although it is still light for twenty four hours in this part of Alaska in mid-July, it isn't very light between about midnight and four. But we made the decision, along with Rob Gowler's AMS group camped nearby, to make a break for the airstrip before the storm got worse. We were on the move by 2:00 AM and stumbling along on snowshoes in the gloom. Surprisingly, it rained no more. It was slow going at first, hitting big crevasses broadside, without being able to see them ahead of time and take evasive action. But conditions improved as we got further down glacier... there had been a great deal of new snow (bridging crevasses) the sky overhead was clearing and the snow surface was consequently freezing, and it was getting lighter. It was a great help to be backed up in route-finding by Rob and the AMS team. Together, as the last climbers on the mountain, we worked through the early morning hours. By seven, we'd solved all significant problems and found ourselves at the foot of "heartbreak hill". We climbed the Southeast Fork to the airstrip and called in the ski-planes. Conditions overhead were good, but it took a few hours until our planes could even get into the range. The bigger storm was still coming in, but all passes into the mountains were already clogged with cloud. We considered ourselves lucky to be flown out in the afternoon. What followed was a whirlwind of drying/sorting gear, connecting with the outer world again and showers and shaves. We enjoyed a fabulous West Rib victory dinner celebration, a summit certificate awards ceremony and copious amounts of laughter over our shared experiences of the past three weeks. Day 20... Trip done... all we could possibly have hoped for in defining a fine expedition.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
A HUGE thank you to Dave and the rest of the guides for escorting Anders and the rest of the team up and down this formidable mountain. We appreciated all the updates, and can’t wait to hear all the details when Anders gets home. You certainly faced some challenging weather, and your perseverance and patience paid off in the incredible summit experience. We all appreciate it!
Posted by: the christofferson family on 7/17/2013 at 4:24 pm
Monday, July 15th, 2013
It was still very calm at 14K camp this morning, but it was obvious that the next storm system was moving in. So we moved out. At 9:15 we pulled out of Genet Basin and dragged our sleds to Windy Corner. The going was easy as others had plowed a nice trough through the recent snows. There has to be some advantage to being the very last team to come off the mountain. We made it around the corner, down the Polo Field, across Squirrel Hill and down Motorcycle in about two hours. At 11,000' we dug up our cache of food, snowshoes, and miscellaneous gear and took about an hour to reorganize. Then it was down to the main Kahiltna Glacier in excellent condition for travel. It only took us two hours to make the bottom of Ski Hill. By that point, however, glacier surface conditions were getting soggy and slushy -as expected. So we built camp to wait for the cool of night before going the last few miles to the airstrip. We need the freeze to firm up about a thousand snow bridges over crevasses between here and Basecamp. It is a relief to be low again. Our first time in over two weeks to be taking in so much oxygen with each breath. And we aren't even remotely cold after conditioning to the frigid heights of Denali. There is a downside, of course... there are smells again. The one in the guide tent has been described as "hot garbage."
Perhaps we will make it to Talkeetna and showers tomorrow morning.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
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Happy and safe trails. Looking forward to reading about your progress.
Posted by: rachael c lujan on 9/18/2013 at 3:35 pm
Happy and safe climbing. Looking forward to your updates. ABQ Uptown/RS 985 NM/CO
Rachael
Posted by: rachael c lujan on 9/18/2013 at 3:33 pm
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